Read with Jenna Book Club Pick as Featured on Today
The Boston Globe’s #1 Thriller/Mystery of 2024 So Far
A Best Book of the Year: Washington Post, She Reads, Kirkus Reviews
“Kept me frantically turning the pages and somehow made me cry at the end . . . Brava!”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women
“Melds tense suspense with a powerful exploration of devotion, obsession, and love.”—People (Best New Books)
1975 is a time of change in America. The Vietnam War is ending. Muhammad Ali is fighting Joe Frazier. And in the smalltown of Monta Clare, Missouri, girls are disappearing.
When the daughter of a wealthy family is targeted, the most unlikely hero emerges—Patch, a local boy, who saves the girl, and, in doing so, leaves heartache in his wake.
Patch and those who love him soon discover that the line between triumph and tragedy has never been finer. And that their search for answers will lead them to truths that could mean losing one another.
A missing person mystery, a serial killer thriller, a love story, a unique twist on each, Chris Whitaker has written a novel about what lurks in the shadows of obsession and the blinding light of hope.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
June 25, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593943342
- File size: 421009 KB
- Duration: 14:37:05
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Publisher's Weekly
Starred review from June 17, 2024
In 1975 Missouri, 13-year-old orphan Saint Brown and her scruffy, eye patch–wearing classmate, Patch Macauley, are drawing closer by the day when Patch’s disappearance rips them apart—setting in motion this lyrical, decades-spanning outing from Whitaker (We Begin at the End), which is both a riveting serial killer thriller and a heartrending love story. Before tragedy, however, comes triumph: Patch strikes a man attempting to abduct local golden girl Misty Meyer—Patch’s secret crush—with a rock from his slingshot, allowing Misty to escape. By the time police arrive, however, the only trace of Patch is his bloodied T-shirt. The colder the investigation becomes, the stronger Saint’s resolve grows to find her friend, a task to which she applies both precocious deductive skills and ferocious tenacity—traits that will prove invaluable in her future with the FBI. Meanwhile, Patch withers away in an undisclosed location, growing obsessed with a young woman being held in captivity with him. When Saint and Patch finally do reunite, they’re both irrevocably changed. With deeply affecting characters and ambition to spare, Whitaker has conjured a dazzling epic that defies easy categorization. It’s astonishing. Agent: Jennifer Joel, CAA. -
AudioFile Magazine
Edoardo Ballerini is the perfect narrator for this multifaceted story, which revolves around Patch and Saint, two young teens who live in a Missouri town. Their friendship develops over the 25 years following Patch's kidnapping in 1975 and Saint's quest to find him. Ballerini's talent for characterization allows the principals to develop and age. He creates thoroughly believable protagonists while seamlessly introducing new characters as the story unfolds. His narration carefully reflects the variety of genres that are packed into the story. This is an entertaining murder mystery, an exploration of friendship, and a coming-of-age story. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
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