Duchess is a troubled young girl, marked by a life filled with tragedy and deprivation. Forced to grow up too soon In order to survive and take care of her 6-year-old brother, Robin, she’s hardened herself to protect herself from pain. Any softness in her is reserved for Robin, a sweet boy who wants nothing more than a family to call his own.

The bond between brother and sister was touching and their search for belonging is heart-wrenching. These children have known more pain and loss than any person should have to endure at such a young age. Yet, still more tragedy and loss is coming.

This is a murder/revenge tale, that began 30 years ago, and continues to the present. It’s a book filled with pain and violence, but it’s the characters that wormed their way into my heart. All are vividly drawn and have a thread that connects them in one way or another to the tragedy that occurred 30 years ago. This event set a course that changes all of their lives. So much happens in this novel that to talk about the plot would involve spoilers.

But the characters!

- Walk, the small town sheriff, has struggles of his own but will stop at nothing to protect the children and seek justice for them. His best friend, Vincent, has just been released from prison after a 30 year sentence. Walk has never stopped believing in him, while Vincent has never forgiven himself.
- Hal, the grandfather, is a character that reminds me of the ones in Kent Haruf’s novels. He’s a man of few words but deep character.
- Dolly is a woman who knows pain but has a heart of gold. She can break through Duchess’s defenses when no one else can.
- And then there’s sweet Thomas Noble, a young boy who is also an outcast, and proves himself to be a great friend to Duchess.

This is an intricate tale with many surprises along the way that I didn’t see coming. This gripping emotional story took hold of my heart and wouldn’t let go, bringing me to tears more than once.

However, as much as I fell in love with Duchess, I do wish her tough exterior had been more nuanced. Her language and precociousness didn’t always ring true to me as the way a child (or even an adult) would talk.

It took a while for me to get into the story but my patience was rewarded. Once the setting moved to Montana, I couldn’t put it down. This is a book to savor, and one I won’t soon forget. The layers of this story are slowly revealed with a final reveal that was shocking and heart breaking.

OMG how I loved this book! This book is heart-wrenching. But I couldn’t stop reading this story about the various characters in a Washington town deeply impacted by the death of a little girl 30 years earlier. I just really needed to know that Duchess and Robin would be okay and teared up several times while reading their story. This book will stay with me for a long time – how a 13-year-old mothers her younger brother, how a man sticks by his friend for 30 years, how a grandfather doesn’t give up for 13 years. I won’t write anymore because I don’t want to give anything away. I think readers should go into this book not knowing much about it. Run, don't walk, to get this book.

I'm taking all the stars I have for the rest of the year and throwing them all at this amazing book! I'm not okay, and I sincerely don't know if I will ever be okay after spending time in Duchess Day Radley, Outlaw's world. I think we all know that life isn't fair, but this girl is seriously dealt some of the harshest blows in life and the hits keep coming for her and her brother. The things she sees and learns and the decisions she is forced to face are unfathomable. She's just a child, but her reality is beyond harsh. There is a never-ending supply of characters to love - Duchess, Robin, Walk, Thomas Noble. The list goes on. There are just a handful of stories that remain with me over the years, but this one shoots to the top of the list as unforgettable in it's harsh and haunting themes.

I'll be honest, I had difficulty getting into this book at the beginning. The writing style was hard to follow, I had to go back and reread pages several times to figure out what the heck was happening. I almost gave up, but I am oh so happy that I didn't. Once I got used to the author's writing style the book quickly sucked me in. The characters in this story are beautifully written and unforgettable. I normally read a book and don't have a solid picture of them in my mind, but Walk and Dutchess completely came alive on the pages and I could picture them perfectly. I really liked this book, and have already recommended it to several of my friends. Please give this book a chance, you won't regret it!
Thank you to Chris Whitaker, NetGalley, and Henry Holt and Company for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

No doubt this 5⭐️ will be on many best books of the year lists. Out now, Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for ARC. Fans of William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land and Ordinary Grace, and Justin Cronin’s The Summer Guest will enjoy this one. Part mystery/thriller and coming of age, this one will stick with me for a while. Very special characters. Highly recommend.

Rounded to a 5, actual rating 4.5

The outlaw Duchess Day Radley is the most compelling character I’ve read in years. Her inner workings, her grit, her personal integrity, glow through the story; a story of many troubled lives.

