I'll be honest, I don't know where to begin with this review. I finished it last night and I'm still reeling from it! But I'll give it a go.

I think it's fair to say that there are some 'tried and tested ingredients' in all of Chris Whitaker's books - small town America, the police chief, parents who fail their children, the teens who don't fit in the regular high school box. These may be the bare bones but the layering of the story, characterisation, sense of place and the incredibly beautiful language, turn it into something unique and magical. I've not found anyone else who writes teenagers the way Chris Whitaker does. But this time, he goes further than he has done with his other novels and the teenagers grow up. Yet they don't lose their identity. The Saint Brown we have at the end of the book is still the determined teenager she was at the beginning, refusing to give up on Patch. And Patch will forever be a pirate.

Having read all of Whitaker's books, I've seen his writing style develop. The American voice has always been there but it now flows with even more fluidity, the literary language rich and dense in detail. As I read it, I heard Matthew McConaughey's voice in my head. This is a big book but I read it slowly, taking in the words, absorbing the story. And the twists are less of a 'surprise' moment and more a slow meandering, like a river, set up early but only truly visible as you go round the bend.

I wondered how Chris Whitaker was going to top 'We Begin At The End' and this is how he's done it. Destined to be one of the greatest American storytellers without actually being American. Extraordinary.

There are no words for how good this book is. The prose. The characters. The plot. It is without doubt the book of the year and I will never forget it.

I could not get into this book at all. The author vertainly can write superb descriptions but these overtook the main essence of the story. It certainly was not a mystery thriller which was how it was advertised and this therefore disappointed me. The two main characters Patch and Saint were not likeable and I could not relate to them at all. As someone who has lived out in the USA I found that the whole story was not reflective of life out there. it seemed all made up but meant to be sound, i found this distracting.
A slow read that was not captivating for me.

All The Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker.
Publication date: June 25th/ 16th July.#

This is the book of Summer 2024. An epic tale set over decades, full of heart and a sliver of suspense and mystery. Love, art, a pirate , a beekeeper and a serial killer , a small town and an enduring friendship. The characters take centre stage over the plot yet I wouldn't categorise this book as literary fiction, while they were lines within that resonated deeply, this isn't a book that will have you marvelling over sentence structure or make you think because you will be swept up in the story and these characters. This is proper wonderful storytelling, an extraordinary story which unfolds over 25 years. Of course I approached this book with my standard level of skepticism as I approach everything in life but that was knocked from me and I was suspended from reality and captivated by this book from the first page until the last, close to 600 pages to get wholly lost in.

The book opens in small town in Missouri in 1975,Saint and Patch are best friends navigating teenage life, local girls have been going missing and when the daughter of a local wealthy family is targeted , Patch saves her and this event shapes the lives of both Patch, Saint and many of the residents of this small town with the effects rippling into decades ahead. There is bleakness and darkness in this book balanced with resonating hope. There is loss and sadness and so much love. While at times I could guess where the plot was going, this didn't disappoint me just made me turn the pages even faster. Well paced with short chapters and great dialogue, this book was impossible to put down.

If you loved Whitaker's We Begin At The End ( which I did) you too will love every word of this one and these characters. Epic, sweeping, bleak, beautiful storytelling, the perfect summer read.

A harrowing read but with two truly spectacular friendships. The tenacity of Saint trying to find first her best friend and then the girl everyone believes he imagined during his captivity is ferocious and lends itself well to the unfolding tale. There is a gentle element of suspense as Saint tries to find Grace, never really knowing if she exists but the book is more literary than thriller and possibly transcends a single trope.

When a teenage boy Patch is abducted, his friend Saint does everything in her power to find him again. The repercussions of his abduction go on for decades.

What I liked about this book: It was well written and parts of it are quite funny.

What I wasn't sure about: I found this to be a very long read. It didn't grip me at all. I think the problem was that I didn't find any of the characters all that engaging and as a result I didn't care about what happened to them. Neither Patch nor Saint was a particularly sympathetic or likeable character. I found reading about them a bit of a chore, At times I felt it was rather repetitive. My reading of the book wasn't helped by the formatting of the ARC I was sent. With no gaps between scenes from different characters' points of view it was difficult at times to follow what was going on.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. .

I always heard good things about Chris Whitaker and finally got round to reading one of his. It took a little while to get into it, but it was a beautiful, heartfelt story, with larger than life characters that stay with you for a long time. In many ways this was a love story about a crime, and not a typical crime novel! Absolutely epic tale of love, friendship and courage.

