I was going to give up on this book. In fact, I put the book away many times, but I was drawn back to keep trying. A number of things kept pulling me in: I've had this same experience with other novels by Chris Whitaker, someone who has similar taste in book could not rave enough about All the Colors of the Dark, and something drove me to open myself to the experience of reading this particular book. Boy, am I glad I persevered. Like any richly written novel, it takes time to adapt to the writing style, just as it takes many pages to become familiar with the characters. As I progressed through the pages, I was fully involved in the characters' journeys, the arc of the story, and wanted to see how this played out. There were twists I did not see coming, and when I reached the last page, everything felt right about how everyone's lives turned out.

This one is hard one for me to review, because I feel that the writing was just not a good fit for me.
This is an emotional, moving and almost epic story following Patch, our main character, but I got tripped up with how the story is told. Patch disappears in the beginning of the story after saving a girl from almost being kidnapped by a man. After that, Patch and his best childhood friend spend decades weaving in and out of each other's lives on a journey to figure out what happened.
Unfortunately, the writing style left me confused at times along with feeling like parts were just really dragging.
Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Chris Whitaker for the ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review..

I know We Begin at the End is very high on people's favourite books lists, but I've yet to read it.
This book, however, is simply incredible.
I adored the writing style. It's smooth, poetic, heartwarming and heartbreaking with every line.
I adored the characters. Patch is still in my head, days after finishing, and his obsession with the girl he saved from abduction tore my heart out. The plot has so many layers and moves along at a wonderful pace.
There is no doubt that this is a long book at 592 pages, but it genuinely feels half that. I was never bored, I was just in awe and clinging on to every word.
This is sure to be in my books of the year.

Engaging and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where lit-leaning crime and thrillers are popular.

A beautiful story about love and survival Chris Whittaker’s newest novel takes you on a trip through the decades looking for lost youth and love surviving and pursuing serial killers and freeing the shackles of the past. And it’s all from a pirate and beekeeper. Wonderfully written the novel is fast paced and exciting beautiful and heartbreaking. Just as all his novels are. 5⭐️

A novel penned by the acclaimed author Chris Whitaker, this captivating literary work intertwines elements of mystery, love, and tragedy. Set against the backdrop of a transforming America in 1975, the story invites readers on an emotional journey. Within the pages, small-town secrets, unexpected heroes, and heartache unfold, creating a rich tapestry of human experiences. Whitaker’s skillful prose immerses readers in

"All the Colours of the Dark" is a captivating and meticulously crafted novel that leaves a lasting impression. Its emotional richness and intricate narrative will deeply resonate with readers. While it grapples with weighty themes, it also provides glimpses of grace and redemption. I enthusiastically endorse this book for aficionados of literary fiction, mystery enthusiasts, and anyone who values character-driven storytelling. Brace yourself for an evocative and haunting experience.

There is a deeply emotional story at the heart of this novel but unfortunately, the author’s choice of writing style is not a fit for me, which hampered my enjoyment.

Patch and Saint are 13-year old best friends, outcasts, poor, and struggling in their small town in 1975. But they have each other. When Patch disappears one day after saving another girl from being abducted by a man, she (Saint) is understandably devastated, and thus begins her quest in finding what happened to him as well as solving the mystery of the man. A quest that will last for decades.

The writing is at times overwrought, odd and even incomprehensible. I can’t say how many times I read and re-read sentences. I ended up skimming half of the book.

Some of the characters were unique but didn’t feel realistic. The dialogue at times was not believable and some of the plot was not logical. I would give specifics but they would be spoilers. I am an outlier I can see, and I'm glad that many people seem to enjoy this book, because it is quite ambitious and there is a lot of heart at the center. But just not for this reader.

Wow! I read “All the colors of the Dark” in about 24 hours. It’s a gripping coming of age/serial killer psychological thriller by Chris Whitaker. And it is 630+ pages but hard to put down….The two main characters are two friends, Patch and Scout, who we are introduced to as young teenagers. I hesitate to write more than that because of spoilers.

Chris Whitaker delves deep into his characters. This book is no exception. It’s a mammoth character study in the after effects of trauma for the victims and for those who love them.

