This book is getting a ton of buzz, Like 5-star, favorite book of the year, kind of buzz, and even though this isn’t my typical genre, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Ok, I get it.

Both a thriller and a love story, All the Colors of the Dark is one of the most hauntingly beautiful books I’ve ever read. In this brilliant literary novel, spanning decades and genres, Whitaker manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

The writing is stunning and the characters are fully realized, warts and all. The story, which will have you up reading late into the night reveals itself to you slowly and then all at once. It is certain to end up on all of the Top Books of the Year Lists. It certainly will be on mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the advanced reader copy. I’ll be seeking out Chris Whitaker’s backlist, and I look forward to devouring his other books.

This review will be published on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.

All the Colors of the Dark is a gritty, bleak, but, at the same time, beautiful thriller.

And my gosh. Chris Whitaker can write a character. Watch out, Charles Dickens! Whitaker’s characters are complexly original—no one is a cliché.

The pages fly; the book is action-packed, compulsively addictive, and the finest of the mystery genre. It is written using perfect structure: short paragraphs, sentences, and chapters. If you liked the pacing in Gone Girl, this is your book. Mark my words. One day, this book will become a fantastic movie!

Two thumbs up for this breath-stealing thriller.

*Thanks, NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion.

Was first book by this author. This was a long read but it kept you engaged.

The authors writing was definitely unique but was great writing and character build. It has a little bit of everything.... mystery, romance and it follows Patch and Saint.

If you read quarry girls and like it you will like this as well.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

All the Colors of the Dark - Chris Whitake
PUB DATE: June 25th
4.5/5 Stars

I started this book thinking it would be a thriller or mystery, but this is a character-driven coming-of-age story that reminds us that usually there is not one defining moment that changes our life, but instead a series of decisions and consequences.

The story follows best friends, Saint and Patch, as they navigate life starting in their late childhood through adulthood. The beginning of the book sets up a thriller/mystery but the story develops into so much - one of epic friendship and love. Besides Saint and Patch, the other characters are so well developed and feel essential to the story. The writing is so beautiful and complex and while this is a long book, the chapters are incredibly short (which I love). The end of the book is heartbreaking and stunning. This will likely be one of my favorite books of the year and intend to gift this one all year long.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Crown Publishing for the Advance Readers Copy.

This was a very good book and I think if you enjoy the previous book by this author, We Begin at the End, you will enjoy this one just as much. Saint and Patch are friends, Patch, so nicknamed due to his like of Pirates and being born with one eye and Saint hang out as much as they can, one day Patch is walking along a path and hears a noise, he ends up saving a young girl who's was being assaulted. Patch ends up going missing, Saint puts every effort into finding him, she does track down where the assault/abduction occurred, but there are scant clues as to where he went. The story goes back and forth between Patch and Saint and covers a significant period of time, during the time Patch is being held, there is a girl with him, both are kept in the dark, they can't see each other, and they talk constantly, these talks are the foundation for Patch's eventual almost lifelong search. He becomes consumed with finding the girl, Grace, the smallest of clues could have him travelling across the county to talk to people who had lost their daughter. Saint stays at home, finishing school, pursuing higher education, marrying a fellow who is desperately in love with her. The life choices of both Saint and Patch follow a trajectory that is both heartbreaking and reaffirming a truly astounding journey both make. I would highly recommend this book, though it's 600 pages long, it doesn't seem like that as the chapters are all very short and the story moves along at a quick pace. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Crownpublishing for the ARC.

I came into All the Colors of the Dark with high expectations. I loved We Begin At the End and have seen nothing but rave 5 star reviews from friends for this one. I thought about dnfing early on but looked at those rave reviews again and thought maybe I just need to give it more time.

However the truth is that books don’t hit the same for different readers and this one was a giant 600+ page miss for me. I had to listen to one chapter 6 times because my mind kept wandering and by the end I was lost about what was happening.

Somehow this felt like there was both too much and not enough happening for me. So many characters and side plots and huge spans of time passing. And yet also so many long descriptions and time when nothing much was happening. And then the moments I think were supposed to feel heartwarming or deep just rang as cheesy to me.

Thank you to Crown Books and PRH Audio and Netgalley for the free book/audiobook to review.

One of the best books I’ve read. Chris Whitaker is a modern day Mark Twain, his books will live on for many many years. Eloquent captivating writer. Many thanks to the publisher for providing this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a long book that begins with a young girl saved and a young boy abducted. Followinh the boy and his best friend as they try to deal with the trauma they endured and find justice, the book ranges from the 1970s to the early 2000s. Ultimately, the book was a bit too sprawling and long for me, and some of the characters a bit unrealistic in their choices in service to the plot.

This was a great read! I have a book club recommendation coming up and I will definitely pick this one as our read! Kept me on my toes and loved the ending.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker is a brilliant literary epic drama spanning decades and genres. This exceptional, very highly recommended novel is certainly one of the best novels of 2024. If you loved Whitaker's We Begin at the End (2020) then please read All the Colors of the Dark.

