All The Colours of the Dark was my first book by Chris Whitaker and I can see why the hype. The writing style was so interesting, intense and deep that I felt overcome with emotion at times while reading. There were times when I thought I knew where the story was going only for it to take a corner and end up somewhere else. I loved the richly developed, deep and layered characters offered up here. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will certainly be reading more by this author.

Amazing and worth the hype, filled with action, this page-turner will keep you reading long into the night. Compelling and spanning decades, All the Colours of the Dark is unforgettable

Absolutely brilliant literary thriller fiction!
So clever, emotional and a real character study full of rich and engaging detail.
Super readable for such a large book, would make an excellent book club read!

This is a beautifully written missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller and a coming of age love story all in one with a unique twist on each. It’s filled with heartbreaking losses, unwavering loyalty and sprinkled with some funny commentary that will steal your heart. ❤️

“𝘞𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺’𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴.”

Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope.

“𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘶𝘱.”

The character development goes deep and Whitakers words paint a picture so masterfully 🙌🏽, you feel like you can almost smell and touch the scenes.

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦. 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.”

This is a lengthy novel, which was a little slow to start off with, and has uneven pacing, but if you have the patience it will deliver.

“‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘐 𝘥𝘰?’ 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥. ‘𝘋𝘰 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭. 𝘖𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰,’ 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥.”

Thank you Hachette Australia for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. 🙏🏽💋

Review of "All the Colours of the Dark" by Chris Whitaker

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Chris Whitaker's "All the Colours of the Dark" is a masterfully crafted novel that intertwines a missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story into a breathtaking narrative.

Set in the town of Monta Clare, the story begins with the abduction of teenager Joseph 'Patch' Macauley, sending shockwaves through the community, especially his best friend Saint Brown. Saint is determined to find Patch at any cost, but when Patch reappears, their reunion is bittersweet, haunted by the mysterious Grace who seems to have disappeared without a trace.

Whitaker's storytelling prowess shines through in every aspect of this novel. The narrative unfolds through alternating timelines and perspectives, seamlessly weaving together past and present, mystery and emotion. Patch's journey from captivity to freedom, fueled by memories of Grace, is both heart-wrenching and hopeful. Saint's relentless pursuit of truth and justice adds layers of suspense and depth to the plot.

The characters in "All the Colours of the Dark" are richly drawn and utterly compelling. Patch and Saint leap off the page with their vulnerabilities, courage, and unwavering loyalty. The supporting cast, including the enigmatic Grace and the antagonist lurking in the shadows, are equally memorable and add complexity to the story.

Whitaker's prose is lyrical yet sharp, evoking a sense of place and emotion that immerses the reader in the town of Monta Clare and the lives of its inhabitants. The novel's exploration of love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit resonates long after the final page.

Overall, "All the Colours of the Dark" is a literary triumph that transcends genres, delivering a poignant and unforgettable reading experience. Chris Whitaker has crafted a masterpiece that will captivate readers of crime fiction, thrillers, and literary fiction alike.


#BookReview #ChrisWhitaker #AllTheColoursOfTheDark #PsychologicalThriller #MysteryNovel #Bookstagram #BookRecommendation #MustRead #ReadingCommunity #BookAddict #BookLovers #AmReading #BookObsessed #BookNerd #BookishCommunity #PageTurner #NetGalley #ARC

Thank you Hachette & Chris Whitaker for letting me read an arc of the book.

Crime/murder mystery with romance combined gives you an amazing story that goes through many years but still makes you feel like your at the start and just wondering alongside them and seeing what the characters outcomes are.

This book made me feel many emotions for the characters and what they had to go through.

Amazing storytelling and writing style and makes me want to read more of what the author wrote.

All the Colours of the Dark
Chris Whitaker

“Most men play at appearing decent; the rest aren’t as good at the game.”

This was a haunting tale. Utterly beguiling.
This book is unique and so captivating. It had a blend of missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller and an epic love story all combined in one. The ending hit home like a sledgehammer.

“Nothing in this earth more beautiful than sacrifice, Kid. You’ll do well not to learn that yourself.”

The town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of teenager Joseph ‘Patch’ Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who will move heaven and earth to right the world again.

