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That Night: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 18 Aug 26“McAllister is the best at putting her characters in impossible situations and making her readers not only contemplate but feel what it would be like to find themselves in those situations.” — Emily Henry
From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an electrifying thriller about three siblings torn apart by the cover-up of a death while on a family vacation in Italy.
On vacation in Europe, Frannie makes two urgent phone calls. One to her sister, and one to her brother. The siblings come running, and they find their sister covered in blood, kneeling over an unmoving body.
There’s been an accident: Frannie has hit a man with her car, and she needs their help. They bury the body, and they make a promise. They’ll never tell anyone.
But when the police come calling, the siblings’ lies start to spiral. They begin to doubt their trust in each other. Because what really happened that night?
And who will be the first to crack?
With the incredible twists and turns and a unique look at family relationships that McAllister has become known for, That Night is the ultimate summer thriller that asks: what would you do to protect your family?
48 of 7063
From the author of Reese’s Book Club Pick and New York Times bestseller Wrong Place Wrong Time comes an electrifying thriller about three siblings torn apart by the cover-up of a death while on a family vacation in Italy.
On vacation in Europe, Frannie makes two urgent phone calls. One to her sister, and one to her brother. The siblings come running, and they find their sister covered in blood, kneeling over an unmoving body.
There’s been an accident: Frannie has hit a man with her car, and she needs their help. They bury the body, and they make a promise. They’ll never tell anyone.
But when the police come calling, the siblings’ lies start to spiral. They begin to doubt their trust in each other. Because what really happened that night?
And who will be the first to crack?
With the incredible twists and turns and a unique look at family relationships that McAllister has become known for, That Night is the ultimate summer thriller that asks: what would you do to protect your family?
48 of 7063
400 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2021
19803 people want to read
About the author
Gillian McAllister
14 books12k followersAs you find me, it's autumn 2025 and my latest novel is Famous Last Words, a thriller with a marriage at its centre. It asks the question: what would you do if your husband is caught up in a siege in central London? Only, the police tell you he isn't one of the hostages: he is the gunman... I hope you like the answer!
Upcoming in spring 2026 is Caller Unknown, a thriller about a woman whose teenage daughter is kidnapped, and she decides to pay the ransom, meet the kidnappers direct, and not tell the police.
As to me, otherwise, I am the author of these novels:
Everything But The Truth (2017)
Anything You Do Say (2018) called The Choice in America
No Further Questions (2018) called The Good Sister in America
The Evidence Against You (2019)
How To Disappear (2020)
That Night (2021)
Wrong Place Wrong Time (2022)
Just Another Missing Person (2023)
Famous Last Words (2025)
My most popular novel is probably Wrong Place Wrong Time, which was selected for the Radio 2 book club and was the Reese's Book Club August '22 pick. It debuted at number 4 on the Sunday Times Bestseller List and number 2 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
When not writing (which is basically never), I can be found walking my dog Wendy and parenting my small toddler. The best moments of my day always are the first sip of my coffee, the moment I step into the bath at night, and my son telling me he loves me. And that rare thing that happens only once a year - a novel idea.
Upcoming in spring 2026 is Caller Unknown, a thriller about a woman whose teenage daughter is kidnapped, and she decides to pay the ransom, meet the kidnappers direct, and not tell the police.
As to me, otherwise, I am the author of these novels:
Everything But The Truth (2017)
Anything You Do Say (2018) called The Choice in America
No Further Questions (2018) called The Good Sister in America
The Evidence Against You (2019)
How To Disappear (2020)
That Night (2021)
Wrong Place Wrong Time (2022)
Just Another Missing Person (2023)
Famous Last Words (2025)
My most popular novel is probably Wrong Place Wrong Time, which was selected for the Radio 2 book club and was the Reese's Book Club August '22 pick. It debuted at number 4 on the Sunday Times Bestseller List and number 2 on the New York Times Bestseller List.
When not writing (which is basically never), I can be found walking my dog Wendy and parenting my small toddler. The best moments of my day always are the first sip of my coffee, the moment I step into the bath at night, and my son telling me he loves me. And that rare thing that happens only once a year - a novel idea.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,055 reviews
March 13, 2021
*4.5 stars *
Siblings, Cathy, Joe, and Frannie Plant are extremely close - too close perhaps, both literally and geographically, living in three adjoining cottages, and working together in the family’s veterinary practice. Joe’s wife Lydia, sometimes feels a bit of an outsider, excluded from many of their conversations, on the sidelines with their inside jokes, and knowing glances.
However, they take sibling loyalty too far, when Frannie accidentally kills a man in a hit and run, whilst on holiday at the family villa in Italy, and the three of them decide to bury his body in order to protect her. Once you tell a lie of such massive proportions though, it’s impossible to stop - one lie leads to another, and they just seem to gather steam - but where will it all end!
‘That Night’ is tense, gripping, and tightly plotted, and furthermore, there are a couple of brilliant twists awaiting the unsuspecting reader! Gillian McAllister does a great job of making her reader feel pulled into that spiral of questioning “What would I do?“ if faced with a monumental tragedy created by a much loved family member. Loved it!
* Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph, UK, for a ‘wish for it’ copy, in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Siblings, Cathy, Joe, and Frannie Plant are extremely close - too close perhaps, both literally and geographically, living in three adjoining cottages, and working together in the family’s veterinary practice. Joe’s wife Lydia, sometimes feels a bit of an outsider, excluded from many of their conversations, on the sidelines with their inside jokes, and knowing glances.
However, they take sibling loyalty too far, when Frannie accidentally kills a man in a hit and run, whilst on holiday at the family villa in Italy, and the three of them decide to bury his body in order to protect her. Once you tell a lie of such massive proportions though, it’s impossible to stop - one lie leads to another, and they just seem to gather steam - but where will it all end!
