That Night
A European getaway turns into a nightmare when Frannie is involved in a fatal hit-and-run. Panicked, she summons her siblings to the scene—not to call the authorities, but to help her dispose of the body. They agree to a pact of silence to protect their sister, but the cover-up proves more dangerous than the crime itself. As the police investigation heats up, the pressure fractures their family loyalty, forcing them to question what actually happened that night and who is going to break first.
- Cathy Plant - Vet, Frannie and Joe’s sister, 35
- Frannie Plant - Receptionist at the Vet clinic, Cathy and Joe’s sister, Paul’s mother, 32
- Joe (Joseph) Plant - Vet, Cathy and Frannie's brother, 37
- Will - Italian police officer who Frannie killed
- Lydia - Joe’s wife
- Paul - Frannie’s son, 2
- Evan - Vet at Vet 24
- Jason - Lawyer
- Marie and Owen Plant - Cathy, Frannie and Joe’s parents
- Rosie Plant - Cathy, Frannie and Joe’s youngest sister, deceased
- Tom - Cathy's boyfriend
- Joe and Cathy are vets at Vets 24, the clinic they co-own with Frannie and Marie.
- Then: While on holiday at their property in Verona, Frannie calls Cathy and Joe for help after hitting a man with their rental car and killing him.
- Joe and Cathy take the body into the woods to bury it.
- Part I: Preventing a lawful burial
- Joe and Cathy search the body and find credit cards and a piece of paper too soaked in blood to read. They later learn the man’s name is Will.
- Part 2: Criminal Damage
- Joe returns the rental car, then deliberately crashes it on their property to help cover up the damage from Will’s death.
- Cathy, Frannie and Joe examine the bloody paper found on William’s body and make out a date and their last name. They think it was a warrant, but do not know for what.
- Part 3: Perverting the Course of Justice
- The police question everyone in the area about Will’s disappearance.
- The police bring cadaver dogs to inspect the area around the Plants’ villa.
- Cathy burns Will’s wallet and the piece of paper, but before she does she looks at it more closely and thinks she sees ‘Joseph’ on it.
- The family fly home to Birmingham but Cathy stays at the airport because her luggage is lost.
- A man from the same flight is also waiting for his lost luggage.
- Cathy goes to a cafe and runs into the man from the airport, who introduces himself as Tom.
- Joe gets a call from their neighbor in Verona, who tells him the woods behind their villas are going to be developed.
- Joe tells Cathy and Frannie about the phone call but they can’t agree on how to handle the situation.
- Now: First Day of Trial R. V. Plant
- Cathy takes the stand to testify.
- Then: Cathy and Tom start seeing each other.
- Cathy and Joe catch Evan eavesdropping and are forced to tell him the truth about Will.
- Joe tells Lydia the truth about Will.
- Evan tells the Plants he wants a partnership in Vet 24 or he will go to the police about Will.
- Part 4: Conspiracy to Bribe
- Frannie admits to Cathy and Joe that she hit Will twice.
- He sat up after the first hit and was yelling at her, so she ran over his legs and then waited.
- Part 5: Misappropriation of Corporate Assets
- Joe writes up an amendment to the partnership agreement to transfer 20% to Evan for the sum of £1.
- Part 6: Fraud
- Evan fakes his mother’s signature on the new partnership agreement.
- Lydia asks Joe to turn Frannie in and when he refuses she walks out on him.
- Cathy finds emails on Frannie’s work computer that reveal Will was Paul’s father.
- Will had been trying for a year to get part-time custody of Paul. The warrant he had must have had Paul’s name on it because Paul’s middle name is Joseph.
- Cathy confronts Frannie with Joe present and Frannie admits everything and says she knew Will was going to their house that night to see her.
- Will was threatening to get full custody of Paul, which caused Frannie to panic.
- Frannie spent the thirty minutes after hitting Will deleting all email interactions from both phones. During this, she discovered the documents he had were fake, leaving no formal paper trail.
- Evan goes to Joe’s house and demands 51% of the business or he will go to the cops.
- Part 7: Murder
- Joe punches Evan and he falls, cracks his head and dies.
- Joe hears on the radio that Will’s body has been found.
- Now: First Day of Trial R. V. Plant
- Catherine was charged with perverting the course of justice but took a plea bargain for giving evidence against Joe.
- Lydia has moved on from Joe and is pregnant by someone else.
- Then: Joe calls Cathy and asks for her help because he killed Evan.
- After Joe calls Cathy, she goes to tell him she cannot hide another murder, and he tells her to blame everything on him since he is going to prison for Evan’s death anyway.
- Cathy calls and turns Joe in and they are both arrested.
- Cathy calls Jason to represent her and she tells him everything.
- Now: Cathy goes to visit Frannie in an institution where she is being treated for major depressive disorder.
- The jury find Joe not guilty of both murder charges but guilty of manslaughter, unlawful burial of a body, bribery, fraud, and perverting the course of justice.
- Epilogue: Frannie is out of hospital and reunited with Paul.
- Cathy moves in with Tom.
- Cathy finds a calendar in Frannie’s kitchen where she is counting the days until Joe’s release: 6,112 days left.
If you are looking for a thriller that will completely consume your attention, That Night by Gillian McAllister is it.
The book is structured with short chapters, multiple POVs, and multiple timelines, which keeps the pace moving quickly; I could not stop turning pages.
McAllister does a brilliant job of sprinkling little mysteries throughout the narrative. Just when you think you have a handle on the situation, a new layer of intrigue is revealed, making it impossible to put down.
Beyond the plot, the emotional stakes are incredibly high. It was so easy to sympathize with Frannie, Cathy, and Joe. The central theme really hit home: most of us have that person (or persons) we would do absolutely anything for, regardless of the cost. Watching these characters navigate that moral grey area made the story feel grounded and terrifyingly realistic.
I highly recommend this book for fans of fast-paced, morally complex thrillers!
- William - Dead - Killed when Frannie ran him over
- Rosie - Dead - Sudden infant death syndrome
- Evan - Dead - Killed by Joe
- Lydia - Alive - With a new man and pregnant, just like she always wanted
- Joe - Alive - Serving 16 years in prison for manslaughter, unlawful burial of a body, bribery, fraud, and perverting the course of justice
- Cathy - Alive -Feels free now that she is no longer holding the secret of Will's murder
- Frannie - Alive - Raising Paul and counting down the days until Joe is released
- Marie and Owen - Alive - Upset with Cathy for testifying against Joe
- Death
- Mention of suicide
- Murder
Publisher: WIlliam Morrow
ISBN: 9780063488953
Publication Date: August 18, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
