I have listened to the audiobook and read the digital copy. Both are fantastic. The story of Duchess pulls the reader in. Listening to it, I had to stop what I was doing and just listen. The narration gives the story another dimension, allowing me to travel along with Duchess on the hard road she must follow. When I grow up....I want to be an outlaw.

MY 5 STAR REVIEW OF THE BOOK:

This is a deeply emotional story of an outlaw, Duchess Radley, a 13 year old young woman who life has forced to be older and wiser than she should have to be. Duchess is fierce, she has a five year old brother who she protects against the world, including her mother, Star. Star is an enigma, a good woman who does not have the strength to take care of her children.
Walk is the police chief in Cape Haven, California, the town where he grew up and plans to never leave. As teenagers, Walk, Star and their friends Vincent and Martha were inseparable. Their futures were tied together in this small town where everyone knew everyone else's business. Then one night, 15 yr old Vincent accidentally runs over Star's little sister earning himself a prison term. This is the backstory to a picture of lives grounded in the misery that is only possible when you cannot escape the past and have so little to look forward to.
The story up to this point could be one of any thousands that you've read before, but Chris Whitaker's tale of one girl's life and how it has been impacted by the actions of so many others is anything but usual. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. So many things happen around Duchess, you just want to hug her and protect her but that is not what life has planned for her. There are so many richly defined characters in this story, you'll find yourself talking to them. On my goodness, this is a great read.

This novel was so beautiful and the characters were so complicated. There were a bunch of mysteries and heartbreaks surrounding the main story and it all tied together beautifully at the end. But it will definitely keep you guessing.

*Special thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.*

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for giving this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Walk has never left the coastal California town where he grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released.
Duchess is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Her mother, Star, grew up with Walk and Vincent. Walk is in overdrive trying to protect them, but Vincent and Star seem bent on sliding deeper into self-destruction. Star always burned bright, but recently that light has dimmed, leaving Duchess to parent not only her mother but her five-year-old brother. At school the other kids make fun of Duchess—her clothes are torn, her hair a mess. But let them throw their sticks, because she’ll throw stones. Rules are for other people. She’s just trying to survive and keep her family together.
A fortysomething-year-old sheriff and a thirteen-year-old girl may not seem to have a lot in common. But they both have come to expect that people will disappoint you, loved ones will leave you, and if you open your heart it will be broken. So when trouble arrives with Vincent King, Walk and Duchess find they will be unable to do anything but usher it in, arms wide closed.

We begin at the end is a beautifully written and heartbreaking story about loss, guilt and redemption. It was powerful, raw and memorable.

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This is a beautifully written tragic and heartbreaking story. It is set in a small town that could be anywhere. Duchess Radley is born in to poverty, to a mother (Star) who is an addict and most of the time doesn’t remember she is a mother and a town filled with mostly judgmental, mean nosy people who rather than help make life so much harder for a teenage girl who is doing everything she can to protect her little brother safe, fed and blind to what their life is really like. She in a super hero and worries each and every moment of her life. How is she going to keep everything moving forward when on a daily basis she is bullied by mean kids at school, teachers who turn a bind eye, uncaring neighbors who think by calling child services that they have done their job and sit in judgment and a full cast of characters that are all hiding secrets, many of which are truly heinous? Chief of Police Walk does all he can to keep Duchess and Robin safe, but he is living with the guilt that his testimony sent his 15 year old best friend to prison for killing Duchesses aunt. It’s a long twisted road to what is really the truth and with so much pain and drama along the way. What is the truth? Who really killed Stars sister? What horrible choices will Duchess have to make along the way to make life better for Robin, the little brother she would kill for? This was my introduction to this author and I look forward to reading more of his work. I listened to the audiobook. The narration was great and drew me right in. Set a perfect tone.

Audiobook...
read by George Newburn

Duchess Day Radley, “self-described outlaw”, is thirteen years old.... ( going on thirty)...
Resilient, fierce, and ‘strong-like-bull’....she becomes ‘acting-mom’ to her six year old brother, Robin and caretaker to her often drunk mother, Star. The kids father was out of the picture.

Thirty years ago, in the small fictional coastal town of Cape Heaven, Ca., Police Chief, Walk, put his childhood best friend, Vincent King, behind bars...( due to a car incident that killed Star’s sister, Sissy).
Vincent has just been released from prison.
Walk, (with years of guilt, secrets, health issues, and struggles of his own), has not only tried to look after Duchess, Robin, and Star ( childhood friend with both Walk and Vincent), for many years when Vincent was in prison — but now tries to help Vincent re-enter and re-adjust to life on the outside.
Nothing is an easy as one hopes — for anyone in “We Began At The End”....
Relationships run deep -are complicated-and entangled.

