I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A terrifying novel about an evil man and his victims. The ending was satisfying, but the storyline was brutal.

3.5, this one is very hard to rate. The last 50 pages were taut, compelling, and brought all the threads together. It was the other 550 pages that I have complicated thoughts about.

Definitely more drama than thriller, it was slightly Stephen King-esque in the way of being a long, epic story and some of the characters seem to speak in riddles. There were many sentences I had to re-read a few times before just moving on. Certain word choices and turn of phrase had me looking up more about the author and I wasn’t surprised to see he’s British. There was always a vague sense of things left unsaid until the ending wraps everything up. With such a long novel covering the lives of these characters for three decades, I expected to know more about them and their motivations. But the settings are beautifully and vividly written. I could easily picture the town of Monta Clare. The story itself is a good one, about how we show up for people and what lengths someone will go to for the ones they love. And the running joke of Misty’s cooking was a fun thread throughout.

I will pick up more of this author’s works and try again.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy and a chance to read this early. All opinions are my own.

All the Colors of the Dark is the second Chris Whitaker book I’ve tried and I don’t think his books are for me. I go into them thinking they are thrillers but they are really more like slow burn character studies. I had trouble getting in to this book and only kept reading because I was curious about how the story would play out. The story starts with a devastating event in the life of Patch, his mother Ivy, and his best friend Saint that changes them and their whole small Missouri town forever. I’m sure fans of Whitaker’s previous books will enjoy this one, it just wasn’t for me.

Slow draw, slow pull, slow burn, whatever you want to call it… That’s how I’d describe All the Colors of the Dark with all of its 261 chapters.

Whitaker is a special kind of talent with his writing style that feels so unique, and rich & a little like it belongs to someone much older. A voice full of wisdom that you think could only come with the experience of age and a life fully lived. This book is not a quick and easy read; it takes some deserved devotion. But that’s just a simple opinion coming from a simple reader.

This story spans over decades. It will have your emotions in a state and it will keep you guessing and eager until you find the truth.

Yes, I recommend.

Thank you NetGalley & Crown Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 6.24.24

I can’t remember a time I wrote a book review for a title 2 months in advance. I usually prefer to wait until pub day because I feel like that makes more of an impact for the author because it’s fresh in minds of book buyers and they have the ability to go out, purchase the book and then read said book. I’m putting this review out now, because I want to capture my emotional response since it’s all fresh in my mind.

If you’ve seen my comments or stories on this book, you know that it’s:
a) long
b) has the shortest chapters in the world
c) just like We Begin At The End

If you liked/loved WBATE, I can pretty much guarantee you will like/love ATCOTD. You get to certain parts of the story and you think how is there x amount of pages left? How is he going to make this work? But he does. He really, really does. I don’t know if I can think of an author who writes character relationships the way Chris Whitaker does. Particularly, children and adults. With this epic story (and it is EPIC - spanning decades), it takes what he did with WBATE and enhances it. There are more characters and with that more of everything he does so very, very well. My jaw dropped a number of times. He is a genius at revealing something you thought was going one way and it went another. And it has such DEEP, emotional impact.

It’s really, really rare for me to say this, but I feel like going back to the beginning and reading it all over again and pick up on what I missed. I say ‘miss’ because those reveals come with some deliberate vagueness beforehand. I also want to go back and re-read it to highlight the many, many impactful quotes about life, love, and heartbreak that fill this story. I just couldn’t be bothered to the first go round because I wanted to absorb the plot.

In closing, it isn’t a perfect book, but I stand by my 5⭐️. It will require some patience for certain readers…but the payoff is huge. It truly, truly is. And the last lines…make me want to cry even now. Bravo Mr. Whitaker. 👏🏻👏🏻

WOW I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. THANK YOU SO MUCH TO NETGALLEY AND THE PUBLISHER FOR AN ADVANCED COPY. I couldnt put this down - started it on a plane last Thursday and finished it in one week. As a full time working mom of 2, that is an accomplishment to finish a 600+ page book that quickly.

