We asked Chris Chibnall, author of Death at the White Hart, our Crime Collective April pick, some of our most burning questions.
1. You’ve created iconic TV dramas like Broadchurch and Doctor Who. What made now the right moment to pivot to crime fiction in novel form—and how different was the process?
I’ve been trying to find time to write a novel for more than a decade now. When I finished showrunning Doctor Who, I made a pledge to address my creative bucket list, and devote the time and thought to a novel. I knew I wanted it to be within the crime genre – like so many people, I love reading murder mysteries and have been a fan all my life – and I knew I wanted it to be set right now, in the world we’re living in today, in order to see how people’s lives in small communities are playing out right now.
2. Death at the White Hart starts with a grisly murder in an idyllic village. What drew you to the contrast between picture-postcard settings and hidden darkness?
Well, that sense of dissonance is very rich and rewarding from the off – it’s unsettling for the reader. I also liked the genre lineage or heritage of those Golden Age idyllic Christie novels – beautiful landscapes hiding terrible secrets. And the other important thing is that those villages are fairly closed-off societies, where people do know each other, where families have lived for generations, and where tensions and secrets simmer for a long time, even across multiple decades.
Plus with this story, I was really interested in looking at the decline of the traditional British pub – so many are closing every week – and looking at its place in our society and our communities, and what effect that’s having. That’s particularly key in a village like Fleetcombe, where the pub can also be the centre of social life, and where people come to let their guard down and maybe even confess a few secrets!
3. Nicola Bridge is such a vivid and layered protagonist. How did she take shape in your mind?
I wanted someone who could be both a local and an outsider. Nicola was born and bred in Dorset, but has been away for a couple of decades. She’s smart, she’s funny, she’s tough, she’s a demanding boss – while also having great empathy and humanity. I wanted her to feel fully rounded – not just in this novel, but in the second book and hopefully beyond!
She’s returned in order to address some issues in her personal and family life. It was important to me she had a life beyond the case. I wanted her to be a great detective, but also a relatable human being, whose work and life overlap and compromise each other. Part of the story of the novel is the relationship between Nicola’s work and home life. I hope that has resonance with all our lives.
4. From Broadchurch to Fleetcombe, you seem fascinated by tight-knit communities under pressure. What is it about collective guilt and secrecy that appeals to you as a storyteller?
You get to write and observe characters, and their emotion and behaviour, in extremis. People on the back foot, possibly with their guard down, either disguising or failing to disguise who they ultimately are. So hopefully as a writer one can get right into the soul of those characters, dig about in their wants and desires and failings. If you can do that with characters who are relatable, who might be your or you neighbours or your family and friends, then I think that’s really appealing. The tight-knit community ratchets up pressure or adds fuel to the fire, giving them nowhere to go, and surrounding them with people who already know them and can call them out!
5. The book’s been called “unputdownable,” “deliciously gritty,” and “a masterclass whodunnit.” What was the hardest part of writing your first novel—and what surprised you?
I’m really thrilled at the response. I think getting to understand the rhythms of a novel, and this particular novel, across 350 pages was the main challenge. What I didn’t know, and had to discover as I was writing and through the editorial process, was exactly how to pace and balance all the components: how much plot propulsion versus how much space for character, emotion and psychology. Keeping the pages turning, and plot moving, and the twists coming, while also feeling that you’re in the company of real and true and compelling characters was the challenge. I worked hard at it and I’m proud of the balance the novel now contains. “Unputdownable” is definitely one of my favourite responses!
6. With such cinematic writing and atmosphere, many readers will wonder: is there a TV adaptation on the horizon?
Yes, there is. I’m going to adapt it for ITV – we’re planning to film it next year. But that will be after I’ve written the second book in the series!
7. Finally, what crime novels—or writers—do you return to for inspiration? Any recent favourites?
It’s no secret that Agatha Christie is a big influence – I’ve also recently adapted a novel of hers, The Seven Dials Mystery, for Netflix. I was adapting that, taking it apart piece by piece, while writing Death at the White Hart.
I love Jane Harper’s novels – The Dry in particular. Great atmosphere, plot, sense of place and characterisation. I adore Mick Herron’s writing: his wit, his plotting, his characterisation and his sense of the world is always a delicious treat. And I recently finished “Black Water Lilies” by Michel Bussi, having been recommended it. A murder takes place in the town where Monet painted Water Lilies. It’s wonderfully French, with a wry sense of humour, a great detective, and a plot that keeps you guessing.
