I‘ve read all of Chris Whitaker’s books. And I’ve loved them all. I’ve also enjoyed seeing him develop as a writer. This current work from Whitaker is ambitious in its breadth and concept. Ostensibly a crime novel it elevates itself above the bare bones of that genre by exploring issues of family, friendship, love and trauma.
If you’ve read Whitaker’s work previously, you’ll recognise settings, style and location. We’re still in small town America, so palpably described you could be forgiven for thinking Chris Whitaker is a native of those places but he isn’t, he’s British. Maybe he was an American in a previous life!
Whitaker’s characterisations are always something to behold and there’s no disappointment here. Patch and Saint leap off the page and into your hearts. Names, again, seem to play a part. Saint is perfect as was Duchess in We Begin at the End. Grace is another name or word that crops up in Whitaker’s work; the town in All the Wicked Girls was called Grace. The police play a prominent role again exerting considerable influence over the main character, here it is Nix, it was Walk in We Begin at the End.
There are some humorous moments, not as dominant as in his first two books, it’s a more serious story, but wit is always appreciated.
The crime story is complex and quite convoluted with twists and smokescreens that have you guessing and suspecting nearly all the way through. There is resolution at the end but most of all you want Saint, Patch and Charlotte to find peace of mind and understanding.
I used to receive proofs of Chris Whitaker’s books when I had some standing in the blogger ranks. Alas that state is no more. I reserved and borrowed this from my local library. I’ve had to wait weeks for it which has disappointed me less than you might think because it means that people are wanting to read Whitaker’s work. And I look forward to his next book - who knows some publisher might think me worthy of an advance copy!
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