Patch, the boy with one eye, stumbles upon one of his female classmates being abducted and intervenes. The girl escapes but Patch is injured and goes missing. His best friend embarks on a mission to find him even though everyone assumes he's dead. As the story unfolds over several decades, the tragic incident has far reaching consequences to those impacted

Chris Whitaker is a UK writer who has only traveled to America a handful of times, so his depiction of a rural American town feels remarkably captured in this story's atmospheric Missouri setting.

Publishers Weekly provided an intriguing insight into Whitaker's personal struggles, inspiring much of his storytelling. It details that until recently, he worked as a research assistant at his local public library and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which honed his ability to throw his story into an unknown setting. The interviewer described that he might research a story's details for months but refine them to a mere paragraph for the reader. This unusual restraint makes this novel feel like a story with half its page count.

Patch was into pirates because he had been born with only one eye, and his mother pitched this as something to hold onto for his life as "the flair of fiction dulled a reality too severe." When he befriends the gifted and bookish Saint, she adds stability to his world and becomes an inseparable childhood best friend.

But the two face a horrifying fracture when Patch intervenes to prevent a local girl from being taken by a serial killer and becomes captured in the wake of the incident. Held in a dark basement by the man, Patch forges an unlikely friendship with another girl held there, offering him an unusual means of survival and coping through this time.

Although he has never seen her face due to their dark surroundings, he memorizes her facial contours with his hands, vowing to protect her if he can escape. But, when he is rescued, and the girl is not, her face and his heroic vow haunt him.

Spanning decades from the Vietnam War to the Clinton presidency, readers are offered a dangerous, dark, and twisting journey as Patch and his best friend, Saint, discover a new purpose after this initial tragic event unfolds.

Whitaker perfectly captures the love between these two friends, but what enhances it is Patch's buoyant charisma, a well-developed cat-and-mouse game, wonderful side characters, a riveting police procedural, and a beautifully built angsty love triangle.

I've not felt drawn to Whitaker's writing before, but this riveting novel has convinced me to revisit his backlist, as this story quickly altered my brain chemistry. Propulsive and page-turning, it is an enthralling friendship saga with a literary mystery crafted with enormous heart. It will undoubtedly be on my best books of the year list!

All the Colors of the Dark is an emotional and fascinating look at relationships forged long ago and how circumstances change things, how people can be pushed to their limits and what some will do to find peace, and how evil lurks in some while kindness and heroism in others. It is all in this carefully crafted and well developed book. All the Colors of the Dark is a must read which I will definitely be recommending to my book clubs.

This book is getting a ton of hype for good reason. This was FANTASTIC. It's hard to talk about this book without giving up too much. I think all you need to know is that the book starts with Patch interrupting a kidnapping and the novel takes us through the after effects of that decision.

The relationship between Patch and Saint and how their lives change from the opening of the book really hooked me. If the length feels intimidating to you, know that the chapters are VERY short. That really kept me saying to myself "just one more chapter" until I found myself finishing in two days.

If you are a sensitive reader, you should definitely look into content warnings for this book.

** I received an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Page turning thriller that kept my attention! I loved the characters! Short chapters kept me turning the pages to see what happened next. Ending tied up all the loose ends, Highly recommend!

A string of murders spanning 20+ years… real life pirates… faith and art and family and small towns. All The Colors of the Dark is the best book of the summer, if not all of 2024. I was absolutely blown away by All the Colors of the Dark, and I simultaneously attempted to fly through this book to the ending, while also savoring every single word crafted on the pages.

Chris Whitaker is an incredibly gifted writer. All of his books should be required reading. A sincere thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this electronic arc. All thoughts and opinions in this review are entirely my own.

All the colors of the dark is a missing persons crime thriller-but it’s more than that. This novel covers multiple genres-historical fiction, mystery, crime, coming-of-age. Spanning thirty years, the novel follows patch and saint as they grapple with the mystery of a missing girl from a Wally family on their town. What they uncover goes deeper than they know and what happens in the 1970s will follow them the rest of their lives.

