Chris Whitaker

What would you do if you knew the world was going to be destroyed by a huge asteroid in one month? The mesmerising YA debut from the winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel 2021 and the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End. They knew the end was coming. They saw it ten years back, when it was far enough away in space and time and meaning. The changes were gradual, and then sudden. For Mae and her friends, it means navigating a life where action and consequence are no longer related. Where the popular are both trophies and targets. And where petty grudges turn deadlier with each passing day. So, did Abi Manton jump off the cliff or was she pushed? Her death is just the beginning of the end. With teachers losing control of their students and themselves, and the end rushing toward all of them, it leaves everyone facing the answer to one, simple question... What would you do if you could get away with anything?

There are two kinds of families: the ones we are born into and the ones we create. Walk has never left the coastal California town where he 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. Now, thirty years later, Vincent is being released. Duchess is a thirteen-year-old self-proclaimed outlaw. Her mother, Star, grew up with Walk and Vincent. Walk is in overdrive trying to protect them, but Vincent and Star seem bent on sliding deeper into self-destruction. Star always burned bright, but recently that light has dimmed, leaving Duchess to parent not only her mother but her five-year-old brother. At school the other kids make fun of Duchess--her clothes are torn, her hair a mess. But let them throw their sticks, because she'll throw stones. Rules are for other people. She's just trying to survive and keep her family together. A fortysomething-year-old sheriff and a thirteen-year-old girl may not seem to have a lot in common. But they both have come to expect that people will disappoint you, loved ones will leave you, and if you open your heart it will be broken. So when trouble arrives with Vincent King, Walk and Duchess find they will be unable to do anything but usher it in, arms wide closed. Chris Whitaker has written an extraordinary novel about people who deserve so much more than life serves them. At times devastating, with flashes of humor and hope throughout, it is ultimately an inspiring tale of how the human spirit prevails and how, in the end, love--in all its different guises--wins.

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 AssociationAn 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 have finished it."--Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four WindsRight. 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.

FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK.*THE THEAKSTON'S OLD PECULIER CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR**WINNER OF THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR BEST CRIME NOVEL OF THE YEAR**WINNER OF THE NED KELLY INTERNATIONAL AWARD*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:'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'A magnificent crime novel. It deserves to win a hatful of awards. A BIG hat. Consider me a major fan' MARK BILLINGHAM'So beautifully written' LYNDA LA PLANTE'Incredible writing, characters so brilliantly drawn they jump off the page. Outstanding' BA PARIS'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'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

"It's rare that a novel can be both brilliantly comic and tragic, and balance the two so effortlessly." -- Sun Nothing is as it seems in Tall Oaks, a small California town where everyone knows each other and violent crime is unheard of. The community's idyllic fa ade is shattered when a kidnapper in a clown costume snatches three-year-old Harry Monroe from his own home. Despite sensational media coverage and dogged police investigations, the abduction remains a mystery. Three months later, Harry is still missing and most people have moved on, except for Jessica, Harry's distraught mother, and Jim, the local sheriff. Anyone in Tall Oaks could be a suspect: Jerry, the loner with a secret that only his mother knows; Jared, the roving lothario; teenage Manny, an aspiring gangster; and even Jessica's Aunt Henrietta and Uncle Roger, who are clearly hiding something. Chris Whitaker's debut novel, with its striking blend of tragedy and offbeat humor, was awarded the U. K. Crime Writers' Association New Blood Dagger Award. The Guardian praised this beguiling novel as "a pleasingly unusual mixture of a psychological thriller and screwball comedy," noting that "the combination of verve, humor, and pathos make it well worth a read." "A gripping debut." -- Mail on Sunday "A brilliant, beautiful, sad, funny book ... It made me laugh, but also made me cry more than any other book I've read this year." -- Emma Flint, author of Little Deaths "Completely blew me away." -- Lisa Hall, author of Between You and Me and The Party "Chris Whitaker builds an entire town in the reader's head and masterfully inhabits it comic, poignant, gripping life. Tall Oaks becomes a part of you." -- David Whitehouse, author of Mobile Library and Bed

FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK AND WE BEGIN AT THE END. Everyone loves Summer Ryan. A model student and musical prodigy, she's a ray of light in the struggling small town of Grace, Alabama - especially compared to her troubled sister, Raine. Then Summer vanishes. Raine throws herself into the investigation, aided by a most unlikely ally, but the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous her search becomes. And perhaps there was always more to Summer than met the eye . . .'A very real, very rare talent' SARAH HILARY'Wonderful' M. R. CAREY'Riveting' VASEEM KHAN'Amazing' LISA HALL'Gripping and heartbreaking' DEBORAH O'CONNOR'Phenomenal' JO SPAIN'Stunning' MICHELLE DAVIS'Remarkable' MIKE THOMAS'Dark, evocative and the characters will break your heart' TAMMY COHEN

***FROM THE AUTHOR OF WE BEGIN AT THE END, 2020's MOST CAPTIVATING AND UNFORGETTABLE READ, DESCRIBED BY RUTH JONES AS 'SURELY DESTINED TO CONQUER THE WORLD'***'Noir has an anarchic new voice' SARAH HILARY'A brilliant, beautiful, sad, funny book . . . also made me cry more than any other book I've read this year' EMMA FLINTISN'T IT ABOUT TIME THAT YOU MADE A DATE TO VISIT TALL OAKS? Tall Oaks is an idyllic small town, until the disappearance of a young child throws the tight-knit community into crisis. Jess Monroe, the boy's distraught mother, is simultaneously leading the search and battling her own grief and self-destructive behaviour. Her neighbours watch on, their sympathy masking a string of dark secrets. This is a small town where nothing is as it seems, and everyone has something to hide. And as the investigation draws towards a climax, prepare for a devastating final twist . . . Dark, full of suspense and packed with twists, this brilliant new thriller is like nothing you've read before. SEE WHAT THE WORLD IS ALREADY SAYING ABOUT THIS BRILLIANT DEBUT NOVEL'An absolute delight . . . Highly original' LAURA WILSON, GUARDIAN'Completely blew me away' LISA HALL'One of the best books I've read this year' JO SPAIN'Chris Whitaker builds an entire town in the reader's head and masterfully inhabits it with comic, poignant, gripping life. Tall Oaks becomes a part of you' DAVID WHITEHOUSE'It's rare that a novel can be both brilliantly comic and tragic, and balance the two so effortlessly' SUN'A gripping debut' MAIL ON SUNDAY

