She's 13 years old, and the Outlaw Duchess Day Radley speaks her mind but hides her heart. Those who recognize her worth are never rewarded in conventional ways. Her strongest connection, that with her fiec year old brother, is best expressed by "She ... knew without doubt he was the color to her shade." This is the kind of book that makes me glad I love to read, totally immersive and original in concept and style. I won't reiterate the plot -- the less a reader knows going in, the better. Yes, there is a mystery, several heartbreaking murders, and characters that breathe into life off the page. The best recommendation I can give a book is that I wish its fictional characters a happy afterlife when story ends. Such is the case here. First thing I did on completion was to order Chris Whitaker's first book.

This was a gut punch of a book. Following Duchess' tragedies, getting to know her fierce love and protection of her brother, discovering her flaws--a thrilling and sometimes heartbreaking journey. This book has a bit of everything, and in perfect harmony--family drama, mystery, crime fiction, and beautiful literary prose. But be prepared, you will be wrecked, emotionally, before the book is over. You will be devastated for Robin, Duchess' little brother, as he seeks desperately for love and parental figures. You will pull your hair in frustration over some of the characters' choices. You will root for Walk to uncover all the secrets and truths surrounding the death of his childhood friend. And you will be torn over your feelings for Vincent, recently released from prison for accidentally killing a little girl with his car as a 15 year old. I had a hard time putting this down, and ended up reading it over the course of one night and one day. I fear I will have to take a little time before I can pick up another book. These characters demand to settle a little first, they will linger a while.
I am happy to have received this advance copy from Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the opportunity to read this book so that I may present an honest review. I can understand and appreciate how so many other readers rated this book as exceptional but for me, it fell short of meeting that mark. I struggled to connect with the main character, Duchess. She was simultaneously mature beyond her years, as she had to assume so much adult responsibility, and incredibly immature - proclaiming herself and "outlaw" to everyone she met. As much as I wanted to empathize with Duchess, this writing of the character proved to be a major roadblock for me.

When I first started this book I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it. The characters seemed a bit confusing and I had a hard time following what was going on. But after the first couple of pages I found myself emersed in the lives of Robin and Duchess. The author did an amazing job of portraying this lost girl who's hard exterior covers up the lost girl she becomes. The other characters all have such depth and their is just enough mystery that it kept me turning the pages.
I am so thankful for the publishers and netgalley for allowing me to read this amazing book.

I loved this book.. The characters, especially Duchess, were so well developed. I had expected to read a crime novel but this book was more of a literary work than a mystery or crime novel. The writing was just beautiful; the story so compelling that I'll need to reread it to truly savor the writing. This was my first book by Chris Whitaker and I am definitely going to look for more of his books after reading this one.

Only after turning the last page of Chris Whitaker’s We Begin at the End, did I learn that Mr. Whitaker is a British author and that the novel has done quite well in the U.K this year (it will be published in the U.S. in March 2021). I mention this only because We Begin at the End is so much an “American” novel in tone and point-of-view that I never even thought to check into the author’s background.

This is one of those novels for which a reviewer needs to take special care not to inadvertently release any spoilers, so I’ll do my best not to mention anything that is not already revealed on the novel’s book flap. Just know going in, that this is a novel filled with the kind of surprises and revelations that you will dying to talk about with your friends after they’ve enjoyed We Begin at the End for themselves.

Thirty years earlier, Walk, now chief of police in his small California beach town, gave the testimony that sent his best friend to prison. Now, that friend is being released back into the community, and Walk desperately wants to help him to make the most of the rest of his life. Vincent King, though, is both mentally and physically scarred by his years in prison, and all he wants from the people of Cape Haven, California, is to be left alone as he works at restoring his old family home. But it won’t be that easy for any of them. People are going to die…several of them.

We Begin at the End has a terrific plot, one filled with so many twists and turns that it’s hard not to feel as if you’re on a runaway train as you approach the book’s final few chapters. But that brings me back to how easy it would be to spoil this novel for those yet to read it. Just about every time you feel as if all has finally been revealed, something else just as surprising comes along, and then you think surely that’s it - right up until the next twist in the plot jolts you. That’s a big part of the fun of We Begin at the End, but it can only truly be experienced at its best by those who pick it up knowing next to nothing about the plot details.

