We Begin at the End: Crime Novel of the Year Award Winner 2021

6 Reviews For This Product

1. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   06

   by Mark September 10, 2023

   This was crime novel of the year winner 2021, which attracted me to reading it. Whilst it is a crime novel, it is more about the complicated life of a young girl, her brother and everything that went on in her life. At the start I found it very difficult to get into and throughout there were times I considered giving up on the book. It’s probably not my type of crime novel. I think it is a well written and told story and the unravelling of the plot at the end, I must say I didn’t guess. For me it was a little too slow. You do grow to like Duchess however. Whilst well written for me it’s a 3.75 out of 5.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   06

   by terri a. September 14, 2023

   Stunning, heart breaking. I think this is quite possibly the best book that I will ever read. I will definitely read other books by Chris Whitaker, but I doubt that he could ever better this one. One to keep in my collection to keep, I think.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   06

   by Wendy October 12, 2023

   This book was beautiful and heartbreaking in equal amounts.

   Fantastic characters all with their own flaws and I cried buckets at the end. First book I have read by this author so I am going to immediately look for another.

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   06

   by Kindle Customer November 2, 2023

   I absolutely loved this terrific story. Brought me right back to Where the Crawford sing. Fascinating plotlines and well developed characters. Thank you very much

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   06

   by Spicewalker November 8, 2023

   This book has given me sleepless nights. Not because it is gruesome or scary. Not even because I was compelled to read into the small hours to finish it. If anything I took my time, reading it over several evenings in the end because I wanted to savour it. No. This book gave me sleepless nights because when I finally did finish it my mind was so awash with all the things I wanted to say about it, all the words that weren’t going to be enough, that I spent half of the night switching my lights back on so that I could make notes as soon as something came to mind. I am not a person who makes notes. I am a wing it and see kind of reviewer. This is quite the departure for me …

   This book, perhaps ironically, doesn’t begin at the end at all. Not really. It begins thirty years prior to the main story, focusing the reader on the event which is to prove to be the catalyst for all that is to come. It is a relatively unassuming opener, no quick action, no scenes to make the reader jump or unnecessarily anxious, and yet it still packs a punch, the final lines setting the tone for novel. It is a short but effective chapter which tells you all you need to know about the tone of the book, the pace, and that gives you just the hint of all you are about to experience.

   This is, when all is said and done, a murder mystery. One of the key characters is killed, the murderer seemingly apparent, but the circumstances clouded by all that has gone one before. In reality, whilst the investigators truly believe they have their man, a slam dunk case with a defendant who will neither confess to the deed, nor defend himself against the charge, as a reader you know that it is not as simple as it appears, a conviction held by town Sheriff , Walk, also best friend of the key suspect, Vincent King.

   But this book is so much more than just a murder investigation. It is a brilliant portrayal of life in a small American town. Of the residents who make up the community of Cape Haven and how the years have meant things staying the same for some and causing immeasurable damage to others. For a very English guy from Hertfordshire, Chris Whitaker has an amazing ability to create a truly authentic American voice, capturing the very essence of that style which put me very much in mind of authors such as John Hart. A kind of melancholic resignation about what is happening. His ability to put you in the heart of the action, to create such a sense of place, is perfect and as a reader it makes you feel you are there, alongside Walk as he tries his damnedest to get to the truth.

   If you are looking for a fast action murder mystery, this is absolutely not the book for you. That is not where this particular author excels. What you can expect when you pick this book up is a novel full of such deep emotion and pain that it seeps from every page. And, as I have come to expect from Mr Whitaker, he not only captures the voice, the sense of place, perfectly, he creates characters who are authentic. From Walk, to Star Radley, a young mother so broken by her past that it has devastating consequences for her present, to the neighbours who range from the nosy parker to the former jock to the creepy and dangerous landlord – you have them all. Skin crawling to sympathetic, struggling in many different ways, both mentally and physically.

   Now in every Chris Whitaker novel you get that one character who steals your heart. In We Begin At The End, that honour falls fairly and squarely at the feet of ‘The Outlaw’ Duchess Day Radley. Barely a teenager, she has more responsibility than any child should, acting as caregiver for her younger brother Robin, while also looking out for her mother, Star. Duchess has a tenacity and level of bravado that is way beyond her years, a spiky nature that is driven by circumstance. A defence mechanism, tinged with a cynicism that is sad to see in one so young. At times it is easy to forget that she is still only a child, making those moments when you remember all the more poignant. Duchess has been faced with a childhood far darker than she deserves, and with more disappointment than any child should have to go through. Her actions and reactions are understandable, gutsy and believable, able to make you smile and weep simultaneously. She is tough to a point of almost perfect isolation, but those moments when she lets someone else in, when she forgets herself and acts as any child should, are heartwarming and emotional.

   Walk is the other central character in the novel. A very staid man, he prefers the status quo trying to stave off the inevitable change that is all around him, affecting him on a far more personal level than he is willing to admit. Certain of his friend’s innocence, he guides the reader between past and present, investigating a case that the state believes is closed and looking out for Star, Duchess and Robin in a way that is totally endearing and believable. You can feel the regret that emanates from him, the blame he takes for how events pan out, making his need to set things right completely understandable. He is someone that I was happy to go on the journey with, whose dedication and determination was both tragic and commendable.