‘That Night’ is tense, gripping, and tightly plotted, and furthermore, there are a couple of brilliant twists awaiting the unsuspecting reader! Gillian McAllister does a great job of making her reader feel pulled into that spiral of questioning “What would I do?“ if faced with a monumental tragedy created by a much loved family member. Loved it!
* Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph, UK, for a ‘wish for it’ copy, in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
July 10, 2021
Now available, as of 8th July 2021
A tense and gripping psychological thriller about family, loyalty and trust
How far would you go to protect your family?
Joe, Frannie and Cath Plant work together, and live next door to each other, they're as close as siblings can be. One night at their villa in Verona, two of the siblings get a call from the other asking for help. She's accidentally hit a man with her car and killed him! Now terrified she needs their help, but when one lie leads to another, things start to snowball. Where will it all end? What happened that night?!
That Night was quite a stressful read, and at some points I was peeking through my fingers whilst reading, as things rapidly went from bad to worse! It was so well written in that the tension was palpable, the relationships intense, and the dread in the pit of my stomach felt sour! You know that it's going to all unravel and implode, but don't quite know how! I could feel the threat of the police closing in on the family! Plus there were a few great twists which caught me off-guard!
Gillian McAllister has written a fabulous moral dilemma here, and at the beginning I was scathing, but as I read on, I kept thinking, but what would I do? We're slowly drip fed snippets of information, shedding different light on events and characters, as the lies began to pile up, and the betrayal and thoughts of betrayal creep in.
The story flits from the past to the present, and also takes place across several locations; the villa in Verona, the vets practice which they all own, an office in Birmingham, court and in Frannie's kitchen where the siblings would gather to drink wine. We get POVs from the siblings, and also from Joe's wife Lydia, who feels locked out of their claustrophobic relationship. It was really well done, and flowed well for me.
The characters were on the whole an extremely unlikeable bunch! The siblings were flawed, and damaged from a childhood trauma, strangely inseparable and devoted to each other. Joe, the hot headed, over protective brother. Frannie, the fun, immature single mother. Cathy, the cool, calm, detached sister. But even though they were mostly unlikeable, I still felt for them as they tried to deal with the life changing decisions they made in the stifling heat of Verona. As they battled with their conscience, they realised that they would have to live with the consequences of their actions for the rest of their lives, if they got away with it...As time passed, it became increasingly obvious that what happened was affecting them all in different ways, whether it be mentally, emotionally or physically. Doubts crept in. Paranoia made them lash out.
Then there was their parents.. whose reaction to a tragedy damaged their children irreparably. Lydia I could relate to a little. It must have been awful to have felt left out of everything, to feel that your husband constantly put his siblings before you, especially after what she had been through.
I wouldn't say I loved reading this, it was tense and stressful, but I equally I did kind of enjoy it, and couldn't stop turning the pages to see what would become of the Plants, to discover how their lies caught up with them, and to find out how far they would go for each other! If you're looking for an unsettling, character driven thriller, with twists, betrayals and secrets, then I would recommend this!
🚗🚗🚗🚗
Many thanks to NetGalley Uk and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review!
A tense and gripping psychological thriller about family, loyalty and trust
How far would you go to protect your family?
Joe, Frannie and Cath Plant work together, and live next door to each other, they're as close as siblings can be. One night at their villa in Verona, two of the siblings get a call from the other asking for help. She's accidentally hit a man with her car and killed him! Now terrified she needs their help, but when one lie leads to another, things start to snowball. Where will it all end? What happened that night?!
That Night was quite a stressful read, and at some points I was peeking through my fingers whilst reading, as things rapidly went from bad to worse! It was so well written in that the tension was palpable, the relationships intense, and the dread in the pit of my stomach felt sour! You know that it's going to all unravel and implode, but don't quite know how! I could feel the threat of the police closing in on the family! Plus there were a few great twists which caught me off-guard!
Gillian McAllister has written a fabulous moral dilemma here, and at the beginning I was scathing, but as I read on, I kept thinking, but what would I do? We're slowly drip fed snippets of information, shedding different light on events and characters, as the lies began to pile up, and the betrayal and thoughts of betrayal creep in.
The story flits from the past to the present, and also takes place across several locations; the villa in Verona, the vets practice which they all own, an office in Birmingham, court and in Frannie's kitchen where the siblings would gather to drink wine. We get POVs from the siblings, and also from Joe's wife Lydia, who feels locked out of their claustrophobic relationship. It was really well done, and flowed well for me.
The characters were on the whole an extremely unlikeable bunch! The siblings were flawed, and damaged from a childhood trauma, strangely inseparable and devoted to each other. Joe, the hot headed, over protective brother. Frannie, the fun, immature single mother. Cathy, the cool, calm, detached sister. But even though they were mostly unlikeable, I still felt for them as they tried to deal with the life changing decisions they made in the stifling heat of Verona. As they battled with their conscience, they realised that they would have to live with the consequences of their actions for the rest of their lives, if they got away with it...As time passed, it became increasingly obvious that what happened was affecting them all in different ways, whether it be mentally, emotionally or physically. Doubts crept in. Paranoia made them lash out.
Then there was their parents.. whose reaction to a tragedy damaged their children irreparably. Lydia I could relate to a little. It must have been awful to have felt left out of everything, to feel that your husband constantly put his siblings before you, especially after what she had been through.
I wouldn't say I loved reading this, it was tense and stressful, but I equally I did kind of enjoy it, and couldn't stop turning the pages to see what would become of the Plants, to discover how their lies caught up with them, and to find out how far they would go for each other! If you're looking for an unsettling, character driven thriller, with twists, betrayals and secrets, then I would recommend this!