This book gripped me from the begging and I could not stop reading. The characters, the stories, the connections, the twists, turns, surprises - this book has everything and was really incredible. I will be telling absolutely everyone I know to read this book. You fall in love with Patch and Saint. - they are flawed and so incredibly human but characters that will stay with me for a long time.

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Girls are disappearing around a small Missouri town. When the daughter of the town’s wealthiest family is targeted, she’s saved by the most unexpected hero. Patch, a poor boy with only one eye and one friend, saves her life. But his impulsive heroism sets off a lifetime of heartache and the search for answers, love, and justice.

I’m not sure I can put into words how much I loved this book and these characters. This book pulled me right in. Chris Whitaker’s writing is beautiful and lyrical. It’s an atmospheric story filled with haunted and heartbreaking characters. I’m giving this book all the stars because I already know it’s going to be my favorite book this year.

All the Colors of the Dark is out June 25 and you don’t want to miss this extraordinary book. Thank you Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

Chris Whitaker writes the most realistic, amazing characters. In the 1970's Patch and Saint become friends. The one eyed pirate and the girl who loves bees become inseparable. When Patch saves Misty from a serial killer, it changes all three of their lives forever. This book is mystery, coming of age, and friendship. I loved every word and was so sad when I finished. With characters this amazing, I want the book to last forever. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Absolutely the best book of 2024 and definitely making it into my top 10 favs of all time!! I can’t explain the range of emotions that you as a reader will feel when reading this. My advice is to let the experience wash over you and enjoy the ride. Chris Whitaker is a master storyteller and artfully arranges the clues that fit like perfectly honed pieces of a puzzle.

This book is unfortunately a DNF for me. I enjoyed it in the beginning until the negative and totally unnecessary to the plot line about Israel. It’s harmful given the current climate and the rise in antisemitism throughout the world. It was very upsetting to me as a Jewish reader. I am so disappointed because We Begin At The End is one of my favorite books.

Another win for Chris Whittaker fans. The book is long so just embrace the slow burn and know it’ll take time to finish it. I loved how much was packed into this. Full review to come!

Many thanks to Chris Whitaker, Crown Publishing, and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this novel. I am conflicted in how to review it, however. I almost abandoned it at about 20% in, but was interested enough in how it might all end to stick it out to the end. I thought the resolution of the novel was very good, and somewhat redeemed the earlier, slower parts, but I think the story could have been greatly improved with a bit of editing. That said, this is an emotionally layered, well-written, very complex story — which is hard to find in today’s book market. I look forward to Chris Whitaker’s next novel.

Thank you Crown Publishing for the early review copy of the highly anticipated All the Colors of the Dark. This book is so, well words other than trite cliches escape me right now: epic, resonant, captivating, lyrical, emotional, thought provoking, absorbing, moving, elegant...
Whitaker takes a plot, runs with an idea about loss and friendship and time (I love decades spanning reads, I really do), and goes all in for a story that is very much the sum of it's parts, a book that explores memory and creativity, art and hope, missing girls and the why/how/nuance of girls and safety... friendship and love. It was a quietly intoxicating read for me (though perhaps some pacing issues that work out as the story unfolds) and I can tell this is going to be a big win for new fans of the author (me!) and fans familiar with his work. I will be thinking about Patch and Saint, the themes on missing people and loved ones and hope in small and big ways.

Short, deftly elegant paragraphs, complex characters and writing, it all sets us up as readers to see where the writing goes with a lot of payoff for the patient reader, let the puzzle pieces connect, and be on a journey with the pathways that unfold.

This was an epic story. I have not read the previous work from the author but was hearing a lot of praises so decided to pick this one and I am glad I did.

