[13] The Carlyles discover Zant's body, shot twice in the head and hidden on a back road, when their car spins out of control in icy conditions.

The presumed murderer, a young black man named DeShaun Moton, was shot by the police before he could be arrested and questioned, and as Vallely and Julia dig into the trail of evidence it becomes clear that Zant had uncovered evidence that Gina Joule was actually killed after getting into an expensive Jaguar owned by Jonathan "Jock" Hilliman, a member of the wealthy Hilliman family, and a friend of Lemaster's in university.

[9] The hardcover version of New England White was released in the United States on June 26, 2007, published by Knopf, a division of Random House.

She described the character of Kellen Zant as having "so little gravitas that the quest to find his murderer lacks urgency", and also criticized the ending of the novel, which she found improbable.

[28] January Magazine also compared New England White to its predecessor, but more positively, and particularly praised Carter's skill with coming up with realistic and inventive names for his characters, bringing life to the communities he describes, drawing parallels with Stephen King.

[7] It was noted that the basic plot of New England White mirrors that of The Emperor of Ocean Park – a suspicious death occurs, a cryptic clue is revealed which points to a document that could unveil the truth behind the death, and a hotly-contested race to decode the clue(s) takes place; it was further noted that this plot structure is repeated in Carter's next two works, Palace Council and Jericho's Fall.

[29] Kirkus Reviews described the novel as a "beefy, neatly constructed melodrama which distributes clues and juggles suspects with Grisham-like energy and efficiency" and stated that "Carter strikes again".

[2] Trade magazine Publishers Weekly predicted that the book would be another bestseller, due to the "richness of [Carter's] characters, both major and minor, and the intelligence of his writing".