All the Colors of the Dark is an ambitious, sprawling novel that is at once a family drama, a love story, a police procedural, and a complex, coming-of-age character study. The plot is too intricate to sum up in a few sentences, so I won’t even try. But rest assured that this is one of those immensely satisfying novels that you can just sit back and let wash over you, appreciating the layers of the story as they unfold and immersing yourself in all the nuances of the plot and the characters.

Chris Whittaker has a special way of writing that reminds me a lot of Cormac McCarthy: a simplistic style that still says so much, that evokes rich emotion and deep meaning that goes beyond the actual words on the page. For me, his writing does sometimes cross the line from “poignant” to “overwrought,” but it’s undeniably affecting nonetheless. He evokes a strong sense of place and time as he weaves the threads of a tale about friendship and love, fate and faith and found family, as he explores the long-lasting effects of trauma and how it can both forge and break bonds.

All the Colors of the Dark is a character study more than anything else, and Whittaker definitely knows how to write characters that are complex, flawed, and authentic. These characters, especially Patch and Saint, got under my skin in the way all the best characters do. Their journeys, together and separately, are full of tragedy and beauty, heartbreak and redemption – with lots of unexpected and emotional surprises along the way.

I do think there were sections of the narrative that could have been tightened up a bit, but I still enjoyed every word of All the Colors of the Dark. I’m certain that future scholars will consider Chris Whittaker to be one of this generation’s Great American Writers – and I’ll read every word he writes.

I LOVED this book. It is long and some pieces felt slightly unrealistic upon reflection but I had the best experience reading this book. The characters are well developed and I felt such a sense of place. By the end, I felt like I had been on a journey with them and loved them all. I will remember this one for a long time. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I will read absolutely anything and everything that Chris Whitaker writes! He is a master of words, painting this unbelievably rich and realistic image of the story he’s telling. He also loves to write strong, independent, and resourceful female characters in all of his stories.

Oh this book! Whitaker follows the stories of childhood friends, Saint and Patch, from middle school through adulthood. Saint is being raised by her grandmother and Patch by mom who is mentally unstable.

Their story has mystery, romance, murder, and so much more. The character development is fantastic and beautifully done. This book is long but the short chapters help make it feel shorter than what it is.

This book is an absolute must read!

Nestled in the small, unremarkable town of Monta Clare, Missouri, live a beekeeper and a pirate. As the pirate and the beekeeper try their hardest to forge somewhat normal lives against a backdrop of hardship--he in the shadow of a mother who probably should have never been one to start and she in the absence of one altogether--someone is snatching girls from Monta Clare. And one unexpected day, Patch, the teenage pirate, saves Misty Meyers from the very hands of death itself.

And disappears in her place.

"All the Colors of the Dark" is the kind of epic, character-driven story that nestles deep within your bones, and may take its sweet time getting there. Few writers today have the storytelling gift of Chris Whitaker; this novel is gorgeously atmospheric, characters are tragic and profound and completely plausible from first page to last. And as unforgettable a story as this is (spanning decades, no less) for me, it felt as long if not longer than its page count. For readers who arrived here after loving "We Begin At the End," know that you'll find a familiar comfort in "All the Colors of the Dark" in terms of its writing, but the plot is a slow burn with fleeting bursts of action. Not enough, in my opinion, to warrant a full 5 stars; but if you're looking for a character-driven procedural drama to wrap up in and visit with for awhile, this is certainly worth a read.

Wow, just wow! I’m honestly at a loss for words. How does a sprawling romance/thriller manage to be so gripping? I don’t have the answer, but from the moment I cracked open "All the Colors of the Dark" by Chris Whitaker, I was completely enthralled. If sleep weren’t a necessity, I would’ve powered through it in one sitting.

This was my first dive into Whitaker’s work, but trust me, it won’t be my last. I’m kicking myself for not discovering him sooner! His writing hits that sweet spot—just enough detail to paint the scene without bogging you down. And the characters? Flawlessly crafted, they feel so real and relatable that you can’t help but follow them through the epic twists and turns of the story. Whitaker has a knack for pacing, too—every time I thought I could pause at the end of a chapter, I found myself desperate to dive into the next.