Author Chris Whitaker set scenes, showed vistas, and fleshed out characters vividly, but using his words sparingly. The ability to write this way always wows me.

The only reason this isn’t a full 5 for me was that there were enough characters that I had occasional problems reminding myself who was who. Part of that was due to some interruptions caused by my life, and if I’d been able to just sit down and read this book through the way it deserves, I might have gone with the full five stars. Perhaps I still will.

A captivating page-turner involving multiple murder mysteries, and a nail-biting chase across states as the titular bad man hunts the unlikeliest of heroines, a skinny, hardened 13-yr-old girl named Duchess Day Radley who is a self-proclaimed outlaw. Although the elements may sound exaggerated, author Chris Whitaker brings to life multiple characters in a small coastal California town in a richly woven story about a family, the Radleys, repeatedly subjected to tragedy at the putative hands of one man, Vincent King. Short summary: 30 years ago, Police Chief “Walk” gave testimony sending his lifelong best friend, then also 25, to prison for the next three decades. The crime leaves the Radley family in tatters and Walk becomes the protective virtual guardian of Duchess and Robin, the loved but poorly cared for children of troubled Star Radley. When Vincent is released from prison and returns home, a chain of events are set off culminating in multiple deaths and the above mentioned chase preceding the novel’s climax and the unraveling of years-long secrets.

Throughout, Duchess proves herself over and over as one of the most self-possessed, funny, and heart-of-gold juvenile delinquents I’ve come across in literature. The story - particularly for Duchess - is beyond tragic; the action fast-paced and the book really hard to put down, especially the last third.

This is the third book for prize-winning English author Whitaker, and the current B&N March pick. It has been critically acclaimed and with good reason. Giving this 4.5 stars, rounded down to 4, only because 13 y/o Duchess was a touch too precocious and unbelievable for me through her maturity and all her heroics. But definitely a recommended read.

Thank you to #NetGalley, Henry Holt & Co publishing, and Chris Whitaker for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

'The eroding cliffs ran a twisting mile before the road swept the bay and vanished into the tall oaks of Clearwater Cove.'

This story begins in this small town on the California coast, where Duchess Day Radley has seen a lot in her thirteen years. She is the feisty, determined protector of her younger brother, Robin. Their mother, Star, is a beautiful woman, but she is damaged, she has never been able to accept the death of Sissy, her sister. In order to dull the pain that has never gone away, Star has turned to drugs. Their lives are in chaos, and both Robin and Duchess are the object of scorn and ridicule at school since their mother’s neglect is obvious from the clothes they wear to the lack of care they are given by anyone.

Walker, or Walk as he goes by, is the local police chief, has a soft spot for their mother, and for Duchess and Robin and tries to help them out as much as he possibly can, but eventually it is out of his hands.

Duchess Day Radley calls herself ’the outlaw Duchess Day Radley’ and is a bit reminiscent of True Grit’s Mattie Ross in spirit, combined with a bit of To Kill a Mockingbird’s Scout Finch’s inquisitive nature and determination to get to the root of things. She is feisty, with a wall built around herself and her brother to protect them both, but you know if it comes down to it, she’d do anything she felt she had to in order to protect him. It is her determination to keep his innocence alive that fuels her, her need to see him have as normal a childhood as possible, despite everything they have to face. She doesn’t need you to root for her, because she doesn’t think she needs anybody - but you’ll root for her anyway. She is perfectly capable of taking care of them all by herself if it comes down to it.

'A girl on her way to right a lifetime of wrongs.'

There are moments of tension, and darkness that permeate this story. Moments that wring out every ounce of compassion in you, and moments that will break your heart.

For me this was more thrilling than thriller. While there are moments of tension, at its core, this is really more of a love story. You can’t help but fall in love Duchess, and hope that life will offer her more love to heal her broken heart.

I was lucky enough to be able to listen to the audiobook while reading this one, which made for a wonderful experience. George Newbern narrates this with a subtle finesse.


Published: 02 Mar 2021

Many thanks for the ARCs provided by Macmillan Audio / Henry Holt & Company / Henry Holt and Co.

