3.5 stars. I’m an outlier on this book. There are many rave reviews, and all are valid. There is a lot of beauty and heartache in the way this story was written and the way it all plays out. For me, it just didn’t strike the same chord as ‘We Begin at the End’ did.

I struggled to connect with the characters, and I think it’s because the writing is so raw and full-bodied that I could feel the pain and didn’t want to allow myself to attach deeply to it. It felt dark and oppressing, which is a testament to the author’s talent. It’s a book I may want to revisit when I’m in a place to appreciate the entire saga of it in a more complete way.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

How have I missed Chris Whitaker? This book has it all. Its a love story, a historical look at the seventies on, a serial killer thriller, a mystery. Place and character rich, descriptions are vivid and characters are driven. So much appeals about this story that I could go on. But really just read this book if you like smart books that make you Fall in love with strong characters. Clever and suspenseful. A must read for 2024! Can't wait to read more by this author.

Copy provided by the publisher and Netgalley

Wow - long books can be daunting but I did not want this one to end! Patch and Saint are childhood friends and I’d even call them misfits, and both come from non-traditional families in a small but tight knit community. Patch only has one eye and portrays himself as a pirate while Saint is an introvert who keeps bees and sells the honey. When young girls start disappearing, Patch happens to stop his childhood crush from being kidnapped and instead is kidnapped himself. Saint will stop at nothing to find him and this tragedy propels the lives of the 2 friends, their families, the police chief and the girl he saved into decades of journeys that could be dangerous mentally and physically. Chris Whitaker brings the characters to life and reminds us of the good and the bad in people and the sacrifices we will make for the people we love. This book is not the traditional thriller I usually read but includes a variety of my favorite story elements including a serial killer, police investigation, lots of suspense, romance and family heartbreak with so many twists and turns that it was truly hard to put down and to stop thinking about. I was truly sad to see it end although anxious to find out the ending. I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the Avanced Reader copy! #AlltheColorsoftheDark #NetGalley

"All the Colors the Dark” by Chris Whitaker is a masterful blend of suspense, emotion, and narrative power. Set against the backdrop of a changing America in 1975, the novel captures the essence of a nation grappling with the end of the Vietnam War and the cultural shifts of the era.

The story unfolds in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, where the disappearance of local girls stirs fear and mystery. Amidst this turmoil, an unlikely hero emerges: Patch, a one-eyed local boy whose act of bravery brings both salvation and sorrow. Saint and Patch meet and become sure friends, although outsiders and far from popular, they are unique to each other and loyal. The incident of Patch's bravery will shape their lives and their friendship for years to come. Both will see their lives and relationship to each other irrevocably changed. Patch will embark on an unrelenting search for the truth while Saint will go on and forge a career.

Whitaker weaves a complex tapestry of characters and themes, exploring the depths of devotion, obsession, and love. The novel is not just a missing person mystery or a serial killer thriller; it’s also an epic love story that examines the light and shadows of human emotion. I connected to how much this novel showed that trauma does shape lives, how hope endures, and how love can remain despite a myriad of challenges. I found it both harrowing and triumphant, as Whitaker skillfully melds tense suspense with a powerful exploration of the human spirit. The emotional depth here affected me in a way I won't soon forget.

“All the Colors of the Dark” is a novel that resonates with the heartache and hope of its characters. It’s a poignant reminder of the fine line between triumph and tragedy and the enduring power of hope that guides us through the darkest times. I found it to be a testament to Whitaker’s ability to craft a story that is both thrilling and deeply moving. It’s a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page, reflecting the complexity of the human condition.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the ebook ARC to enjoy before the book releases on 6/25.

I picked up this book knowing nothing about it except that it was written by Chris Whitaker. I read his last book (We Begin at the End) and really liked it, so that was all I needed to know to start this one.

Throughout the first 60% of this book, I was unsure if I liked it. The pacing is slow, the writing style is unique and I just could not decide if I liked it or not. But all of the sudden, at right about the 60% mark, I started liking the book. And by the end I REALLY liked it a lot! So despite a slow and uncertain start, this one came together at the end.

