I remember seeing this title a while back. The book had created quite a buzz around blogosphere. I knew I had to read it as soon as the opportunity arose.

One thing that you need to know is that this book has one of the most depraved villains. Dr. Galbraith is a twisted character with no redeeming qualities. The author gives readers a glimpse into his dark, twisted mind and his thoughts were quite scary. I found myself keenly waiting for him to meet his end or get arrested, whichever came first. At some point, I got impatient with the cops because I really wanted the case to be solved fast!

This book deals with sensitive themes of child abuse. It is not graphic but the abuse is evident so readers get to know what is going on. The story line doesn’t focus on the abuse as much as the characters and the ongoing investigation. Nevertheless, the book does start with a trigger warning. I appreciate the fact that the author decided to do this because this is definitely not going to be a book for everyone.

I thought the portrayal of the investigation was quite detailed and realistic. John Nicholls has experience working as police officer and child protection social worker and this was evident in his storytelling. The author also did a great job with the portrayal of the time period in which the story was set, 1992. One of the things that took a while to get used to was the fact that cell phones were not so common. I kept forgetting that the story is set in the early 90s and found myself getting frustrated by the characters for not using their phones and then it would hit me that most people only had landlines and phone booths back then.

Although the subject matter is quite heavy, I really liked John’s writing and how sensitive he was in portraying the theme. I also love how he created the complex, well-developed characters. The description of the time period and the setting were also well done. White is the Coldest Colour by John Nicholl is a compelling read.

This book made me cringe at first as the abuse of children is not something I want to read about but once I got further into it I just wanted Galbraith to get his comeuppance.
Molly and Mike have separated and their son Anthony is struggling to cope so their Dr recommends some sessions with psychiatrist Dr Galbraith.
Never have I shouted at a book so much as I really didn’t want this to happen but the appointment goes ahead. The first appointment is fine as the whole family are there but it’s the second one that really made me worry.
A paeodophile ring has been identified though and Galbraith is part of it so again I was just hoping he would get caught.
Something shocking then happens to the family and it’s a real race against time to bring Anthony to safety.
This is a gruesome read and is uncomfortable at times but I would recommend it.
Thanks to Bloodhound Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

"Was he mad or bad? It was hard to tell. Maybe a bit of both."

It's 1992 in Caerystwyth, Wales. Mike Mailer has left his wife, Molly, and is living with another woman. Anthony, his young son, is taking it especially hard and gets referred to a child psychiatrist, Dr. David Galbraith. Little does the family know how warped and dark the appetites of Galbraith run.

This was a tough book to read. Anything about child abuse is heart wrenching to me and this was a dark, disturbing tale of manipulation and abuse.

The author is a former police officer and child protection social worker and that past experience lends itself to the credibility of this story. I don't know how law enforcement and social services face these situations on a daily basis without being driven mad.

I received this book from Bloodhound Books through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

I am honestly surprised at all the high ratings for this book. Clearly I'm in the minority with this one. I knew going in that this book was going to be extremely disturbing with a sensitive subject matter. I had no problem with the plot. I enjoy reading horror and dark psychological thrillers.
My problem with this book was the writing style. My biggest gripe was the repetition of words: "focus, man, focus", "Think, man, think", "Stay positive, man, stay positive", "Come on, you little bastard. Out you come. Out you come".

There was also an overuse of certain words and phrases : love, cariad (a Welsh term for love), tart, bastard, old boy, dear girl, focus man, get a grip man. And the author's favorite word: bitch (used 53 times!) "the bitch", "obnoxious bitch", "moronic bitch", "vile bitch", "incompetent bitch", "repulsive bitch", stupid bitch", "bitch mother".

Another issue was the POV changing from person to person in a scene. During an interrogation, the POV would be the interviewee but the next sentence in the same paragraph would be from the interviewer.

Even though there are truly sick evil people in this world, I found Dr. David Galbraith's character unbelievable. He avoided detection from the police for almost 30 years yet he behaved amateurish.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for supplying me a copy of John Nicholl's "White Is The Coldest Colour" in exchange for an honest review.

