Chris Whitaker
Chris Whitaker is a British author best known for his thrillers.
Chris has been forthright that his childhood was marred by physical violence that changed his life. At 10, after his parents’ divorce, his mother’s new boyfriend broke his arm and warned him to keep it a secret. The abuse escalated when he was burned with a cigarette, leaving Chris with anxiety and sleeplessness.
At 19, he was stabbed during a mugging after refusing to hand over his phone, an event that plunged him into suicidal thoughts, along with drug and alcohol abuse. Reflecting on that dark period in a 2020 essay for The Guardian, he wrote: “There was this bleakness—this feeling that there is absolutely no way out of this. That I’m not going to get better.”
A self-help book on PTSD, discovered in a library, became a turning point for Chris. The book encouraged him to write down what happened, rewrite it, and change the outcome, sparking his passion for writing.
In his 20s, Chris pursued a career in finance, spending 10 years in the industry. He said of the work, “It was fun. Absolutely exhausting and intense but I loved it. I think I was well suited to it, though the late nights took their toll. His time as a stockbroker wasn’t without its trouble, however. At one point, he made a disastrous trade, losing £1 million and attempting to cover the losses. His bosses allowed him to work off half the debt rather than calling the police. This period saw a return to substance abuse but also a deepened commitment to writing.
He eventually quit finance and began working at several other jobs to focus on writing. His debut novel, Tall Oaks, was published in 2016 and won the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger Award. This book was followed by All the Wicked Girls. His third novel, We Begin at the End, became a bestseller, allowing Chris to finally become a full-time writer. His latest book, All the Colors of the Dark, is earning widespread praise and recognition.
Chris currently lives in Hertfordshire with his wife and children.