🚗🚗🚗🚗
Many thanks to NetGalley Uk and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review!
March 3, 2021
Joe, Cathy and Franny Plant all work at the family vet practice, they are very close siblings, so close they live in a row of cottages alongside each other. However, everything changes as their world is hurled upside down when they are on holiday at their villa near Verona. This clever psychological thriller examines moral dilemmas and how far you would go for your siblings.
Gillian McAllister is one of my favourite authors but this one resonates the most for me probably because I am very close to my siblings. This is her most intense book in my opinion, at times you could cut the tension with a knife, at others you witness the massive impact emotionally and mentally of the burden they now carry with a lifetime of lies. The closeness of the three siblings intensifies following a family tragedy when they are young, this has never been properly addressed and has certainly damaged them in different ways. The characterisation is outstanding as you can really picture them in your minds eye. Joe is protective especially of Franny, he’s quick to anger while Cathy is cool, calm, enigmatic and serious with Franny the opposite being usually sunny, funny and sometimes irrational. I like the way the past and present in the storytelling sit alongside each other and in different settings allowing the plot to unfold organically. Sometimes we’re in Verona (we wish), then an office in Birmingham, Frannie’s kitchen, the vets and the law court. These link easily and through this we come to understand what has happened, their different emotions, responses and motivation. The novel is well written at a good pace and with clever twists, some shocking revelations as you watch their world disintegrate.
Overall, this is a high quality psychological thriller with crackling tension, a very good examination of family and sibling dynamics, their strong and loving bond, what they are prepared to do for each other and what they will sacrifice. It’s an emotional read at times especially with the mental toll their actions cause. It’s a sort of modern day crime and punishment in all its forms. This is a book with much to think about and reflect on and another bestseller for this talented writer I am sure.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
Gillian McAllister is one of my favourite authors but this one resonates the most for me probably because I am very close to my siblings. This is her most intense book in my opinion, at times you could cut the tension with a knife, at others you witness the massive impact emotionally and mentally of the burden they now carry with a lifetime of lies. The closeness of the three siblings intensifies following a family tragedy when they are young, this has never been properly addressed and has certainly damaged them in different ways. The characterisation is outstanding as you can really picture them in your minds eye. Joe is protective especially of Franny, he’s quick to anger while Cathy is cool, calm, enigmatic and serious with Franny the opposite being usually sunny, funny and sometimes irrational. I like the way the past and present in the storytelling sit alongside each other and in different settings allowing the plot to unfold organically. Sometimes we’re in Verona (we wish), then an office in Birmingham, Frannie’s kitchen, the vets and the law court. These link easily and through this we come to understand what has happened, their different emotions, responses and motivation. The novel is well written at a good pace and with clever twists, some shocking revelations as you watch their world disintegrate.
Overall, this is a high quality psychological thriller with crackling tension, a very good examination of family and sibling dynamics, their strong and loving bond, what they are prepared to do for each other and what they will sacrifice. It’s an emotional read at times especially with the mental toll their actions cause. It’s a sort of modern day crime and punishment in all its forms. This is a book with much to think about and reflect on and another bestseller for this talented writer I am sure.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
January 4, 2026
That Night has been sitting on my TBR list for far too long, and when I spotted it in the NetGalley catalog and learned it would be republished in 2026, I knew it was finally time to jump in. I couldn’t justify procrastinating any longer—especially not with a promising, twisty thriller that explores sibling bonds, buried secrets, and moral boundaries, written by one of my favorite authors.
And of course, the moment I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. I flew through the pages while simultaneously cursing myself for waiting so long to read it. This is the kind of book that demands priority placement on a reading list. It’s a sharply written character study wrapped in a fast-paced, pressure-cooker mystery—one that asks haunting questions about family loyalty, trust, betrayal, and just how far you’re willing to go to protect the people you love. What would you sacrifice? Where do you draw the line? And what happens when that line is crossed and there’s no way back?
The story opens in the middle of the night in Verona, when Frannie—a young single mother and the youngest of three siblings—frantically calls her brother and sister, begging them to meet her for an emergency. Her older sister Cathy, the responsible, stoic, emotionally guarded loner of the family, arrives alongside their brother Joe Plant, newly married and slightly volatile beneath the surface. When they reach the location Frannie has given them, they discover a dead body—a man who has been struck by a car Frannie was driving.
If they call the police, Frannie will be arrested and could lose any chance of raising her young son, Paul. The siblings are forced to make an impossible choice: do the right thing, or protect their family at all costs? As you might expect, they choose the latter—and quite literally bury the crime.
But the nightmare is only beginning. When they learn that the man Frannie killed was a police officer and an intense search begins across the city, everything spirals further out of control. The pressure tightens around the siblings, whose once-unbreakable bond is tested in ways they never anticipated. These are siblings who live near each other, work together, and have functioned as a tight-knit unit for years—yet secrets, paranoia, and resentment start to fracture that closeness.
Cathy, the family’s rational problem-solver, begins to feel increasingly sidelined as her siblings make decisions behind her back. Frannie grows suspicious of everyone’s motives, while Joe becomes a ticking time bomb, weighed down by fear and guilt as he hides the truth from his wife, Lydia, who is desperately trying to start a family with him. As the investigation escalates and the missing officer case officially becomes a murder inquiry, the walls begin to close in. Mistakes pile up, tension explodes, and every decision carries irreversible consequences.
As more revelations come to light, the novel asks its central, devastating question: will love and loyalty to one another ultimately destroy them? Or is survival—physical, emotional, and moral—worth betraying everything they once stood for?