I actually felt like the story was wrapping up about 15-20% into the book. What on earth would happen next when it seemed like the whole plot was suddenly wrapped up! And then the story continued for decades. It was certainly an unpredictable book, and I really was just along for the ride to see where this story would (slowly) take me.

Whitaker does have a unique style of writing. This book felt like a riddle at times. As a reader, I needed to infer and read between the lines to figure out what was happening. Every chapter (and there are 240 chapters!) ended with a cliffhanger that was not immediately resolved in the next chapter leaving me wondering what was going on. The dialogue also felt like a puzzle. One character would talk, and the other character would reply with something that had nothing to do with what the first character said. And they would go on and on like this...many times throughout the book! It was odd and jarring at first but became almost endearing by the end.

This is a slow-burn mystery, and really the mystery takes a backseat to the characters. While there are some moments of suspense, it is a slow paced story. That's not a bad thing, but it's good to know that this is a slow and long (600 page) book that is meant to be savored and not one that you can rush through to the end.

Despite my uncertainty at the end, I would give this a solid 4 stars. It's a complex and layered story that made me think. It is also memorable and I don't think I will forget it any time soon. And the ending was satisfying...so much so that I might even bump up my rating to 4.5 stars!

Pack your patience and dive into this one. It's worth the effort!

In 2021, Chris Whitaker's We Begin at the End became one of my Best Reads of the year, and he's repeated himself with All the Colors of the Dark. Whitaker has a talent for creating compelling stories featuring exceptional thirteen-year-old outsiders. In this book, it's Joseph "Patch" Macauley, a boy who loves pirates, and his best friend, Saint Brown, who convinces her grandmother that she wants to become a beekeeper.

All the Colors of the Dark begins with Patch's traumatic rescue of a young girl being attacked by a serial killer and follows Patch, Saint, and others through to 2001. I think what grabs me most about Whitaker's writing is that he has such a gift for making me feel all the emotions of his characters, and sometimes that is exhausting.

I want to talk about this book for pages and pages, but I don't want to risk spoiling anything for anyone else. All the Colors of the Dark is part missing persons mystery, part serial killer thriller (in which the serial killer is more shadow than substance), and part love story. It's a tale of obsession, and-- above all-- a tale of hope.

Read it.

BiG thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the eARC.

1975--girls are disappearing in the small town of Monta Clare, MO. Patch is a one eyed boy who has adopted the persona of a pirate who spends his time with his best pal Saint (a beekeeper) and taking care of an alcoholic mother. Patch will rescue Misty (the town sweetheart) from an attempted abduction and will be taken instead. Patch will eventually be rescued (mostly through the tireless persistence of Saint and a fellow captive Grace).
What follows will span close to three decades as the search for hows and whys will lead all of the characters on a journey that will test loyalties, love, and trust.

An incredible book that I could not put down. I gave this gem an additional half star for the many references to "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters".-- "I thank the Lord for the people I have found".

All the Colors of the Dark is an epic novel spanning from 1975 to 2001. Saint is a 13 year old girl with a strong friendship with Patch, a one-eyed 13 year old boy. Both are misfits in a small Missouri town whose lives are drastically changed when Patch, saving a classmate from abduction, then becomes the abducted. Saint never loses faith in the search for Patch, even as many months go by.

Chris Whitaker writes of his compelling characters with so much depth, showing their strengths and weaknesses. There are quite a few characters in the novel, but all contribute to the story moving forward. And this story has so many elements but at the same time, many laugh out loud lines. I am a huge fan of the author and he just keeps getting better with each novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

All the Colors of the Dark is an absolutely breathtakingly beautiful book! It begins in 1975 in a small town in Missouri where a young one-eyed boy nicknamed Patch saves Misty, a wealthy local girl from being abducted and in turn gets abducted himself and held captive with another young girl named Grace. After he is able to escape with the help of his best friend Saint, his greatest mission in life is to find Grace whose stories got him through the nightmare and save other girls who have been abducted and to find closure for their families.

The book spans several decades and is a wonderfully descriptive character study that centers on the lives and friendship of Patch and Saint but also includes so many other wonderful characters including Saint's grandmother Norma and the local police chief Nix. it was an especially enjoyable story for me because I grew up during this time and the author expertly interspersed real-life events into the fictional story. My only warning is that the book is over 600 pages so it's quite lengthy but well worth the read. This is the first book I've read by Chris Whitaker but it is a literary masterpiece so it certainly won't be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advanced reader copy of this book which will be released on June 25th.