Komplekt iz 3-kh knig, predstavljajuschij samye jarkie detektivy-trillery poslednikh let, imejuschie status vysokoj literatury: "My nachinaem v kontse", "Pervyj den vesny", "Zerkalnaja strana". "My nachinaem v kontse" Tridtsat let nazad Vinsent King stal ubijtsej. Otsidev ves srok, on vozvraschaetsja v svoj rodnoj gorodok na poberezhe Kalifornii, gde daleko ne vse rady videt ego snova. Naprimer, Star Redli - rodnaja sestra toj, kogo on ubil. Tridtsat let nazad Star Redli byla devushkoj Vinsenta Kinga. Ona nastolko slomlena svoim proshlym, chto opustilas na samoe dno i nuzhdaetsja v postojannoj opeke sobstvennoj docheri-podrostka i Uoka - druga semi. Tridtsat let nazad Uok byl luchshim drugom Vinsenta Kinga. On stal shefom mestnoj politsii, no tak i ne smog izbavitsja ot vsepogloschajuschego chuvstva viny. Ved imenno iz-za ego pokazanij Vinsent na neskolko desjatkov let ugodil v tjurmu. Tridtsat let nazad Dachess Redli esche ne rodilas. Ej tolko trinadtsat, a ona uzhe schitaet sebja "vne zakona". Pravila pridumany dlja drugikh - ne dlja nee. Na nej derzhitsja vsja semja - pjatiletnij bratik Robin i besputnaja mat Star Redli, kotoruju Dachess jarostno zaschischaet, nesmotrja ni na chto. I eta jarost zapuskaet tsep sobytij, obernuvshikhsja tragediej ne tolko dlja ee semi, no i dlja vsego goroda... "Pervyj den vesny" Krissi Benks - vosmiletnjaja ubijtsa. Ona ubila malchika mladshe sebja. Politsija ischet izverga, i nikomu i v golovu ne prikhodit, chto eto delo ruk devochki iz neblagopoluchnoj semi. Okruga v uzhase, roditeli trjasutsja za detej, a lishennaja zaboty i laski Krissi raduetsja etomu: ved vse zavertelos iz-za nee, ona teper vazhnyj chelovek, pust dazhe nikto ob etom ne znaet. Poka... Cherez mnogo let Krissi - mat-odinochka, skryvajuschajasja pod vymyshlennym imenem i zhelajuschaja dat dochke detstvo, kotorogo ne bylo u nee samoj. No eti prokljatye telefonnye zvonki... Esli ikh vychisljat i nastignut, Krissi navsegda poterjaet to edinstvennoe, chto okazalas sposobna poljubit. I eto strashnee ljubogo drugogo nakazanija... "Zerkalnaja strana" Vesterik-roud, 36 - staryj kamennyj dom na okraine Edinburga. Mrachnyj i tainstvennyj, s uzkimi izvilistymi koridorami i temnymi nishami. No glavnaja ego tajna - ta, chto nadezhno ukrylas sredi sten. Zerkalnaja strana - jarkij voobrazhaemyj mir, pridumannyj sestrami-bliznetsami Ket i El v detstve. Ikh edinstvennoe ukrytie... No ot chego? Sejchas Ket za tridtsat. Ona davno ne obschaetsja s sestroj i redko vspominaet o proshlom. No uznav, chto odnim solnechnym utrom El pokinula edinburgskuju gavan na svoej parusnoj lodke i propala, Ket vynuzhdena vernutsja na Vesterik-roud... Chto by ni sluchilos, devushka uverena: sestra ne umerla. Ona by eto pochuvstvovala. Ona by znala... Za dvadtsat let dom nichut ne izmenilsja. Na kazhdom shagu Ket podzhidajut zloveschie prizraki proshlogo. Kto-to shlet ej zagadochnye imejly s podskazkami, sleduja kotorym, ona vsegda nakhodit ocherednuju sprjatannuju stranitsu iz dnevnika El. I eti stranitsy, odna za drugoj, vozvraschajut devushku nazad v Zerkalnuju stranu. Tuda, gde skryvaetsja pravda i gde ej pridetsja stolknutsja s uzhasajuschej realnostju svoego detstva. Detstva, kotoroe bylo sovsem ne takim idillicheskim, kak ona pomnit...

På overflaten fremstår Tall Oaks som en idyllisk småby der alle kjenner hverandre og ingenting skjer. Men da tre år gamle Harry kidnappes, slår fasaden sprekker. Nasjonale medier følger saken fra dag til dag, men til tross for politiets iherdige innsats forblir forsvinningen et mysterium. Tre måneder senere er Harry fortsatt ikke funnet, og den desperate moren Jess og den lokale sheriffen Jim er de eneste som ikke legger saken bak seg. For i Tall Oaks har alle hemmeligheter – også Jess og Jim … Tall Oaks er intet mindre enn en litterær bragd: En roman som portretterer småbyens innbyggere med både humor og varme, samtidig som den grufulle forsvinningen skildres med thrilleraktig spenning.