This is not your traditional police procedural or run of the mill thriller. There is a lot of substance and emotion here. It’s a story about the power of friendship, the power of love and the power of hope.

There are twists and turns and then, there are tears. This is an emotional masterpiece.

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

Actual rating 4.5 stars.

Even though I knew Chris Whitaker’s name, I never read one of his books. I feel so ashamed …

When I started reading, I thought of Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See, the same short chopped-off chapters with a constant threat at the end of each chapter. And even though this book is pitched as a thriller, it’s far more than that, maybe not even a thriller, but more like general fiction, a story about trauma, family, love, and loss, with a much slower pacing and some plot twists.

It’s about a missing boy and mainly about the aftermath, and this book reminded me a lot of Robin Roe’s Dark Room Etiquette, one of my favorite YA stories ever. If you think this one is too long and love YA, I highly recommend you to read Dark Room Etiquette.

All the Colors of the Dark is told from a dual narrative. Thirteen-year-old Patch, the pirate who saves a wealthy classmate from a serial killer and goes missing instead, and his best friend Saint, the beekeeper, who can’t believe Patch would have died and tries everything to find him. Until …

Spanning decades, this novel is quiet and harsh, and at the same time tender, with so many feelings flooding the chapters. Saint’s despair when Patch went missing, her pain when Patch was not the same boy when he came back, and her determination as an adult to help the kid she once knew. Patch’s loneliness and longing to be back at that horrible place. His constant search, going above and beyond, even though others didn’t understand him, didn’t believe him. Two soul mates, forever connected and yet so alone. The last part was stunning, and those last sentences made me cry …

The only reason I’m not rating this book five stars is those 600 pages. I think it could have been tighter written, like fifty or a hundred pages less or so, with the same outcome. But overall, All the Colors of the Dark is a beautifully crafted story and a must read for all of you who love stories about trauma, love and loss.

Thank you, Crown Publishing and NetGalley, for making me acquainted with Chris’ writing! I can’t wait to read more of his books!

I devoured this 600 page book in a couple days. I loved the writing and was very excited thinking I was getting into a thriller. It ended up being more of a family drama. I feel like 10-20% of the book could be trimmed out and it would have felt better for me. But overall enjoyed.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Crown for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on June 25, 2024.

Starred Review. Novel of the year? Read on.

Let me start with a couple qualifiers. I do not add a lot of reviews to this blog. I am not really qualified to write competently. I never felt I could give a book the justice an author deserves. I am not a professional reader or reviewer. Hell I am barely smart enough to compute a sentence. I am unpaid, and read for enjoyment. I read about 60, maybe a couple more, books a year. I read mostly crime suspense novels. You get the picture.

My wife is responsible for my reading love, somehow she recognized my reading likes early in our lives, spanning 35 years now. My mother was an avid reader. Three of my all time novels, which span 30 plus years are Vince Flynns Term Limits, Chuck Logan’s The Big Law, and Stephen Hunters, Time to Hunt. You might see the connection to these three. BTW: Minnesota author and Vietnam war veteran Chuck Logan needs more attention.

Sorry back on track. Every once in a while a book comes along and shocks me. Rattling my central nervous system. Blowing away what few brain cells I have left. Knocking the wind out of me. Chris Whitaker’s All Colors Of The Dark has kaboomed my reading. Blown and next reading for weeks to recover. I almost feel bad for the next 3-4 books I read. You might have surmised that I really liked the novel.

Onward.

Whitaker creates a multi generational saga spanning 35-40 years. He created a character driven masterpiece. Patch who is a pirate, Saint, a hard driven bee keeper and so much more, Misty, so sad you’ll damn near cry, Norma, an old school grandmother with so much love it damn near kills her. Chief Nix, I’ll say no more, Charlotte who you’ll want to bring home and adopt. Did I say yet, this is a hard core crime novel?

Without trying to spoil the plot, Whitaker goes bold and mixes all these characters and a couple more into a hard core, heartbreaking, epic saga. Don’t worry crime fiction fans, tear jerking aside, this is a hard core crime novel.

You’ll be tempted to read this in a sitting or two. Don’t. Sit back, absorb the timeframes, the scene settings and what Whitaker is plotting with his characters. There is some serious slaps in the face and reading and absorbing this will leave you going to bed in wonderment.