The complicated plot is all made possible by a cast of memorable characters, beginning with the self-categorized thirteen-year-old “Outlaw Duchess Day Radley,” a little girl who is proud of the outlaw blood in her family tree and only wishes there was more of it. Duchess has grown up quickly because she knows it is entirely up to her to take care of her drug-addicted mother and Robin, her six-year-old brother. She is fearless, and after she learns to shoot a pistol, she is dangerous. Robin is an emotionally traumatized little boy who clings to his sister for the emotional support that allows him to get through another day. Walk and Vincent King are complicated, memorable characters, too, but it is some of the secondary characters that will stay with me the longest, particularly those who appear in the second half of the book to play large roles in the lives of the children.

Bottom Line: This is a book about half-truths, shades of grey, and secrets. Every character in the book seems to have secrets that they refuse to give up or try to justify even to themselves. It is a story about the loyalty of family and friends, and how that loyalty can so easily be misplaced or misunderstood. It is a story about good intentions going very badly, and it is a story of redemption. Don’t miss it.

We Begin at the End is an engaging mystery that kept my interest throughout the story. Well written characters kept the book lively. While her style was often questionable, Duchess, the self proclaimed outlaw, cared deeply for her younger brother Robin and always tried to protect him. Many surprises throughout the story kept it nicely paced and well plotted. This is my first time reading this author but definitely won’t be my last! #WeBeginAtTheEnd #ChrisWhitaker #NetGalley

Equal parts family saga and mystery wrapped up in a modern day western, I was completely enthralled in this novel of justice and redemption. We Begin At The End tells the story of thirteen year old Duchess Day Radley, self proclaimed outlaw, and the lengths she will go to protect her younger brother. As a jaded reader who often guesses the ending, author Chris Whitaker surprised me again and again. Unforgettable and unputdownable!

To understand the meaning of things we begin at the end. The rear view mirror perspective, the explanations that often come too late. That’s how it works, in life and in this novel. But first, there was a crime. Or more like a tragic occurrence that led to death of a young girl, a crime that swept the small coastal town and irrevocably affected the lives of a group of childhood friends. Vincent went to jail, got tried as an adult and then due to terrible circumstances, ended up serving thirty years. Three long decades during which his childhood friends and love did not move on as much as they might have, it fact everyone got sort of stuck, paralyzed by grief in a way. Now Vincent’s first and only love, Star, is a single mother of two, his childhood best friend, Walk, is a local sheriff, Walk’s first and only love, has left decades ago and became a crusading lawyer for women, Vincent’s mother is dead, his unassuming childhood abode is worth a fortune due to the new interest in coastal property by local developers and the thirty years are up. Vincent is getting out and coming back to the only place he knew and unrecognizable life he left behind. This sends waves through the small town, the small local community, but then again…waves were already there, just less pronounced, certain local dynamics born seemingly out of people’s fundamental inability to move on that all of Vincent’s generation seems to have, but also, surely, powered on by general small town ennui. And then there’s the outlaw Duchess May Radley and her baby brother. Star’s kids. A barely teenaged girl and a six year old she must take care of, because her mother does such a crappy job of it. A girl with an unfinished family tree and, save for Walk, no positive role models, who takes on an outlaw persona gloriously, but also tragically. It leads her to do wrong things for the right reasons and eventually the tragedy spirals out of control, small things leading to huge mistakes. Now newly freed Vincent stands accused of Star’s violent murder, now there’s a hulking dark shadow of dangerous man named appropriately Darke after Duchess. And now is Walk’s chance to properly defend his friend Vincent, the way he was unable to at 15. Walk is convinced of Vincent’s innocence, Walk is also, due to personal circumstances, well aware it this case will be his last. First and last, inf act, for nothing that exciting has ever occurred during his tenure as a local sheriff. And so it goes, and in that way this is very much a literary thriller, though that’s the aspect of it that works least for me because I figured it out almost literally right away and with certainty. It is the details of it all, that made it such an excellent read. So maybe not so much a thriller than a crime novel, since it’s all started and was so prominently featured by a crime. And now even as much of a crime as a tragedy, really, since there was no intent behind it. This is a novel of echoes, though, the way they ripple through decades, through lives. The secrets that scar and that scars people hide. That sort of thing. There are no clear cut black and white morality zones, no one is all the way good, no one is all the way evil, just degrees and gradations of character, the things people are willing to do and learn to live with, riding the difference between just and fair. Along with terrific characters (and they really are, dimensional enough to rise off the pages, engaging enough to drive even the toughest readers to tears), that is what makes this novel shine and shine it does. I put it off originally, being a sizeist and somewhat reluctant to commit to such a large novel, but a chapter in and I didn’t want to put it down, stayed up reading late into the night and woke up early to finish it. Yes, it’s that dynamic. It’s that good. It that compelling. Duchess and her brother alone…serious, two of the most memorable, excellent kid characters in recent literature. I dare you not to care. So all in all, this was awesome. Absolutely awesome. I loved this book completely. It engaged, entertained, devasted, thrilled and delighted. It is a great pleasure as a reader to find books like this one. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

We Begin at the End
by Chris Whitaker
Henry Holt & Company
Henry Holt and Co.
General Fiction (Adult)
Pub Date 09 Mar 2021 | Archive Date 09 Apr 2021

Thanks to Henry Holt and Company and NetGalley for this ARC. It is a beautifully written mystery and I will recommend it to our patrons. It is published on March 9th.

