Whatever I can say about All the Colors of the Dark won't do it justice. It's simply gorgeous. There's a quote By LR Knost about life being amazing, and then awful, but breathtaking beautiful, and that is this book, the story of the pirate and the beekeeper. If you only read one book this summer, I hope it's this one and that it lives as rent free inside you as it will me.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker is a decades long tale of friendship and hope after unimaginable trauma. Patch, a scrawny and poor kid with one eye, interrupts an abduction by attacking a masked man and freeing the town's golden girl, only to be taken himself. Saint, Patch's best friend, will not stop her search for Patch. She pesters the local PD, sleuths on her own and is tirelessly persistent. What follows is a mystery of who took Patch, what happened to him and a new quest to find the person who saved him...

Truly a beautiful story of hope, friendship and love. Woven with snippets of historical news events, Whitaker's descriptions of things we can not see and hidden riddles thread to make a book you won't be able to put down until you know how it ends. Bad people are good and good people are bad.... and things are never what they seem.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt Publishing for a digital ARC of this book.

When I first read the premise of this novel, I thought no, this probably isn’t for me. A story about an attempted kidnapping, and there’s a serial killer, and it’s 1975? Nope nope nope.

But then, some of my most trusted reader friends started raving about it. Five stars everywhere. People saying it would definitely be one of their favorites of 2024. So I thought okay I’ll try it. And once I picked it up I could NOT put it down. My family will tell you that I read a lot, of course, but this one was over the top. I was reading it while brushing my teeth, on the way to dinner in the car, waiting for the movie to start (Inside Out 2, it’s pretty cute.) I stayed up way too late, of course, and then, on Saturday night, it was all I could think about.

At its heart, All The Colors of the Dark is so much more than a mystery or a thriller. It’s about the deep bonds we forge in teenage friendship, the impact even one caring adult can make on a young person, and how humans persevere, holding on to hope even when it seems all is lost.

I loved it, and I think you will too. All The Colors of the Dark is out today and will be July’s Read With Jenna pick. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for my #ARC.

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From the New York Times, bestselling author Chris Whitaker of We Begin at the End comes a hauntingly beautiful, captivating literary suspense mystery, coming-of-age crime thriller, serial killer whodunit, and emotional character study blended with the power of art, storytelling, and a heart-rending love story spanning decades.

This EPIC masterful saga, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, explores the traumas and abuse of the past and how they affect and change the trajectory of lives forever, good and bad, for a lifetime.

A story of an innocent thirteen-year-old pirate and a beekeeper that will save his life. They cross paths with a serial killer that will change their lives forever.

About...

It is 1975 in Monta Clare, Missouri. We meet two best friends and classmates, Patch Macauley (miner), a one-eyed teen (who considers himself a pirate), and his best friend, Saint Brown, an orphan (beemaker), who lives with her grandmother. They both have plans and dreams, and they want to escape their current lives. However, some local girls mysteriously disappear from the town.

When a predator assaults Misty Meyer in the woods, the only daughter of a wealthy family, Patch turns into an unlikely hero and saves her; however, he is kidnapped instead. Was he the first boy kidnapped with the girls?

Saint is devastated and vows to find Patch. There is a monster. A predator. A serial killer on the loose.

Patch finds himself in the darkness of a cellar, where a mysterious girl, Grace, visits him (heard, not seen). There are also other girls in the cellar. Grace, however, paints vivid pictures of places and literary stories and whispers to Patch. He has no idea where he is. Is she real, or is he imagining her? He eventually escapes; however, he is haunted by this girl, Grace, and spends his entire life searching for her. Saint and Patch reunite, but they are both irrevocably changed.

Saint's life is also affected by the tragedy, and she is now in law enforcement with the FBI vowing to help Patch and find the killer. Her life is complex and complicated with her relationship with Jimmy, who is obsessive, jealous, and abusive.

The suspects are a doctor and a photographer. What is the motive, and why can't anyone find the killer, Grace, plus the others? Some think Patch dreamed of this girl. Is she real.?

