We Begin at the End

by Chris Whitaker

Genres: Small Town & Rural; Police Procedurals; Noir

Synopsis

A GUARDIAN BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR
An EXPRESS BEST THRILLER OF THE YEAR
A WATERSTONES THRILLER OF THE MONTH

'A beautifully written mystery, packed with unforgettable characters' JANE HARPER

'Contender for thriller of the year' SUNDAY EXPRESS

'An accomplished and moving story of crime, punishment, love and redemption' GUARDIAN

For fans of Jane Harper's The Dry comes a powerful novel about 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.

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?


WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT WE BEGIN AT THE END:

'A magnificent crime novel. It deserves to win a hatful of awards. A BIG hat. Consider me a major fan' MARK BILLINGHAM

'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

'Surely destined to conquer the world' RUTH JONES

'So beautifully written' LYNDA LA PLANTE

'I LOVED this book . . . This is a book to be read and re-read and an author to be celebrated' LOUISE PENNY

'A stunning and heartbreaking book - will keep you gripped until the last moving page' CLAIRE MCGOWAN

'An exceptionally beautiful and accomplished crime novel' ALI LAND

'One of the best books I've ever read' FIONA CUMMINS

'An absolute masterclass in crime writing and story-telling' JO SPAIN

'One of the year's best crime reads' VASEEM KHAN

'One of my favourite books of all time' M. W. CRAVEN, winner of the CWA's Gold Dagger Award

'Breathtakingly beautiful. Another stunning story from the genius of Chris Whitaker' COMPULSIVE READERS

'A spellbinding masterclass in storytelling . . . one of the best books I have ever had the joy to read' ALEX J BOOKS BLOG

'A masterpiece . . . a contender for my top book of 2020' FOR WINTER NIGHTS BLOG

'I was totally seduced by this absolute masterpiece . . . took my breath away' SUIDI'S BOOK REVIEWS

'This book is bound to become a classic . . . Reader, Chris Whitaker's book made me cry . . . such is the power of this writing' LIVE AND DEADLY BLOG

'Utterly brilliant . . . This isn't just crime fiction, this is a masterclass' MELANIE READS BLOG

'A masterpiece of storytelling with clever twists and an ending to knock you sideways' CANDIS MAGAZINE

'This heart-rending story . . . is among the most powerful and moving I have read in years' DAILY MAIL

'Cements Whitaker's status as one of the most talented authors writing today' HEAT MAGAZINE

'Masterly novel' SUNDAY EXPRESS

'A dark yet painfully human tale that is impossible to forget' CRIME MONTHLY

'Beautifully written and deeply moving' SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB

'A gorgeous, crystalline novel' JEANINE CUMMINS, author of AMERICAN DIRT

Release date: March 9, 2021

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.

Print pages: 384

Reader says this book is...: plot twists (1) realistic characters (1) suspenseful (1) tearjerker (1) unexpected twists (1) unputdownable (1) year's top 10 (1)

Sample

You see something and you raise your hand.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a cigarette paper or a soda can.

You see something and you raise your hand.

Don’t touch it, neither.

Just raise your hand.

The townspeople readied, their feet in the ford. Movement in line, twenty paces between, a hundred eyes down, but still, they held together, the choreography of the damned.

Behind, the town emptied, the echo of a long, pristine summer had been smothered by the news.

She was Sissy Radley. Seven years old. Blond hair. Known to most, Chief Dubois did not need to hand out photographs.

Walk held the farthest side. Fifteen and fearless, his knees shook with each step.

They marched the woodland like an army, cops led, flashlights swept, through the trees was the ocean, a long way down but the girl could not swim.

Beside Walk was Martha May. They had dated three months, confined to first base, her father was minister at Little Brook Episcopal.

She glanced over. “Still want to be a cop?”

Walk stared at Dubois, head down, last hope on his shoulders.

“I saw Star,” Martha said. “At the front with her father. She was crying.”

Star Radley, the missing girl’s sister. Martha’s best friend. They were a tight group. Only one was absent.

“Where’s Vincent?” she asked.

“He might be on the other side.”

Walk and Vincent were close like brothers. At nine they’d cut palms, pressed them together, and sworn oaths of classless loyalty.

They said nothing more, just watched the ground, past Sunset Road, past the wishing tree, Chuck Taylors parting leaves. Walk focused so hard but still, he almost missed it.

Ten steps from Cabrillo, State Route 1, six hundred miles of California coast. He stopped dead, then looked up and saw the line move on without him.

He crouched.

The shoe was small. Red and white leather. Gold-tone buckle.

A car on the highway slowed as it came, headlights traced the curve till they found him.

And then he saw her.

He took a breath and raised his hand.


Copyright © 2020 by Chris Whitaker