Okay. So first things first, if you have come to this book expecting the humour of Tall Oaks or the drama of We Begin At The End or All The Wicked Girls, then you may be in for a bit of surprise. I know a lot of reviews have mentioned this as being billed as a thriller or a serial killer thriller, but I don't think that really gives an accurate picture of what the story entails. Is there a serial killer involved? Well, technically, yes, Is that really what the story is about? Well, not in my eyes, no.

This book is literary fiction, not a crime drama as such. A kind of saga if you like, told over nearly 600 pages, and exploring friendship and love, unrequited and unrealised. This not really a fast paced novel, at least for the majority of it, although the beginning and end do have a sense of urgency and jeopardy. so it is one you just be prepared to invest time in and to find an empathy for characters as varied as the landscape that the author paints such vivid pictures of through his narrative style. And that is one of the key draws of this book as there is no questioning the beauty of Chris Whitaker's prose. His ability to recreate the setting of his imagination through words alone, and placing us front and centre as the story unfolds. If there is someone who can create an almost lyrical styling in their prose, it is Mr Whitaker and that is why you need to approach this book as more literary fiction than a thriller.

For me, the one area in which I struggled was in connecting with the characters. I didn't dislike or lack in some empathy towards Patch and his best friend, bee loving Saint, but I didn't feel the same kind of pull that I had towards characters from his earlier novels such as Manny or Duchess. It is fair to say that Patch is a very complicated character, someone whose future is shaped very much by what happens on that fateful day in 1975, and understandably so. He is hurt, physically and mentally, and with an already troubled childhood and a somewhat unique personality, it is no wonder that what happens changes him. When it comes to Saint, I admired her tenacity, her utter devotion to her best friend, and her refusal to ever give up on him. But there was still something, some barrier that stopped me from every quite connecting fully with the two of them. I perhaps admired her more after she had joined the police, her determination to get to the truth of the whole story. But their stories are mired in tragedy and melancholy, and the few moments of light that brighten the early pages of the story are soon forgotten.

This is a story of friendship that spans decades. A connection that endures even when fate conspires to place people on entirely different paths. It is a story of love, the kind fo love that manifests itself in various different ways. In fact, one of the most enduring loves if that of Patch towards a girl he meets whilst in captivity. He knows her only as Grace. Has never seen her face, and yet he cannot forget her. That indelible connection between them cannot be eclipsed and gives the story a kind of tragically romantic edge. A bond forged by tragedy and the most abhorrent of circumstances. I suppose, that if you can become entrenched in their love story, for that is what this book really is, then you will absolutely love this story. The quest, if you like, that Patch embarks upon to find the root of his obsession.

This is a beautifully written book, and I have no doubt that fans of the author will love the styling, maybe even fall for some of the characters. or the tragedy that befalls them. There is a deep vein of emotion that flows through the heart of the book, and you would have to be entirely hard of heart not to be moved by certain scenes. To not feel the keen sense of loss that informs the story and spurs on the characters are times. There are moments of light in the darkness, certain personalities who will make you smile just when the book heads towards the heaviest moments of melancholy, but they felt fewer in number in this book for some reason. It took me a while to finish - far slower than my usual reads, but perhaps because, like some others, I'd been expecting more of a crime novel than literary fiction. The story is complicated, the plot intricately woven and it meant I really had to concentrate, especially in the middle of the novel where Patch sets off across the country in search of Grace, I knew I would be hit with all the emotions though - it is a Chris Whitaker novel after all, and there is no escaping the talent he has for the written word. So if you like a slower, literary styled read, this could well be the book for you.

This is an epic story of love, family, obsession, heroes and sin.
A perfect holiday read, where you can dive in and let yourself get swept away.
Set over 25 plus years, we follow Saint and Patch, from when they first meet as children, to the event that changes everything, and through the years that follow.
The writing style took some getting used to, but once it caught me hold, it did not let go. And the ending was so rewarding.

