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A missing persons mystery, a serial killer thriller, and an epic love story – with a unique twist on each…
* * * * *
Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of local teenager Joseph ‘Patch’ Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who is broken by her best friend’s disappearance. Soon, she will eat, sleep, breathe, only to find him.
But when she does: it will break her heart.
Patch lies in a pitch-black room – all alone – for days or maybe weeks. Until he feels a hand in his. Her name is Grace and, though they cannot see each other, she takes him from the darkness and paints their world with her words. In this hopeless place, they fall in love.
But when he escapes: there is no sign she ever even existed.
To find her again, Patch charts an epic search across the country. And, to set him free, Saint will shadow his journey: on a darker path to hunt down the man who took them.
Even if finding the truth means losing each other forever…
******
PRAISE FOR ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK:
‘Impeccably crafted, deeply emotional, entirely shattering. I was captivated from page one.’
BONNIE GARMUS, author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY
‘Chris Whitaker’s latest novel is a book to lose yourself in… this sprawling crime novel transcends its genre to become something epic in scope, haunting and ultimately deeply moving. A huge achievement.’
ALEX MICHAELIDES, author of THE SILENT PATIENT
‘ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK is epic in every sense of the word: time, scope, skill, and love. It’s a crime novel with a huge beating heart and some of the best characters I’ve ever passed my time with.’
ABIGAIL DEAN, author of GIRL A
‘Taut, beguiling , and suspenseful, ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK reveals the depth of a town’s loss when a young boy goes missing’
NITA PROSE, author of THE MAID
‘Engrossing, heart-breaking and uplifting in equal measure – I’ve never read anything quite like it. This book will stay with you for a very long time.’
LUCY FOLEY, author of THE PARIS APARTMENT
‘This book hits like a sledgehammer. Equal parts harrowing and triumphant, Chris Whitaker’s novel is a haunting story of America, alternating between its twin strands of violence and love. I couldn’t put it down, and will always remember that 13 year old pirate, Patch, and that brilliant little beekeeper, Saint. An absolutely must-read novel.‘
GILLIAN FLYNN, author of GONE GIRL
* * * * *
Late one summer, the town of Monta Clare is shattered by the abduction of local teenager Joseph ‘Patch’ Macauley. Nobody more so than Saint Brown, who is broken by her best friend’s disappearance. Soon, she will eat, sleep, breathe, only to find him.
But when she does: it will break her heart.
Patch lies in a pitch-black room – all alone – for days or maybe weeks. Until he feels a hand in his. Her name is Grace and, though they cannot see each other, she takes him from the darkness and paints their world with her words. In this hopeless place, they fall in love.
But when he escapes: there is no sign she ever even existed.
To find her again, Patch charts an epic search across the country. And, to set him free, Saint will shadow his journey: on a darker path to hunt down the man who took them.
Even if finding the truth means losing each other forever…
******
PRAISE FOR ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK:
‘Impeccably crafted, deeply emotional, entirely shattering. I was captivated from page one.’
BONNIE GARMUS, author of LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY
‘Chris Whitaker’s latest novel is a book to lose yourself in… this sprawling crime novel transcends its genre to become something epic in scope, haunting and ultimately deeply moving. A huge achievement.’
ALEX MICHAELIDES, author of THE SILENT PATIENT
‘ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK is epic in every sense of the word: time, scope, skill, and love. It’s a crime novel with a huge beating heart and some of the best characters I’ve ever passed my time with.’
ABIGAIL DEAN, author of GIRL A
‘Taut, beguiling , and suspenseful, ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK reveals the depth of a town’s loss when a young boy goes missing’
NITA PROSE, author of THE MAID
‘Engrossing, heart-breaking and uplifting in equal measure – I’ve never read anything quite like it. This book will stay with you for a very long time.’