The daughter of a wealthy family becomes a target, and Patch (the local boy with one eye) is the one to save her. The novel delves into the dark recesses of obsession while illuminating the powerful, sometimes painful, light of hope. HIghly recommend this incredible novel.
Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this book.

In a life full of actions both good and bad, to which do you hold on?

In the small Missouri town of Monta Clare in 1975, Joseph “Patch” Macauley lives a difficult life. His father was killed in the war, his mother Ivy drinks too much and doesn’t earn enough money to keep them afloat, and that he was born with only one eye makes him a target of bullying and worse in school. His best friend is a girl named Saint who is being raised by her grandmother Norma, the local bus driver, and the two outcasts have formed a strong bond of friendship. Patch has a huge crush on Misty Meyer, the school’s It Girl…beautiful, popular and only child of the town’s richest family….but knows that she is, and will always be, out of his league. Lives can change in a minute, and for those in Monta Clare that moment comes the day that Patch hears a scream in the woods. Someone has grabbed Misty and is trying to pull her into a van, and without thinking Patch charges into action. As he grapples with the would-be abductor, he screams at Misty to run. She does, leaving Patch behind to be stabbed with the pirate dagger he carries with him. She is able to get to town and alert Chief of Police Nix (and Saint, who overhears) to what just happened. When they arrive at the scene of the botched kidnapping, all that has been left behind is Patch’s bloody shirt and his eyepatch. Searches turn up no further clues, and the case stalls. Saint refuses to give up on finding Patch, even as others turn their attention to another girl who has gone missing. She discovers things that she feels link first local Dr. Tooms and later a photographer named Eli Aaron to the disappearance of girls across the state. Chief Nix is doing what he can, but is not convinced that Saint is on the right trail with either suspect. Meanwhile Patch, injured and afraid, is held in a dark cellar somewhere. Sometimes there is a girl with him who tells him her name is Grace, and she teaches him how to avoid angering the captor. Patch will survive this horrible experience, in large part due to the dogged determination of Saint, but he is not the same person he was before his ordeal. His life will forever be tangled with those of Saint, MIsty and Grace, and he dedicates his life to finding Grace and rescuing her, even as others aren’t convinced that Grace is more than someone conjured up by his imagination in a time of great stress. Is Grace real? Did the man suspected of capturing Patch and the missing girls survive the fire that consumed the building where Patch had been held and from which he was rescued? Will Patch be able to overcome the event that changed him forever, and how has it affected the people around him?
All the Colors of the NIght is that rare thriller that even as it absorbs the reader into its evolving plot it also mines the pain and emotions of those caught up in the wake of destruction a serial killer leaves in his wake. Saint who risked everything (including her life) to bring Patch home, only to find that the friend she remembers no longer exists; Misty, the girl whose life Patch saved at great cost, who yearns to pay her debt to him but doesn’t know how; Chief Nix, who believes he failed Patch and others; and all of the families who lost a child and will not know peace until they find them, alive or dead. Most people in life both make terrible mistakes and do wonderful things….by which should they be judged? In this dark tale of love, loss, hope, despair, heroes and villains, there are characters who broke my heart, who made me laugh, and for whom I hoped against all odds would find a way to a happy ending. This is neither a quick nor an easy read, but it is one that demanded my attention from the opening pages and refused to let go until the very end, with twists I did not expect unfurling right up until the end. One of the best books I have read this year, so much more than I expected and with characters I won’t forget. Readers of authors like Elizabeth Strout, Donna Tartt and Wally Lamb should go right out and grab a copy of this novel, as should anyone looking to enter the world of a boy who is someone, “for whom it was written in the stars that no matter how hard they fought their road did not lead somewhere good”….but who continues to fight nonetheless. Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for allowing me early access to this powerful novel that explores the deepest of emotions.

Well, here it is. Book of the year. Decade? Lifetime?!? It’s part thriller/murder mystery, part unforgettable tale of friendship, love and loyalty. This is epic not only in the span of time covered, but in the depth of storytelling. The revelations throughout were masterfully done. I wanted to race through it but didn’t because I never wanted it to end. Five stars is not enough. I will travel to outer space and bring back more for this book.