“This needs to end before you get yourself in a world of trouble.”
“Tell me she’s okay.”
“I can’t do that.”
Patch met his eye. “If she’s not okay, then it’s not the end.”

The random convergence of innocence and guilt. The battle against prejudice and opportunity. The over arching theme that hope can overcome, against the longest odds, hope can win out.

It was heartbreaking and soaring and made this a deeply moving story.

“People talk about one life… one chance. But I reckon a single life is made up of a dozen or more roles and responsibilities. I can count the versions of myself like friend and foe. Mistakes are the detours that remind you of the true way, Saint. To love and be loved is more than can ever be expected, more than enough for a thousand ordinary lifetimes.”

All the Colours of the Dark is a soaring thriller and an epic love story spanning decades that will stay with me. These characters and their stories are unforgettable.

“Though it’s dark, I’ll always find you. Though you’re stronger than me, I’ll always make sure that you’re safe. To me, you’ll always come first.”

This was impeccably executed with a slower pace than some thrillers but all the more to seep into your soul.

‘He did not know darkness could be so beautiful.’

Released tomorrow, June 25th 2024!
I recommend you look into this.

“Memories lie in people, not places and things.”

Thank you @hachetteaus and @chriswhiterauthor 👏

“They say I’m a pirate. And you’re a lawman.”

'Your rainbow connection...Everyone on this earth is placed here for someone else. You follow your dreams and find them, you make a match and nothing else matters'.

'Patch' is a 13 year old, one-eyed pirate and on the morning when his best friend Saint lost her bees, he was kidnapped. This story of friendship seemed doomed to have ended that summer, but really it had only just begun. Over the next 25 years, despite their lives being punctuated by historical world events throughout, there's only one thing that truly matters: Grace. Putting a face to the faceless becomes an obsession, through which we learn people's true colours. We learn of hope and hopelessness; faith and faithlessness; good people who do bad things for good, and the importance of truth, 'he realised people were born whole, and that bad things peeled layers from the person you once were...he knew those layers could sometimes be rebuilt when people loved you. When you loved'.

This book deserves a golden buzzer. It's technically classified as a contemporary, crime/mystery. It is that, but that's an undersell. The lyrical writing and literary nature of the book completely captivate you. After riding an emotional roller coaster for hundreds of pages, you finally reach the top of the final drop, and plunge full force into the wild, thrilling ride to the end.

I could litter this review with scores of poignant quotes, however, to paste them out of context would somehow mar their beauty. You're best to read it yourself. Discover it for yourself. You won't regret it.

'grief is a part of life. It's the unknown that truly ruins us'.

This book is a DNF, the writing style is not for me. I will not be reviewing this book elsewhere to be fair to the author.

We Begin at the End is one of my all time favourite books so when I saw that Chris Whitaker had a new book out I was very excited. At 608 pages one could think it is a long read but once you commence the pages turn quickly as you become engrossed in the story.

Set between 1776 and 2001 this is a story about murder, love, redemption, friendship and so much more, a book that makes you experience so many emotions, incredible storytelling. You will laugh and cry but also your heart will be warmed, these wonderful characters that Chris Whitaker has done such an excellent job of portraying, it is so well written.

The book focuses on the friendship between Patch and Saint who become friends as teenagers, Patch aptly named as he only has one eye and Saint a huge lover of bees. Patch tries to stop a crime that involves the daughter of one of the towns most prominent families and then he disappears. Saint is absolutely devastated and this occurrence will have a dramatic effect on her life. I do not want to say anymore as I feel it is best you go in knowing as little as possible, the author slowly reveals more and more as the book progresses and you will discover surprises along the way.

I honestly cannot recommend this book enough, yes it is long but I read it over 2 days and it never dragged for me. These are characters I will stay with me for a long time, especially Patch. When characters like this make such an impression on you, the author has done a very successful job. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

What a incredibly crafted plot mixing different genres seamlessly. The love story broke my heart and the mystery had me dying to find out whodunit.

The story is set in 1975, girls are going missing and one in particular, the target of a wealthy family, is saved by a boy, who becomes a local hero. But he leaves heartache in his wake. The story continues over 25 years or longer and while it was quite dark and terrifying, it was also hopeful. So hard to review without spoilers, so I must leave it there. Certainly a memorable novel.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hachette for this gifted review copy.