This is a smart, thought-provoking mystery with a genuinely twisty ending. The emotional depth of the characters is what truly sets the book apart. Joe’s spiraling anger and self-loathing, Cathy’s crushing loneliness and guilt shaped by the death of their sister Rosie years earlier, and Frannie’s struggle to take responsibility after being protected and coddled by her siblings for so long are all portrayed with remarkable nuance and empathy. Their vulnerabilities and flaws feel painfully real.
I loved every single part of this book, including its powerful, meaningful ending. I’m so happy I finally gave myself the chance to read and review it—and it’s an easy five-star rating from me.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing a digital reviewer copy of this fantastic book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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And of course, the moment I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. I flew through the pages while simultaneously cursing myself for waiting so long to read it. This is the kind of book that demands priority placement on a reading list. It’s a sharply written character study wrapped in a fast-paced, pressure-cooker mystery—one that asks haunting questions about family loyalty, trust, betrayal, and just how far you’re willing to go to protect the people you love. What would you sacrifice? Where do you draw the line? And what happens when that line is crossed and there’s no way back?
The story opens in the middle of the night in Verona, when Frannie—a young single mother and the youngest of three siblings—frantically calls her brother and sister, begging them to meet her for an emergency. Her older sister Cathy, the responsible, stoic, emotionally guarded loner of the family, arrives alongside their brother Joe Plant, newly married and slightly volatile beneath the surface. When they reach the location Frannie has given them, they discover a dead body—a man who has been struck by a car Frannie was driving.
If they call the police, Frannie will be arrested and could lose any chance of raising her young son, Paul. The siblings are forced to make an impossible choice: do the right thing, or protect their family at all costs? As you might expect, they choose the latter—and quite literally bury the crime.
But the nightmare is only beginning. When they learn that the man Frannie killed was a police officer and an intense search begins across the city, everything spirals further out of control. The pressure tightens around the siblings, whose once-unbreakable bond is tested in ways they never anticipated. These are siblings who live near each other, work together, and have functioned as a tight-knit unit for years—yet secrets, paranoia, and resentment start to fracture that closeness.
Cathy, the family’s rational problem-solver, begins to feel increasingly sidelined as her siblings make decisions behind her back. Frannie grows suspicious of everyone’s motives, while Joe becomes a ticking time bomb, weighed down by fear and guilt as he hides the truth from his wife, Lydia, who is desperately trying to start a family with him. As the investigation escalates and the missing officer case officially becomes a murder inquiry, the walls begin to close in. Mistakes pile up, tension explodes, and every decision carries irreversible consequences.
As more revelations come to light, the novel asks its central, devastating question: will love and loyalty to one another ultimately destroy them? Or is survival—physical, emotional, and moral—worth betraying everything they once stood for?
This is a smart, thought-provoking mystery with a genuinely twisty ending. The emotional depth of the characters is what truly sets the book apart. Joe’s spiraling anger and self-loathing, Cathy’s crushing loneliness and guilt shaped by the death of their sister Rosie years earlier, and Frannie’s struggle to take responsibility after being protected and coddled by her siblings for so long are all portrayed with remarkable nuance and empathy. Their vulnerabilities and flaws feel painfully real.
I loved every single part of this book, including its powerful, meaningful ending. I’m so happy I finally gave myself the chance to read and review it—and it’s an easy five-star rating from me.
A huge thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing a digital reviewer copy of this fantastic book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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August 3, 2021
Little bit disappointed with this one. Felt really long and drawn out with lots of unlikeable characters. 😢
September 9, 2021
2.5 Stars
Told in multiple POV, 3rd person, it’s a standalone novel. "That Night" by Gillian McAllister shows you what will you do and how far you will go to protect your family and how strong your bonds with your family could be in uncommon situations. I was so excited to read this book, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. It could have been shorter; it dragged A LOT. As for the characters, I didn't like any of them and as for the ending, if I liked the characters maybe I could have been bothered by it but right now I didn't mind it. Overall, it was a disappointment and hope you enjoy it more than me!
Told in multiple POV, 3rd person, it’s a standalone novel. "That Night" by Gillian McAllister shows you what will you do and how far you will go to protect your family and how strong your bonds with your family could be in uncommon situations. I was so excited to read this book, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to my expectations. It could have been shorter; it dragged A LOT. As for the characters, I didn't like any of them and as for the ending, if I liked the characters maybe I could have been bothered by it but right now I didn't mind it. Overall, it was a disappointment and hope you enjoy it more than me!
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February 12, 2021That Night coming 10th June 2021...
A quiet family holiday. Your sister calls. She's killed a man.
What do you do...?
A quiet family holiday. Your sister calls. She's killed a man.
What do you do...?
April 1, 2021
Once again Gillian McAllister offers up a right old page turner of a novel, utterly gripping from first page to last.
I love books with a real moral dilemma right at the heart of them, which is definitely this author’s super power – all the way through That Night I was questioning every action and applying my own, all the time completely immersed into the story unfolding on the page. One of my favourite things was the unpredictable nature of the plot, will they get away with it, who will crack first, who’s lying who’s dying…all of this and more.
Beautifully written and crafted, with plenty of emotional resonance, That Night allows you to ponder that favourite question of crime writers and readers…who would YOU call to help bury the body…and could you trust them for the rest of your life?
A truly excellent read. Highly recommended.
I love books with a real moral dilemma right at the heart of them, which is definitely this author’s super power – all the way through That Night I was questioning every action and applying my own, all the time completely immersed into the story unfolding on the page. One of my favourite things was the unpredictable nature of the plot, will they get away with it, who will crack first, who’s lying who’s dying…all of this and more.
Beautifully written and crafted, with plenty of emotional resonance, That Night allows you to ponder that favourite question of crime writers and readers…who would YOU call to help bury the body…and could you trust them for the rest of your life?
A truly excellent read. Highly recommended.