Vincent gets mixed up with a dubious guy named Dickie Darke.
Star is murdered....
....an investigation follows....
...prompting Duchess and Robin to move to another small town, Copper Fall, MT., to stay with their grandfather, Hal...( they had never met). Hal was Sissy’s youngest daughter.

This is a heartbreaking- heart beauty-terrific novel.
The character driven memorable-characters-feel like real people we come to love and emphasize with.

The mystery crime - whodunnit- is only part of what makes this a gripping read.
It has a heartbeat so loud and pure—
filled with tension, tears, tragedy, humor, unexpected turns, joy, people we come to love, with so much humanity....
one would have to be in a coma not to feel emotionally spent by the end.

****Heart-tugging**** powerful and highly imaginable. It would make a great movie.

Thank you, MacMillan - audio- publishing Netgalley, and Chris Whitaker ( beautiful written)

My first five star book of the year
This is my first experience reading a book by Chris Whitaker. It’s a beautifully written book, but an incredibly sad one. Duchess is a thirteen year old who has had to grow up well before she should have. She cares for her little brother Robin, as her mother, Star, is usually too drunk to do so. But Whitaker manages to capture her innocence, too, her belief that she’s an outlaw just like in the Wild West.
Walker is a forty something chief of police who’s dealing with his own health problems while trying to watch over Star and her family. Add to this mix Vincent, who’s just been released after 30 years in prison for killing Star’s sister, Sissy.
What they all have in common is the knowledge that people are disappointing and life is going to screw you over given half a chance.
This is a book that just grabs you. At times, it felt almost emotionally draining. Duchess’s anger is palpable. I wanted so badly for things to finally go right for Duchess and Robin. This is a book that brought tears to my eyes.
Kudos to Whitaker for creating a wonderful set of characters. Not just the main trio, but Hal, Dolly and Martha as well.
I recommend this for fans of William Kent Krueger or Allen Eskins.
George Newbern is a great narrator. He captures the pathos of the story.
My thanks to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook.

The descriptive writing in this clever suspense book is exceptional. The author paints vivid characters, and makes us care what happens to the teen, Duchess Day Radley, and her little brother.
Their journey with their mother, Star, is a bumpy, painful one, made even worse once they lose her. Chief Walker, longtime friend of their mother, Star, does what he can to find justice for them, to find a suitable home. The story takes them on a long journey, one that doesn't take the typical route.
We care about the characters, Hal, their grandpa that Duchess doesn't want to care about, but does.
It's a story about hope, unfairness, struggles, and determination. One I enjoyed listening to in audiobook. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy.

Set in the small towns of Cape Haven, CA and Copper Falls, MT, We Begin at the End is a haunting and somber tale of just how far-reaching secrets of the past are and the destruction they can cause to the lives of the innocent.
Duchess Day Radley is a 13-year-old self-described outlaw, doing her best to survive in a world where her mother is practically absent, father unknown, and in which she is the sole caretaker of her 6-year-old brother. Her mother, Star, is a troubled soul who always seems to find herself on the wrong end of the wrong guy or situation.
Thirty years prior, Star’s sister was killed when she was struck by a car driven by Thomas King. Now, Thomas is being released from prison. His best friend and Chief of Police is Walk, a man who’s done his best to look after Duchess and her brother, offer unwavering support to his childhood friend, and try to keep his own problems secret from everyone in town.
Tragedy strikes, as it often does when too many dark storylines converge, and Walk takes Duchess and her brother to the home of their grandfather in Montana. But it seems tragedy is never far away from the outlaw Duchess Day Radley and the ghosts of Cape Haven haunt her even in Montana. Duchess and Walk will both have to learn that where we look for family isn’t always where we think it should be, but where we make it.
We Begin at the End is a mesmerizing and tragic novel. Chris Whitaker has done an amazing job of writing in a voice that wraps around you and makes you feel warm and safe as you watch this tragedy unfold around you. Duchess is a raw and occasionally abrasive character and sometimes I felt I might be tempted to dislike her, but in the end, she is doing the best she can to protect herself in the circumstances she was given.
I received an ARC audiobook of We Begin at the End and the performance was well done and just as engaging as the storyline. At no point did I feel the voice of the performer was at odds with the characters or the story. The performance and storyline blended seamlessly.
If you’re into tragic tales, I highly recommend We Begin at the End.

We Begin at the End will be available March 2, 2021.


**I received an advanced copy of We Begin at the End from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review**

I really enjoyed the audiobook of Chris Whitaker’s We Begin At The End. These characters will stay with me for a while. It was an engaging story that had me feeling all the emotions. Beautifully written and completely compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This book was good, kept my interest but it was sad and a little unexpected! Not what I expected at all and after just finishing it I am having trouble putting into words my review. So here is my attempt!

