Do you remember the late 1980s? If so, get ready for a dose of nostalgia as you embark on reading Wild Place. Christian White’s seemingly effortless evocation of that time – the music, the cars, the food, the fashion, the cultural norms, and dare I say it, the suburban consensual naivety and self-righteous suspicion of anyone not making an effort to ‘fit-in’ – was compelling but the pacing was relaxed. So much so, that in this novel’s first half I found myself almost lulled into a false sense of security. And, this was despite my knowing White is the master of the plot twist, having enjoyed his bestseller The Wife and The Widow.

Yes, that initial blinding by the mundane suburban veneer and preconceived expectations, was of course a clever ruse. One which served to heighten the menacing threat of the undercurrents when they emerge and then the impact of the gut punches delivered in Wild Place‘s latter half. And trust me, White dishes out several. His execution of these twists is so crafty, so skilfully unassuming… far more so than his previous title, and thus ultimately more shocking.

There is bloodshed in this novel, but it is the transparency brought to bear on the theme of why and how easily good people can do bad things, that is far scarier. That ignorant assumption and baseless accusations toward those that are different can be the catalyst for great trauma whether at school, in a suburban street or on a larger social or even global scale, is an important lesson and reminder for us all.

Christian White’s Wild Place is a highly accessible and compelling read… Both a shocking domestic thriller and also thought-provoking social commentary on a dark, recurring theme* in societies that proudly call themselves civilized.

* And I am not referring to Satanism.

https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2021/11/wild-place-by-christian-white-review.html

A fantastic crime novel with lots of suspicious characters and plenty of twists!

Plot: It's 1989, and a girl has gone missing. School teacher Tom suspects the goth kid next door, Sean, but this small town has all kinds of secrets.

Firstly, the setting of '89 added an interesting level to the story. I recently went through a 'serial killer podcasts' phase so I know a little about the Satanic Panic, but it was quite fun to see it explored further in this story. There's also that small town community coupled with the lack of technology of that time that gave things a more intimate angle. No cryptic text messages here, folks - just nosy Lydia with her Neighbourhood Watch group.

The characters are familiar enough, but I never found myself predicting too much of what was to come, which was refreshing. I still called the person responsible but all the twists and turns along the way definitely came out of the blue. Some really fun curves along this path!

The writing is clever enough to create tension as it goes, so there's never a dull moment. I was pretty keen on getting back to it every time I put it down, and with it being an e-book and me always choosing paperbacks this was a big deal. So props for that.

Overall, it was a highly entertaining, twisty thriller. Highly recommend for crime lovers.

With thanks to Netgalley for an ARC

I have now read all of Christian's novels and I know that what you think is the outcome, never is. This one was no exception. If anything, I was wrong several times about who killed teenager Tracie Reed and dumped her body in Wild Place, where satanic sacrifices are rumoured to happen. There are several people all suspected to be involved in her murder but which one is it: Tom the high school teacher, Tom's wife Connie, Tom's son Marty, her Dad or the weird kid selling drugs to the locals? Loved this one and was left stunned by the ending.

A mid to fast pace Australian story, Wild Place is very intriguing, gripping on the edge of the seat book which keeps you guessing on who dun it. Full of mystery and secrets, lies and their actions suffer many different unexpected consequences. Full of devious, charismatic yet intriguing characters to which their actions and emotions is difficult for a reader to make an early connection to who killed the missing girl. Certainly a recommended book for those who love to read mysteries and thrillers.
#WildPlace #NetGalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Affirm Press via NetGalley for my honest review of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own thoughts, feelings and viewpoints of the book.

When 17-year-old Tracie disappears from her safe and comfortable neighbourhood, the community of Camp Hill are quick to point fingers at “outsiders” in their society, those who don’t quite fit in. Panic and blame builds quickly: there is a killer among them. Satan worshipers are to blame. Something must be done.

Oh boy, Christian White has done it again 👏🏻 I was basically guaranteed to love Wild Place: the setting, the premise and the genre were all well and truly enough to draw me in. Christian White is an auto-buy author for me, so when I was approved for the ARC it was like all my Christmases have come at once!

Wild Place has all the elements that made me fall in love with White’s writing. It’s mysterious and tense, but authentic and relatable at the same time. Unlike some other authors in this genre, White doesn’t “stretch” into the realm of the unbelievable in his work. It’s one of the things that I like best about his books.

Wild Place serves as a reminder of the danger of hysteria and conspiracy when disaster strikes (I attended one of Readings’ ‘In Conversation’ sessions a few weeks back, and White touched on Covid being part of the inspiration for this book - the whacky and downright bizarre conspiracies that have cropped up over the last couple of years reminding him of the “satanic panic” of the 1980s!). The constant presence of the rumour mill throughout this book lends to a real “Rear Window” vibe, adding to the intensity and claustrophobic feeling.

