I didn't even need to read the blurb of this one to know that I had to get my hands on a copy!
After having read The Nowhere Child and The Wife and The Widow and absolutely loving both, Christian White has fast become an auto buy author for me! His writing is absolutely brilliant and totally bingeable!

You don't want to miss out reading this one!! 😍

Wild Place was an absolute wild ride! Full of twists and turns that I literally did not see coming! It was dark and gritty and complete with an 80's and satanic cult vibe that I loved! An absolute winner with a shocking twist ending 🤯

~ 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯 ~

In the summer of 1989, a local teen goes missing from the idyllic Australian suburb of Camp Hill. As rumours of Satanic rituals swirl, schoolteacher Tom Witter becomes convinced he holds the key to the disappearance. When the police won’t listen, he takes matters into his own hands with the help of the missing girl’s father and a local neighbourhood watch group.

But as dark secrets are revealed and consequences to past actions are faced, Tom learns that the only way out of the darkness is to walk deeper into it. Wild Place peels back the layers of suburbia, exposing what’s hidden underneath – guilt, desperation, violence – and attempts to answer the question: Why do good people do bad things?

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟐𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏

Thank you @netgalley and @affirmpress for the e-ARC!

This is a book thriller lovers will not want to miss. And fans of Christian White, Wild Place does not disappoint! It might just be my new favourite. It’s brilliant!

I devoured this twisty and enthralling read. The suburban Australian setting is a familiar but eery backdrop to the story, the cast of townsfolk intriguing with lots of grey, and the time period, 1989 as the new decade approaches, delivered mounting pressure and an excellent dose of nostalgia for this child of the ‘90s. (Think cassettes & the legendary dessert that is a Viennetta!)

Christian White dials the tension and dilemmas up a notch with each chapter and I could feel the screws tightening & the pressure mounting.

The very last page had me gasping. The ending was on my mind for days.

If you’ve read Christian White’s earlier novels, you must read this book. If you haven’t read his books before, this is a great one to start with!

Whilst I really enjoyed this book, it wasn't my favourite Christian White novel. I had high expectations given the interesting plot twist and narrative structure of 'The Wife and the Widow', this felt a little underwhelming. I liked the interesting Satanic plot twist- that was unlike anything I've ever read which was cool. For me, this book needed another 50 pages to develop some elements of the story to be a little more satisfying.

What a great read. Made all the better for being based in the Frankston area where I lived for many years.

It’s 1989 and teenage Tracie Reed disappears. We are taken through several potential scenarios - interspersed with 80s references - until a twist at the end.

Another one I couldn’t put down. The book flows well so that it’s a classic case of ‘just one more chapter’. Thank you Christian White,

Many thanks to Netgalley and Affirm Press for the opportunity to read and comment on this new novel of Christian White.

This book is pretty fast paced, fabulous and will hold the reader's attention for the whole book. The ending is a little bizarre considering the actions by Tom and more so wife Connie.

The story starts within a pretty ordinary neighbourhood and a cul de sac comes to mind, where it's possible to view every house from every other house and the adjoining bushland area, commonly referred to as the Wild Place. This neighbourhood is popular, a little bit of green amongst the suburban concrete and brick. The community has an active Neighbourhood Watch where most of the residents turn up to the meetings which are pretty low key considering nothing much out of the ordinary ever happens. However when a teenage girl goes missing, the mood of the meeting becomes very different with Tom, the main character bringing along the father of the girl, Owen, who has moved out of home, divorce looming. Owen is a formidable man and Tom is in his moment, a man who throughout his school years at the school he is now teaching suffered terrible bullying due to his "tick" (Tourette) while mild, is still noticeable but now with his conviction of apparent satanic happenings within their perfect neighbourhood he appears to have become another person.

The disappearance of Tracie has been met with a pretty lukewarm approach from the Police, given their experience of teenagers. However this is not the case for her mother Nancy after Tracie's strange return to the family home just prior to her disappearance, giving Nancy a shock along with seeing her hair dyed blonde and then voicing her concern of someone watching her she becomes convinced that Tracie has been abducted. Nancy's world is falling apart, the separation caused by Owen's infidelity, her future for her daughter and herself is enough concern without this added anxiety of Tracie's disappearance.

Tom and Connie are dealing with their own issues of older son Marty moving out of home to flat with mates. This is having quite an effect on Tom, a bit of a midlife crisis and with the freedom of school holidays Tom's imagination begins to take hold regarding the missing girl after he brings home the posters from Neighbourhood Watch. The photo of the missing Tracie, causes younger son Kieran to panic, meeting up early morning at Wild Place with his mate Ricky, they then go to see Sean, the neighbourhood bad boy who had given them the séance instructions for their ouija board. At the time of Tracie's disappearance they had held a séance in Wild Place, Sean going all weird and having a nosebleed. Kieran is spooked by the coincidence.

