**3.5 stars**

This was an enjoyable and entertaining police procedural from the creator of Broadchurch. I liked Nicola, Harry, Mel and her family and townspeople. The real star was Shannon. I guessed the killer right from the start so I definitely took a star away for that.

If you’re a fan of British tv shows especially of Broadchurch, British mysteries, and/or police procedurals I know you will enjoy this book.

**Thanks to the author and Pamela Dornan Books for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

I featured Death at the White Hart in my June 2025 new releases video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q31xhbo1tE, and though I have not read it yet, I am so excited to and expect 5 stars! I will update here when I post a follow up review or vlog.

Death at the White Heart by Chris Chibnall is an intriguing police procedural set in a Dorset coastal community, where a body is discovered tied to a chair with stag antlers. Detective Nicola Bridge, who has just transferred from Liverpool, quickly finds herself navigating a complex homicide investigation with limited resources.

While I found the pacing a bit slow, the story was interesting, and Bridge is portrayed as a smart and thorough detective. The plot is well-constructed, with enough twists to keep readers engaged. I received a free advance digital review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking | Pamela Dorman Books for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful novel by Chris Chibnall, creator of Broadchurch. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Detective Nicola Bridge moved back to Fleetcombe with her husband and son, to try and salvage their marriage. Her new partner, Harry, is anxious to please and the match seems strong. It needs to be because a man is found dead, tied to a chair in the middle of the road, with a stag's antlers on his head. The dead man knew all the villager's secrets, so the suspect list is long.

This was a wonderful, twisty novel and I had no clue who the perpetrator was and was completely shocked at the end. But along the way, brace yourself for an intriguing mystery, set in a small town where everyone knows everyone, but there are still lots of secrets around. It was atmospheric, and I loved the characters, especially Nicola and Harry, but there were plenty of other interesting folk. It was dark, but not too dark, and the investigation kept me interested and guessing. Would love for this to be a series!

3.5 stars. A dead man tied to a chair in the middle of the road with deer antlers stuck to his head makes for one interesting beginning, indeed! From this point on, the novel is an interesting police procedural, focusing on Nicola Bridge, a detective who has just moved from Liverpool to a small town in Devon with hopes — which did not last long — for a somewhat quieter lifestyle. Although this kept my attention throughout, I found the pace to be much too slow for my liking — but I could see this as a pretty good television drama.

I wanted so much from this book and I was disappointed. I predicted the ending too early on and there were far too many point of views to lend any sort of mystery to the plot. I think this could have translated better on screen, but as a book it fell flat.

Chris Cribnall has the writing chops, from the writer/showrunner of the 13th Doctor Who to the creator/writer of Broadchurch, I was thrilled to pick up his first novel, Death at the White Hart. I love a female detective who has a messy personal life and a village where more goes on than meets the eye. Add in an unreliable witness and a little bit of pagan lore and I was hooked.

DS Nicola Bridge needs a whole series!

Quick Summary: A Midsomer Murder-esque mystery

My Review: Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall is a 2025 mystery/thriller. It was released on 6/10/25.

About the Book: "Nothing keeps a village together like secrets.

A man is found dead, tied to a chair in the middle of the road, a stag’s antlers on his head.

Detective Nicola Bridge is asking questions. Is she ready for what she’s about to find?"

In My Own Words: A peculiar death scene is happened upon. Suspects are all around...along with their hidden histories. When an experienced detective and her sidekick DC are called in, much is discovered.

My Final Say: This novel very much followed the style of BBC mysteries. Familiar lines, interesting characters, dropped hints, murky shadows - it all provided a solid story.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:

Easy-to-read
Unpredictable
Tragic
Original

Other: Preferred format...audiobook

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: A
Status/Level: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Appreciation is extended to the author, to the publisher (PENGUIN GROUP Viking Penguin | Pamela Dorman Books), and to NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to review a digital ARC of this title.

I had high expectations for a mystery from the creator of BROADCHURCH, and they were exceeded! Chibnall gorgeously evokes the coastal English village setting and populates his story with fascinating characters. I loved DC Nicola Bridge and I can't wait to see her further investigations.

I really enjoyed this compelling, small town mystery from Chris Chibnall. A man is found murdered, tied to a chair with deer antlers glued to his head, in the middle of a lonely road in the middle of the night. Detective Turnbell has returned to her hometown for a slower pace, in order to spend more time focusing on her family - away from the brutal caseload in Liverpool. Unfortunately she is thrust right into the thick of another murder investigation as her reintroduction to her home, and quickly realizes that local residents are not used to a detective like her. I really enjoyed the interplay between Nicola and her DC Harry as they learned to work together, not to mention her fraught but loving relationship with her family, and I hope that Chibnall has plans to keep writing in this new series.

Fascinating, dark, and atmospheric. I very much liked the characters--especially newly-transplanted and conflicted DS Nicola Bridge, who uses her observational powers to discern the truth in what people say and what she sees around her. The village where she finds herself is full of interesting, rounded characters who tell lies and withhold truths to save themselves pain or humiliation, and one brave little girl who commits to the truth. It's all very visual and cinematic, and very reminiscent of Broadchurch, but so much more immersive, because we can really get inside the skins of the characters.