You know you have read an amazing book when you read the last page and feel like you have lost your best friend. This book was simply amazing. The characters-all of them- are flawed, real, and could honestly be anyone you know in real life. I don't want to ruin anything with a spoiler so let me just say read this incredible book and I hope you love it as much as I do. This book will stay with me forever and honestly I am already looking forward to reading it again. One day I hope to be as brave as Duchess Day Radley, Outlaw. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

This writer reminded me a lot of John Hart, with his coming-of-age books about families that get broken after a tragic event, revenge, justice, and the constant plaintive seeking of redemption.

Set in a small coastal town in California, the story begins as Walk, 15, discovers the body of seven-year-old Sissy Radley. It then moves forward thirty years, when Vincent King is about to be released from prison for the death. Walk, now Chief of Cape Haven Police, goes to pick Vincent up from prison. Walk still considers Vincent his best friend, and repeatedly tried to reach out to him in prison. But Vincent is a broken man who doesn’t want help, doesn’t want “saving.” But Walk, he can’t help but try.

Over the years, Walk has looked out for Star Radley, Sissy’s big sister and a friend of Walk’s from the days when they would double date - Walk and Martha May, and Vincent and Star. These days, Star is often out late at bars, drinking and picking up men, and Walk tries to do what he can for her illegitimate children, 13-year-old Duchess and 6-year-old Robin. It falls to Duchess to mother Robin, and she does so devotedly, in spite of her resentment for it.

Duchess is hard, old before her time, and all but consumed by her anger. She copes by imagining herself to be an outlaw, as was apparently one of her distant ancestors, and that fantasy makes her brave as well as aggressive and confrontational. She acts out against anyone trying to help, but the people who know her can’t help but see her pain, and they are patient, absorbing her blows.

Vincent’s return shakes everything up, and a new tragedy rips everyone apart again.

Discussion: The story explores larger themes, such as when revenge is justified and when it is counter-productive; what would lead even the best of us compromise our values; and the fluid ways in which family can be defined. When is the path to forgiveness just too strewn with obstacles? What will it take, after the worst of circumstances, to start down the road to redemption?

Evaluation: This gritty story is not only a murder mystery, but also very much a coming of age book highlighting the bonds of family and friendship. There is a great deal of sadness, injustice, and the tragedy of wretched circumstances, but there is also in fact a measure of redemption, at least for some of the characters. To get there, however, the reader must pass through an impressive labyrinth of twists and turns as the story resolves.

WOW, I feel like We Begin at the End is so underrated and hasn’t quite gotten the hype it deserves! I had seen a handful of people review this book, all with glowing 5 star ratings, and I knew I had to get my hands on it. It started off a bit slow, but before I knew it, I was fully invested in these characters and their story. Duchess, Robin, Walk, Hal...so many great characters that are flawed but so loveable and you can’t help but root for them.

The book is categorized as a mystery/thriller, and while there are mystery elements, I would describe it more as a character driven drama. Overall, this was so well done and it’s definitely one of those stories that will stick with me for a long time to come!

I went into this book with a lot of hype surrounding it on bookstagram. After reading it, I don't know if that hype was great for it. I might be one of the minority here, but I found myself having a VERY difficult time finishing this book or becoming involved in it. Much more a work of literary fiction than a thriller, I felt like the middle of the book dragged on forever. The story follows several characters but mainly, Walk, the police chief of a small Californian town and Duchess, a precocious, wise-beyond-her-years, 13-year-old. Theirs is not a feel good story, it is one of loss and heartbreak and abandonment. The story spans several decades beginning with a tragedy involving Duchess' aunt, Sissy and, follows as we learn of the ramifications for everyone after this tragedy. The last twenty or so pages tie up all the loose ends of the story but it felt like such a long time to get there and I never felt any real suspense or even the desire to keep reading to find out what happens next. I'm disappointed I didn't love this more as I know so many people are already saying it is one of their top picks of 2021 and it has become a NY Times Best Seller. For me, it just felt tedious and that the story could have been told in about 2/3 of what it was.

This was such a wonderful book. The storytelling is impeccable and left me wanting more. I had so many emotions throughout the story and the ending...ugh! Highly recommend if you’re looking for a good cry.