October 19, 2021
Once again I appear to be in the minority for not loving this book - not a bad thing!
I’ve read a few of Gillian McAllister’s books and like this one they’re always beautifully written. But I just couldn’t get absorbed into this storyline. Something about the way the story unfolds in this particular book just didn’t do it for me and I find myself both annoyed with the style but then at the same time wanting to write how wonderful it was!
So my issue I think was that when the story required pace the dialogue was broken up in amongst memories, backstory and character development. As such, it felt like someone had left the handbrake on and the raw, animalistic, brutal emotions you’d expect never fully reach their climax. I found myself skimming paragraphs to keep up with the dialogue which was what really interested me.
All in all, it’s a good, easy read but needed a bit more oomph - just not my favourite from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
I’ve read a few of Gillian McAllister’s books and like this one they’re always beautifully written. But I just couldn’t get absorbed into this storyline. Something about the way the story unfolds in this particular book just didn’t do it for me and I find myself both annoyed with the style but then at the same time wanting to write how wonderful it was!
So my issue I think was that when the story required pace the dialogue was broken up in amongst memories, backstory and character development. As such, it felt like someone had left the handbrake on and the raw, animalistic, brutal emotions you’d expect never fully reach their climax. I found myself skimming paragraphs to keep up with the dialogue which was what really interested me.
All in all, it’s a good, easy read but needed a bit more oomph - just not my favourite from this author.
Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
February 13, 2021
I really enjoy Gillian McAllister books, well written, excellent characters and exciting plots.
A car crash in Italy, a man is dead and Frannie is asking her family Joe and Cathy to help her. Together they bury the body and try to cover up the murder. When they return to England the lies start to catch up with them and more trouble is about to start.
I wasn’t 100% sure about this book but in the end settled for a 4 star rating, great writing but something didn’t quite work for me. Still an enjoyable read but have read better books by this author.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
A car crash in Italy, a man is dead and Frannie is asking her family Joe and Cathy to help her. Together they bury the body and try to cover up the murder. When they return to England the lies start to catch up with them and more trouble is about to start.
I wasn’t 100% sure about this book but in the end settled for a 4 star rating, great writing but something didn’t quite work for me. Still an enjoyable read but have read better books by this author.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
August 23, 2021
So many things not to like
This book was so ridiculous. The premise of siblings covering up for each other after what seems like a horrendous accident was interesting but unbelievable from the first. All 3 main characters were one dimensional, really unlikeable and quite uninteresting. The idea that 2 people might easily move a body and bury it in a 7 foot hole that they themselves had dug in the depths of the Italian countryside in July was frankly ludicrous. Does the author have any idea how hard the ground is during the average Italian summer? And setting fire to the grass in order the get rid of the blood traces? Apart from alerting the locals for miles around it might start a fire of enormous proportions. Not one of the siblings seemed to speak any Italian and yet the police ( “carabinieri” in case we were in any doubt ) were fluent English speakers. The relationship between Joe, Cathy and Frannie is almost incestuous, working, living and going on holiday together? Poor Lydia. No wonder she felt left out. I skipped to the end having decided I’d already wasted far too much time on this nonsense.
This book was so ridiculous. The premise of siblings covering up for each other after what seems like a horrendous accident was interesting but unbelievable from the first. All 3 main characters were one dimensional, really unlikeable and quite uninteresting. The idea that 2 people might easily move a body and bury it in a 7 foot hole that they themselves had dug in the depths of the Italian countryside in July was frankly ludicrous. Does the author have any idea how hard the ground is during the average Italian summer? And setting fire to the grass in order the get rid of the blood traces? Apart from alerting the locals for miles around it might start a fire of enormous proportions. Not one of the siblings seemed to speak any Italian and yet the police ( “carabinieri” in case we were in any doubt ) were fluent English speakers. The relationship between Joe, Cathy and Frannie is almost incestuous, working, living and going on holiday together? Poor Lydia. No wonder she felt left out. I skipped to the end having decided I’d already wasted far too much time on this nonsense.
August 15, 2021
Could you bury a body for a sibling?
That is the moral dilemma facing the Plant family as younger sister Frannie hits and kills a man whilst forgetting to drive on the correct side of the road during a family stay at their holiday villa in Italy.
We instantly get an idea of how close the three siblings are as Joe and Cathy agree to help her.
The manner in which they try and cover up the death adds to some really great tense scenes.
The idea that they'd use the victims bank card so it appears that his still alive is both ingenious and intense - I felt the compelling pressure that Cathy was under when simply trying to use the card for a bottle of water in a shop!
The fact that CCTV is everywhere really adds to the drama.
Some nice twists and turns as you'd expect, seeing the trio starting to crack when the story breaks on the news added to the drama.
I was so close in connecting all the dots to the big memorable twist.
That is the moral dilemma facing the Plant family as younger sister Frannie hits and kills a man whilst forgetting to drive on the correct side of the road during a family stay at their holiday villa in Italy.
We instantly get an idea of how close the three siblings are as Joe and Cathy agree to help her.
The manner in which they try and cover up the death adds to some really great tense scenes.
The idea that they'd use the victims bank card so it appears that his still alive is both ingenious and intense - I felt the compelling pressure that Cathy was under when simply trying to use the card for a bottle of water in a shop!
The fact that CCTV is everywhere really adds to the drama.
Some nice twists and turns as you'd expect, seeing the trio starting to crack when the story breaks on the news added to the drama.
I was so close in connecting all the dots to the big memorable twist.
Read
February 15, 2021It's a rare book that outfoxes me but That Night kept me guessing and kept me fooled. I have read hundreds of psychological thrillers and I didn't see the twist coming in this one! Clever, pacy and so gripping that my heart raced. That Night will haunt the dreams of anyone who's ever had a nightmare about killing someone, and the police closing in...
