We Begin at the End

'A beautifully written mystery, packed with unforgettable characters' JANE HARPER'Surely destined to conquer the world . . . Astonishingly good' RUTH JONES'An accomplished and moving story of crime, punishment, love and redemption' GUARDIAN'So beautifully written . . . will remain with you for a long time' LYNDA LA PLANTE'Contender for thriller of the year' JON COATES, SUNDAY EXPRESSWith the staggering intensity of James Lee Burke and the absorbing narrative of Jane Harper's The Dry, We Begin at the End is a powerful novel about absolute love and the lengths we will go to keep our family safe. This is a story about good and evil and how life is lived somewhere in between.'YOU CAN'T SAVE SOMEONE THAT DOESN'T WANT TO BE SAVED . . .'Thirty years ago, Vincent King became a killer. Now, he's been released from prison and is back in his hometown of Cape Haven, California. Not everyone is pleased to see him. Like Star Radley, his ex-girlfriend, and sister of the girl he killed.Duchess Radley, Star's thirteen-year-old daughter, is part-carer, part-protector to her younger brother, Robin - and to her deeply troubled mother. But in trying to protect Star, Duchess inadvertently sets off a chain of events that will have tragic consequences not only for her family, but also the whole town. Murder, revenge, retribution.How far can we run from the past when the past seems doomed to repeat itself?'Magnificent . . . an instant classic, a West Coast Where the Crawdads Sing . . . a special, vital novel. I'm grateful to have read it' A J FINN'I LOVED this book . . . This is a book to be read and re-read and an author to be celebrated' LOUISE PENNY'This one has it all . . . an absolute delight from first page to last' JOHN HART'A magnificent crime novel. It deserves to win a hatful of awards. A BIG hat. Consider me a major fan' MARK BILLINGHAM'One of the best books I've ever read' FIONA CUMMINS'An absolute masterclass in crime writing and story-telling' JO SPAIN'Writing that is Booker Prize good' DEBORAH O'CONNOR'One of the year's best crime reads' VASEEM KHAN

A beautifully written mystery, packed with unforgettable characters. An intricately woven portrait of small town intrigue where old and new sins collide, A sprawling epic of betrayal, faith and misguided loyalty, Chris Whitaker's third novel, We Begin at the End, is the kind of breakout book that publishers dream about. Rich with character and story, conflict and tension, humor, tragedy and raw, unadulterated guts, this one has it all. Throw in the most compelling young protagonist I've read in at least a decade, and you have a deep and meaningful story that is an absolute delight from first page to last. Nicely done, Mr. Whitaker!, An epic coming-of-age crime drama which deserves to become a classic . . . Whitaker carves out a tale reminiscent of a Coen brothers' film . . . Beautifully written and paced throughout, We Begin at the End is profound and heartbreaking . . . This masterpiece of a novel proves that Whitaker has a rare talent deserving of wider recognition. I will be amazed if I read a better novel this year, I love Duchess Day Radley so much I want to adopt her. She is every thirteen-year-old girl at risk, an outlaw both pure of heart and ill of intent, a fierce and melancholy girl, so memorable she will make camp in your brain and never leave. In We Begin at the End, Chris Whitaker has written a gorgeous, crystalline novel, a cautionary tale about the long shadows cast by our past selves, and one defiant girl with the bravery to hope for something better. I love this beautiful book

Chris Whitaker is the award-winning author of Tall Oaks and All The Wicked Girls. Both books were published to widespread critical acclaim, with Tall Oaks going on to win the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award. Chris lives in Hertfordshire with his family. Follow Chris on Twitter @WhittyAuthor