Thank you to Netgalley & Chris Whitaker, for my copy of, We Begin at the End, for an honest review. Set in a tiny, costal Ca town, we meet a group of people, who can’t escape their own lives, let alone the town. Cape Haven, should be an ideal town, yet for Walk the police chief it is not. He is haunted by a crime, that happened 30 years ago. His friend, that is getting ready to come out of jail, after 30 years.. brings up so many memories of the past. He can’t help but keep an eye on a single mom, Star Radley, who’s life is spinning out of control. He also can’t help but watch out for Star’s kids, Duchess & Robin. But Walk is tired, he can’t keep the pace he used to. He can’t make all the wrongs, right. When Duchess crosses Dickie Dark, all hell breaks loose. Walker’s friend, comes out of jail after 30 years & almost immediately gets arrested for a new crime.. Duchess gets in a world of trouble. There are more losses, than Duchess can take. The whole story was so well written. The story was so gripping, that I couldn’t put it down. I had to see what would happen next and how it would end. I love how the author had us in present day and brought us back 30 years. If you like a fast paced book, with so much heart and depth, this is the book for you. This was a 4 1/2 star read for me. I have shared my thoughts on Instagram, as well as reviewed it on Barnes & Noble. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Makes me want to read more books by Chris Whitaker.

We Begin at the End
Chris Whitaker
March 2, 2021

This book is about people, their regard for others; their love, their hate, their fear. We meet Walker, a young man who is faced with fear and sadness for his best friend Vincent King. He stood in a crowd overwhelmed by what Vincent had done in an early morning celebration of his love for Star Radley. After he took her home, he drank, celebrated and drove too fast with no regard for the child who was walking on the mountain road; Sissy Radley, sister of Star, seven years old and fragile. Neither were paying attention when the car hit her. He was sentenced to 30 years in an adult penitentiary. At fifteen he was far too young, a juvenile who did not belong amongst the state’s older, volatile criminals. The years past and Vincent refused visitors, even Walk who had no other friends. As Walk matured he became the Chief of Police for the little town of Cape Haven. He was a friend to many. The phone rang often for his help but usually it was to do a welfare check on townsfolk or break up a fight at the local tavern. He attended to his old friends. He had promised Vincent that he would keep a watch out for Star. She had two children, father unknown, but he considered their welfare. Duchess Day Radley was thirteen and little brother Robin was 5. Duchess took care of her family as she knew her mother worked when she could find it, fed them when food was available and just about raised young Robin. She called herself The Outlaw. Despite what others thought, her language was less than desirable. She spoke what she heard from crowds that gathered when her mother bartended or sang at The Eight. Often Robin would be asleep on chairs connected by a pillow and blanket. Duchess stood watch, eavesdropping on conversations.
This novel is a true work of literary fiction.. Mr. Whitaker gave us a journal of strength, intensity, and brawn. It was such a compelling read I had trouble closing the book. We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker was published on March 2, 2021 by Henry Holt and Company of New York. I read recommendations from other authors about this brilliant piece. Chris Whitaker was a new author to me but I must zero in on his other works. I appreciate Henry Holt allowing me to read and review We Begin at the End, such an impressive work. I heartily recommend this title. Enjoy!

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker is a superb and engrossing read which will keep you reading until the end. Well worth the read!

First published in the UK in 2020; published by Henry Holt and Co. on March 2, 2021

Life is changing for Chief Walker. Walk can no longer conceal the tremors caused by Parkinson’s. Soon he’ll no longer be able to function in his job as chief of police. He loves Cape Haven but the town is in transition — tourists are buying up the choicest locations — and Walk’s persistent attempts to prevent new building permits from being issued are a lost cause. The only change that Walk sees as an improvement is the release of his childhood friend Vincent King from prison.

When they were both young, Vincent killed a girl in a hit-and-run without realizing that the accident had occurred. Walk found the body. Vincent served thirty years in prison, doing all he could to make the time difficult, apparently to punish himself. He was attacked by another inmate and killed the man. The authorities chalked it up to self-defense, but the death assured that Vincent wouldn’t benefit from an early release.

When Star Radley, the sister of the girl Vincent killed, is murdered in her home soon after Vincent’s release, Vincent calls the police to report the death. The police find him in the home with blood on his hands but they don’t find the gun with which Star was shot. Vincent won’t talk about what happened. Star’s daughter Duchess was out running an errand and her son Robin was in his bedroom. Robin won’t or can’t talk about anything he might have heard.