Want to read
January 5, 2026Super excited for this one!
Thank you, William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks, for sending me this ARC.
Pub Date: Aug 18 2026
Thank you, William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks, for sending me this ARC.
Pub Date: Aug 18 2026
September 14, 2021
Sadly this book wasn’t for me though I thought it had a lot of potential in the beginning as it’s an intriguing premise. The bonds of families can take you to so many interesting places in a story. However, the main issue for me was the characters themselves. I found that their personalties grated on my nerves, and while it's fine to have characters that you don’t like if you can find something that sparks your curiosity about them. But sadly all the family members irritated me which in turn made me not really care about their continuing woes of their own making.
Though my lack of connection to this title wouldn’t put me off reading anything else by the author as I can see that plenty of other reviewers on NetGalley have been raving about her backlist. This book felt more like a damp squib than a dramatic firework for me.
I received a copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
Though my lack of connection to this title wouldn’t put me off reading anything else by the author as I can see that plenty of other reviewers on NetGalley have been raving about her backlist. This book felt more like a damp squib than a dramatic firework for me.
I received a copy from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
June 27, 2021
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
The night Frannie committed murder, but she didn't mean to. That night we helped her bury the body, what else could we do?
One hot summer night in Italy, Joe and Cathy Plant receive a phone call that will change their lives forever. Their sister Frannie has killed a man, and she needs their help. They were always close, some might say too close, siblings who worked together, lived next door to each other. And now they've buried a body together. But when they return to England, Frannie, Joe and Cathy become tangled in the lies they've been telling.
This is a character driven story with flawed and complex characters. We are drip fed the relevant information needed for us to understand precisely what has taken place. Written in the then and now format and told by the three siblings perspectives. This is a story about a tight family unit who openly show their loyalty, love and devotion to each other. But will that be enough when the cracks start to appear? This well written, fast paced and twisted read that had me guessing all the way through.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinMichaelJosphUK and the author #GillianMcAllisterfor my ARC of #ThatNIght in exchange for an honest review.
The night Frannie committed murder, but she didn't mean to. That night we helped her bury the body, what else could we do?
One hot summer night in Italy, Joe and Cathy Plant receive a phone call that will change their lives forever. Their sister Frannie has killed a man, and she needs their help. They were always close, some might say too close, siblings who worked together, lived next door to each other. And now they've buried a body together. But when they return to England, Frannie, Joe and Cathy become tangled in the lies they've been telling.
This is a character driven story with flawed and complex characters. We are drip fed the relevant information needed for us to understand precisely what has taken place. Written in the then and now format and told by the three siblings perspectives. This is a story about a tight family unit who openly show their loyalty, love and devotion to each other. But will that be enough when the cracks start to appear? This well written, fast paced and twisted read that had me guessing all the way through.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenguinMichaelJosphUK and the author #GillianMcAllisterfor my ARC of #ThatNIght in exchange for an honest review.
September 27, 2021
Didn’t like this as I’m sure you can guess from the one star! Found none of the characters likeable, and therefore couldn’t care what happened to them, hoped they all rotted in prison but nope they just killed someone else and the ending seemed to send the message that girls go out and get pregnant and if you don’t want to share the baby that’s ok you can just kill the dad and life will be all good in the end! Also how (and WHY!) in the bloody hell did they live in three houses in a row?? Like that could ever happen and why did the single mother receptionist have a bigger house than the two vets??!! What siblings on earth want to live and work with each other and spend evenings in each other houses and then go on holiday together?? Why did they all hate their seemingly good parents?! Best character in the whole book was Lydia who no one gave a shit about!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2021
I adore Gillian McAllister's books, she is a go to author for me.
She never fails to deliver a thrilling read and one I race through. I could have read it quicker had I not been working!
This one was an interesting premise, with the three siblings reminding me of myself and my 2 siblings. All I kept thinking was 'would they help me bury a body?!'
A book that combines a bit of my favourite genre, legal thriller, I thought this book just got better as it went on, and although I predicted some of the twists, I didn't mind at all.
Another belter from McAllister.
She never fails to deliver a thrilling read and one I race through. I could have read it quicker had I not been working!
This one was an interesting premise, with the three siblings reminding me of myself and my 2 siblings. All I kept thinking was 'would they help me bury a body?!'
A book that combines a bit of my favourite genre, legal thriller, I thought this book just got better as it went on, and although I predicted some of the twists, I didn't mind at all.
Another belter from McAllister.
March 19, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️ firstly, I have loved the author’s previous books so went into this one with high hopes.
However as you can see, it took me almost a month to read it!
Something didn’t click for me with this one. The characters were all annoying and a bit unbelievable. Evan?! The whole Will/Frannie bit.
Anyway I’m clearly in the minority so maybe it was just me.
However as you can see, it took me almost a month to read it!
Something didn’t click for me with this one. The characters were all annoying and a bit unbelievable. Evan?! The whole Will/Frannie bit.
Anyway I’m clearly in the minority so maybe it was just me.
October 4, 2021
Would you help your sibling hide a body?
Clever and enthralling, That Night is about the night Frannie hits a man with her car while on vacation with her siblings. Instead of calling the police, she calls her siblings, and together they bury the body and cover up the crime. The fallout from that one night, that one decision, is what this book is about.
As a reader you witness the emotional impact of this decision and the breaking point each of them must reach as they try to carry on with their lives.
The tension mounts as you wind toward a shocking conclusion. With exceptional characterisation, beautiful writing and a gripping and tense plot, Gillian McAllister's newest thriller shines!