This book centers on Duchess a resilient, strong, and caring young girl who along with her brother Robin have been dealt the worse cards in life. We teeter between the present day life of Duchess and Police Chief Walk while looking at the past mistakes of Duchess’s Mom and Chief Walk’s friend Vincent King. So many factors and characters in the book unfold that contribute to the life these two kids had to lead that they definitely didn’t deserve.

Read it, plain and simple!

This book has anything and everything I want from a fine work of fiction. Thank you, #Macmillanaudio and #Netgalley for allowing me to review this gorgeous story. I was so swept away by the smart, complex characters, particularly the young girl, Duchess, who was so steeped in pain and self-defending behavior. I loved the elements of thriller and mystery stitched into the fabric of a deeply heartfelt story of children born into incredibly challenging circumstances; a flighty mother, incarceration, danger, and lies. The narrator was outstanding! One of my favorite books of the year 2020.

This book was balanced with the prose of general fiction and plot of mystery/suspense. The audiobook narration was good but didn’t enhance the entertainment experience. Heartache and loss is the blended theme for a journey with many surprise stops along the way.

Duchess reminded me of Ruth from Ozark - too bad there aren’t literary character awards.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this book. I have never read a book by Chris Whitaker, and didn't really know what to expect. I saw it on a list of books to watch for in 2021, and it caught my attention.

Once I started this audiobook, it was hard to stop listening to it. It completely gripped me. 'The Outlaw' Duchess Day Radley, 13, is doing her best to look out for her troubled mother, Star, and her brother, Robin, 6. Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain reaction with a series of poor decisions, and soon she and her brother are taken from their home in California to live with their grandfather, Hal, in Montana.

30 years ago, Victor King was jailed for the death of Sissy Radley, Star's sister and Hal's youngest daughter. Victor's role in her death set off its own chain of devastating events, the effects of which are still felt all these years later. When King is released from jail and returns to his hometown, Police Chief Walk, his childhood best friend, hopes to help King build a new life for himself. But King soon finds himself entangled with local big shot Dickie Darke, a sinister character.

This is a hauntingly beautiful book. I ached for Duchess, Robin, Hal, Walk and even Victor. It is a heartbreaking novel, at times difficult to read because of the loss and grief that fills the pages. It is about love, forgiveness, compassion, family and the ties that bind us.

I highly recommend this beautiful, devastating book.

I usually don’t find mysteries or thrillers so affecting, but the angry 13 year old girl at the center of this crime novel, Duchess, is a carefully drawn, memorable character. Duchess has every right to be angry at the world. She doesn’t know who her father is and her mother is addicted to alcohol and drugs. Duchess is the parent to the parent, and also takes charge of her five year old brother. This is a heartbreaking story with so many secrets only uncovered at the end of the tale. I haven’t read any Chris Whitaker books before, but I am now a big fan. (less)

4 1/2 ⭐️‘s

Thirteen year old Duchess Day Radley is a bewitching character that considers herself an outlaw. She hasn’t been dealt an easy hand as she watches over her mother, Star and protects her little brother, Robin, at all costs. With the help of Walk (chief of Cape Haven PD), they are just barely making it. Duchess is too passionate for her own good and sometimes her passion leads her to make the wrong choices. Choices that have long lasting consequences. When Vincent King is released from prison for a devastating crime he committed years ago when he was young, things come to a head in Cape Haven. Duchess is used to people leaving and her heart has been broken more times then she can count, but she perseveres because she is an outlaw after all. This book was beautifully written in its heartbreaking entirety and Duchess Day Radley and her sidekick, Thomas Noble are characters that will not be soon forgotten! With a pleasant voiced narrator, this book was an excellent listen!

Part saga, part mystery/thriller. Loved this grit lit audiobook (narration is spot on). Dutchess Day Radley, Outlaw is a new favorite literary character. She is just one of a cast of beautifully drawn characters.

What an absolute gem of a book. This is already at the top of my recommended books for 2021. I have never read this author before but now I'm going to have to go back and read his previous novels.

This is the story of 13-year-old Duchess who is an outlaw and a fierce protector and carer of her younger brother thanks to a mom who is not really able to take care of them. And Walk, the chief of police, who's never left his hometown and turned his best friend in years ago for a crime he's served for the last 30 years. His friend, Vincent, is finally being released, and moves back home.

Things unravel.