Vincent is arrested and his conviction seems assured. Convinced of Vincent’s innocence, Walk looks for an alternative killer. He’s joined in that quest by Martha May, who was bonded to Walk and Vincent in high school. Martha is a lawyer who helps abused women, not a criminal defense lawyer, but she’s the only lawyer Vincent will accept. Walk and Martha have two suspects. One is a creep named Richard Darke who apparently tried to take advantage of Star in the past. Vincent refused to sell his family land to Darke, preventing Darke from completing a development that will vastly increase his wealth.

We Begin at the End mixes a murder mystery with a courtroom drama, adds a couple of orphans to beef up the human interest, and injects a bit of romance to balance the gloom of undeserved deaths. The orphans are sympathetic characters with contrasting personalities —six-year-old Robin is a sweet and innocent boy who deals with multiple losses as the story unfolds, while his thirteen-year-old sister has bottled up her emotions and defined herself as an outlaw, the prototypical bad girl who isn’t all that bad. If introducing two plucky kids and a lawman with Parkinson’s seems manipulative, an obvious attempt to tug at a reader’s heartstrings, Chris Whitaker deserves praise for his ability to tell a story that evokes honest emotion without feeling contrived.

The small town where most of the story takes place, as well as small communities in Montana and Wyoming, contribute to the novel’s realism. The plot gives meaningful roles to neighbors who seem to be at war with each other, creating an abundance of suspects for the two killings that become the story’s focus. It also introduces supporting characters who are kind-hearted, if a bit broken, offsetting the more villainous characters. Yet even the villains are multi-dimensional, capable of empathy and refusing to cross certain lines even when they follow their selfish instincts.

The story is sufficiently complex to sustain interest without becoming confusing. Credible plot twists bring new surprises whenever it seems that the mysteries have been solved. The ending is sad but the story as a whole is sad because it reflects the truth that life isn’t always what we want it to be.

Good stories teach good lessons. Much of the story, as seen through the experiences of multiple characters, is about overcoming fear, including fear that we will not live up to our self-imposed standards. There are moments of redemption in We Begin at the End. Moments of hope. Moments in which fears are faced. Moments in which demons are confronted and faced down. They don’t offset the story’s sadness — the sadness gives the story its honesty — but they offer reason to believe that hardship and futility are not the purpose of life, that we can endure suffering if our endurance makes life better for people we care about, that we can learn to trust others and to trust ourselves.

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We Begin at the End is such a beautiful novel. The story, the characters, the setting are all perfection. There's a bit of mystery and some twists and turns. Duchess is one of my favorite characters ever. Keep some tissues handy. The book is so sad on one lever, and full of hope on another. It'll stay with me for a long time.

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. A haunting story of love, payback and forgiveness. Whitaker created a world that has me wondering about these characters long after I closed the pages of my book.
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The tragic tale of three childhood friends starts with the release of Vince from prison after thirty years. His best friend Walker is the town Chief of police and Sky is now a mom of a thirteen and six year old struggling to hold down a job and stay sober.
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13 year old Duchess believes she’s an outlaw raised from outlaw blood. She does anything to protect her little Brother and her mom including something so large that it will set off an entire horrifying chain of events.
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I wanted so badly to adopt Duchess and Robin myself. I hated some of these characters and I adored some of these characters. I loved Duchess, Dolly, Walker and her relationship with her grandfather Hal. I don’t want to give much else away but it is an unfiltered raw look at love and all it costs sometimes to love selflessly. This book brought me to to tears on so many different occasions and I laughed out loud especially during Duchess and her grandfather’s conversation on the way to the school dance.
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Be prepared this is a heavy book but one with the ride.
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Thank you to #Netgalley and #Henryholt for an arc in exchange for an honest review

Thirteen year old Duchess Radley calls herself an outlaw, and she occasionally acts like one. Most of the time however she is just a child with too much responsibility caring for her 6 year old brother Robin. She also avenges assaults on her mother Star. Star’s childhood friend Vincent has just been released after 30 years in prison and has returned to his small California hometown. Their other friend Walk is now chief of police and remains protective of Vincent.

Dead bodies start piling up and woes are heaped on everyone, especially Duchess and Robin. This was a convoluted story of revenge, atonement and self sacrifice. I know the author intended to tug at the heartstrings, but I mostly remained untugged. There was a secret daughter that was really a step too far into tearjerker territory for me. However, the book did hold my interest and I would read more by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.