None yet knew of the evolving tragedy that would be their lives.
All the Colors of the Dark is a luminous, sweeping, multi-generational literary mysterNone yet knew of the evolving tragedy that would be their lives.
All the Colors of the Dark is a luminous, sweeping, multi-generational literary mystery. At a whopping 600 pages, I was hooked from the first line to the last, and this is a new all-time favorite.
Our story begins in 1975 in the small town of Monta Clare, Missouri, where girls are disappearing. When a young boy named Patch saves a girl from her would-be abductor, he sets off a chain of events that will impact the lives of everyone around him.
This book is very, very hard to review without giving away parts of the plot that I just really don't want to give away. What I will say is that the characters in this story, especially Patch and Saint, will stick with me for the rest of my life. They just feel like real people to me. Whitaker's prose is so vivid and evocative that I felt like I could see Monta Clare, and the thousands of miles from there that our characters travel. Whitaker also clearly believes that we are smart enough to put the pieces together without needing everything spelled out for us. I was fully immersed in their world.
This book isn't just a thriller - it's a deeply emotional journey that explores the endurance of the human spirit. The relationships described in this story cracked my heart wide open and brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions. I would compare the feeling I had here to the one I had when I read Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - this is not a traditional love story, but it is a love story nonetheless.
All The Colors of the Dark is a literary masterpiece that transcends genres. Chris Whitaker has created a story that is both thrilling and deeply moving, with characters that will stay with you long after the final page. This is a novel that demands to be read, shared, and remembered. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Thanks so much to Crown Publishing for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.
*** pre-review
This is just a masterpiece. I’ll never stop thinking about Patch, Saint, Charlotte, Sammy, and the world created in these 600 pages. This is my contender for book of the year right now. I’m just… stunned.
Full review to come, thank you to the publisher for the ARC...more
this is a tense and tightly plotted novel that is sure to be divisive. i think it’s going to suffer a bit from being marketed as a thriller, which i dthis is a tense and tightly plotted novel that is sure to be divisive. i think it’s going to suffer a bit from being marketed as a thriller, which i don’t quite think it is, but i’m not sure what a better categorization might be. this is a suspenseful novel of feminine rage, and araminta hall is a master at writing horrible men. i encourage everyone who picks this up to read at least 100 pages to get a feel for this story...more
this isn’t high literary quality or anything but it’s very solid crime fiction that i truly could not predicoh no! now i have to read the whole series
this isn’t high literary quality or anything but it’s very solid crime fiction that i truly could not predict the ending of, and that’s what i wanted! ...more
Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Dervla McTiernan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Nina and her boyfriend, Simon, head out for a Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Dervla McTiernan for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Nina and her boyfriend, Simon, head out for a weekend of hiking, aiming to rekindle their relationship amid nature. But when only Simon returns, the question everyone's asking is: What happened to Nina? This riveting, ripped from the headlines novel plunges us right into the middle of the story, but I want to be clear - this is not a mystery. From the very beginning, we're pretty much aware of what has happened, who has done it, and why. The real story here is watching the events unfold against a backdrop of family loyalty, media frenzy, and a gripping investigation. The story, told through the eyes of Nina's mother, Nina's stepfather, Simon's mother, Simon's father, and the detective on the case, is a harrowing tale of the way that violence can impact us all.
This book is a deep dive into the complexities of human relationships. Through the turmoil of the search for Nina, we see two families pitted against each other—Nina's, desperate for answers, and Simon's, protective and wary of the mounting allegations against their son. What sets this book apart is its ability to mirror the real-world spectacle that often surrounds such tragic events, but also comment effectively in a way that leaves it feeling singular. The armchair detectives, the viral hashtags, the spiraling conspiracies - it's all too familiar.
If you're a fan of dark and complex stories that make you examine the darker facets of human nature, this book is an absolute must-read. By the end, my heart was going to burst for Nina - and, let's be honest here, Gabby Petito. 5 stars. ...more
**spoiler alert** Well written, fast paced, tons to love. Does not feel as long as it is! However: having two storylines that don’t connect? A bad cho**spoiler alert** Well written, fast paced, tons to love. Does not feel as long as it is! However: having two storylines that don’t connect? A bad choice lmao. The two storylines themselves could’ve been delightful stand-alone novels! Didn’t need to be combined!...more
What a sweet little book! I loved Edie and Alberta. I wanted to hug everyone in this book (except Nicolette and Shauna). Highly recommend for anyone wWhat a sweet little book! I loved Edie and Alberta. I wanted to hug everyone in this book (except Nicolette and Shauna). Highly recommend for anyone who likes middle grade or has a middle grader in their life!...more
Atmospheric and haunting, I'm not sure I've ever read such a character-based thriller before. As a sucker for characterThis book. It's worth the hype.
Atmospheric and haunting, I'm not sure I've ever read such a character-based thriller before. As a sucker for character-driven work, this is exactly what I've been looking for in my life. I keep saying it in my reviews, but this was just full of characters I wanted to hug! What really really seals the deal, though, is those last 30 pages. Beautiful work by Kimi Cunningham Grant and a wonderful meditation on love and sacrifice. Rounded up from 4.75 stars....more