5 star

It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a character as much as I did Duchess Day Radley. I fell in love with her spirit, her strength and above all everything she was willing to do to keep her brother Robin safe. This book is a look at real life, real love and the way lives are forever changed by one tragic event.

This is 100% a case of "it's me". I didn't finish the book...not because it wasn't an interesting story (it was), but the writing style didn't work for me, at all, unfortunately. It came across stilted and affected, and took me out of the story every time. And if I can't get into the writing style, it could be the best book in the world...but it just halts productivity for me. The characters were unique and the story was intriguing, so plenty of people should find this a compelling read (as most of the reviews are indicating). So take this review with a grain of salt.

Amazing. Simply amazing. The families we are born into, and those we choose - intertwine in this amazing crime novel. A unique voice I look forward to hearing more from and about. Thank you!

A beautifully written story that is heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Filled with twists and turns and characters that grab you and don’t let go as you become completely immersed in their lives. 13 year old Dutchess, is flawed and angry, loving and scared, resilient and fragile, all combined creating one hell of a character that will stay completely unforgettable, doing her best in a world that isn’t doing the best for her. A showstopper of a book.

This book grabbed me and didn't let go. Unexpected twists and turns, outstanding character development, interesting settings--what more could I want? If I had one criticism, it would be that I didn't always know who was speaking...I wish there were more dialogue tags. Part of this, I think, is that Duchess speaks so much like an adult. I understand that the circumstances of her life have forced her to grow up quickly, but I sometimes didn't buy how grown-up she was acting (and speaking). Still, she is an extremely interesting character, as is Walk--multi-layered and complex. I was happy to go along for the ride. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I requested this book because it was giving me Greg Iles vibes and it was blurred by John Hart- two of my favorite authors. But boy does this book stand in it's own light. It's very different from those writers, but the writing here is phenomenal! I loved the characters and it was a story that never allowed my attention to waiver.

Along with Lisa Scottoline's new book "Eternal" this book has got to be one of the best books I've read this year! Whitaker's writing is in the same class as the author Charles Martin. The characters are very well developed, unforgettable and the story keeps building on itself. The reader will fall in love with the characters and how their lives intertwine with each other. Readers will be taken on an emotional roller coaster ride that will grip them until the end. I didn't want this story to end! Whitaker can easily write a sequel to this! FANTASTIC BOOK!!!!

Heartbreakingly wonderful read.

Loved, loved, loved this book!

Five big enthusiastic stars!

Definitely an author to watch.

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker is a story about family, redemption, and the gray area between right and wrong. It’s a character driven novel with undercurrents of suspense and murder mystery.

Long story short - When a killer is released after thirty years in prison and returns to his hometown, it triggers a deadly chain of events and upends the world of siblings Duchess and Robin Radley forever.

Duchess is the shining star of the book. She is a self-proclaimed 13 year old outlaw, mature beyond her years due to her life circumstances. Duchess is abrasive on the outside, but fiercely caring for her little brother, Robin. My heart ached for the Radley siblings throughout the book.

The book’s pace was off for me. The narrative is punctuated by sudden bursts of drama that come out of nowhere to move the plot forward, then quickly returned to the character focused passages. It made for a strange flow.

Overall I enjoyed this and recommend it for anyone who enjoys a mix of character and crime!

Reading the description of the book, I was looking forward to a family saga. As I read, the book had more elements of mysteries, thrillers or crime stories. While I read those genres occasionally, it became clearer to me this book was better suited for fans of those genres. I managed to finish the book, but it just wasn’t for me. I really wanted to connect with Duchess, Star, Walk and even Vincent, but it was hard for me. The shifts in the story were a too choppy for me. I felt like I missed major plot points regarding the death of Sissy, but I was able to get the general idea of what transpired. At the beginning I couldn’t keep the characters straight and I also had trouble with the timeline. My best guess based on a few details was the late 1970’s which would have the present day story take place around 2010. If you like a mystery or crime story, I would definitely recommend this book. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I would rate this closer to 2.5 stars but I can only give it whole stars for a rating.