Winner of the Gold Dagger for Best Crime Novel from the Crime Writers’ Association (UK) Winner for Best International Crime Fiction from Australian Crime Writers Association An Instant New York Times Bestseller “A vibrant, engrossing, unputdownable thriller that packs a serious emotional punch. One of those rare books that surprise you along the way and then linger in your mind long after you … way and then linger in your mind long after you have finished it.”
–Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds
Right. Wrong. Life is lived somewhere in between.
Duchess Day Radley is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Rules are for other people. She is the fierce protector of her five-year-old brother, Robin, and the parent to her mother, Star, a single mom incapable of taking care of herself, let alone her two kids.
Walk has never left the coastal California town where he and Star grew up. He may have become the chief of police, but he’s still trying to heal the old wound of having given the testimony that sent his best friend, Vincent King, to prison decades before. And he’s in overdrive protecting Duchess and her brother.
Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released. And Duchess and Walk must face the trouble that comes with his return. We Begin at the End is an extraordinary novel about two kinds of families–the ones we are born into and the ones we create.
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A small town big plot festival of suspense. I have yet to find anyone who didn’t love this book. The writing is outstanding. It’s long, as crime writing goes, and yet it never loses pace. Memorable characters and razor sharp plotting. Loved it.
Set in the small towns of Cape Haven, CA and Copper Falls, MT, We Begin at the End is a haunting and somber tale of just how far-reaching secrets of the past are and the destruction they can cause to the lives of the innocent.
Duchess Day Radley is a 13-year-old self-described outlaw, doing her best to survive in a world where her mother is practically absent, father unknown, and in which she is the sole caretaker of her 6-year-old brother. Her mother, Star, is a troubled soul who always seems to find herself on the wrong end of the wrong guy or situation.
Thirty years prior, Star’s sister was killed when she was struck by a car driven by Thomas King. Now, Thomas is being released from prison. His best friend and Chief of Police is Walk, a man who’s done his best to look after Duchess and her brother, offer unwavering support to his childhood friend, and try to keep his own problems secret from everyone in town.
Tragedy strikes, as it often does when too many dark storylines converge, and Walk takes Duchess and her brother to the home of their grandfather in Montana. But it seems tragedy is never far away from the outlaw Duchess Day Radley and the ghosts of Cape Haven haunt her even in Montana. Duchess and Walk will both have to learn that where we look for family isn’t always where we think it should be, but where we make it.
We Begin at the End is a mesmerizing and tragic novel. Chris Whitaker has done an amazing job of writing in a voice that wraps around you and makes you feel warm and safe as you watch this tragedy unfold around you. Duchess is a raw and occasionally abrasive character and sometimes I felt I might be tempted to dislike her, but in the end, she is doing the best she can to protect herself in the circumstances she was given.
I received an ARC audiobook of We Begin at the End and the performance was well done and just as engaging as the storyline. At no point did I feel the voice of the performer was at odds with the characters or the story. The performance and storyline blended seamlessly.
If you’re into tragic tales, I highly recommend We Begin at the End.
We Begin at the End will be available March 2, 2021.
**I received an advanced copy of We Begin at the End from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review**
BEST BOOK I READ IN 2020!
When a book can make you laugh out loud but also bring tears to your eyes, there’s a really good chance that it’s a great book. We Begin at the End did just that for me and was a phenomenal read!
Chris Whitaker is knock your socks off talented. We Begin at the End is the third book that I’ve read by him and I have yet to be disappointed in any way. This story is so remarkable. The plot is engaging and character driven. There are some twists and turns that I never saw coming and one in particular took my breath away.
The development of the characters in this book left me speechless. Walk – a policeman who’s always looking to do the right thing and so vulnerable. He sees the best in everyone. Sky – troubled but trying her best to be a good mom despite the numerous curveballs life throws at her. Duchess Day Radley – a 13 year old survivor. She’s an outlaw and will fight for everything she holds near and dear to her heart. Duchess is the character that will grab you by the heartstrings and not let you go, even once you’ve turned the final page of this amazing story.
I can’t say enough about this book. (In the acknowledgments, the author states that this one took a long time to write. I promise you, the wait was worth it!) If you’ve never read Whitaker before, don’t wait any longer. Seriously, go read We Begin at the End. I assure you won’t be disappointed.
Then once you’ve finished this novel, be on the lookout for his other two. Both are character driven and have page turning plots as well.
– All The Wicked Girls
– Tall Oaks
Highly recommended!
Thanks to the Goodreads First Reads program for an ARC of this amazing book to read and review!
“….Nothing was inevitable. She had not chosen this way. It was her fate. It had been decided before she began…..She could only endure the unendurable.”
-Laurie Mathews
This was my first novel by this author and I was quite impressed. This was a story of loss. Things that could never be. I thought the narrator was really good. I hope to hear more of him.
I really liked the story and couldn’t wait to see how things ended. It reminded me of home. Of crazy. It was written well and pulled at me. I hoped that people would not be cruel. But life is often cruel, isn’t it? I’ll be thinking about this one for days.
This was mystery, crime, coming of age, realistic fiction and an audiobook. If you like any of those things, then I think you’ll like it. I do recommend it.
Thank you Macmillan Audio via Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.