This is a story that spans decades with very well defined characters. At about 600 pages, this is truly an epic coming of age story. Loved the book overall

WHEW. That was a JOURNEY. When I picked up this book (on Kindle), I didn't realize that it was 600+ pages. Beware going into it. Chapters are short and lyrical. You have to use your deductive skills in a lot of the book to figure out what has happened: it is not spelled out for you on the page.There was a big chunk in the middle where I was bored. Bored, bored, bored, and I put the book aside for a long time. The ending redeemed itself. One of the most satisfying endings I've read in a book, in a long time.

I really enjoyed the author's last book, WE BEGIN AT THE END, so I requested this book knowing nothing about the plot going into it. The premise is quite dark - it's 1975 and young girls are going missing throughout small Missouri towns. This story starts with a girl named Saint and her best friend Patch, named for the eye patch he wears. Patch rescues a young girl from being abducted, but ends up being abducted himself. Saint spends every waking moment following trying to find her best friend. The book spans thirty years following these two characters, and while at times it was a slow burn and quite a long read at 600 pages, I read this one in mere days, and was captivated by Whitaker's beautiful and emotional writing. The characters will break your heart and give you hope at the same time. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. This excellent book debuts June 2024 and I predict it's going to quickly be made into a series or film. Thank you NetGalley for the early copy.

Amazing, absorbing story with characters that feel real and a storyline that sometimes seems implausible, but at the same time realistic. Spans time well and I was surprised to see the print copy was over600 pages. My ebook was showing a total of 321! The emotions in this book are forceful. Enjoyed the placing of certain songs which will now be forever linked in my mind with this book. Bravo to Chris Whitaker..

Joseph, nicknamed Patch, was born with one eye, and had an affinity for pirate stories. Saint, a smart but odd girl, lived with her grandmother after her mother died in childbirth. As the two outcasts in their grade school, Patch and Saint became good friends and thoroughly supported each other against the other "normal" students. When their rich and beautiful classmate Misty was attacked in a field, Patch drew attention to himself and told Misty to run, which she did. Patch was held in a completely dark place for a long unspecified time by the attacker in the company of one other person, a girl who said her name was Grace. Saint, trying to find her friend, worked with the town's police chief to get a location on him and finally found him-more dead than alive. From then on, Patch, feeling guilty that he left without Grace, spent his life trying to find her, even though many people thought she was a figment of his imagination.
This childhood incident took over each of the character's lives, delving into the issues of memory vs reality, the arts as therapy, the prevalence of missing girls, and the power of love and friendship.
The term "sweeping epic" is way overused but in this case I'll have to use it again. From this kernel of childhood trauma, Whitaker creates a world where nothing is the way it was meant to be-Misty falls in love with Patch, the odd kid from the wrong side of the tracks, Patch becomes an artist to conceptualize the girl in the dark who he is driven to find, Saint abandons her chance at a top-notch college to become a cop, and crimes are committed in search of a criminal. This book defies genre and trope-it is absolutely original.
I heard the author speak on a panel and was astounded to find that he was a young man from Britain who has written a few critically acclaimed books that weren't very commercial. This great American novel hopefully will change that-I feel that he has a great career ahead of him and look forward to watching All the Colors, the movie.

This book ripped my heart out! It made me so, so mad at times; And sad and hopeful. I wanted to stop reading because of the feelings it caused but then it quickly redeemed itself into a story I could relate to, experiences described that I could understand. It's a book about mothers and fathers; families in all their types, the good, the bad, the absolute terrible. I absolutely loved this book. Completely and totally.

4.5 rounded up
An epic story, about love, and friendship that starts in 1975 and spans decades.
Wonderful characters..
Patch and Saint two youngsters who become friends, and then their world is shaken when young Patch saves a local girl from being taken by a man in the woods and comes to harm himself.
This is a thriller also..missing girls, a serial killer mystery.
Very short chapters (which I love)… will keep you turning pages… I was hooked from the start!
I was brought to tears at the end … satisfying tears.
Highly recommended!

Thank you to Netgalley, Crown Publishing and the most
talented Chris Whitaker for the ARC!

Available June 25