Is this novel of 2024? Probably. Does it go into my hall of fame. Hell yes.

This is a tough one for me to review because my feelings about it are complex. I really enjoyed certain elements- particularly the writing style. It took me a few chapters to adjust to, but it really grew on me. Unfortunately some other aspects fell flat, particularly in the realm of pacing. The pacing felt off for me the entire time, I was often asking myself what year we were in. Some periods of time dragged on and some flew by. To that end, I could pick out about 30% of the novel that could be cut out with no major impact to the plot. And it's mostly in the middle. I found the first and last 20% of this to be the strongest by far.

It was hard at times to figure out where the story is headed, but not in a fun mysterious way, more so in "I'm not sure I understand the motivations of these characters anymore" way. I'm not sure "epic love story" really checks out for me. I think there is love in the story, and many emotional elements but it didn't tear me up. I wish the characters were developed more in their adult lives. I'm not sure I really knew them.

In general, I can see a lot of people really loving this story. It's definitely not your run-of-the-mill thriller. While I think some of the twists were a little on the nose for me, I was still engaged and interested in the resolution. It's difficult to conclude a complex story like this one. Overall I think this novel is an interesting look at how tragedies reverberate through time.

Up until a month or so ago I didn’t even realize Chris Whitaker was coming out with a new novel this year. However, once I knew about All the Colors of the Dark, it immediately sky rocketed to the top of my anticipated releases list. If you are unfamiliar with Whitaker’s work, back in 2021 his novel We Begin at the End stole my heart. On a wing and a prayer, I requested access on NetGalley to his newest. Imagine my shock and delight when I opened my email one morning to see my request had been granted! Obviously all my plans of what to read next went out the window, as I dove headfirst into the town and place of Monte Clare, Missouri.

It is nearing the end of Summer when girls in town start disappearing. Patch, so called for the eye patch he wears, turns out an unlikely hero as he saves one of them. This sets forth a chain of events no one could predict.

This book. Oh my heart, this story, these characters, this book. Covering thirty years of the lives of two specific characters, this book was a slow burn, my friends. But boy was it a beautiful and heart-wrenching payoff. I will be thinking about Patch and his community for the longest time. Chris Whitaker has such a wonderful way with words that weaves you into the story from the beginning and never lets you go. It’s not the same as a quick hook thriller that is meant to snatch your attention, but more like a wave that keeps gently pulling you out into deeper water. While you may be thinking, “wait, that doesn’t sound ideal!” Stay with me: Whitaker also writes such beautiful full circle stories, you will also find yourself back on shore. However, you will probably be drowning in your emotions. I don’t want to give too much away, but suffice it to say this book will likely make my favorites list at the end of the year. It’s beautiful and absolutely worth the commitment. If you’re one to preorder books, this is one you won’t want to miss. And if you haven’t read We Begin at the End yet, now is the time!

I highly recommend this book for those who love a unique take on a slow burn crime novel, beautiful storytelling, stories that come full circle, and if you loved We Begin at the End.

Thank you so much to Crown Publishing of Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy to read and review. All The Colors of the Dark will publish on June 25, 2024.

Content warnings include PTSD, incest, abduction, abortion, death row, and abuse.

All the Colors of the Dark is equally the most beautiful and devastating book I've ever read. It's an epic at just over 600 pages and it took me a while to read because I felt like I was getting to know a friend, and I wasn't prepared for the ending because we are never prepared for friends' endings.

The book is about Patch, a boy who was abducted by a serial killer and then found by his childhood best friend, Saint, who is my favorite literary character I've read to date. Patch tries his best to reintegrate himself into high school life, but he can't stop thinking about the girl he was held with. They were separated right before he was found, and all he knows is her first name. He recalls all the things she shared, places she's been, and her life experiences, but mostly everyone thinks she never existed and that Patch made her up to keep himself alive. He paints her from memory. He loves her. He makes it his mission to find her, dead or alive. Saint vows to do the same because she has always loved Patch. It's a horror romance, and it's fucking brutal. We all stay alive to search the unknown, don't we?

