Husband and wife writing team Nicci Gerrard and Sean French are probably best known for their series of books featuring psychotherapist Frieda Klein, but in recent years they’ve been gradually building up a new collection, with DI Maud O’Connor as the strangely not-quite-central character.
Maud was first introduced in Has Anyone Seen Charlotte Salter?, released in early 2024, and is now on her third appearance in print – but you’re over a third of the way through What Happened That Night before there’s even a mention of her involvement. Nicci French opts for the slow burn, and it appears there are miles to go before Maud is thrown into the mix.
So, instead let’s meet Tyler Green, newly released from prison after serving 28 years and 10 months for murder. He’s free at last and there’s something he has to do. What that is becomes clear pretty quickly: he’s called an old friend and asked for a meeting with the former pals who were there the night that Leo Bauer died, 29 years ago, on a drunken student weekend in the country. What on earth is all that about?
The world has changed in innumerable ways since Tyler last saw the light of day, but one thing is set in stone – he didn’t kill Leo Bauer, therefore, someone else who was there that night did… and then left poor Tyler to carry the can. It’s not so much that he wants revenge, just the satisfaction of getting to the truth at last.
We get a ringside view as the university friends from back then gather at the swanky London home of KC Bea. It’s not like they’ve kept in touch all that much over the years so it’s likely to be a somewhat uncomfortable affair. As Will and Ali, who are now a couple (something Will, the only person to visit Tyler in jail, kept from him), Marco, Rudi, Clara, Jay and Ellen arrive in dribs and drabs, each one is feeling uneasy. Why does Tyler want to see them – and do they really want to see him?
Marco is accompanied by his young girlfriend, Kristin, and as the outsider it is left to her to get to the bottom of things by asking questions no one else would dare to even think. Like us readers, she’s beyond the inner circle and her presence gives the story added momentum.
Then somebody is killed and Maud enters the equation – another outsider – sent there by her boss on sufferance. The fact that a newly released killer and the wife of a prominent MP are in the mix means her instructions are to get the job done, and fast. But that’s not Maud’s way, and soon she is ruffling feathers and gradually getting to the truth in the process.
The narrative moves along at a languid pace, but the whodunnit element means that you can’t take anything for granted here. After all, is a man who has served almost 30 years for a brutal killing really someone who can be trusted? The interwoven themes of friendship and betrayal are writ large as our duet of authors take free rein in terms of characterisation. Few members of this large cast are likeable, but there are a smattering of redeeming qualities to make you care.
What Happened That Night is smartly plotted, but the flow is stop-start thanks to a somewhat clunky structure. Sadly, Maud O’Connor feels underused here. After the wonderful Frieda Klein, she certainly has a lot to live up to and this book doesn’t really move her development along a great deal. A decent companion on a winter’s evening, but not the best novel on Nicci French‘s ever-growing bookshelf.
Trust is also at the heart of Denise Mina’s The Good Liar, reviewed here.
Harper Collins
Print/Kindle/iBook
£10.76
CFL Rating: 3 Stars