Patch is obsessed with finding these missing girls and Grace and the horrors he had conjured. He turns to rob banks to give the money to organizations to fund the search for the missing girls and children and to help families from state to state and prison. He loses so much. He ultimately turns to painting to express his fears and trauma through art and to capture what he remembers. He became successful, and his work is in top galleries. Other complications in his life and people add to the intrigue.

However, Patch and Saint will never forget one another.

My thoughts...

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is spellbinding! Chilling, tender, brutal, and exquisite, it has emotional depth and evocative prose full of heart, humor, and soul. Many dark characters and monsters hide behind a facade with secrets that will destroy families and lives. This coming-of-age story portrays the innocence and guilt of children forced to make difficult adult decisions and grow up before their time. From boy to man, girl to woman, they had lost more than they could ever count. Can they move on?

Atmospheric and claustrophobic, the author brilliantly captures the small rural town setting and its characters from the first page to the last and never lets go with his stunning lyrical prose, which is elegant, haunting, and memorable.

ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK is much more than a thriller. If you love literary suspense as much as I do, you will devour Whitaker's latest. Patch and Saint are such powerful, compelling characters, as is the supporting cast. Gut-wrenching, it is a story of loss, trauma, loyalty, love, and hope.

"...You were my connection to something real, something pure and real. I could be someone different. That's the thing about the dark. You could look at me and not see the things I'd seen. I could teach you everything I learned from books, everything I saw when we traveled. I could lead you where I needed you to go to make right what I could not."

INTERVIEW: If you have not read the insightful and inspiring interview by Publisher's Weekly with the author, I highly recommend it. Whitaker has survived his share of trials, abuse, and tragedy and fell into darkness with drugs and alcohol; however, through his tragedies, he became a survivor and a successful writer to express his feelings, much like Patch with his art. I also love Whitaker's background working around books, his literary passion, the library, and his inspiration, Author John Hart (from attorney to author). I also like how he writes his books set in the US.

I am returning to read Whitaker's previous books, which I missed. He has been added to my favorite author list. I highly recommend ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK.

Recs...

For fans of the author and John Hart's (fav author) The Last Child and Dennis Lehane's Mystic River as well as authors Cormac McCarthy, William Falkner, Pat Conroy, Michael Robotham, David Baldacci, David Joy, Robert Dugoni, and Ron Rash.

Thank you...

Thanks to Crown Publishing for the honor of reading an early review copy via NetGalley. I also pre-ordered the audiobook, which is narrated by my favorite, Edoardo Ballerini.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: June 25, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars ++
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I loved We Begin at the End, it feels like such a long wait for the release of this book. Finally it’s here! It’s been well worth the wait.

The writing style is very literary fiction and poetic in its orientation.
The characters are superbly portrayed and developed, many of them had me firmly rooting for them. I absolutely adored Patch.

I don’t know how the author achieves it, but it manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, quite an achievement. The writing is so good the way it pulls you in and keeps you invested. The storytelling is ace. It’s amazing the way one person’s life can intersect with others leaving such a huge impact. It’s laden with heartfelt emotion.
If there’s a negative at all it’s the length.

I would highly recommend this wonderful story.

Where do I even start with this book?! It’s a sweeping tale of mystery, love and obsession that spans over 25 years. My heart broke for Patch, the MMC, multiple times throughout this book! 😭

Two childhood friends, Patch and Saint, experience an insanely traumatic event that dictates the trajectory of their lives forever. As the reader, we are brought along an intense ride from multiple perspectives throughout this story. It is deep, enthralling and left me thinking about how our childhood experiences shape our adulthood.

I just thought this book was written in a unique & beautiful way. At times, a new chapter would start and I would feel like I missed something or was a little lost, but I really think it is Chris Whitaker’s way of capturing the reader and then revealing more information. The characters were vivid, complex and well thought out. I could not put this book down. I also loved the short chapters. It kept me wanting more.

