Published in the UK in 2016; published by Dover Publications on March 20, 2019

Tall Oaks is a place where people keep their scars hidden from view. The story’s first dramatic event, however, creates a shocking mystery for everyone to see. While Tall Oaks is both a crime novel and an ensemble domestic drama, the plot and its multiple threads are almost secondary to the carefully constructed characters.

Jessica Monroe tells Sergeant Jim Young that she saw a man wearing a clown mask on her baby monitor. When she ran to the boy’s room, the clown had disappeared with her three-year-old son Harry. Jim launches an investigation that rocks the sleepy town of Tall Oaks. He feel protective toward Jessica. She is needy and unstable, separated from her husband Michael, and losing Harry might just push her over the edge. No evidence ties Michael to the kidnapping, but the idea of a child snatcher in Tall Oaks is difficult for anyone to believe. Michael soon becomes a pariah.

A bunch of other characters are tangential to the kidnapping but play key roles in the plot. One is a teen named Manny who fancies himself to be a gangster. His mother, Elena, works hard to keep Manny under control, not that anyone takes him seriously. Manny is interested in a girl named Furat, who finds him amusing despite (or because of) his insistence on aping the language of a 1940s mobster. As a foul-mouthed kid with delusions of badness, Manny adds a dimension of comic relief to the story.

In fact, I loved Manny. He’s a liar who has a knack for telling the truth when the truth needs to be told. He’s also good to Furat, one of the few high school kids who does not regard her as a terrorist because of her national origin.

Manny doesn’t like Jared Martin, the third man his mother has dated since his father left her. Jared is plainly punishing himself. In a novel about people with secrets, the truth about Jared comes as one of Tall Oaks’ largest surprises.

Max owns a camera shop. Jerry is his developmentally disabled employee. Their interest in photography seems destined to play a role in the novel’s outcome. While Jerry is fearful and kind-hearted, he turns out to be more complex than the stereotype he initially seems to be.

Jessica’s Aunt Henrietta is married to Roger but interested in Richard because he’s a “real man.” She’s also interested in Eddie because he’s a hunk. Roger is having an affair of his own, so he might be a “real man” in his own way. Roger is from London and treats marital discord in the reserved and civilized fashion that only the British can muster. How the marriage will turn out is one of many subplots in the story.

While multiple plot threads bind the story in Tall Oaks, they all find resolutions, more or less, as the story winds down. Secrets are revealed, characters reconcile (unless they don’t), and as a mystery should, the story ends with a surprise. The plot offers many suspects for the reader’s consideration, but Chris Whitaker plays fair. The clues to the mystery are scattered through the story and the answer makes sense.

While the story is excellent, Whitaker’s ability to create memorable characters gives the novel its heart. With its delicate mix of comedy and drama, Tall Oaks is one of the most entertaining crime novels I’ve read this year.

RECOMMENDED

Everyone is screwed up and that makes this perfect. Seriously that is the best way I can describe this book! I love all the characters flaws. They are so real! I really didn't see any of the twists coming as they were revealed. I loved everything about this. If you are a fan of things like Broadchruch and The Sinner then this might be for you.
I will say that it is tough going at the beginning with all the different characters but hang on...take notes if you need because this is so good!

What a crazy thing little town Chris Whitaker has conjured up in his debut novel Tall Oaks. Once I started reading I didn't want to stop. Don't you just hate it when life makes you put down a good book?

Bursting with interesting and entertaining characters who kept my interest right up to the end. A very enjoyable read.

I think Manny is my favorite book character this year. Brilliantly written.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Dover Publications for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This is the second Chris Whitaker book I've read--I read All the Wicked Girls last year and it was excellent. So I was very interested in reading this book--actually his first book. And this did not disappoint.

While this started a bit slow for me, I knew it would probably start picking up steam as I became acclimated with all the characters--and it did. This novel hosts a large cast of characters--each intricately drawn and multi-faceted. In addition, the story itself expertly weaves in and out of various genres: it's, in turn, creepy (that first scene!), heart-breaking, and hilarious. Whitaker is a master at pulling at your heartstrings and doing so in the most literary manner: he doesn't go for cheap shots but rather creates intricate, complicated characters with equally complicated stories that will break your heart or raise your spirits.

Chis Whitaker is an amazing writer. He's only written two books, but he's on my "must read" list already. I highly, highly recommend this book and the writer.

DNF
I read one-third of this book and just couldn't continue. In the beginning a small child was kidnapped by someone in a clown disguise. But then all these other characters were thrown in that didn't make any sense to me. I couldn't follow what was going on and eventually just gave up.

A good and interesting read. I enjoyed the style of writing, the cast of characters, and the plot.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This book had both good and bad aspects for me. The storyline was gripping enough and interesting. However I could not finish it as it was so disjointed and there seemed to be so many characters all at once and I really didn't know who was who or what was going on.
I loved the way the story focused on the reactions of a small tight-knit town to a little boy going missing.
This book seemed like it would be a gripping and great read for some people but I just don't think it was for me.

I don't have much to add to the many existing reviews other than this was very good. With aspects of mystery, humor, tragedy, and heart, this has a lot going for it. Recommended.
I really appreciate the copy for review!

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.