Spanning three decades, we continue to learn his story, Saint's story, the abductor's story, and all the other beautiful people in between's stories. It's a love letter to missing girls, bones not the only thing left to discover of them. That's all I can say about it because otherwise, I'd spoil it. I've never read anything like this and I'd love to see it on screen. The writing style is so emotional and poetic - it's like One Day meets Room meets True Detective. It's haunting and it's lively, the ending gave me chills and of course, tears. Bees, porch swings, and pirates. It's one of my new favorite books of all time, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone who likes to read crime, romance, mysteries, thrillers, horror, and family/friendship dynamics.

I have the best book hangover and I can't wait to devour everything else written by Chris Whitaker. This beauty comes out in the US on June 25. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the eGalley.
All the stars/🎨🐝🏴‍☠️🎨🐝

Chris Whitaker has a way with words that pulls me in and makes me wish his books would last forever! He develops wonderful characters and I find myself wanting to shout at the them to see the mistakes they are about to make!! I absolutely love this book and can’t wait to see what else he writes!

I received an early copy through Netgalley, but all opinions are my own.

Oh, how I loved all 608 pages of this beautiful, richly detailed story of friends Saint and Patch growing up in Monta Clare, Missouri during the mid-1970s-80s.
When Patch goes missing rescuing another girl from her would-be kidnapper/killer, Saint does everything she can to find him.
I didn't know what to expect at each turn of the page, and I couldn't even begin to guess what was to happen next. So many unpredictable twists, without the confusing jumps in time and place that I have come to expect in other long stories. I also loved that it didn't "glorify" the killer by describing their life, their MO, or what happened to them at the end. The story was about the characters and their lives in the 70s and 80s in the US south. The settings and characters were written with such detail that I could imagine myself right there with them. And if this is not your thing, you may reconsider because the details serve a significant purpose in the story.
I knew I would like this one because I enjoyed another by this author, We Begin at the End, but I didn't expect an epic novel of such dramatic and descriptive proportions! Must read!

Although We Begin at the End is still my favorite this one came really close to beating that. If you have read Chris' books and loved them as much as I do, then I can confirm that All The Colours of the Dark is another beautifully constructed, heartbreakingly wonderful story set in a small town in the USA and featuring some absolutely incredible and unforgettable characters. All The Colours of The Dark is the moving tale of friendship, love, hope and determination when everyone else has given up. This is a book that grabs you by the heartstrings and doesn't let go until the end. I absolutely adored following Patch and Saint's journey from childhood trauma to adulthood. This one adds to five stars for me to because its 656 pages long, I LOVE a long book!

Perhaps my most anticipated book of 2024, after We Begin At The End was my runaway Best Book of 2021, I was fortunate enough to get an ARC and a sneak peek at the newest from author Chris Whitaker.

The novel opens in 1975, in a small Missouri town. We're introduced to Joseph "Patch" Macauley, a 13-year-old boy who fancies himself a pirate, due to his being born with just one eye, an idea introduced and encouraged by his mother as a way to stave off some of the inevitable bullying he faced growing up. He has a singular best friend, a girl his age named Saint Brown, big glasses, big brain, awkward yet plain beyond notice, who lives alone with her grandmother. The two outcasts find refuge in each other's friendship and comfort in a world in which both feel lost more often than not.

Patch is walking alone to school one day when he hears a scream from the woods. Without hesitating, he sprints to the source to find a balaclava-clad man in a struggle with Misty Meyer, his classmate and, not to mention, the most beautiful girl in school. Like any good pirate, Patch carries a dagger on his person at all times, and springs to Misty's defense. But a 13-year-old is no match for a fully grown man, and while Misty is able to run to safety, Patch is stabbed with his own dagger before being abducted.

The police search the scene, and after the inevitable flurry of small town activity in support of the search, the clues dry up as the search turns up empty. The find Patch's blood and his eyepatch, but no body is ever found, but the likely reality beings to set in. Other priorities take precedence for the police, but not for Saint. She knows that Patch is still out there somewhere, that she'd feel it in her core if he wasn't, and she never gives up trying to find him.

