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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This was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Many years ago, Walk, Vincent, and Star’s lives were changed one night after an accident. It’s now the present time and we learn pieces of what happened. The characters struggle with their lives now and with the past. Young Duchess is trying to hold her family together, her mother and her little brother. There are moments of difficult loss and pain throughout this book. But there are are also moments of happiness and humor. And moments of strength.
Startling, gripping, heart-breaking, and packed full of characters I was thinking about and praying for long after I’d finished.
You know you have read an amazing book when you read the last page and feel like you have lost your best friend. This book was simply amazing The characters-all of them- are flawed, real, and could honestly be anyone you know in real life. I don’t want to ruin anything with a spoiler so let me just say read this incredible book and I hope you love it as much as I do. This book will stay with me forever and honestly I am already looking forward to reading it again. One day I hope to be as brave as Duchess Day Radley, Outlaw. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
Wow, this book is going to stick with me. There was so much tragedy, with a little bit of hope. So many lies and secrets and twists and turns and so many people trying to seek justice and the truth. I really felt connected to the characters and their struggles. I would definitely recommend this book.
Chris Whitaker’s, We Begin at the End has recently won crime book awards in both Australia and United Kingdom. An extraordinary novel that whilst both thriller and crime based has the most intriguing narrative. With wonderful characters, notably Duchess Day Radley, a thirteen-year-old girl who channels her outlaw ancestor. Feisty, protective, ingenious and above all a survivor, Duchess has to care for Robin, her five-year old brother. Set-in small-town America, with a single poverty-stricken mother, the local sheriff keeps an eye out for her and their once teenage friend in jail, a murderer. As things heat up and life becomes increasingly difficult, more trouble follows. A fascinating saga that is a character study of family, disadvantaged, survival and the natural resilience of children. Don’t be put off by the crime label – this is a wonderful story encapsulating the ambiguity and nuance of life, people and the meaning of love as only the best fiction does. A not to be missed must read delightful five-star plus rating. A powerfully emotional reading experience typified in the bar scene singing of A Bridge Over Troubled Waters.
An interesting story of a tragedy and all the lives ruined, but a bit slow in parts.
A staggeringly beautiful story of love, loss, loyalty and revenge, and with one of the best protagonists I’ve ever read. Duchess Radley is just 13 years old, a girl who is a self-confessed outlaw who doesn’t take anything from anyone. She’s dealt a difficult hand from the beginning but does whatever she needs to take care of her younger brother. When the consequences of her actions come down on her, she continues with a resilience and such an unbreakable spirit, it’s pretty impressive.
The book does feel quite melancholy, and up to the last pages that doesn’t change. Somehow managing to be mystery, crime and coming of age all in one, We Begin At The End is dark, gritty, and emotional, with elegant prose that reads like poetry. A beautiful story that will tug on every heart string.
I’m not sure I can adequately put into words how this one made me feel. This is not a happy story, but it is a beautiful one. Sometimes through pain, we can find our true selves. What we do with the knowledge once we have it…that defines us.
Duchess is an endearing character. She worries over her brother, Robin. He is first. His happiness. His well being. Just him. There is so much pain there as she tries to be everything their mother, and the father they don’t know, isn’t. It’s a lot for one so young to take on. But she is an outlaw and take it on she does.
My heart broke so many times throughout their story, and yet even through the dark, light and hope is what the reader is left with when done. Definitely recommend this one.
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I found this novel by Chris Whitaker (my first) to be excellent from beginning to end. All the characters were well developed and gripping. There was always a good storyline that contained both sorrow and humor throughout. I give the highest ratings for this excellent novel. Also, George Newbern was outstanding in his narration.
I didn’t know what to think when I first started this book. It grew on me and I could not stop reading. The way Duchess took care of her little brother was awe inspiring. There were so many tragic characters in this book but Vincent was the most tragic. He was so misunderstood. Walk was very honorable and had a tough decision to make near the end. He was just a good person. The ending was special for Robin, Duchess, and Walk. Duchess made a great Outlaw :). Anyway, stick with this one and enjoy the ride.
5+ Stars!!
(Quite possibly my #1 read from 2021)
I have written, re-written, and edited this review numerous times since I finished it back in May, but haven’t been satisfied with my thoughts on this fascinating story that is destined to become a classic. So, I scrapped it all and will state my thoughts simply.
This coming of age/mystery/thriller was immensely evocative. It will make you feel many things. Strongly. The writing was sharp, spare, and compelling and the story was in turn, devastating and hopeful. I loved the detailed writing that shaped and fine-tuned this into something tragically beautiful. There was hopefulness that cracked through some of the tragedy in the lives of the main characters, but I’m still no less than gutted by the injustices and ramifications. The characterizations are amazingly nuanced and oftentimes, the variances between who were the heroes and who were the villains were subtle. In the end, it was a thought-provoking read that has continued to stay with me.
This is the story of fate gone astray. He is convicted of killing a girl in an accident and he is send to jail. His bf is the chief of police of a small town and always believed in his innocence. The dead girls sister has two kids and the girl is left to pretty raise her brother as her mom is flighty. The story has so many twists and turns that sometimes it’s hard to keep up. The mom gets murdered and the girl, who says she’s an outlaw, decides to go for revenge. She is very troubled.
It seemed there were two writers, one at the beginning of the book and another starting in the middle. The sentence structure at the beginning of the book was very immature and difficult to follow. While the characters were interesting, though shallow it was not the best book I have read recently.
My next 5 star read is a heartbreaking read! Where do I begin? This has to be one of the saddest and most depressingly incredible must read stories! My heart broke throughout the story for Duchess and her brother, Robin. They endured so much sadness in their young lives and any hope they had was constantly shattered. This story is one you don’t want to keep reading but know in your heart you have to. Well done Chris Whitaker!
I found this book very difficult to get through. It is violent and tragic, and at times I felt that it was a bit contrived. One of the main characters is too good to be true, and before you know it he’s committed murder and perjury. The ending just isn’t worth the trauma that it takes to get there.
The Characters were well drawn and very believable. It is at the time both sad and inspiring. A really good, good read.
Phenomenal. Completely deserved B&N book club pick and any other accolades out there.
For the most part, it kept moving, although some parts in the center dragged. There is a reason for each and every character introduced, even if it’s not immediately apparent.
The author’s use of irony is wonderful. His use of incomplete sentences (sentence fragments) is jarring. The title “We Begin at the End”, is used a few times in the novel, but I didn’t really catch the meaning of it.
I plan to look for more from this author.
Great read. Characters were so real.
This book is about many things; it’s part mystery/thriller, part family story, and part literary novel. It kept me up for several nights where I was immersed in the settings. I read it fairly quickly to find out what happens next and now I want to re read slowly to savor the wonderful prose. No spoilers, but the ending is gut wrenching and inevitable.
I recommend this for readers who will be patient with the author’s less that straightforward style. Like many great books, i takes a few pages to fall into the rhythm of the words.