Wild Place is exciting and thrilling, and the ending took me totally by surprise! I’d recommend this to anyone who has enjoyed White’s previous work or fans of Jane Harper.

I really enjoyed this book by Christian White. The writing style just drew me into the book and had me wanting to solve the mystery that the town had experienced. I loved the twists and turns of this book, which kept happening right up until the very end. I enjoyed all the different characters that lived in the area and how they all interacted with each other. It felt like a guessing game trying to piece together if anyone was connected to the missing local teen. I also liked how I was unable to figure out just exactly how the story would end. I feel anyone who enjoys crime fiction and thriller reads will thoroughly enjoy this addictive book. I am upset that I have already finished it. Thank you Netgally for this review copy.

A cliff hanger of a book!! The reveals come so thick and fast - you think you have a take on which direction the story is heading and then there is another big surprise! It's a great ride, and author Christian White leads the reader to anticipate one outcome, only to flip and provide another, not once but again and again..
Characters you've come to like act in ways you've never seen coming, and others you've been set up to dislike or distrust reveal unexpected depths and gain our renewed sympathy. The surprises keep coming right up to the very last pages.
This is the first of Christian White's psychological thrillers I have read, and once I started I couldn't leave it alone... I'll certainly be seeking out his other books! The action moves at a heart beating pace that sweeps the reader along. Makes me think of a white water rafting trip - once you get on board you can't leap out of the boat until it comes to rest at the end of the journey.

I love a Christian White page turner! This was a highly enjoyable, well paced Aussie crime novel. I loved the inclusion of Satanic Panic that gripped communities in the 80s and how that set the tone of prejudice throughout the book. Tom was a great protagonist and his character really added dimension to the plot. There are some classic Christian White plot twists to keep you guessing and although I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as his previous two novels it's still a goodun.

Australian psychological thriller Wild Place by Christian White is set in 1989. It is about a missing teenage girl, exposes the dark sides of middle suburbia in Melbourne, and explores why good people do bad things. When Tracie goes missing, her old teacher, family man and neighbour Tom is reeling. His hometown, the idyllic suburb of Camp Hill, isn’t safe after all. He takes matters into his own hands, revving up the missing girl’s father and the local neighbourhood watch group about a youth apparently involved with Satanic rituals. Why is Tom so highly motivated? And who really took Tracie, and will she come home safely? That’s what you’ll find out if you read Wild Place. I enjoyed the read, though the twists didn’t come as a surprise. An enjoyable aspect was revisiting the time of 1989: bulky video cameras, cassettes, Walkmans, popular music and other peculiarities of that era.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

As with all Christian White books, I sat reading this with my hand over my mouth, waiting for the next shoe to drop. I have no idea how he does it, but he is the master of twists that I never see coming. Another brilliant read for anyone who enjoyed The Nowhere Child and The Wife and the Widow.

After a slow start wondering where this story was going it became a fast-moving complex plot with plenty of red herrings along the way.
The comfortable images portrayed of suburbia, marriage, family and good intentions gradually fall apart as we learn more about a young girl murdered and found buried in the area known as the Wild Place.
Overall I enjoyed the twists and turns that ended with a final surprise I never saw coming.
An independent review NetGalley / Affirm Press

This is a fast paced, twisty thriller about a missing girl in suburban Melbourne. Enclosed between the back fences of two rows of houses is a kind of nature reserve known as Wild Place to the locals. The house of the missing girl backs on to one side and Tom Witter’s, a local teacher and family man backs on to the other. The story is set between Christmas 1989 and New Year, and there’s plenty of references to music and other cultural references of the time, in particular an irrational fear of satanic cults. The local goth kid who listens to lots of heavy metal becomes a natural suspect for all the neighbourhood watch types.
While I found this an enjoyable and easy read, I don’t think it’s as good as his first two books. I’m not sure why, it just didn’t surprise me and I found the ending unsatisfying.

Always enjoy this author. Twists and turns and a surprise. A strong another who plots well.
Thanks for the read.

My first book by Christian White and boy was I not disappointed.

It is 1989 and a young girl named Tracie goes missing from her small Aussie town of Camp Hill. No one seems to have any answers, although one of her school teachers takes a particular interest in her disappearance. Did she run away, was she abducted, murdered or even summoned to the devil, the speculation goes on.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had enough twist and turns to keep me captured and did not become too unbelievable. I quite liked the main character Tom, he kept me guessing whilst he continued to run his own investigation into Tracies disappearance. I was pleasantly shocked by the twist at the end which I can not say I saw coming.