If you are wanting to dive into something on the heavier side, I highly recommend this one. It’s a long one. The beginning will suck you in; the middle will keep you wondering where it’s all going; and the end will give you a handful of jaw dropping moments that make it so good!

Fast-paced, gripping thriller-mystery, character driven dream of a book. I had to give myself some time to digest this book after reading it to write a review without spoilers. Decades spanning tale set around a small Missouri town spins both the darkness and hope of life. Thanks to NetGalley and Crown for this advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

Spoiler alert— this book is going to be huge! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣All the Colors of the Dark is such a unique book that fuses several genres. Part love story, part thriller with a dash of historical fiction— All the Colors of the Dark reminded me a bit of Demon Copperhead and Forrest Gump! ⁣
⁣⁣
⁣A young boy becomes a local hero when he saves a girl from abduction— setting off a chain of events that will forever change his life forever. Chris Whitaker’s writing is brilliant, rich and immersive. The characters are complex and I will absolutely never forget Patch and Saint. ⁣
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⁣Five beautiful, epic stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I highly recommend this one! ⁣
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⁣Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ARC. All the Colors of the Dark publishes today- June 25, 2024!

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and award winning author extraordinaire Chris Whitaker for granting me early access to his latest astonishing novel, All The Colors of The Dark. This 608-page saga spans over 25 years from 1976 to 2001, chronicling the intertwined lives of best friends Saint and Patch as they navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The novel explores the complexities of growing up within the dynamics of friendships and families, encompassing the journey of childhood challenges and the intricacies of navigating adulthood's responsibilities and life's hardships. If you enjoyed the author's acclaimed "We Begin at The End," I believe you will find this stellar book equally captivating.
All The Colors of The Dark is an epic coming of age novel that leans heavily towards mystery/thriller/drama as it follows two inseparable 13-year-old best friends, Patch and Saint, confronting the harsh realities of their impoverished Ozark small town in 1975 when several girls mysteriously disappear in the surrounding areas. Joseph “Patch” Macauley, known for his distinctive eye and pirate persona with his eyepatch, and his loyal friend Saint, who is being raised by her grandmother and passionate about beekeeping, embark on a quest that gains urgency in their Monta Clare, Missouri town where everyone’s sense of safety is shattered. Patch is skipping rocks at the lake one hot summer day when he hears a girl screaming in the woods, and heroically rescues a classmate from an attempted abduction by fighting the balaclava-clad man off before disappearing without a trace himself. The devastating tragedy sets Saint on an unwavering mission to uncover the truth behind Patch's violent disappearance and solve the mystery surrounding other unsolved abductions, an all encompassing investigation spanning decades that escalates when attention turns to a specific missing girl.
The characters in "All the Colors of the Dark" are richly depicted, stirring emotions that echo in the reader's soul. From Patch, the heroic figure whose wisdom exceeds his years, to Saint, who fearlessly and relentlessly pursues her missing best friend with unwavering support from her grandmother Norma, to Misty, rescued by Patch but burdened with her own secrets, and Chief Nix, each character adds layers of complexity and emotion to the narrative. The story weaves a poignant tapestry of optimism and sorrow that resonates deeply throughout. I could not stop reading this phenomenally written thriller, even though it was an incredibly long 608 pages. Prepare to be heartbroken, hopeful, and everything in between as this story explores enduring loyalty, friendship, love, compulsion, and the darkest corners of the human heart. Will their loyal bond survive tragedy, trauma, and the ultimate test? "All the Colors of the Dark" is a deeply emotional journey that will resonate with readers long after its spectacular ending. 5/5

What an incredible journey.

All the Colors of the Dark follows Saint and Patch over the span of 20+ years as they navigate friendship, loss, and blind hope. The story begins with young Patch stumbling upon a girl being attacked in the woods and he decides to jump in and save her. With Patch now missing, Saint does everything in her power to find her friend. All the Colors of the Dark captures the grief, trauma, and obsession that spawned from that tragic day in the woods.
This is a very long read and although it is classified as a thriller, my biggest advice is to just relax and enjoy the ride. The amount of thought that went into weaving this story is incredible and I loved how it all came together.