Stunning story which takes you on a journey while making you laugh, cry, fear for the characters and everything in between. Chris Whitaker basically wrings every emotion from the reader until you’re left dry and empty when it’s all over. I gulped down this big dollop of literary crack in a couple of days, and now I feel like I need to read it all over again to appreciate the beautiful language and imagery. Despite the tragic events, friendships and empathy are definitely the highlights here. Even though horrific events unfold, there are moments of connection between characters that make you weep with their simple beauty. The friendship between Patch and Saint is of course the main event, but also the smaller connections. Sammy and Patch and their ongoing tally of debt, Patch and the doctor at the end just breaks your heart. Saint and Charlotte - their appreciation for each other, Misty and and Patch. Saint and Norma. I enjoyed we Begin At the End but I feel All the Colours of the Dark leaves you with a lot more hope. Just excuse me while I go off for a little cry again…

I'm not sure if I was reading the same book as the other reviewers here. This book All the Colours of the Dark did nothing for me at all. I had great difficulty keeping track of the story amongst all the descriptive waffle and didn't really care enough about the characters to want to find out what happened to them anyway. So sorry, not one for me this time.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

I've not read anything by this author so I'm very pleased to have had a chance to read this one. there were so many things to love about it, from the wonderfully real characters to the twists and turns of the story. It was a little unbelievable in places, which made it occasionally frustrating, and the end went on a little too long, but I guess that's because the author didn't want to let go of his characters. I'll definitely look out for more by this author.

I wanted to love this book. I adored We Begin at the End. Unfortunately, this book was more literary than the mystery, thriller, and general fiction it's listed under.

Literary novels are fine if you're expecting to read them. I didn't with this. It felt too long. I lost my interest and skimmed the rest.

Although this is an ARC, better formatting would've made it easier to follow.

There's no doubt the author has a talent for descriptive writing and creating interesting characters. They just didn't translate conpletely for me with this novel.

This was a book of two halves for me. I really enjoyed the writing style and the characters were compelling and surprising - I particularly liked some of the side characters like Misty and Sammy and the fact they were given fully realised lives. It kind of lost its way in the middle and became quite rambling and I found myself skimming a little.. As others have mentioned the formatting on Kindle was awful and added to the confusion. Am planning to go back and read again in book form as I want to see how this improves the pacing! It is a really unique book - I've not read anything like it for quite a while.

I tried so hard to get into this book but the way it's written makes it difficult as it's over-written and dare I say pretentious, It's trying really hard to be literary fiction but the publisher has marketed it as crime, therefore it didn't work for me. I didn't enjoy anything about it and the formatting was all over the place, making it even harder to follow. Definitely not for me. I like action and a fast pace in my crime reads. I also felt the British author missed the mark with some of his cringe-worthy attempts at showing life in the US. It just wasn't realistic so more research might have helped. Or try a trip over here!

Chris Whitaker has written a beautiful novel examining longing, searching for meaning and love through the life of Patch and the friends who surround him. Moving through his life from the traumatic event that defines him and his quest to find the person he believed saved him, it was very moving and a real pleasure to read.

WOW! Is it possible to be in love with a book? It is, and I am. All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whittaker is going to be your book of the summer. It is certainly mine - maybe of the year.
It is reassuringly long and detailed, and I soaked up every word. Another review called it 'equal parts harrowing and triumphant' and I couldn't agree more. I was on the edge of my seat and genuinely terrified, but it also had me laughing out loud (thank you Charlotte) and proper ugly sobbing. Not many books do this to me.
I have no idea how a man can write women so well, but Chris Whittaker does. He is also a Brit and writes books set in the US like a proper local.
Five stars really isn't enough. I LOVED IT and I don't think I will ever forget Patch and Saint.

Chris Whitaker's new novel is absolutely gripping from start to finish, with an intricate plot and lyrical prose. It's much more than just your average crime novel. Set in 1970s America, the setting is lushly realised with characters who feel real and authentic in every action they take. One of the best books I've read in years - I'll be buying this for everyone I know.

Hard to know where to start with this one, there are so many things to say, but most important of all has to be the way it made me feel - this is one of those books that holds you tight and doesn’t let go, I really loved it. It’s wise, astute, heartbreaking and heart mending, with a cast of characters who even now, several days after finishing the book, are still with me. The author is extremely deft at hiding things he doesn’t want the reader to see until he is absolutely ready to reveal them and so the ending really delivered. I felt the middle section was a little slow but by then I was so invested that I was happy to journey at a slightly slower pace, and what a journey! Very happy to heartily recommend this, so many thanks to the author and publisher for the chance to read an early copy.

This was such a delight to read and I thought quite an unlikely book to become my best read of 2024. Loved it, read it in one sitting.