I was truly gripped by this book and enjoyed it all the way through. It was so nearly a 5 star review but the only thing that stopped that was ,for me, the ending felt a bit rushed and I was a teeny bit disappointed by that.
The Subject matter is not a pleasant one but its real issues and its written so well.

A very chilling read about a predatory doctor called David Galbraith. We see his next victim lined up and how he is setting the scene for his evil purposes. Everyone around him is wary of him and we are aware of his thoughts and depravity. You are desperate for him to be unearthed and arrested but not sure that we will be in time. You can see the grooming process in progress and you really want to call the police and let them know!
I wasn’t sure what I would feel about this book- as the subject matter is so harrowing- but it is more about the workings of the evil doctor. I couldn’t put it down.

As soon as I saw the description for this book (which has been released with a new publisher) I knew that I wanted to read a copy, especially after seeing the cover - the cover is excellent and it works really well with the story.

I will admit that it took me a while to do my review for this book, I really enjoyed the book but at times I did find the subject matter quite hard to read - I'm not a fan of reading anything normally that involves child abuse or paedophiles but it is done here really well and what is included is needed for the story. I had also recently finished another of the author's books that I thought was excellent so knew that he had a writing style I would enjoy and this was very well suited here.

Dr David Galbraith is a brilliant character - dark, very twisted, sadistic and very, very clever. He is probably the most evil main character of any book I have read for a good while, at times he made my skin crawl and that is the sign for me of an excellent villain.

As soon as I finished the book I went straight online to look at the sequel and can't wait to read it to get another view of the story.

Five stars from me, an additive book that had me turning the pages at speed to get to the end in what is ultimately a race against time - I was completely immersed in the story and couldn't wait to see what happened.

Hard subject to read about. What a great thriller though. Was gripping couldn't put it down.


Thanks to net galley and the publisher for an early release

Now you know a book is going to be good when the author has to pre warn readers a little about the content of the story and that it may not be to all readers tastes (peadophiles, abuse and children). It is a dark and uncomfortable story to read in parts but also a brilliant investigation/detective story alongside that!

I didn’t want to put this book down, it was so easy to devour. I despised Dr Galbraith from the start what a horrible man and character, his poor wife and kids. This book had my jaw dropping and I had to keep reminding myself to breathe.. Literally had me holding my breathe especially towards the end. This story does end with a cliffhanger and open to what the reader interprets, which I hope gets cleared up in the next book in this series.

Brilliant. Would highly recommend to you all, a well deserved five stars. I cannot wait to read more by this author in the future. A fast paced, easy to read thriller full of suspense. Very impressed.

This book is seriously creepy and unnerving! What a detestable character the doctor is and your loathing for him just grows with every page.
This isn't a book for sensitive people as it deals with disturbing issues of child abuse and it can be quite graphic at points. Bravo to the author for tackling such a theme but still making an enjoyable read.

This was the first book of this author's that I have read. I found it to be an enjoyable mystery that had some suspense as well. The reason I gave it a four star rating rather than five was because I found the ending rather flat with a lot of loose ends. A book I would recommmend to others.

I'm clearly going to be the minority in this one... surprise surprise.....

I was a bit conflicted rating this one since I am a social worker BUT it just didn't do it for me.

I can definitely relate to many aspects of this book and I appreciate John Nicholl incorporating his social work experience within this book. I feel like social workers have this view that is painted on us by society "taking children from their families." When in reality it's not that way at all. It was actually pretty funny (I was shaking my head throughout the novel and thinking yes.... I've been there). I appreciate the authors like John that relay their true experience through novels :).

This book had too many unlikeable characters for me and I just was rolling my eyes way too much. I couldn't get past the women in the book. I felt like some of the aspects were a tad unbelievable with the characters. It was cramping my style quite a bit. Characterization is the strongest aspect of a book for me and this novel just fell extremely short with this.

I was distracted by some of the word usage as well. I think some of the language is used from the UK and I wasn't used to it so it was very distracting to me.

Our main character Dr. David Galbraith is one EVIL sadistic predator yikes. But, geez if I have to hear "bitch" and "little bastard" "bastard" one more time. We get it... he's supposed to be an evil human being. But, you just lost me hear it was a little much for me and took away from the actually plot/storyline.