Oh my word, this book was exquisite. It's a serial killer mystery, a love story, a story of family and friends, small towns and big dreams.

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

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

This book is epic in scope, very moving and extremely thrilling. It quite simply took my breath away and I could not put it down.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown publishing for the digital advanced copy. The novel will be released this Tuesday, June 25!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

If you like mysteries, you must put this on your TBR. It's a little longer and a bit of a slow burn in the middle, but just go along for the ride and soak up the incredible sentence level writing. I could not consume the ending fast enough. Shout out to @marjiereads for telling me to stick with it when I was getting skeptical about 60% in.

I went in pretty blind. All I knew is that @meredithmondayschwartz raved about it on @currentlyreadingpodcast. I am now obsessed with the main character, Patch, one of those good guys who doesn't always follow the law. This book delves right into right vs. wrong and all the grey in between.

Chris Whitaker where have you been all my life??? Your character development is out of this world and your stories are filled with so much depth and uniqueness. I was obsessed with the Pirate and rooting for his true self to find his justice. I would have never wanted your ending, but it seemed inevitable. Bravo!!

Wow! We start with Patch. Patch got that nickname because he was born with one eye. his mom gave him beautiful eyepatches and told him he was a brave pirate. He doesn't care much that the other kids think he's a freak. He tries not to. Then, he makes one decision that saves the life of one girl and nearly takes his. His best friend doesn't give up on him. The rest of the book is about how that one event shaped the lives of three people-the pirate, the damsel, and the best friend. I found it to be a soaring story of trauma and healing. But that makes it sound like less than it was. It was about commitment and obsession. It was about closure and truth. The ending picks up again and moves towards closing the circle.

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. Beautifully written, complex and heart wrenching, the pirate and the beekeeper will be in my heart for a long time.

All the Colors of the Dark is the type of book you come across every few years and you can't stop thinking or talking about. From the first pages of this story I was taken by the plot, the characters, and the suspense. This is a wonderful book filled with heartache, love, friendship, and loyalty. Do yourself a favor, dive in without reading any type of spoiler reviews and enjoy this thrilling ride. Do not let the volume of this story intimidate you, the chapters are short, and you will find yourself not wanting to say goodbye to these characters. I absolutely loved this book and have already recommended it to so many people, thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

One of my favorite authors had recommended this book so I thought I would read something out of my norm. I struggled to get invested in the story and turned to Goodreads reviews for encouragement. There were mostly five star reviews, but I came across one reviewer that said they also struggled until reaching 19% in the ebook at which time things got more interesting. I decided to trudge on and boy were they right! From that point on, I was (mostly) glued to the book. However, I felt that there were a lot of short, choppy sentences and a few that made no sense to me (I had to re-read them several times and still no clarity). The story kept my interest, enough that I didn't realize it was a 600 page book. All the Colors of the Dark had some interesting, unusual and enjoyable characters. (Something that bothered me was while Saint was working for local law enforcement, the FBI called and asked her to work for them as an agent and all of a sudden, she was a Special Agent. It doesn't happen like that). The author did a wonderful job of describing the things that Patch sees in the dark.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up

All the Colors of the Dark is not a quick read, though I finished it in far fewer days than the 600+ pages would typically take. It is also not an edge-of-your-seat thriller, or a swoon-worthy romance. What it is is a slowburn, lifelong deep friendship/love story with characters that will drag you into their lives and not let you go.

Saint and Patch are the kind of kids that tug at my heart. Kids with rough lives, tough but vulnerable, who find each other and become lifelong, always have each others' backs friends. When Patch intercedes in an attempted kidnap/murder, and becomes the prisoner of a serial killer, both of their lives take a turn that they may never recover from. The book follows them through many years of their lives, as they grow together and apart, and try to resolve the damage done. I loved so many of the characters-- Norma, Sammy and Charlotte especially will forever live in my heart.

The book is definitely a slow burn and I did not fall completely in love with it until about the 70% mark. Readers should stick with it through the slow parts though, as the final section of the novel brings everything together and answers all of the questions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the digital ARC of All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker. The opinions in this review are my own.