All the Colors of the Dark: Character List

Joseph “Patch” Macauley

One of the story’s protagonists. Patch is kidnapped when he is thirteen, while saving Misty Meyer from her attacker. He was born with only one eye, and wears an eyepatch, leading him to identify as a pirate throughout his youth. Patch comes back from his kidnapping entirely changed; his childlike wonder is replaced with the grim reality of danger, and grief over Grace’s complete disappearance. Unable to move on from his trauma, he spends the rest of his life searching for Grace. He becomes a talented painter in his pursuit of trying to visualize her, and in trying to find her, discovers a passion for helping missing children everywhere.

Read an in-depth analysis of Patch Macauley.

Saint Brown

One of the story’s protagonists. Despite her small stature, Saint is brave and determined. She is a passionate beekeeper upon moving to Monta Clare, and often turns to hobbies to keep herself busy. Friendless for much of her youth, she falls in love with Patch upon meeting him, finding in him the companion she always wanted. When he disappears, Saint is devastated, stopping at nothing until she finds him. Afterward, Saint dedicates many, many years to finding Grace in hopes that the girl’s return will finally let Patch heal and move on in his life. Saint loves deeply; she will do anything for the people she cares for.

Read an in-depth analysis of Saint Brown.

Grace

Patch’s companion during his capture. Grace visits the bunker Patch is kept in and keeps him entertained, spinning long stories about the outside world and giving him hope. She is worldly and inspiring, full of life despite her captivity. Though others doubt her existence, assuming Grace was merely a figure of Patch’s imagination, Patch dedicates his life to finding out what happened to her.

Norma

Saint’s grandmother. Norma drives a bus for work, and is often gossiped about throughout town. Her husband died when Saint was young, leaving her to raise Saint by herself. Norma is a faithful Christian; she is tough on Saint but loves her dearly, and does all she can to support her granddaughter even though what she wants for Saint often clashes with what Saint wants for herself.

Misty Meyer

Patch’s first love. Misty is attacked by Eli Aaron when she is just a girl, and saved by Patch. She carries guilt over this for a long time, and eventually falls in love with Patch after his return. Misty is feisty and strong, and does everything she can to support Patch until he breaks up with her. In adulthood, Misty grows wise and patient; she knows herself well and doesn’t compromise, holding Patch to a high standard once her daughter comes into the picture.

Sammy

An art collector. Sammy owns Monta Clare Fine Art, a gallery on Main Street. He takes Patch in after his rescue, giving him an outlet to deal with his trauma through painting. Sammy supports and advises Patch throughout his life; he is a drunk with impeccable taste, sparing no expense on food and alcohol and the people he holds most dear.

Chief Nix

Chief of the Monta Clare Police Department. Nix is a kindly man who takes his job seriously, looking out for all the people of Monta Clare but Saint and Patch especially. He takes Saint under his wing after Patch’s disappearance, eventually agreeing to train her as a policewoman. Nix is a father figure to Saint, and does all he can to support her.

Eli Aaron

Patch’s abductor. Eli Aaron hunts down girls who he believes are sinners in the eyes of God, posing as a photographer to get close to them in order to kidnap and kill them.

Martin Tooms

The town doctor in Monta Clare. Tooms is a kindly man who looks out for Patch when Patch is young and is ultimately accused of working with Eli Aaron. He is seen in the woods around the time of Patch’s abduction, and claims he was looking for a dog.

Mrs. Meyer

Misty’s mother. Mrs. Meyer is an upright and composed woman. She cares deeply for her daughter and granddaughter, and does everything she can to support them. It takes her a long time to warm up to Patch.

Jimmy Walters

Saint’s love interest at the start of the novel. Jimmy begins courting her when they are just teenagers; he is a man of the church, and ultimately Norma convinces Saint to accept his proposal. After their marriage, Jimmy flounders, failing his test to become a veterinarian and turning to alcohol. He becomes an angry, sullen man.

Ivy Macauley

Patch’s mother. Ivy is an alcoholic who is incapable of holding a job and taking care of her son, but she loves him dearly and shows it in little ways. Although she struggles to support herself and her son, Ivy is always impeccably dressed and made up. When Patch disappears, Ivy loses what little self-composure she has left; she begins drinking more and taking more pills, and eventually dies when Patch is a teenager.

Charlotte Meyer

The daughter of Patch and Misty Meyer. Charlotte is fiery and sharp, smart and skilled. She has inherited her mother’s charm and looks, and her father’s penchant for fighting as well as helping others.

Callie Montrose

A girl who mysteriously disappears a little while after Patch. She is thought to have been taken by Eli Aaron, and her blood in a bunker on the Tooms land is what leads Dr. Tooms to be arrested.

Executive Himes

Saint’s boss at the FBI. He scouts Saint early on from her work on the Eli Aaron case and brings her onto the force before she is even old enough to train with them. He is always eating something.

Franklin Meyer

Misty’s father. He is a wealthy, arrogant man intent on controlling his daughter’s life.

Chuck Bradley

Misty Meyer’s high school boyfriend. Chuck is popular in school but viciously bullies Patch and Saint.

Daisy Creason

A Reporter for The Tribune. She runs the story on Patch’s disappearance.

Sister Cecile

A nun at the church in Black Rock.

Sister Isabelle

A nun at the church in Black Rock.

Warden Riley

The prison warden. A conceited and ill-intentioned man.

Darnell “Blackjack” Richardson

A guard at the prison who looks out for Patch.

Deputy Michaels

Saint’s deputy at the Monta Clare Police Department.

Richie Montrose

Callie Montrose’s father, a cop.

Cooper Strike

The prison librarian. Cooper is the brother of Eloise Strike, and he helps Patch escape from prison.

Tug

An old prisoner. Tug advises Patch on escaping the prison, and causes a distraction to aid Patch’s escape.

Walter Strike

The father of Eloise Strike, a missing girl.

Harkness

A police officer at the Monta Clare Police Department.

Jasper

Saint’s lawyer.

Candice and Nicholas Addis

The adopted parents to Saint’s son, Theodore.

Theodore

Saint’s son, who she gave up for adoption.

Lucy Alston

A lab worker.

Dawn

A bank teller.

Katie

A waitress at the Moon Under Water diner.

Stevie Harris

A forensic examiner. She digs up the bones of Tooms’s dog.

Ashlee Miller

A girl Saint saves from Eli Aaron.

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