It is 1975 in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, where Saint Brown and her best friend Joseph “Patch” Macauley are best friends. Saint, whose parents are both deceased, lives with her grandmother and keeps bees. Patch was born with one eye, thus the nickname and his love of all things pirate related. He lives with his neglectful single mother. When Patch sees a man attacking Misty, a popular girl from school, he steps in to stop it. Misty escapes but Patch is captured instead and held captive in a dark basement for many months.

Saint is determined to find her best friend and never loses hope, always seeking clues about his whereabouts. Her dogged persistence and tenacity is never-ending. While captive in the total darkness of the basement, Patch meets a girl, Grace, who tells him stories from places across the country and keeps him safe. Grace gives Patch hope and a reason to survive.

And this is just a very brief taste of what awaits you when reading All the Colors of the Dark.

What follows is a glorious, heartbreaking literary saga that covers 1975 to 2001. It is an in-depth character study that merges together, in part, as a domestic drama, a coming-of-age tale, a missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a story of obsession, and a love story, a prison drama, and more. The short chapters are from the point-of-view of Saint or Patch. Once I started reading All the Colors of the Dark I was totally immersed in the believable and heartrending world Whitaker paints. It is a long novel, but was impossible to put down.

The writing is eloquent, descriptive, poignant, and the final result is simply a masterpiece. Whitaker is such a gifted writer! All of his characters come to life as fully realized individuals with strengths and flaws. I felt like I intimately knew all of the characters and their story will continue to resonate with me for years. Bravo, Chris Whitaker - All the Colors of the Dark is a masterpiece of literature. Thanks to Crown Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, X, BookBrowse, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown, and Chris Whitaker for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of All the Colors of the Dark.
This epic novel takes place over 25 years and follow the lives of a community plagued with tragic events. The characters are well developed and likable. We learn the good, the bad and the ugly of each one and root for a successful ending to occur. The story covers a multitude of genres which gives the reader a good variety of writing style and depth to the plotline. The writing is beautiful, descriptive and the author does an awesome job of setting the scene and preparing you for what is next. The mystery is a slow burn with twists and turns guaranteed to keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat I encourage readers to take this slowly and think about all that is happening. Savor the emotions and digest all of the decisions that are made. There are many meaningful friendships developed after all these years and their importance drives the decisions made whether right or wrong. There is a reason everything happens and I wonder how much control a person has to make the correct choices. I thoroughly recommend reading this novel.

At 13 years old, Patch Macauley, the one-eyed pirate, has already learned that life can knock you down. He lost his father to war, his mother is barely holding it together, he’s bullied by his classmates, and he doesn’t always know where his next meal is coming from. When Patch meets Saint, the new girl in town, an unlikely friendship is born. A friendship that spans decades and survives against all odds.

This novel doesn’t want to be put in a box.  It’s a coming-of-age story that falls under the thriller genre. But it’s so much more. This is a slow-paced, character-driven novel that follows the ripple effect of a tragedy in a small town. How a friendship formed as kids can change the trajectory of one’s career path. How a single event can shape the rest of your life. How hero’s come in all shapes and sizes.

I found myself deeply attached to both main characters. They shared a lot of the same qualities. They trusted each other even when it felt impossible, they were both tenacious. They both showed hope even in the most devastating of circumstances. Neither of these characters were perfect, but I think that just made them so much stronger and easier to love.

I will admit to being intimidated by the length of this book, and I don’t usually love character-driven books, but Whitaker puts so much depth and emotion into these characters along with moments of levity that it kept me invested and needing to know what will happen. I have never annotated a book either but found myself highlighting so many quotes. The author also accomplished a rare feat for a thriller because this book made me cry. I went through every spectrum of emotion during this reading experience. 

There were a few places that I wish the author had expanded upon, but I understand why he kept the focus on the crux of the story and only vaguely outlined other key aspects of their lives. 

This is my second 5-star read by this author, and he is now on my auto buy list. This book just went to my top read of 2024.

If you liked Demon Copperhead or The Lincoln Highway, I think you may also enjoy this book.

I found this story thoroughly engrossing. It follows the journey of a rebellious teenager transitioning into adulthood, exploring themes of friendship, heartbreak, loss, and tragedy. The narrative is rich with a diverse range of experiences, keeping me eagerly anticipating each new twist and turn.

The young protagonist, a courageous pirate, saves the girl he has silently admired from a distance. However, tragedy strikes, leading to his capture which leads to his mother falling into a deep depression and giving up. Despite most people forgetting about him, his loyal best friend remains steadfast in the search for him. Through the unfolding events, we gain insights into the lives of each character, witnessing their personal triumphs and tragedies.

I particularly appreciated the character development throughout the story, observing how they evolve into mature adults. Among them, Charlotte stood out to me as a compelling character. The conclusion, albeit not a universally happy one, felt fitting and provided a sense of closure that was well-earned. I wholeheartedly recommend this tale for its engaging narrative and well-rounded characters.