Tom goes to Wild Place to do a bit of sleuthing only to be spotted, reported to Police and while having a friendly chat with Nancy, he is set upon by those in uniform until Detective Sharon Guffey arrives. Tom is in a desperate state at the thought of being accused of Tracie's disappearance. Fortunately for him Sharon is an old mate from school days so this is put to rest. Returning home he discovers Kieran and Ricky burning the ouija board. Sending Ricky home he then tackles Kieran for his explanation. From here on, Tom is on the case.

Tracie Reed had finally finished school and had everything ahead of her. It was December 1989 in the small suburb of Camp Hill in Victoria, and when Tracie went missing late one night, after having had a fight with her best friend Cassie, then arriving home to her mother Nancy, distraught and shaken – but when Nancy woke the next morning, Tracie was gone. The police said she was a runaway and wouldn’t listen to Tracie’s mother who obviously knew her daughter best. The local neighbourhood watch group came together, printed missing posters and wanted to help.

Tom Witter was one of those neighbours and he took the posters and stuck them throughout Camp Hill. Tom was also one of the local high school teachers and had taught Tracie, so he felt close to the situation. Tom wanted to help find her. Eighteen-year-old Sean lived next door to Tom and his family with his mother Debbie. Sean had turned gothic, with dark clothing, tattoos and heavy metal music, causing a certain amount of suspicion to fall on him. But although there were secrets running through the neighbourhood, no one could believe anything bad would happen in their area. Wild Place – the area across the street, which was bushy, and tree filled, was a magnet for teenagers, but was it dangerous? What was happening in the small and usually docile neighbourhood?

Wild Place by Aussie author Christian White is a gritty, tense and breathtaking thriller which drew me into the depths of the darkness that people hide each and every day. Tom played an excellent main character and I felt sorry for him many times. Suspicion, guilt, violence and desperation all played a part in Wild Place, and I have no hesitation in recommending it highly.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for my advanced copy of Wild Place. This was a fast paced book which took me by surprise. The author led me down a path only to provide an ending I was truly not expecting. Overall an enjoyable book but difficult to believe

I had read Christian White’s two previous books, so I was very pleased to get my hands on his latest release, Wild Place. I really enjoyed this.

The book was set in 1989 and follows a small community which is dealing with the disappearance of Tracie Reed, a 17 year old girl. Tom, a teacher at Tracie’s school begins his own investigation after the police decide it looks like a case of a runaway child. Tom is drawn to the rumors of Satanic rituals swirling through the neighborhood and if they have any bearing on Tracie’s fate.

I could not put this book down and loved the ending.

Thanks to Affirm Press and Net Galley for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I got offered a chance to review Christian White's newest book, Wild Place, I jumped at the chance! I loved all of his other books and watched Clickbait on Netflix, which was amazing. This book did not disappoint!!

Wild Place is set in the summer of 1989 and revolves around the disappearance of Tracie Reed, a local teenager from the small suburb of Camp Hill. Most people, including the police, think she is simply another runaway.
School teacher Tom Witter is convinced otherwise, and decides to take matters into his own hands to find out what happened to Tracie.

I loved the 80's vibe of the book. It had many twists and turns - of which I mostly did not predict, as you would typically expect, especially if you have read any of the author's other works.

I highly recommend this book and Christian White has once again re-confirmed as to why is one of my favourite authors.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Wow! This book was a ride! This is my first Christian White book and it will not be my last.
This booked hooked me from the start. It was tight and the characters were great. Had me guessing till the end too which is unusual for me. An added bonus was lots of Aussie late 80's references.

Right, I'm off to read all Christian Whites other books now :)

(3.5 stars)
"According to legend, the bushland was home to a killer clown, was the secret burial place of the Beaumont children, and contained a hidden pit filled with venomous snakes." Never has backing onto a nature reserve seemed quite so ominous. In Wild Place, Christian White turns the table on houses backing onto bushland settings (usually a desired attribute) by looking back into them from this darkened rear: "His house was lit from the inside. Each window was like another screen, giving a glimpse into his world." This shift in the male protagonist's perspective was brought about by the disappearance of Tracie Reed, a local young woman.

Wild Place is a book about what happens when a violent crime pierces the glass snow dome that is suburbia: "Things like this weren't supposed to happen in places like Camp Hill, land of bright green lawns and little rainbows that glimmered in sprinkler showers." It's about the way hysteria (in this case a Satanic panic) infects the community, and a lynch mob is created. It's ordinary people doing what they do when they are afraid and not thinking logically, or of the longer-term consequences of their actions: "After the Tylenol murders in America, you didn't allow painkillers in the house for months. I had to smuggle in Ibuprofen like a drug mule whenever I got my period." It's a book about demonising people who look different, like Sean, "a monochrome teenager in day-glo suburbia" when really, like everyone, this young man is just trying to make sense of an insane world.

"Beyond them, the trees of Wild Place shifted in the breeze, black shapes on a field of more black."
Wild Place is well-written, with the author cleverly injecting something ominous into an easily imagined suburban late 1980s Australian landscape and the busy-body neighbours who inhabit it. Where this novel fell down a little for me was in having a believable story. The lead protagonist, schoolteacher Tom Witter, and his wife Connie, didn't really behave in credible ways. While Tom and his tics were quite developed, Connie was a flimsy character, which impacted the book's ending for me. That said, it was a fast and enjoyable read.