Clever and enthralling, That Night is about the night Frannie hits a man with her car while on vacation with her siblings. Instead of calling the police, she calls her siblings, and together they bury the body and cover up the crime. The fallout from that one night, that one decision, is what this book is about.
As a reader you witness the emotional impact of this decision and the breaking point each of them must reach as they try to carry on with their lives.
The tension mounts as you wind toward a shocking conclusion. With exceptional characterisation, beautiful writing and a gripping and tense plot, Gillian McAllister's newest thriller shines!
March 6, 2024
Extremely imperfect, often unlikeable characters and LOTS of plot twists, which made for a unique experience because I usually need to really like the characters to keep going.
January 10, 2026
That Night is another cleverly written and twisty read by Gillian McAllistair where you think you have it all figured out, and then the rug gets pulled out from under you.
The story follows the POV of the Plant siblings; Joe (the eldest), Cathy (the middle) and Franny (the youngest) with the odd POV input by Joe's wife Lydia.
The family are on holiday in Italy at their jointly owned villa when Cathy gets a phone call in the dead of night. One of them has had an accident and killed someone and needs her help. As the siblings band together to help her, things begin to spiral out of control with the lies, the emotional and mental damage they've suffered, the burdens they've placed on each other and the power they each now have over each other.
The book flicks back and forth between then and now, and leaves you tense with unease.
I love how Gillian always spins such clever twists that don't present themselves until the story is almost over and creep up on you slowly, and then all of a sudden, the pieces all fit.
This story makes you think about family and loved ones and just how far you would go to protect them and keep them safe.
The story follows the POV of the Plant siblings; Joe (the eldest), Cathy (the middle) and Franny (the youngest) with the odd POV input by Joe's wife Lydia.
The family are on holiday in Italy at their jointly owned villa when Cathy gets a phone call in the dead of night. One of them has had an accident and killed someone and needs her help. As the siblings band together to help her, things begin to spiral out of control with the lies, the emotional and mental damage they've suffered, the burdens they've placed on each other and the power they each now have over each other.
The book flicks back and forth between then and now, and leaves you tense with unease.
I love how Gillian always spins such clever twists that don't present themselves until the story is almost over and creep up on you slowly, and then all of a sudden, the pieces all fit.
This story makes you think about family and loved ones and just how far you would go to protect them and keep them safe.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a really interesting family drama. One that will have you questioning just how far you would go for your family.
While vacationing in Verona, Frannie calls her two siblings in a panic and begging for help. When Cathy and Joe arrive, they find their sister covered in blood and near a body. Their decisions in the next few moments will have impacts to their mental health, their family, their business and their faith in one another.
This story is told from multiple points of view and in multiple timelines. This just adds so much to the story. I love having each siblings viewpoint.
I loved the twists and turns. Definitely an interesting read.
Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
While vacationing in Verona, Frannie calls her two siblings in a panic and begging for help. When Cathy and Joe arrive, they find their sister covered in blood and near a body. Their decisions in the next few moments will have impacts to their mental health, their family, their business and their faith in one another.
This story is told from multiple points of view and in multiple timelines. This just adds so much to the story. I love having each siblings viewpoint.
I loved the twists and turns. Definitely an interesting read.
Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 29, 2023
Bu kadın beni alıp duvardan duvara vuruyor.
Ben senden razıyım ya.
Ben senden razıyım ya.
July 28, 2021
Loved this book she’s so good at weaving a tale and just gets better. It was hard to see where this would go and the grand reveal kind of crept up on you
Three siblings on their annual holiday when disaster strikes. A road accident that they cover up but how can they get away with it
Three siblings on their annual holiday when disaster strikes. A road accident that they cover up but how can they get away with it
May 23, 2022
McAllister is one of those authors whose book descriptions always sound incredibly intriguing and I let FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out, for those who don’t know) rule my head but somehow, I always end up rather disappointed. Unfortunately, my experience with That Night wasn’t any different.
Three siblings are on holiday in Verona when the youngest sibling kills a man. Frannie is a single mum, she is used to being babied by her brother and sister and they are all extremely close. So in order to protect Frannie and to make sure her little son doesn’t grow up without a mother, the siblings decide to bury the man’s body in the forest near their Italian villa. But once they return home, the lies and the guilt quickly become too much to bear.
Sure hope you’re ready for my list of issues with this one. May want to grab yourself a cup of coffee.
First of all, the pacing. I don’t mind a slow burner, in fact I often enjoy them. But at some point, a story is going to need some oomph injected into it if it wants to hold my attention and that just never happened in That Night. Secondly, the characters. Oh, dear. Such an unlikeable bunch of siblings. I kind of feel it’s rather odd not to feel a modicum of empathy with someone who has just accidentally killed someone. As for Joe and Cathy, they just made one bad decision after the other. Some of it I could almost understand. Their decisions are heavily influenced by an event in the past and by family dynamics. But still.
Quite a lot of the back-and-forth chats between the siblings about what they did and were still going to do, and the exploration of feelings about what they did and their place in the family became rather repetitive. I felt there were too many POVs and one in particular, from Joe’s wife, seemed completely unnecessary. There are also chapters where one of the characters is having sessions with a lawyer in preparation of a trial. Who that is isn’t revealed until about halfway through the book but it’s remarkably easy to work out if you pay attention. The “why” was more of a puzzle and I couldn’t figure it out at all.
It really doesn’t take a genius to realise what really happened that night, even if the reason for it might be a bit of a mystery. Most of the story definitely involves the “what would you do?” question. Not only in that moment, but also in hindsight, and afterwards when everything starts to fall apart. How far would you go for a sibling?
Not anywhere near to what these siblings did. I can tell you that much. Which leads me to the ending. Obviously I can’t talk about that but my god, the anger that coursed through me could have fired up a power plant! I couldn’t even begin to explain how many kinds of wrong that felt to me. On the other hand, that was probably the first time I did actually feel sorry for one of the characters so there’s that.