   This is a book about secrets and lies. About the lengths that people will go to to protect those that they love – about the ultimate sacrifices that they are willing to make for one another. About the unassailable bond between friends, family and lovers that spans decades and shapes a lifetime of hurt. Of how one single decision can change everything. Whilst I may have guessed in part how the story was going to play out, I still wasn’t prepared for the emotional impact I felt when the truth was finally revealed. It is an ending that is both full of sorrow and yet tinged with hope for the future, this is a very classy piece of fiction, with a stunning narrative packed with vivid description, that I am certain is going to be a huge success.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   06

   by Julie Morris November 9, 2023

   How to begin to review this book? I don’t know how I’m going to do it justice, to be honest. It was my first read of the year, and I’ve been trying, unsuccessfully, to write this review for almost three weeks. There is so much I want to convey about my feelings, and not the words to do it adequately. Still, I can put it off no longer, so here we go.

   This book is ostensibly a thriller, spanning a period of decades, and it works extremely well purely on that level. Thirty years ago a murder shook a small town to its foundations and had lasting consequences for everyone closely connected with the case, and down into the next generation. It has robbed Duchess Radley and her brother of a stable family life, and of police chief, Walk, of his best friend and peace of mind. And now the man convicted of the crime is about to be released from prison and return to Cape Haven. This is the catalyst for massive upheaval in the community and a new spate of disturbances that affect all the main players all over again to devastating effect.

   The plot of the thriller is complex and surprising, with twists and turns you will not see coming, but it offers more than a straight forward mystery. We are shown the wider consequences of crime, the cause and effect, the life-altering repercussions it has for so many people, not just the victim and perpetrator. How it changes people, rips apart families, ripples through a community as a whole, and is felt for many, many years after the events took place. It is such a considered approach to telling the story of crime that you have to admire the author’s skill, and it rewards the reader with a more cerebral experience than you might usually expect. It will provoke a lot of ruminating on the nature and consequences of both crime and the way we punish criminals in anyone who chooses to take a considered approach.

   But this book is so much more than a simple thriller, and it is in the development and examination of the characters that the true beauty and appeal of this book lies. Chris Whitaker has created real people here who will not only get under your skin, but also into your heart and will haunt your thoughts for days, even weeks, after you have finished the novel.

   The story is told by two people. The first is the police chief, Walk. As a boy, he was best friends with the person accused of killing Sissy Radley. Thirty years later, he is the chief of police in Cape Haven, faced with having to integrate a murderer back into the life of a town that doesn’t want him, look out for his great friend, Star Radley, when her sister’s killer is released, all the while not being able to reconcile the idea that his childhood friend is a murderer. This is a man at war with himself, torn between his job and firm sense of justice and responsibility to the town, and ingrained loyalty to his childhood companions. Walk’s struggle permeates every page of the book. We watch as the battling sides of his conscience inform his actions, and the impact that has on other players in the story. We ask ourselves constantly is he is doing the right thing. What would we do in his position? Is life always as black and white as we comfortably view it from a distance? Of course, it isn’t and we live that struggle through Walk’s eyes throughout the book. It is such a clever and impelling mechanism for conveying ideas and issues for the reader to grapple with.

   The other narrator is Duchess Radley, niece of the murder victim and a girl whose life has been shaped entirely by events that pre-dated her birth and over which she has no control. The murder of her aunt has made her who she is, pre-ordained her circumstances and opportunities, even though she never knew her, and it is monstrously unfair.

   Duchess Radley is the most extraordinary character I have ever come across in a novel. I can’t think of another who has affected me so profoundly as she has. She has completely wormed her way into my psyche to the point where I was feeling every single emotion she was going through. As a consequence, parts of this book almost cracked my heart in two. We get to see what has created this bravado shell she puts up against a world that has been against her since the day she was born, but we also get to see the terrified child underneath, the beautiful love she has for the little brother she protects like a fierce momma bear, and her longing for someone to take her burdens from her shoulders, but her suspicion of a world, and people, who have failed her at every turn before. It is so beautiful and honest but totally soul-destroying at the same time. No child should be in this position, the world asks too much of her, and yet her resilience is amazing. We know there are children in the world suffering in similar ways, and it is shameful. The author has created in Duchess one of the most perfect and memorable and truly successful characters that has every really lived on the page and I know she will stay with me for a long, long time.

   This is a book, ultimately, about love and loss and consequence. About family and friendship and the bonds we build with people throughout our lives in different ways, and how strong those bonds can be in the face of adversity. And about sacrifice. About what we are prepared to give up to protect the people we love most in the world and allow them to thrive, no matter what the personal cost to ourselves. It is the most extraordinary feat of novel-writing and I urge everyone to pick up a copy as soon as you can. You won’t find a much more rewarding and moving reading experience anywhere.