This beautiful story of family, loyalty, honor, and unexpected friendship will break your heart and then put it back together and break it all over again. It's a most beautiful story, one you won't soon forget.

with gratitude to netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Cape Haven is a small town in California, where Police Chief Walk is not only trying to keep his small town safe but also he carries a heavy burden on his heart. He carries the guilt of long ago when he turned in his best friend, Vincent for accidentally killing a girl when he was 15 sending him to prison.
Then we have Dutchess who is a 13 year old girl who has seen and dealt with much more responsibility that any one 13 year old girl should have.
When Vincent King is released from prison, Walk is hopeful for him to still be the same guy he was before he went into prison and he is hoping for a new beginning for him. However his hopes are short lived when he is found at Star's house with her blood on him and she is found with a hole in her chest.
Dutchess, a self proclaimed outlaw,  after lighting a club on fire she stole some money for her mother to go to the convenience store to get the stuff for her brother's birthday returned to her home with her life shattered into pieces when her mother Star was killed.
Starting a new journey for Dutchess and her brother Robin as they move onto a farm with her mothers father her grandfather and a new journey for Walk as he and his old flame try thier hardest to try to prove that Vincent King is innocent of murder as well as try to find out who actually killed Star all along with trying to keep Dutchess and Robin safe from the club owner trying to find Dutchess to solve his issues as well.
Now, I read this book first and then I listened to the Audiobook. The Audiobook is amazing, the narrator is amazing and keeps your attention while he is reading the story. Definitely Recommend to anyone if you like audiobooks!
Now, this story is AMAZING. Dutchess is a very guarded person and she tries her hardest to keep up her guard but there are a few people that wiggle their way through and its amazing. I sympathize with her a lot because she keeps getting knocked down time after time and her world is turned upside down on her over and over and she still continues. I love her determination and her perseverance. Walk is dealt a very difficult hand, and while he carries his own burdens he continues to work towards his goals and trying to solve the mystery and get the case together to try and save Vincent. But, not everyone wants to be saved.
This is a book that will pull on your heart strings and make you cry but it is soo good! I would love to see this one made into a movie or sometime along that lines it is sooo freaking GOOD! I definitely recommend this to anyone who loves Kristen Hannah books, the feel for the story is similar to hers that I have read!

We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker is an ambitious novel told from two viewpoints. The first is Duchess Day Radley, the "Outlaw" child who has to protect her younger brother Robin at all costs. The other is Walk, chief of police in Cape Haven, where Duchess and Robin live with their mother Star, long-time friend of Walk's. The story follows them both as they try to make sense out of a life where so much seems to go wrong. When Walk and Star were in high school, his best friend/her boyfriend, Vincent King, accidentally ran over a child, sending him to prison. The child was Star's younger sister, Sissy. As he serves time, Walk tries to look after Star and her children for his long time friend. When King finally gets out, life as they know it, no matter how bad it may seem, will get even worse. When Star is murdered and the kids have to move away, life brings even more changes. Add in a man named Dark who is on the run from people that he owes money to, a butcher who happens to be a peeper, and a slew of other characters whose lives will all intersect and what you get is a novel of immense proportions. There were parts of it I enjoyed. There were several laugh out loud moments. There were moments of confusion as I tried to keep up with everything happening. The end was unexpected. Even now, after a few hours, I am lost in contemplation of it. The book was good, though there were some parts that I didn't enjoy. However, it was well written and the narrator did a great job. Four stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to it. All opinions are my own.

I very much enjoyed this story, but I didn't love it as much as some others did. It is a bit different from my usual reads and had a lot of various themes included. It is a small town drama, a place where many people are related, grew up together and know everyone else's business. It is also a crime mystery, who killed Starr Radley? There is a lot of sadness, depression and desperation in the lives of Duchess and Robin Radley. This was a character driven story, which was quite emotional. I really enjoyed getting to know Duchess and finding out more about her difficult life. Sheriff Walk was another fabulous character and I loved how caring he was to everyone. Now, I don't want it to seem like it is all doom and gloom as there is some happiness and things that work themselves out in the end. The author does a great job of setting the scene in this book with the descriptions of the small American town helping the reader understand what it’s like living in this coastal California town. The residents are very set in their opinion and it’s difficult to change them once they’ve decided, as is often the case in small, insulated communities. Most people thought Vincent King was guilty and it was very hard for them to consider otherwise, not understanding how Walk could stand up for him. There is a lot of tension due to this issue and they were very antagonistic towards Vincent. This is a very slow developing story, but once I got into it, I became invested in these characters and their stories. As the story came to an end, I found myself thinking about them and what would be next in their lives, which I guess is what the author planned all along. Emotional, depressing and hopeful at the same time, I know I will be thinking about this book for awhile. This is the first book I have read by Chris Whitaker, but with his excellent writing and character development, I will check out his backlist. I was fortunate to be able to listen to this audiobook. George Newbern does an exceptional job with the narration. He does not try to sound like a female when performing Duchess' parts, but uses his tone, inflection and expression to bring life to this story.