Character development is strong and for a long book-the pacing goes quickly. However, this book had so much hype coming into that, and while it’s a good book, I was slightly let down by all the hype going into this one.

I still would recommend this to anyone who loves to read crime thrillers, literary thrillers, or is a fan of we begin at the end. Don’t be put off by the length-it goes very fast !


Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

– “I just wanted to show you that sometimes things survive despite the harshest of odds.”

This book may have just flown to the top of my list for 2024. First, the storyline is an intricate web of details crafting the most complex, tragic, hopeful and heart-warming story. It is simply captivating from the first chapter and so beautifully written with vivid detail. Additionally, you cannot speed read this book. Each detail has meaning, and if you think something was left out or added arbitrarily, you are completely mistaken! There are so many unique twists along this journey.

Second, the characters, while flawed and frustrating, are complex, layered and believable. You can't help but get mad at them and yet cheer for them to find a brighter future. Also, there are so many strong women in this novel! Their perserverance is inspiring! The friendships forged and loyalties tested throughout the book are beautifully developed.

Whether you like crime fiction, coming of age, mystery, romance or historical fiction, there is a little bit of everything woven into this gem. You get both a character driven and plot driven book in this one as you follow each person on their journey while trying to solve the mystery. While I do admit a 600 page book is a heavy lift, the chapters are short, and the plot moves along fairly quickly. If that is not enough, the ending was perfection!

Do not miss this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the new novel by Chris Whitaker. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars and bound to be a best of 2024 read!

Spanning from 1975-2001, this story begins in Monta Clare, Missouri, and centers around Patch and Saint, both on the outskirts of life, drawn to each other. When a girl from their class but from a wealthy family is kidnapped, Patch becomes a hero and Saint the one who won't stop trying to help her friend.

I'm going to leave the synopsis short and sweet, because giving anything away will just detract from the experience of reading this book and discovering the magic between its covers. I was a huge fan of We Begin at the End and his new book is just as impactful. This book is epic, covering a lot of years and genres, from coming-of-age, to serial killers, missing persons, police procedural, and thriller, but it shines as a character study. You will fall in love with these characters and be pulling for them. Hope colors the dark and this book just shines. I loved how people stepped up to help others and I will continue to think about these characters. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, especially at the end. And the ending was perfection. An absolute must read!

Was anxiously awaiting Chris Whitaker's next novel (we begin at the end was the best!). Great time period setting (mid 70's), great characters and...a serial killer. Lots of depth to his writing and character development. Glad we have brought this huge talent to mainstream so he can be appreciated.

I truly cannot put into words how much I loved this book.

Chris Whitaker's We Begin at the End was one of my favorite books the year it released so I went into this book with high expectations. I had heard SO much buzz prior to reading it - the Currently Reading podcast raved about it, Jordy's Book Club immediately said it was his favorite of the year - oh and did I mention it is over 600 pages? So I went in really hoping I wouldn't be let down.

And WOW! If you read WBATE and loved Duchess Radley - the self-proclaimed outlaw - as much as I did, say hello to Patch & Saint. These characters now have a forever place in my heart - right next to Duchess.

I don't know how he did it. I FLEW through this 600 page book (it may have helped reading on kindle so I couldn't feel the thickness of the book!) and wanted to cancel all my plans so I could stay in this world and with these characters. Whitaker created a story that just blew my mind - it spans over 30 years and I was invested from the first page to the last. This book is a mash up of so many genres - literary fiction, serial killer mystery, thriller, love story, family saga, and so much more.

The way the story unfolded just was utterly brilliant - his writing is truly at another level. Whitaker had me laughing, gasping, and wiping tears from my face when I didn't even realize I was crying. I will never forget this book and I am already calling it the best book of 2024 - and one of my all time favorites. Brilliant is an understatement.

