A book on the David Bain case has been canned, only about a month out from the scheduled publication.
The book, written by former television journalist Michael Turner, was to have been released on November 24.
But this week, Mr Turner and publisher HarperCollins mutually agreed not to proceed with the project, titled Bain, which Mr Turner described as a narrative on the Bain case "from go to whoa".
The High Court retrial earlier this year, in which Mr Bain was acquitted of the murder of his parents and three siblings, was to be the climax of the book.
Neither Mr Turner nor the publisher was prepared to say what had led to the cancellation, but it is understood it came after the manuscript was examined for potential legal risks.
Mr Turner, who followed the case from its early days, said he was not at all disappointed by the outcome, calling the book a "work in progress".
"There will still be a book published. I have some work to complete, and when I do that, I will be presenting it for publication again."
Asked if he was talking to other publishers, Mr Turner refused to comment.
Mr Turner covered the Bain case as a journalist from the beginning, and is known to hold strong pro-David Bain views.
He sat in on the original Bain trial in 1995, and the retrial, and said he was in the unique position of "having attended the post-trial celebrations of the police in 1995, and of the Bain supporters in 2009".
Asked if a legal opinion on the book's content had influenced the decision not to publish, HarperCollins spokeswoman Sandra Noakes said it was standard practice for a book based on court cases to be examined by a lawyer.
"Earlier this week, Michael and our publishing manager reached an agreement where the book wouldn't be published."
Cancellations like this, even so close to the release date, did happen sometimes, she said.
HarperCollins is pursuing plans to publish another book on the Bain case, this one by Mr Bain's chief supporter, Joe Karam.
It will be Mr Karam's fourth book on the case.
Its release was expected next year, as Mr Karam had only recently started writing it.
Mr Karam was sued unsuccessfully for defamation by police officers over allegations made in his first book on the Bain case, David and Goliath.