I've read - and loved - every Christian White books, and this one was a five star read for me, too. This is the story of Tracie who goes missing. At first, everyone assumes she's a runaway - after all, she's going through some personal issues - but school teacher, Tom, takes matters into his own hands, because he believes something far more sinister is the reason for Tracie's disappearance. There are twists and turns throughout the story, to reach the conclusion. Another wonderful page turner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Affirm Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It's a great read!

This is a great mystery set in 1988 on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne. Keeps you guessing right till the end. Would make a great show on Netflix..

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

White has become an automatic purchase for me, after "the nowhere child". Highly recommend picking up his other two If you haven't already.

Only start this book if you have a whole day free, highly addictive, you have been warned.

It starts off slow, then soon heats up making you guess everyone you have grown to know and where they stand in the disappearance of Tracie Reed.
Those famous twists and surprises make one hell of an appearance and that ending just blew me away.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review

Immersive and thrilling, I could not put this one down! It's the end of 1989, and the idyllic suburb of Camp Hill is sleepily rolling through another hot summer. Lawns are mowed, dogs are walked, Neighbourhood Watch meetings are in full swing. The mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl shakes things up, but for many residents, it's simply another topic for whispered gossip. Life continues on, but local teacher Tom Witter can't sit back and do nothing. What he uncovers is a shocking, twisting story that reveals just how far people will go to protect what they have built. Slightly cliched? Yes, but the late 80's suburban Australia setting feels fresh and vivid, with a large cast of believable characters ranging from the ridiculous to the sympathetic. That lethargic, midsummer feeling in the unknowable time between Christmas and New Year is the perfect background for a piercing investigation into both the mystery of the missing girl, and the lives of the residents of Camp Hill. It's a story of growing up, and of growing into middle age; of confronting the past as well as the future. A brilliant read, any fans of thriller/mysteries will love this one!

I was beyond excited to have my wish granted on NetGalley and receive an early reading copy of Wild Place by Christian White. Christian is an auto buy for me, so I felt truly privileged to get my hands on this book before publication. Being set in 1989 was a huge tick for me, my teenage years were spent in this decade, so I found it extremely relatable, and being a metalhead at heart I especially enjoyed the heavy metal references.

After the disappearance of local teen Tracie Reed everyone becomes a suspect, none more than fellow teen Sean who listens to heavy metal music and apparently dabbles in the occult. After the scene is set you are taken on a white-knuckle ride through some quite rough terrain as lies are exposed and many characters prove to be quite unreliable. Who do you trust? Who is telling the truth? and the big question, what happened to Tracie? I loved everything about this book, Christian White has a way of drawing in his reader and making it impossible to stop until you are finished. The conclusion will leave you gasping as you are taken down a rabbit hole of lies and deception.

With wonderfully constructed characters I felt like I knew them all and grew quite attached over the duration of the story, a wonderful storyteller, a tense gripping thriller that will keep you up late into the night. Five big stars from me!

Thank you to NetGalley, Affirm Press and the man himself Christian White for this early reading copy.

Wow, what a wild ride Wild Place was! Christian White, author of The Nowhere Child, The Wife and the Widow, and co-creator of the Netflix series Clickbait, has done it again!

I was totally immersed from the first page and found it difficult to put down. I really loved the fact that this story was set in the 80s, talk about a trip down memory lane! Cassette tapes, walkmans, skating rinks, no mobiles phones.
The characters are likeable and realistic, everyday people. But secrets are lurking beneath the surface, and they are unearthed as one by one the layers of the proverbial onion are slowly peeled away. With Satanic undertones, this terrific suspense thriller is not one you want to miss. Go to the Wild Place. I dare you!

Publication date is the 26th of October, 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley and Affirm Press for an ARC of this book to read and review.

I’m a big fan of White’s writing and have enjoyed his novels, and recently Clickbait on Netflix, all have delivered a fast paced whodunit with interesting characters and detail driven settings. Christian White excels at unexpected twists and the soon to be released Wild Place is no exception. Wild Place is a little slower paced than the others and just when I thought there was not going to be a twist in this one, the roller coaster ride started. Set in a fictional 1980’s town on the Mornington Peninsular where a school leaver goes missing. A local school teacher becomes overly involved with his theory of who is responsible and starts his own investigation/witch hunt which involves the members of the neighbourhood as potential suspects with one singled out because of his differences. The characters are a fun, tongue in cheek caricatures from the past with plenty of secrets. There are numerous 80’s nods which are great memories for those of a certain age. Not my favourite of White’s but still would definitely recommend. #netgalley #affirmpress

This was a compelling read, with a twist in the tail. I love reading novels in an Australian setting. Lovely to have a local story so many Australians can relate to.

This was the first novel I've read by Christian White, and I was impressed. The story explores the Satanic Panic seen throughout the 1980s, which has fascinating parallels to today's information landscape. Lovers of "bush noir" books (like Jane Harper) will enjoy this. The novel features a biting sense of humour.