This truly is a modern classic and I am so thankful that this exists in the literary world. And Patch & Saint - in my opinion - now sit at the same level as Holden Caulfield, Huck Finn, Jay Gatsby, Jo March and so many more impactful and unforgettable characters in literary history.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Patch and Saint meet as children. Patch, styles himself as a pirate since he has only one good eye. His head is full of pirate law and adventures, a stark contrast to the impoverished life with his alcoholic mother. Saint, who lives with her grandmother, is a misfit with an unbound curiosity to learn about the world around her. Her first passion is beekeeping. Together they form an unbreakable bond built upon loyalty, friendship, and trust. Growing up but still staunch friends, their bond is tested when Patch bravely intervenes in a heinous act. Saint’s dogged determination to solve what happened to Patch continues to motivate her when others cease to act. Their friendship continues through the years when other people would easily drift away or falter. This is a title that gives heart and meaning to what dreams and action can accomplish when people are willing to listen, act and support each other. Revealing more would ruin the mystery underlying the story. Enjoyed the descriptions, edge of the seat thrills, all the secondary characters and the descriptions of all the places portrayed. Highly, highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

Three kids - a popular girl, Misty, and two outcasts, Saint and Patch - are forever changed after an attempted kidnapping one morning. Spanning decades, their unforgettable story unfolds as a coming-of-age tale, a crime fiction thriller, and a domestic drama all rolled into one. All The Colors Of The Dark explores family, friendship, loyalty, and love. I loved the overall message about remaining hopeful even in the most difficult circumstances.

What an absolute journey this book took me on. The writing was just phenomenal. From start to finish I was captured by each of the characters and their stories. Thank you Net Galley for the ebook copy of this book.

Can I do ten stars? This has to be one of the best books I have read this year and probably the best. I didn't want it to end and I did want it to end. (If you read it, and you must, you will understand) I still cry thinking about the very last line of the book.

These characters, oh my, will live in my head for a long time. Patch and Saint are the misfits in town but they have each other. Patch sees himself as a pirate, he having just one eye and wears a pirate patch. Saint keeps bees and is a rather no-nonsense type of friend. The story revolves around their friendship, a serial killer, and years of secrets. We start in 1975 and to present day when we end and my heart soared.

Patch is kidnapped after saving Misty Meyers from the same fate. Saint never gives up on finding him. Their lives go on and Patch yearns for Grace, the girl held with him whose words saved his life. Saint makes it her life mission to help Patch, even if it is tearing everyone apart.

I don't want to spoil anymore. I was so entwined with every characters' lives and the story kept me hoping, kept me worrying that things would go bad, kept me smiling and crying. It just kept me.
I must now read every book he has ever written or will ever write.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for a copy for review.

All the Colors of the Dark is the highly anticipated new novel by Chris Whitaker. This one follows the lives of Saint and Patch from when they were children into their adult lives. Patch does something kindhearted that ends up having an effect on the rest of his life and that of Saint's as well. This is one of those books that you'll be thinking about long after you've finished reading it. The writing is just superb and so richly detailed. Read and enjoy!

A genre-bending story that is both a small-town thrilled and epic love story. I won't soon forget about Patch and Saint. This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish it.

This is one of those books that feels impossible to review. It was an experience - spanning decades with characters that are unforgettable. To be clear it was a challenging read - it is emotional, it is haunting, it is brilliant.

Chris Whitaker has a way of creating characters - that leaves me speechless. I will be thinking about this one for a while. All the Colors of the Dark is a expertly crafted character driven literary novel with it all - mystery, coming of age, friendship, and romance. 10 Stars!

Wow!!! This was unlike anything I’ve ever read! The writing is exquisite and I was completely captivated by the ensemble of characters that were unforgettable, endearing and dynamic! Ithe storyline was unique, moving, fast-paced, surprising. Honestly, I’m still trying to digest everything, but do not hesitate to pick this one up! I am thrilled an adaptation is already in the works!

All the Colors of the Dark is a slow burn coming-of-age novel that spans decades and has a missing person, a serial killer, and engaging characters. This book has 586 pages and the middle section was very slowly paced. I feel like it could have been tightened up quite a bit. It was definitely more character driven and not a thriller in my opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crown for the advanced digital copy of the book.