Death at the White Hart

Broadchurch showrunner Chibnall flexes his talents for characterization and complex plotting in his engrossing first novel. Det. Sgt. Nicola Bridge, 38, has recently transferred from the Liverpool CID to her childhood home of Fleetcombe, a small West Dorset village. She hopes the transfer will bring her a quieter work life that doesn’t put additional strain on her fraying marriage. Almost as soon as she arrives, however, Nicola is assigned to investigate a murder: the bloody body of Jim Tiernan, landlord of the White Hart pub, has been discovered tied to a chair in the middle of the road, a huge crown of deer antlers attached to his head. As Nicola and her rookie DC, Harry Ward, examine the theatrical murder, they discover an undercurrent of crime, lies, and cruelty flowing just beneath Fleetcombe’s placid surface. Nicola is an exceptionally well-rounded sleuth whose personal challenges—including her philandering husband—help explain her aptitudes as a sensitive and skilled observer. As in his TV work, Chibnall gives equal depth to his supporting cast, making the potentially familiar premise feel lived-in and consequential. This deserves a sequel. Agent: Eugenie Furniss, 42MP. (June)