LUCY FOLEY, author of THE PARIS APARTMENT
‘This book hits like a sledgehammer. Equal parts harrowing and triumphant, Chris Whitaker’s novel is a haunting story of America, alternating between its twin strands of violence and love. I couldn’t put it down, and will always remember that 13 year old pirate, Patch, and that brilliant little beekeeper, Saint. An absolutely must-read novel.‘
GILLIAN FLYNN, author of GONE GIRL
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Reviews
Impeccably crafted, deeply emotional, entirely shattering. I was captivated from page one.
A truly epic crime novel and love story. As beautiful as it is engrossing- with descriptions that'll make you stop and smile and characters you'll never forget. One of the finest storytellers working today.
Chris Whitaker's latest novel is a book to lose yourself in. Beginning with a boy's abduction in a small town and the obsession for justice it ignites in him and his best friend, this sprawling crime novel transcends its genre to become something epic in scope, haunting and ultimately deeply moving. A huge achievement.
Taut, beguiling, and suspenseful, All the Colours of the Dark reveals the depth of a town's loss when a young boy goes missing.
Chris Whitaker's All Colours Of The Dark blew me away. A masterclass in storytelling. The writing is superb, the characters the best I've read. This one drew me in, every word, every page. This wonderful story will stay with me for a very long time.
I didn't think Chris Whitaker would be able to top We Begin at the End -one of my all-time favourite books - but he's smashed it out of the park. All the Colours of the Dark is a stunning book. Ambitious, epic in scale yet strangely intimate, all Whitaker's trademarks are present - humour, small town life, complex vividly painted characters you root for from page one - yet somehow it he's ramped it up. Simply incredible.
All the Colours of the Dark is an elegiac tale that can be read as a crime novel, a dark bildungsroman, a star-crossed romance, and a paean to small town America. Travelling the decades - and thousands of miles across country - the book brings to vivid life a cast of indelible characters, their triumphs and tragedies, and - via a series of beautifully executed twists - their ultimate fates. Vast, yearning, and luminous. Quite possibly the first true epic of 2024
Simply stunning. I cannot remember the last time I book sucked me in and didn't let me out of its clutches like this did. A truly exceptional masterclass in storytelling.
All the Colours of the Dark is a glorious literary crime novel: an astonishing achievement, beautifully, lyrically written, with two utterly vivid main characters, whose imperfections only make you love them more. Patch and Saint carry the reader through a dark and twisting plot, and yet all the colours of humanity and our capacity to love shine through. I read it in two days. People kept looking at me oddly because I couldn't stop weeping (in the best way possible). This is one of the best books I've ever read.
All the Colours of the Dark is mesmerizing and intoxicating, Chris Whitaker is a poet who will leave you in breathless awe and suspense. Amazing. Haunting. Unforgettable.
A stunning, bewitching novel with unforgettable characters. Achingly beautiful writing and a compelling, page-turning story; All The Colours of the Dark is a masterpiece. One of my favourite books of the year.
Epic, heartfelt and all-encompassing. A mystery wrapped in a love story that will break and then mend your heart. I already miss these characters but I won't ever forget them.
What a book. A lyrical, moving, disturbing and compassionate novel following the lives of two characters in small-town USA. Crime, but not as you know it.
From an author who creates brilliant after brilliant character, Patch and Saint are two of Chris Whitaker's most intriguing, memorable duos. I didn't want this thrilling, twisting story to end and it's going to stay with me for a long time. The book to read in 2024.
In All The Colours of the Dark Chris Whitaker masterfully draws the impact of a brutal crime on a small community. Humour and humanity shine out of the black in this heartbreaking, life-affirming story of hope and loss, good and evil, depravity and, redemption, and all the infinite shades between. Joel Dicker meets Barbara Kingsolverwith a hint of My Girl and something all of its own. Beg, borrow or steal a copy.
All The Colours of the Dark is a book unlike any I've read. It is, in fact, three books in one. An epic, cinematic tale of love and survival and grief and loss. And the generative power and destructive power of hope. It's pure and incredibly poignant - with beauty that is startling in places and agonising in others. A heartbreaking work of genius. Has to win all the prizes.
Taut, layered, vast yet intimate, tense yet tender, All The Colours Of The Dark is another tour de forcefrom Whitaker.