“Death at the White Hart,” by Chris Chibnall, Pamela Dorman Books/Viking, 352 pages, June 10, 2025.

The villagers of Fleetcombe like to think of it as one of the most picturesque spots on England’s coast. But then a man is found dead, tied to a chair in the middle of the road, a stag’s antlers on his head.

The gruesome scene stuns the town, especially when the victim is identified: Jim Tiernan, who ran the White Hart pub. Irina Bortnick is Tiernan’s partner. He also has an older sister, Patricia, who saw him earlier that night. The truth may hinge on a young girl who also saw something that night.

Detective Sergeant Nicola Bridge grew up in Fleetcombe and has now returned, for the good of her family, from a life away in Liverpool. Major crimes rarely occur in Fleetcombe. Detective Constable Harry Ward is ten years younger and, despite his newcomer status, determined to earn Nicola’s trust as she intimidates him. Then police learn the murder is similar to several that happened in 1925.

There’s an interesting array of characters. While it is a good plot, as a television writer, Chris Chibnall is especially good at dialogue. He is the creator of the former TV series “Broadchurch” and was executive producer and writer of some of the episodes of the “Doctor Who” series.

I rate it four out of five stars.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

This was a good take on a crime thriller. I did not remember what was this book was about by the time I was approved for it so I went into this blind.

I am usually apprehensive going into a thriller written by as male author and the MC is a female but this was so well written. Nicola is such a great character. We get to see her personality in her work and personal life and the struggles she was having and how it effected her.

The aspect of the crime was such a unique take and pulled me in from the first chapter. The book is not twisty but it does twist at the very end. I really hope we see more of Nicola and her partner Harry.

Genre: Thriller
APK: Ebook
Pages: 343
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

Thank you Pamela Dorman Books for a copy of the book for a honest review.

Thank you Pamela Dorman Books for my gifted copy!

Death at the White Hart is as good of a book on the inside as it looks on the outside. This cover drew me in immediately, without even reading the premise. Do I know what Broadchurch is? Nope. Never heard of it until its name graced this cover, but now that I’ve read the book - and freaking loved it - I might binge the entire show.

Every now and then, there is a fictional detective that I fall in love with. That’s a big deal, because I don’t usually like procedurals or law enforcement. Some of my favorites have been Ben Packard (Josh Moehling), Ffion Morgan (Clare Mackintosh), obviously Olivia Benson, and now Nicola and Harry.

There was a subtle undercurrent of what felt like a face smirking in this book. Is that what they call cheeky? It was intelligent, with that subtleness that made it so I didn’t take it so seriously. It was a fun and creepy puzzle to solve, helped along but it crisp dialogue and brilliant writing. I will absolutely be reading whatever Chris Chibnall writes next, I can promise you that. And pleaaaaase let it be another novel with Nicola and Harry!

A suspenseful novel from the creator of Broadchurch? Yes please! Chris Chibnall delivers in Death At The White Hart.

A gruesome murder kicks off the action. Set in the small English village of Fleetcombe, where everybody knows everybody's business, everyone's a suspect. Detective Sergeant Nicola Bridge has returned to Fleetcombe, hoping for a quieter life with lower profile cases than those in Liverpool. A dead man strapped to a chair in the middle of the road, with antlers stuck on his head, is definitely not low profile.

Eccentric characters, a creepy setting, secrets on top of secrets on top of secrets, with DS Bridge and her team to figure it all out. This was a page turner!

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Viking for the Advance Reader Copy. (pub date 6/10/2025)

Thank you NetGalley and Pamela Dorman books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was a huge fan of Broadchurch and was very excited to read this one. I like police procedurals, and this one was good. The pacing was a bit slow, but the story was interesting. While it took a little time to fully hook me, once I hit the second half, I couldn’t put it down.

We have mystery, we have intrigue, we have likeable characters - it was perfectly written. It was so easily enjoyable,

It’s obvious that this is written by the creator of a TV show as it very much reads like a British crime drama which I quite enjoyed. I loved the setting of the small town along with the main character and the atmospheric tone. Overall this was an entertaining read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Detective Nicola Bridge has just moved back to her hometown of Fleetcombe. When the owner of the local pub is found dead she is assigned to investigate with her partner DC Harry Ward. They must fight to unravel the secrets being held by the people in the town to find out who committed the crime.

I am a massive fan of Broadchurch and I was so excited to get an opportunity to read this book early. Also glad to hear this will be turned into a TV series. I had a very good time with this book. I really enjoyed Nicola as the main character. She is smart and tenacious. The mystery itself was interesting and had some good twists. The pacing of the book was great. I enjoyed the balance of some personal dramas with the lead and the mystery. There were threads left open at the end so I have my fingers crossed that we will get more of these characters in additional books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books/Penguin Viking for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Broadchurch so was very excited to read this - and it didn’t disappoint! It had all the elements I loved from the show - small town, secrets, lots of suspects, well-developed characters- but it also stood on its own. Very much enjoyed this and didn’t want to stop reading!

I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.