Faster-paced but less subtle than White’s previous works.
Feature image credit: Simon & Schuster
Christian White is rapidly becoming one of Australia’s most recognised and respected crime novelists. His previous works The Nowhere Child, The Wife and the Widow, Wild Place, and The Ledge, have all garnered popular acclaim and critical awards.
The Long Night is White’s fifth crime novel (not counting co-authored projects), and it represents a slight departure in style. His previous works have been fairly psychological, slower-moving, and densely satisfying pieces of writing. This one is very fast-paced, mostly action, and much shallower psychologically.
A young woman, Em, goes out on a date, but then finds herself a victim of kidnap. When Jodie discovers that her daughter has been kidnapped, she sets out to find her, despite the odds. We then have two women, fighting to survive through one long night. The narrative hits the ground running (along with the two protagonists!) and doesn’t let up until the final page. There is no doubt this is a rollicking and engaging read, but it does become tiring after a while, and the reader is left yearning for some down-time: maybe a little foray into character development, or any other release valve. The arc is oddly shaped.
White is a master at playing with our assumptions, and we crime readers love that. And he doesn’t disappoint in this new work, although he uses basically the same conceit as he did in his previous novel, The Ledge. He certainly takes that conceit to new and more twisty places, but it becomes just a bit too twisty and frankly, somewhat confusing. All of his writerly energy has gone into creating a tightly wound and fast-paced thriller, and less energy has gone this time into character development, or creation of setting.
A different offering from White, The Long Night is certainly a solid read for lovers of crime fiction, but might leave some of his fans a tad bemused. On the other hand, this work may pick him up new fans who prefer their crime fiction delivered at relentless top speed.
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: Simon & Schuster
Released: October 2025
RRP: $34.99
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