Thank you NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and the author for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy with one eye, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession, and the blinding light of hope.

This was a book that I just couldn't put down. It had short, propulsive chapters that kept me reading well past my bedtime. Patch is a character that just worms his way into your heart. You are rooting for him the whole way, even when he keeps on making such bad decisions along the way. He is a character that I won't soon forget. This book is a journey, and a long one at that, but it really was so worth it in the end. This story is so compelling and totally different than any other one. Yes, I feel it was a little too long at times, and Whitaker also has a very singular writing style. It did take me just a bit to adjust to it again, but once I did, I was all in. Just trust him that the payoff is so worth it!

I think this will definitely be one of the biggest books of the Summer, and well deserved. I was so glad to see that it was a @readwithjenna pick and that it is also being adapted for the screen. A huge thank you to @netgalley, @crownpublishing and @chriswhitakerauthor for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. Go read this book now! Publishes 06/25/2024

Thank you to Crown Publishing and Net alley for the opportunity to read an advanced reader digital copy of Chris Whitaker's "All the Colors of the Dark." This novel will be published on June 25, 2024, so rush to the bookstore to purchase it. I guarantee that you will not regret buying this excellent novel.

1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending, Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier, and girls are disappearing in the small
town of Monta Clare, Missouri.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy who saves the girl and leaves heartache
in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers
will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

With its 600+ pages and short chapters, "All of the Colors of the Dark" is a book you wish would never end. You fall in love with Patch, his best friend Saint, the rich girl Misty, and various Monta Clara, MO., townspeople. One day, Patch, a one-eyed 13-year-old boy who wears a pirate patch, sees a man trying to abduct a young girl. Patch saves her but gets abducted himself in the process. His best friend, Saint, a beekeeper, does all she can to find Patch and bring him back. Over a twenty-five-year period, Patch and Saint try to find out what happened to all the missing girls, who kidnapped Patch, and who helped him survive during the abduction. The novel's title is a fitting connection to the experiences the characters go through. Chris Whitaker is a master of developing memorable characters. "All of the Colors of the Dark" is a tale about love, dedication, resilience, sacrifice, redemption, and loss. There are vile, deplorable characters in the novel who are judgmental and vengeful. Themes of identity, good versus evil, color versus darkness, sacrificial love, loneliness, and survival permeate this novel. Information one receives in the dark resonates and imprints on the mind. "All of the Colors of the Dark" is a story full of turns and twists that captivate the reader as they follow Patch and Saint in their quest to learn the fate of the missing girls. Your heart breaks while reading this novel, but somehow, Mr. Whitaker heals the heartbreak.

Mr. Whitaker, I am deeply grateful for the journey you took me on with Patch and Saint. I will forever cherish the characters in this novel, which is a mystery, a love story, and an homage to friends.

"All of the Colors of the Dark" is one of my favorite novels this year. Do not let the book's size deter you from picking up a copy and reading Patch and Saint's compelling story for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

All I could say after finishing this new book from Chris Whitaker was "Wow" All the Colors of the Dark jumps to the top of favorite book of the year.

"1975 - Patch has only one eye and thinks of himself as a pirate. His father died in Vitenam and his mother cannot cope. Patch struggles to get by. His friend Saint believes in him though. And then Patch saves a girl from an attack but disappears. Saint is desperate to find him even if no one else cares."

Before you finish you will love Patch and Saint. You will shed some tears along the way. You will recognize pure evil. And a willingness by some to put others above themselves. You will wonder at Saint's belief and hope that she's right.

Whitaker begins in the 70's and moves through the turn of the century. There are many surprises along the way and Whitaker ties a lot of the story together near the end. Parts of the story that you didn't even know were linked.