I was so excited when I got approved for this book. I read so many good reviews about his previous book, We Begin at the End and was curious about this one.

This book is one of those books that you start reading and you can simply not put down. Non-stop reading, and I love every part of it. It pretty much has everything and more. I find his writing style very unique, and engaging. Did not disappoint me.

Thank you Crown and Netgalley, for the free advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review.

All The Colors of The Dark

This was such a FANTASTIC Book! An easy 5 Stars and my favorite book of the month and probably the year. It’s just that good.

It is a complex but captivating & epic story that spans many decades following Saint & Patch. It is told from a dual narrative. We meet 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, who can’t believe Patch would have died and tries everything to find him.

Just when I thought the book was close to being over, another twist in the story would occur. I loved that it was not a predictable storyline at all. It was an epic saga, coming of age, mystery and sprinkled in love and friendships. I don’t think I can say how much I loved these characters & their story enough.

Thanks to the author & publisher for my arc, I’m definitely buying a hard copy for my favorites shelf.

MANY thanks to NetGalley for the eARC for this truly beautiful and tragic story.
How does it feel to be Chris Whitaker, to carry so much beauty and loss and be able to capture and convey it all?
This is a love story (many love stories). This is a thriller. This is a multi-whodunit. This is the telling of lives, true crevices that cannot be filled, lights to look for, reach and hold close.
It’s a story of Patch and Saint, two 13 year old kids, alone but for each other, and the summer lay before them in 1975. Girls are disappearing. And then the unthinkable happens to these two, their bonds tested over and over through their lifetimes.
It’s the story of Misty, the beautiful popular girl tied to Patch when he literally saves her. And Grace, the voice in the dark to Patch, who he can never not hear, who he can never not see, but never stops looking for her.
So many other people who mean so much to these four people, not truly satellites as they are so entertained with their pasts and their now. Full and flawed, their foundations.
Their stories are so engrossing, I found myself holding my breath so often, but failed to hurry through the story. The prose is gorgeous, holds you in its moment, each sentence weighted, but airy. How Whitaker can suffuse his stories with so much color, sometimes never even mentioning color, but the shadings evoke such strong visceral emotions and visuals.
And, yes, the overused “unputdownable” applies here, in ways you won’t know until you open the pages and begin…..I could reread this again and again…..just to feel so much.
TEN STARS. TEN STARS. I cannot say this enough.

A book unlike any other. The writing of this book was entirely unique and refreshing. It’s a coming of age, mystery, romance, and overall life story of Patch and Saint from Missouri. The story goes to show that everything comes full circle.

Fans of Quarry Girls will enjoy this one.

I opened this book believing that I was in for suspense or a thriller, an epic story much like how I felt when I read We Begin At The End; but what I didn’t expect a novel about missing girls and find it a kind of love story.

No, not a love story in the way you probably assume I mean, but one with heart. Where found family begins in childhood with loss. That one moment in time where a single eyed boy saves the girl he could never have… and the decades of life that came after

Sure it’s about two childhood friends who love each other in a myriad of ways. It’s also about a boy who saves a girl from being kidnapped. It’s also about survivors guilt and crimes against women. It’s taught with pain and loss, but also hope and love.

See I went into it thinking it was “just a thriller”. But it’s so much more. It’s crass AF. It’s got a young girl with a mouth of her that could make you cringe as you hug her tight. And it’s got a little bit of vigilante.

With all of that blend of genres, you have a literary fiction book that will haunt you in the same ways those young girls haunted Patch and Saint. It’s the journey you’re on for this one that has you transfixed on what you think is coming next… narrowly missing what was there all along.

Oopf. Cue the book hangover

4.5 stars
Sometimes you read a book and feel so much that you just don’t have the words to express the experience. This is that book. It is a sweeping saga encompassing decades and touching on such themes as love, loss, small town life, grief, obsession, family, poverty and so much more. My words aren’t going to do this book justice, so I’m just going to implore you to read it because it is so worth the read.

Highly recommend.

It is 1975, a small town in Missouri, and the reader is introduced to “Patch”, a one-eyed boy, from a troubled, broken home. He is a loner with a pirate fixation. He finally makes friends with a girl named Saint and they forge an unbreakable bond. During this period, girls have started disappearing and on one fateful day Patch ends up saving a classmate from abduction. This sets the story rolling, as Patch ditches the pirate act and becomes obsessed with finding these missing girls and stopping a serial killer. He has no problem breaking the law, as he does so. This goes on for decades. Filled with terror, suspense, romance and unflagging friendship, this sprawling tale has more plot twists and added layers to populate several other novels. Somehow, the author keeps the reader turning the pages. Sure, I would have liked some trimming here and there but in the end, I was pleased with the journey and the unexpected but satisfying ending. Recommended.