Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

Voted by members as the Mystery & Thriller additional nominee read

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker



1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.

When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.

Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.

A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope.

I plan to start this one in about a week. The only book I've read by this author was We Begin at the End, but I thought it was excellent. I'm really looking forward to this one.

It's an astonishing book. It lingers inside. I'd love to write more but I'm too sleepy now, sorry.

I'm starting this one tomorrow while traveling and hope we can make our way through the whole book, or close to, over a couple of days. I'm looking forward to it.

I'm about halfway through this one and there's been a lot of sadness. There were a few times I also giggled out loud, but I wish there were more of those heartwarming moments. I'm curious about how things will turn out and look forwarded to listening to the second half tomorrow. I will say that this one has been slower than I expected it to be. I don't mind slow books, but it didn't quite grab me the way I expected it to. I'm still committed to it though.

When I first started this book, it alluded that Patch would die. And I thought the book would try to find out who his killer was. It was so much more! Different POV’s and jumping through time. There are no dates in the chapter heading so you needed to pay attention to where the next chapter opened up.

This book has it all, secret love affair, domestic abuse, PTSD, survivors guilt, incarceration, and simple acts of kindness. You will go on a journey that spans a lifetime with two very different types of hero’s. The ups and downs of loss, and the joys of being found.

All the Colors of the Dark, to me represents what Patch could see, when Grace was sharing all the places and things that she saw. There was still beauty, in his dark captivity.