And that ending - what a perfect ending. I hated to leave these characters. Whitaker's story is character driven and he puts so much depth and emotion into them.

Fastest 600 pages you'll ever read. Don't miss it.

This book is a mixture of a love story, missing person story and even a serial killer story all rolled into one nonstop novel. It is a very long and epic story of a one eyed boy who becomes a hero back in 1975. This book takes you on a tumultuous ride. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I read We Begin at the End in 2020 and loved it. It was one of my top reads for 2020.  All the Colors of the Dark is another fantastic read. The way that Whitaker can make you care for his characters is phenomenal.  I am going to do a very brief review on this amazing book, only to let you experience it.
 
Set in the span from 1975 to 2001. It is set in the town of Monta Clare, Missouri. Girls from this area have been disappearing. All the Colors of the Dark is told from a dual narrative. We hear from 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. The morning that she lost her bees, The one-eyed pirate Patch is kidnapped. Saint can’t believe Patch would just give up and die, so she tries with everything to find him. 
 
 
Over the next 25 years, we watch as America goes through changing times, and the effect that has on the people in Monta Clare. This is not only a thriller/mystery, but of a wonderful coming of age story.  It kept me enthralled until the last sentence. Oh and that sentence…wow.

This was quite the saga - with beautiful themes of love and redemption and humanity. The length was intimidating, and at times, I felt there could have been tighter editing. But overall, the characters were engrossing and the story propulsive.

All the Colors of the Dark is a luminous, sweeping, multi-generational literary mystery. At a whopping 600 pages, I was hooked from the first line to the last, and this is a new all-time favorite.

Our story begins in 1975 in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, where girls are disappearing. When a young boy named Patch saves a girl from her would-be abductor, he sets off a chain of events that will impact the lives of everyone around him.

This book is very, very hard to review without giving away parts of the plot that I just really don't want to give away. What I will say is that the characters in this story, especially Patch and Saint, will stick with me for the rest of my life. They just feel like real people to me. Whitaker's prose is so vivid and evocative that I felt like I could see Monta Clare, and the thousands of miles from there that our characters travel. Whitaker also clearly believes that we are smart enough to put the pieces together without needing everything spelled out for us. I was fully immersed in their world.

This book isn't just a thriller - it's a deeply emotional journey that explores the endurance of the human spirit. The relationships described in this story cracked my heart wide open and brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions. I would compare the feeling I had here to the one I had when I read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - this is not a traditional love story, but it is a love story nonetheless.

All The Colors of the Dark is a literary masterpiece that transcends genres. Chris Whitaker has created a story that is both thrilling and deeply moving, with characters that will stay with you long after the final page. This is a novel that demands to be read, shared, and remembered. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Thanks so much to Crown Publishing for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.

This 600-page story is quite the saga, spanning from the 1970s to present day. It follows a boy named Patch, his best friend Saint, and the found family in their orbit. One day Patch sees Misty, a popular girl from school, being abducted in the woods. He helps her get free and gets abducted himself.

I don’t want to give too much away, because once the story is set up you really get sucked into finding out how the years pass. There’s a serial killer story line that propels the story and makes the pages turn faster near the end. There’s love and mystery and friendship and so much heart in this book. I finished it last week and am still thinking about the characters.

Pick this one up - this will be on Book Of The Year lists for sure. It has a 4.6 rating on Goodreads and is already a Read With Jenna choice.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After Patch saves his classmate by thwarting a kidnapper and ends up kidnapped himself, his best friend Saint goes to the ends of the earth to find him. This sparks a trail of missing girls and what happened to them. Spanning 25 years, we follow Patch and Saint on a quest to solve the mystery while healing their own trauma.
If you like Christ Whitaker, you will like this novel. This is a mystery but also a tale of friendship, love and loss. One of my favorite reads so far for the year.
Thank you to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC.

Another CW book that I just won't be able to stop thinking about. He has a way of interwtining each and every one of his characters in a way that is beautiful and unexpected. Can't wait to see it adapted to TV!