It’s fair to say that of all the Gillian McAllister books I’ve read, this is by far the one I disliked the most. If That Night did anything, it is to prove to myself that this author and I just don’t seem to get along anymore and I should stick to my decision not to read her books anymore. And yet … how promising does the blurb of her new book sound? Dammit. 😉
Three siblings are on holiday in Verona when the youngest sibling kills a man. Frannie is a single mum, she is used to being babied by her brother and sister and they are all extremely close. So in order to protect Frannie and to make sure her little son doesn’t grow up without a mother, the siblings decide to bury the man’s body in the forest near their Italian villa. But once they return home, the lies and the guilt quickly become too much to bear.
Sure hope you’re ready for my list of issues with this one. May want to grab yourself a cup of coffee.
First of all, the pacing. I don’t mind a slow burner, in fact I often enjoy them. But at some point, a story is going to need some oomph injected into it if it wants to hold my attention and that just never happened in That Night. Secondly, the characters. Oh, dear. Such an unlikeable bunch of siblings. I kind of feel it’s rather odd not to feel a modicum of empathy with someone who has just accidentally killed someone. As for Joe and Cathy, they just made one bad decision after the other. Some of it I could almost understand. Their decisions are heavily influenced by an event in the past and by family dynamics. But still.
Quite a lot of the back-and-forth chats between the siblings about what they did and were still going to do, and the exploration of feelings about what they did and their place in the family became rather repetitive. I felt there were too many POVs and one in particular, from Joe’s wife, seemed completely unnecessary. There are also chapters where one of the characters is having sessions with a lawyer in preparation of a trial. Who that is isn’t revealed until about halfway through the book but it’s remarkably easy to work out if you pay attention. The “why” was more of a puzzle and I couldn’t figure it out at all.
It really doesn’t take a genius to realise what really happened that night, even if the reason for it might be a bit of a mystery. Most of the story definitely involves the “what would you do?” question. Not only in that moment, but also in hindsight, and afterwards when everything starts to fall apart. How far would you go for a sibling?
Not anywhere near to what these siblings did. I can tell you that much. Which leads me to the ending. Obviously I can’t talk about that but my god, the anger that coursed through me could have fired up a power plant! I couldn’t even begin to explain how many kinds of wrong that felt to me. On the other hand, that was probably the first time I did actually feel sorry for one of the characters so there’s that.
It’s fair to say that of all the Gillian McAllister books I’ve read, this is by far the one I disliked the most. If That Night did anything, it is to prove to myself that this author and I just don’t seem to get along anymore and I should stick to my decision not to read her books anymore. And yet … how promising does the blurb of her new book sound? Dammit. 😉
April 4, 2023
2,5 Deși subiectul cărții este interesat, modul de scriere este greoi și prea plin de metafore care nu-și au locul la o carte cu un așa subiect. Totuși au fost câteva elemente surpriză care au salvat cumva situația.
September 19, 2021
In the early hours of the morning, whilst on holiday with her brother and sister, Cathy receives an urgent call from her sister. She's a hit man with her car, and head dead. Frannie is terrified, begging Cathy and Joe for her help to cover the murder up. It was an accident, not Frannie's fault - and she'd do the same for her.... wouldn't she?
All the books by this author are fantastic, Gillian never disappoints. Absolutely fantastic story, it had me gripped the whole way through, savouring every single page, every breath taking twist. One word that sums it up? Incredible. It really makes you think, how far would you go to protect a family member?
All the books by this author are fantastic, Gillian never disappoints. Absolutely fantastic story, it had me gripped the whole way through, savouring every single page, every breath taking twist. One word that sums it up? Incredible. It really makes you think, how far would you go to protect a family member?
February 1, 2023
The book has been too long for me, it has a heavily character-driven plot which makes it sometimes hard/unbearable to follow up. The first half is fine, but the second just too far fetched. I somewhat like Gillian McAllister’s writing style, understand what she does and why, though it can be very frustrating if you don’t like long and repetitive chapters with way too much of characterizations.
March 24, 2021
Frannie, Cathy and Joe Plant. Siblings who are close. Very close. Some might say too close. They work together, they live next door to each other and holiday together in a villa that they joint own in Verona.
Whilst on holiday in Verona, Frannie commits a murder - by accident . . . obviously ... and she immediately turns to Joe and Cathy to help to make everything right. . . .to help to hide the body.
I was drawn in very quickly with the story being told from the point of view of the main characters but also flipping back and forwards from the night in Verona where everything changed and now when they are back in the UK and trying to come to terms with what happened and the decision that they made.
It is a slow starter but things start to pick up in the second part of the book.
There are twists and turns coming thick and fast and there are lies flying all over the place.
As the reader, you know that the siblings are not going to get away with the murder very early in the book but the author has done a great job of keeping you turning those pages to find out what goes wrong (or should that be right..?) and if they are caught or does someone crack?
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley.
Whilst on holiday in Verona, Frannie commits a murder - by accident . . . obviously ... and she immediately turns to Joe and Cathy to help to make everything right. . . .to help to hide the body.
I was drawn in very quickly with the story being told from the point of view of the main characters but also flipping back and forwards from the night in Verona where everything changed and now when they are back in the UK and trying to come to terms with what happened and the decision that they made.
It is a slow starter but things start to pick up in the second part of the book.
There are twists and turns coming thick and fast and there are lies flying all over the place.
As the reader, you know that the siblings are not going to get away with the murder very early in the book but the author has done a great job of keeping you turning those pages to find out what goes wrong (or should that be right..?) and if they are caught or does someone crack?
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Netgalley.
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