This book is pure perfection, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s an easy five out of five stars, and it’s secured a spot as one of my all-time favorite reads—not just of this year, but ever.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker got a lot of hype this summer, and it lived up to the hype. For such a long book, there were no real periods of lagging. The book tells the story of Patch, an unlikely hero early in his life, whose heroics scar him for life. The reader is taken on a journey from when he rescues a girl from a serial killer, to being kidnapped by the killer, making friends with another captive, then spending most of the rest of his life trying to track her down. Sideline stories about Patch's best friend, who happens to also be in love with him, plus the girl he rescued being in love with him, as well as watching Patch self destruct on his lifetime journey were compelling and often gut-wrenching. The book is hard to categorize into a genre because it was so many things. It was literary fiction, thriller, mystery, and romance. What it was NOT was just another story about a serial killer. I really liked it, but found it tough to read emotionally.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I feel like no matter how I write this review I won’t be doing the book it’s full justice of how great it is & I just feel like I am unable to explain how much it has to offer a reader….but I will try.

Yes. This book is LONG. So long. Could it have been shorter, for sure. But there’s so much to it between the characters & relationships between them all, as well as the stories that unfold with them & the community that I wouldn’t want it shorter.
—>Some books are just meant to be long<—
If you’re looking for easy or short do not read this. If you want to read a book that you get so invested in the characters, that you feel like you are there sitting next to them drinking on the porch, that you are sad when something bad happens or someone’s heart is broken, or smiling so big when things go the ‘right’ way for a character(s). This is that book.

Chris Whitaker is exceptional. He’s unique. His way of writing likely isn’t for everyone (I figured that out with ‘We Begin at the End’) but after getting through this book & thinking about everything this story entailed it amazes me that any brain could come up with a story this great and complete, and have it wrap up so well after 600ish pages of a whole lot of things happening. I felt so many different feelings throughout reading this. I can’t say every direction it took was how I wanted, but then if it was it’d likely be a perfect happy ending sparkling romcom that’s supposed to have the perfect happy ending & everything go how it ‘should’. I didn’t expect the turn it took towards the end & am very impressed with how Whitaker got there. Many times I thought to myself when he was tying up things “nicely done!”, totally unexpected & very creative! This book is unique in being both mystery/suspense but also a love story in so many different aspects. Such an emotional book!

All of the characters were so defined and unique. Sammy & Charlotte were hilarious characters & probably the last I should be rooting for but I loved them. Saint was such an interesting character in every way possible.

For the reader that wants to be in the book, that doesn’t mind a book that takes a week or two to read, give this author & book a shot!

Warning there is some super crude humor/language in this, there is murder/abduction, there’s talk about abortion (real life?!) & for some I guess there may be many triggers if you’re easily offended.

4.5 stars rounded down. Why 4 stars & not 5? I dunno. I’m asking myself that currently. Maybe for risk of repeating the word again, maybe it was a tad too ‘long’, and maybe I’m somewhat contradicting myself here with the rest of my review not backing up my rating. It’s just not quite there for me at being 5 stars (I think this very well could be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me”) but this book was great & I hope fellow readers give it a shot.

Thank you to NetGalley & Crown Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy, very much appreciated!

This is a great story spanning 30 years of friendship, 30 years of finding a serial killer, many side roads of life. A lot of unexpected turns, relationships, suspense, and searching for loved ones. Loved this book.

REVIEW 🏴‍☠️🐝

All the Colors of the Dark ~ Chris Whittaker
Pages: 608
Genre: Literary Fiction

It all begins with a pirate and a beekeeper…
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’m convinced Chris Whittaker is some kind of sorcerer - after the perfection that was We Begin at the End is it really possible that he could repeat the magic in his next novel? Well folks, yes it is because All the Colors of the Dark was everything and more, beyond whatever I could have possibly expected it to be. The feelings I have for this book are overwhelming…

Some will balk at the length but I totally disagree - every word felt intentional in finely weaving a plot that was equal parts romance, suspense, and coming-of-age story making this read nothing short of EPIC. I promise you this novel will make you either realize why you love reading or will force you to ask yourself why you don’t read more.

Buy it now, borrow it from a friend, contact your library, charge your kindle - whatever means necessary. This will undoubtedly be the best book I read this year (yes, I’m aware it’s only August.)

I hated it so much at times, in the best way. I wanted to quit reading a million times but I couldn't I lived it too much to stop. I went on a full blown reading bender 600 pages in 6 days. I'm a little broken now. I loved the settings the characters all of them. This book told so many stories not just about the characters but about all of us about my lifetime, about the future. The love stories were beautiful and I loved how they all played out like intricate lace.

