She Treads Softly: Death at the White Hart

Sunday, May 25, 2025

Death at the White Hart

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall
6/10/25; 352 pages
Penguin Group

Death at the White Hart by Chris Chibnall is a highly recommended procedural set in the English village of Fleetcombe. This is the debut novel of the creator of TV's Broadchurch series.

A man is found dead in the middle of the road tied to a chair with a stag’s antlers attached to his head. The victim is well known and immediately identified at the scene as Jim Tiernan, who ran the White Hart pub. Called to the scene is Detective Nicola Bridge, 38, who has recently come to Fleetcombe, a small West Dorset village, from Liverpool. She thought a slower pace would be good for her marriage. Also called is rookie DC Harry Ward. He is ten years younger and a newcomer too. Nicola has years of experience and Harry is eager to assist and learn.

The department has no real experience with a crime of this sort so all of Nicola's experience is desperately needed, as well as her observation skills. Harry is surprising with how much he steps up to assist. As with any small town, there are plenty of secrets and history between everyone. Not all those questioned are forthcoming or open with the information they know

This well written, intelligent procedural features a complex investigation, an even pace, and fully realized characters. All the clues are logically followed and as a pub owner, the list of local people who need to be questioned, and re-questioned, includes people who knew Jim or had interactions with him the night of the crime. The characters all feel like unique, real people which makes it very easy to follow the investigation and piece together clues along the way. These characters deserves a sequel.

Death at the White Hart is a prefect choice for anyone who enjoys British police procedurals. Thanks to the Penguin Group for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.