Death at the White Hart
Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall is a new British mystery novel that marks a return to form for the author. Chibnall was the showrunner and writer for the massively popular ITV show Broadchurch, which like this novel featured a very public murder in a coastal British town.
The protagonist here named Nicola Bridge is an experienced detective who has moved back to her hometown after dealing with the fallout and stress that her job has put on her family relationships. She has to deal with a murder investigation involving the local shady pub owner who is found dead in the middle of the roadway with deer antlers glued to his head.
Despite the creepy and vaguely occultist nature of the crime, the antlers are certainly evocative of some season 1 True Detective vibes, the story instead sticks to more down-to-earth British themes of cheating pub owners, eager-to-please junior DIs, and wrongly accused but very plausible suspects.
I really enjoyed the novel, I find pacing is one of the most important things in a murder mystery book and the plot here has the appropriate amount of twists and turns to keep the reader engaged without needlessly dragging things out. I also thought there was good characterization of the main protagonist and the cast of possible assailants. My only minor quibble is that there are some times when Chibnall’s TV instincts are display. A few of the chapters I feel more like they were written for the eventual streaming tv show than for the novel itself. These chapters are brief though and don’t really detract from the overall story.
If you are looking for a very solid British murder procedural, or just want a preview of what I’m sure will be a someday popular tv show almost certainly staring Olivia Colman, I highly recommend Death at the White Hart.
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