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Death at the White Hart

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Death at the White Hart

By: Chris Chibnall
Narrated by: Jessica Gunning
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the multi-award winning creator of BROADCHURCH and showrunner of DOCTOR WHO, get ready for the most exciting crime fiction debut of 2025...

When Nicola Bridge moves back to Dorset after years as a CID detective in the big city, the last thing she expects is for the picturesque village of Fleetcombe to become a grisly crime scene.

Jim Tiernan, landlord of the White Hart pub, has been found dead, the body staged with macabre relish on an isolated country road. As soon as she starts asking questions, Nicola realises everyone in the village has something to hide.

Frankie, the hairdresser who isn’t a skilled enough actor to conceal they’re lying about the night of the murder.

Eddie, the delivery driver whose heart starts racing every time he drives past the crime scene.

Deakins, the embittered farmer still living in the shadow of a supposedly murderous ancestor.

And even the little girl, hidden at the top of the playground slide, who’s watching them all.

Whispers. Rumours. Lies. But Nicola knows that somewhere among them, a killer is hiding in plain sight.

Because sometimes the smallest villages hide the darkest secrets...


©2025 Chris Chibnall (P)2025 Penguin Audio Crime Fiction Genre Fiction Mystery Police Procedurals Small Town & Rural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Exciting Heartfelt Detective Village

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Critic reviews

Fans of Broadchurch are going to LOVE Death at the White Hart! With its compelling pair of detectives and tense, creepy atmosphere, once you start reading, I defy you to stop. (Shari Lapena)
A masterclass whodunnit from the creator of Broadchurch - moody, immersive, and surprising too. I didn’t dare hope it would be better than Broadchurch, but it is (Gillian McAllister)
Literally unputdownable. SO pacy and delicious, I loved the stream of new reveals, the plot kept me guessing and the excellent characterisation was my favourite bit. Just a huge treat to read (Marian Keyes)
With a confounding crime and a stellar cast of characters, Death at the White Hart is everything I love in a crime novel, with a community set-up that I hope means this will become a much-loved series (Jennie Godfrey, bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things)
Brilliant characterisation and fabulous suspense - as unputdownable as you'd expect from the writer of Broadchurch (Jenny Colgan)
A sleek and sinister debut that grips you from the first page and doesn't let go (Celia Walden, Richard and Judy bestselling author of Payday)
I loved it. A murder mystery that feels like it’s set right now, packed with vivid characters and a detective I adored – and I didn’t guess who did it. A wonderful book (Russell T Davies)
All stars
Most relevant  
Nice, safe, small town murder-mystery. Would like to hear more from the main detective in future.

Not overcomplicated

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Chris Chibnall is creator of Broadchurch, the TV whodunnit which was first screened back in 2013. It’s clear listening to Death at the White Hart, which has many similarities with Broadchurch in terms of plot, setting and structure, that it won’t be long before it’s adapted into a TV series. And that turns out to be correct - it will be in production for ITV next year (2026). It’s a relatively straightforward, uncluttered whodunnit set in a small Dorset town. The set-up couldn’t be simpler: a local publican (who runs the White Hart pub) is horrifically murdered. The list of suspects is long. There’s a generous helping of red herrings. Detective Nicola Bridge takes on the case. She’s a formidable sleuth who cut her teeth in Liverpool. Predictably, she has a troubled home life, as the demands of policing have put pressure on her marriage. The story is pacy and well-narrated. The twist took a bit of swallowing, but it seemed to hang together well, and it should work well on the small screen. The writing is a little pedestrian, with some nice lines. It wouldn’t be hard to envisage Nicola Bridge and her young sidekick Harry (nicknamed Westlife
for his boyish good looks) returning for another adventure, whether in a novel or on TV, or both.

Hart of Darkness

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Excellent audio and narration . Story exceptional with a great final twist. Hope there are more to follow

White Hart Great

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A host of characters who had a motive to be the killer, but it takes time to work out who did the deed. A satisfactory conclusion and no doubt this is the first of many outings for Nicola and Harry. The fast pace set in short chunks shows that it could appear on the small screen one day.

A many layered puzzle

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coming from West Dorset and loving Broadchurch I had high hopes for this debut novel. while not terrible I just couldn't get into it.

Disappointed

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Good storyline but narration was a bit monotone. Need variety. Voice made the story a bit difficult to follow.

Good Story

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I really enjoyed The White Hart – it's a great story with strong, likeable characters that kept me hooked the whole way through. The narration was well done and made it easy to get lost in the world. I really hope there's more to come in the series!

Loved it!

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Very easy to listen to and a good mystery. I did guess who the culprit was.

Good who dunnit

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Great detective story. I’m hoping there will be more. Reading was spot on with brilliant accents and a good pace. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Great story enhanced by a fantastic performance

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Great story, Complex and surprising! Whats next? I'm so looking forward to the next book.

back to Broadchurch!

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