Saint lives with her grandmother, friendless because she's so smart and loves things like beekeeping instead of regular kid stuff. Patch lives with a junkie mother, his nickname the result of only having one eye from birth. The two find each other and start a friendship that deepens quickly.
When they are thirteen, a man tries to kidnap the school beauty. Patch intervenes and he is instead taken away. He comes to in a dark underground room where he is imprisoned for almost a year. The only thing that keeps him going is the company of another captive, Grace. He is found when Saint, who never gives up on him, discovers where he is hidden and manages to free him. Grace, however, doesn't make it out.

That sets in motion the paths of each life. Saint starts a law enforcement career, first locally then with the FBI. Patch spends his life looking for Grace and the rest of the girls the man who took him took and killed. Along the way, he becomes an artist and paints pictures of the girls he gives to the parents who will never see their daughters again. Over the years, the two friends continue to be thrown together at times and their friendship never fades. Each is the most important person in the other's world.

This book was released to great fanfare. It lives up to the expectations set by all the buzz. Whitaker explores the nature of love and friendship and whether obsession is ever valid or if it ruins lives. The two main characters are such that the reader will fall in love with both of them and cheer them on as they live their lives. This book is recommended for readers of thrillers.

I dug into this book blind and was not disappointed- in fact, I think it was my favorite book so far this year! It crosses so many genres which was pleasantly surprising. Chris Whitaker did a phenomenal job with his characters… The only thing I disliked was that I felt it was a bit of a slow burn but it was worth pushing through!

Wow. I thought he couldn’t top We Begin At the End but I loved this book even more! I was so torn between never wanting this book to end and wanting to savor every word. Whitaker is such a wordsmith. The book wrecked me in all the best ways.

Actual Rating: 3

I’ve got very mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, I really enjoyed the story progression and I appreciated how the book didn’t shy away from being bleak, but on the other hand I didn’t really connect to any of the characters to really feel the emotional impact of the development. There are moments where they’re relatable for sure, but it wasn’t that consistent for me.

All the Colors of the Dark is a story that spans several years, following Patch, a local boy known for stealing and for having only one eye. He has only one friend, a girl named Saint, who plays beekeeper while he plays pirate. One day when he saves a wealthy girl named Misty from getting abducted by a well-known serial kidnapper, everything changes. Suddenly Patch is hailed as a hero by the community, but after getting kidnapped himself, Patch is no longer the imaginative boy he once was. Patch becomes obsessed with finding the other missing girls, and as he spirals over the years, it’s up to Saint — now a police officer — to catch him.

I thought Patch was such an endearing character to read about, and the book balanced his desolate upbringing and youthful innocence perfectly. As the story went on, however, Patch turned into a more distant, almost “mythical” sort of character. By the end of the book he doesn’t quite feel like a main character because we’re not in his mind as much. Most of what we know about him is through the eyes of Saint, who I thought was a good balance to Patch, but just not as interesting of a narrator to follow.

I think the writing style is one of the best parts of this book for sure. It’s consistently poetic throughout, somehow both hopeful and desperate, and the book would definitely not have the same impact without the beautiful writing. I will be reading other Chris Whitaker books for the writing style for sure.

Ultimately, I really would still recommend this to the general public, though I do want to say that marketing this as a "thriller" is not quite accurate. Either way, it’s somehow both character and story-driven so I think a lot of people with different reading preferences would be able to enjoy it.

This is a heartbreaking and hopeful book. I almost put the book aside as it was intense, dark and dragged in the middle. I'm glad that I didn't as the last half of the book was the best part.

This one was a bit difficult to get into as it started off well but then seemed to meander only to have a solid ending that tied it together. Overall, had potential but got bogged down. Readers who like literary sagas may like this one more than the mystery crowd.

I was torn with this book. It started so beautifully and captured my attention right from the beginning. But it dragged some in the middle and then the twists at the end just didn't make sense to me. The writing was very artistic and I had to reread paragraphs multiple times because it was hard for my brain to understand what was happening. Overall, I'm glad that I read it.

I wanted to love this and I'm honestly shocked that I didn't. It has all the makings of a book that I would ADORE: rich characters, a mystery, multigenerational storytelling, and many pages! But something about it felt so slow. It felt more like a book I would read in the winter than a summer read, which I think was the main problem here.

This was such an ambitious book and I loved it! I loved following the two main characters over decades and I loved their friendship (it was the friendship I wanted Tomorrow x3 to have). It was definitely a heavy read but I felt like it was all well done. Would definitely recommend! (But check the content warnings first)