Because the abduction happens in the first few pages of the book, Whitaker builds the foundation of Saint's and Patch's friendship through memories and flashbacks. Like he did in We Begin at the End, he creates endearing characters on the cusp of early adulthood who have dealt with more than most their age but still retain some of the innocence of childhood. I'll share one passage from the very beginning of their friendship, which has all of the sweetness and humor that will make you love these two. Background for the scene: Saint sent invitations to the girls in her class, offering to show them her beehives (she's a burgeoning beekeeper and honey farmer); Patch intercepted an invitation and crudely replaced the recipient's name with his own. He arrives at the gate to her yard, and the following exchange takes place:

"I'm here about the honey," he said, and stared past her as if he were seeking out a jar for himself.
"Oh."
"I received this invitation, which I believe is good for a sample, and perhaps a tour of the facility."
He was clearly an imbecile.
He noticed the hive and let out a long whistle. "Manuka, right?"
"Manuka honey is produced in Australia and New Zealand."
He closed his solitary eye and nodded, as if he were testing her.
His arms were more bone than flesh, and his hair long. He smelled faintly of mud and candy and carried grazes across his knuckles like he'd been pulled from a fight, and he wore a leather belt looped twice at the waist, and in it was tucked a wooden cutlass.
She might have told him to leave, but then he smiled. And it was the first time another kid had smiled her way since she had arrived in Monta Clare. And it was a good smile. Dimples. Neat teeth.
"I've heard it's the finest honey this side of..."
"I worked a whole six months on the hive," she said. Though clearly afflicted, he was the first kid to show real interest, and so she grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the Langstroth, took her moment and shone, dazzling him with bee facts he quickly claimed to already be aware of. Sometimes he chimed in with absolute nonsense.
"And these are pure bees?" he said.
She pretended not to hear.
When they came to the honey house, his eye widened at the shelves. Two dozen jars, some glowed golden.
She handed him one, told him to wait as she headed into the kitchen to fetch a spoon, some crackers, a stack of napkins, and her honey apron.
Saint returned to find him sitting beneath a butterfly bush, the jar half-empty and his hand caked in honey.
She marched toward him, placed her hands on her small hips and glowered.
He looked up at her as honey ran from his chin. "Tell you what, I'd say this is the sweetest thing I ever saw...and then I saw you, Becky."
"Who the hell is Becky?"
He scratched his head, leaving a deposit of honey at his hairline. Then he reached for the invitation.
"Becky Thomas is the girl that invite was meant for," she said.
"Well...then who put my name on it? Maybe fate intervened. Cupid aimed his bow." Patch made an O with the forefinger and thumb of his left hand, before penetrating it with the index finger of his right.
"What was that?" Saint said.
"I see the older kids doing it. I believe it's Cupid's arrow sticking right into my heart."

There are definitely some similarities to We Begin at the End -- "Patch the pirate" vs. "Duchess the outlaw"; deep friendship among childhood outsiders with Patch and Saint, just like we saw with Duchess and Thomas Noble; a mother who struggles with her own demons and thereby can't fully care for her son in Patch's mother Ivy, just like we saw with Duchess's mother Star; a kindhearted police chief who goes out of his way to help these kids in Chief Nix, just like Walk -- as you can see, it felt more than a little derivative initially (which wouldn't necessarily have been the worst thing). But while some of the archetypical characters are redundant, the plot and personalities deviate quite a bit, This is a novel that explores an entirely new space, and does so in a brilliant way.

The novel is sprawling, spanning 1975 to 2001, and it tackles a ton of difficult topics, including child abduction and abuse, rape, and abortion rights, to name a few. It's a heavier read because of those topics, but Whitaker still sprinkles in levity throughout (as evidenced by the passage above), a critical element in helping the reader get through the weightiest of parts of the book. We Begin at the End was a wall-to-wall high-5-star book for me; this one dipped a hair lower at times, mostly because of the challenging subject matter.

I was a bit concerned at one point about where the plot was going; however, the final hundred or so pages pull everything together beautifully. There are a series of coincidences that are just this side of believable, but it all totally worked for me, and those rocketed the novel to a wholly satisfying conclusion. Bravo to Chris Whitaker for once again creating characters I'll remember forever and again claiming an early spot atop my Books of the Year list. He has crafted a well-plotted novel that tackles a number of difficult topics, but from the darkness emerges a story that is ultimately uplifting, even if the path to get there is difficult. Very highly recommended.