FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARK AND WE BEGIN AT THE END.
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.
PRAISE FOR TALL OAKS:
'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 Chris Whitaker is the award-winning author of adult fiction Tall Oaks, All the Wicked Girls and We Begin at the End. Tall Oaks was the winner of the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award and We Begin At The End was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month, a New York Times bestseller, a Der Spiegel bestseller, an international #1 bestseller and winner of the CWA Gold Dagger Award, the Ned Kelly Best International Crime Award, and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Gripping yet hilarious, suspenseful and sad - a brilliant debut for fans of Fargo, The Dry, The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair and Noah Hawley. WINNER of the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award Longlisted for the Bath Novel Award for unpublished first novels Reminiscent of a HBO Box Set, this is perfect for fans of Twin Peaks or Fargo A gripping story full of humour and personality, this will appeal to the enormous UK and international audience of The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair High-profile, commercial campaign, combining reviews, interviews and features, in a full range of national print and broadcast outlets alongside long and short lead women's, fashion and arts media Noir has an anarchic new voice A brilliant, beautiful, sad, funny book . . . It made me laugh, but it also made me cry more than any other book I've read this year Tall Oaks is a pleasingly unusual mixture of psychological thriller and screwball comedy from a young writer who is clearly not afraid to take risks . . . its combination of verve, humour and pathos make it well worth a read. An absolute delight . . . highly original A perpetually fascinating read It's rare that a novel can be both brilliantly comic and tragic, and balance the two so effortlessly but this tale does exactly that - with a tense rollercoaster of a story. A fine debut A gripping debut about a secret ridden American town that is propelled into the national spotlight when a three year old goes missing Entertains and intrigues I absolutely loved this debut . . . what a delight this was, revealing itself as a brilliant cross between Twin Peaks and Fargo, and with some beautifully paced reveals that definitely caught this reader on the hop. It made me smile wryly, laugh out loud and gasp in appreciation throughout, with a colourful cast of characters that Whitaker introduces and pivots between seamlessly, slowly drawing us into the connections between them. There are moments of genuine tension carefully interspersed with warmth and humour, as this band of misfits, for various reasons, go about their daily lives, with the overriding urge to make personal and emotional connections with friends, lovers and relatives. It's wonderfully plotted, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Highly recommend
