‘Drop Dead Diva’ Creator Josh Berman Taps ‘CSI’ Star for His ‘Dead Matters’ Debut Novel Audiobook | Exclusive

Acclaimed TV creator and showrunner Josh Berman is gearing up to launch forensic thriller novel “Dead Matters,” with “CSI” star Marg Helgenberger attached to narrate the audiobook, TheWrap can reveal exclusively. Berman, whose TV writing credits include “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Bones” and “Drop Dead Diva,” will make his fiction debut with “Dead Matters,” which has already generated industry buzz. The novel is slated for a January 2027 release via Podium Entertainment, with the audiobook edition narrated by Helgenberger. Centered on the FBI’s Paranormal Crimes Unit, “Dead Matters” follows the elite and experimental division tasked with investigating crimes involving seemingly impossible phenomena. Set against the atmospheric backdrop of the American South, the novel blends cutting-edge forensic science, psychological suspense, and deeply human storytelling as a found-family team of damaged investigators confronts cases that challenge the limits of modern criminal investigation, per the logline. “I wanted to create a world where science collides with the unexplained,” Berman said. “’Dead Matters’ is ‘CSI’ for 2026. Technology has evolved faster than our ability to understand it, evidence no longer tells a complete story, and the people investigating these crimes are as haunted as the cases themselves.” “Dead Matters” was acquired by Podium Entertainment in a competitive two-book deal. The acquisition was spearheaded by Podium’s senior director of acquisitions Stephanie Beard, who identified the novel’s franchise potential. “From the very first pages, ‘Dead Matters’ announced itself as something special,” Beard said in a statement. “Josh Berman has created a world that feels both terrifyingly current and wildly entertaining. It combines the procedural precision audiences love with a fresh edge that makes the series impossible to put down. Fans of Patricia Cornwell and J. D. Robb, along with viewers of prestige crime television, are going to devour this.” The audiobook adaptation reunites Berman, who started his TV career on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” with Helgenberger, who starred in “CSI” for 15 years. “I spent years writing for Marg on ‘CSI,’ and having her now bring this world to life is surreal in the best possible way,” Berman said. “She understands this tone and these characters instinctively. There couldn’t be a more perfect voice for the series.” Berman worked his way up the ranks to serve as an EP on “CSI,” and went on to run the writers’ rooms on “Bones” and “The Blacklist.” He spent fifteen years under an overall deal at Sony Pictures Television, where he created “Drop Dead Diva,” which ran for six seasons.