One of the best things about this book is it wasn't just a simple missing person mystery. It also explored a coming of age storyline, forbidden love and satanism. At first a was a bit worried with the varying themes, but they all married together quite nicely.

Now I will definitely go and read White's previous novels that have been sitting in my bookcase for months.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by Christian White, though have his first 2 sitting in my TBR and am ashamed I haven't got around to them sooner.

I can now see why he is a blind buy author for so many.

I was instantly pulled in to the community surrounding 'Wild Place' in the 1980's. I really enjoyed the surprising places this book took me as it twisted and turned.

I may have guessed part of the ending, but it was so enjoyable going along for the ride. And I love a book who's final paragraph leaves me wondering...

Thank you @netgalley and @affirmpress for the chance to read and review this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

3.5/5

I hate to say it, but somehow I was expecting more.

I have heard such fantastic things about this author's first two books, but this was my first read of his and it fell a little flat for me.

I would call it a domestic suspense, and it centres on Tom, a middle aged man who becomes a bit obsessed with the disappearance of a local teenager.

Tom has Tourette's and I just don't really know why?? What did it add to the story? Why was he characterised that way? I'm just scratching my head a little over that choice.

The author admits in the back that his hook that inspired this story was the Satanic Panic of the 80s, when people started freaking out about Satanism being a real threat. This is an AWESOME concept with so much potential, and I feel like the surface of this potential was not even scratched here. Like, barely tickled.

There were some fairly decent twists I guess, and it read easy and fast paced, but something about this one just left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

Once again, Christian White has hit it out of the park. All 3 books so far have been an easy 5⭐️.

I got a bit worried when the topic of Satanism came up, having read a book recently which leaned into the stereotype too far. I had nothing to worry about - using it as something for the characters to get hooked up on, rather than something for the plot to get hooked up on, worked really well.

As always, I won’t give anything away, but holy crap, that ending! Pretty sure I almost broke my neck trying to keep up with all the twists and turns. Shook. Utterly shook.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy of the ebook. This one is out now so go get yourself a copy! I’ll definitely be going to grab one to keep my White collection complete!

And thank you to Christian’s wife, Summer, for the pun input. I really appreciate a good pun!

This book wasn’t what I’d expected at all. It started with a mystery of a missing girl, told a story about coming-of-age process, and ended up with a wild place (yes I think the book was appropriately titled).

I really liked Tom’s character design. He was far from perfect; scrawny and awkward, and frequently bullied during his childhood. He tried ‘escaping’ his hometown, only to end up being a teacher at his old school that he tried to escape from. It reminded me that most grown-ups still carried the frightened little kids around inside of them.

When the first major event happened in the book, it surprised me. I didn’t think this was ‘that’ type of a mystery/thriller book, and I didn’t quite like the direction it was going. But then… I got it. Truly got it. And yes, I ended up liking where it was going!

Again, I loved the Australiana aspect, especially as this was set in Victoria (just off Frankston). And even though the final conclusion was a bit predictable to me (once I knew where it was going, it wasn’t hard for me to be guess what would happened), the entire reading journey was a very enjoyable one!

Set in country Australia during 1989 into 1990, this is a good crime thriller with plenty of twists and turns. The satanic suggestions weren't convincing, but gossiping, meddling neighbours, and ugly secrets did make this small town feel realistic (and a place you wouldn't want to live in!) Tom Whitter, the missing girl's English teacher, is the central character, out to solve the mystery. He was weird and creepy from the start...although perhaps not meant to be.

This was a quick page-turning, entertaining read, and like most books in this genre, even the good ones like this, will be forgotten as soon as you read the next one or two in the same genre!

Thankyou to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital advance review copy.

3.5/5

Huge thank you to @netgalley and @affirmpress for my e-arc of this book! I was really interested to see if I’d like this one because I liked the Wife and the Widow but didn’t love Nowhere Child.

I liked the idea of this story, and that it was set in the 80s in Victoria. There were some references I understood and phrases that I use today, so it was fun understanding the setting and time. The neighbours all prying into peoples business and knowing everyone was realistic and funny to see.

The characters were honestly a little weird, and I guess because this was a murder mystery/thriller they all seemed suspicious to me. I didn’t really trust anyone, but I’ll admit I also didn’t have any guesses of who did what. I didn’t expect any of the twists to happen, but I also don’t think they were very dramatic twists either. There may have been a couple of times I said “oooooohh what” out loud, but it still felt like quite a dull read.

If you loved his other books then I definitely think that you would like this one! But if you didn’t particularly like them, then I think you could give this one a miss.