I have seen many 4 and 5 stars for this one but it wasn't there for me at all.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bloodhound Books, and John Nicholl for an advanced arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
Publication date: 2/28/18.

Nope, no way, can't do it anymore. I am so done with this nonsense. I hate to be so blunt but I think this book is terrible. It's a repetitive, garbled mess of a book. The villain is so over the top and the other characters are just lacking in every way. The mother in this I absolutely can't stand and I could completely understand why her husband left her. I'd leave her too because she's completely weak and unbearable. I thought I might be able to skim this one until the end but I honestly don't care at all how this book is resolved.

Moving on!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc in exchange for my honest, yet harsh, review.

This book is dark. Very, very dark. But this book is so, so important because it really drives home a very overlooked point, which I'm sure the author knows all too well in his history as a police officer: Trust. Your. Instincts. The author drives that message home and really makes a compelling case.

That's why I think this book stayed with me so long after I finished reading it; it's one of those situations you hear about in the news time and time again: if one person had done something a little bit differently, if someone had pushed a little bit harder.....what if?

It's clear from this book that Nicholl that Nicholl is truly a gifted writer. You can feel the emotions just grabbing you from the pages. You can literally sense the doctor's breakdown as it is happening in the story. It's one of the few books that's done that to me.

This book is a good way to take a peak into a disturbing world that our police officers see all too often. We always ask "why?" but maybe the answer is just that some people are evil and are able to disguise it well. It also gives you hope, to see the officers in the novel that would not give up, that trusted the victims and wanted to do right by them.

To those officers out there in real life: Thank you

Oh my goodness!! White is The Coldest Colour is one dark, gripping thriller! I read this book so fast, I don’t even think I took a breath! It was horrifying creepy! It was so real, it could happen to any family.
This is a definite must read!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I found this a very true to life but disturbing story on a very emotive subject. It was hard to put down, the story a compelling read from start to finish, sympathetically written by an author with obvious experience in this field of work.. A fantastic book superbly written.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this thought provoking book

not an easy book to read, but after the first chapter the story line gets a bit easy..though it isnt easy to read being that the subject matter is about the worst thing ever to happen to children...or anyone come to that...

this book is based around the early 1992, no mobile phones or facebook so things happened at a slower pace than they do now...
and though this story is fictional you can bet your bottom dollar that somewhere there is someone that has suffered from sexual abuse just like the characters in this book

a well written book and though i hate to say it i think this author is soon to be in my list of authors to keep an eye on

White is the Coldest Colour is one of the most disturbing psychological thrillers I have ever read.

Even though this story is a work of fiction the fact that the author has written this book drawing on his experiences as his time as a police officer and a child probation social worker, makes this book even more chilling.

The story itself will grab your attention from the very first chapter.

To start with the story focuses mainly on Dr David Galbraith and his latest obsession Anthony and his family. I think due to the nature of the storyline some parts of this book can be uncomfortable to read but to be honest the book itself doesn't go to much into detail with the abuse side itself. If anything it is the doctor himself that I find extremely disturbing. The author does a fantastic job of letting the reader see the inside of this truly disturbed character. I have read many books along the lines of serial killers, criminals and abusers but I don't think I have actually hated a fictional character more than I do with Dr Galbraith. You really do need to read this book to believe it, there is nothing about this character that I could ever have any sort of empathy for, he really is just evil inside and out.

The book also focuses on the police and social workers who are desperately trying to bring down these horrendous predators which gives the readers a great insight to how hard it is for the authorities in bringing these people to justice.

White is the Coldest Colour is a book that will stay with me for a very long time as Dr David Galbraith is not a character you can forget in a hurry! This book will grab you from the start and by the end will have you at the edge of your seat. I literally could not tap to the next page on my kindle quick enough towards the end of this story as it was so fast paced towards the end. There is also going to be a sequel to this book which I can not wait for.

White is the Coldest Colour is not a book for the faint hearted but if you are a big lover of dark psychological thrillers once you've started you will not be able to put it down.