The Chalk Man – C.J. Tudor
In The Chalk Man, we follow Ediie and his friends during two points in his life. His past and during the now.

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy little English Village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get, as every little kid does. The chalk man are their secret code; little chalk stick figures they leave for each other as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing will ever be the same.
In 2016, Eddie is fully grown, and thinks he’s put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out his other friends got the same messages, they think it could be a prank.. until one of them turns up dead. That’s when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago…

First of all, I want to thank Penguin or granting me a review copy! I got so excited when I saw that I could read and review this book!

So yeah, this book is actually on my anticipated reads 2018 list. Which means I’m very hyped about this book! Which also means, that most of the time, those books disappoint me. So, did this book ended up being a huge disappointment?

I loved that we had a story that was both relevant in the past and in the now. That tells you the importance of the stuff that has happened in the past, and how you need to pay attention to everything that happened when Eddie was a child, and when he is a grown-up.

The book kept me in the dark with everything until the last page, which is so amazing! Things were so mysterious and it kept me craving for more, even after the book ended!
The whole book was such a mind blowing thing! It left me on the edge my seat with my mouth wide open in disbelieve! And I am so serious about it keeping me on the edge on my seat, I literally finished the book in less than 24 hours. Because I couldn’t stop reading!
It was practically impossible to stop reading! The book was so freaking addictive!

I’ve read that this book probably will be the next global thriller sensation. But I can leave the ‘probably’ out. This book is so freaking amazing! I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy and re-read it with the knowledge I’ve gained!
This book is so amazing, and I so recommend you this book! If you’re in to thrillers, it is a crime to not read this book!

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars!

A wonderful, creepy, haunting storyline. It’s what the characters don’t say that’s scary. Had to stay up all night to finish it.

If like me you follow up and coming book releases with interest then you will know there is a lot of hype surrounding The Chalk Man, and I can see why, it's highly original, well written but if I'm honest although I enjoyed this book I didn't love it as much as I thought it would. Now I know this statement is going to have many fellow readers up in arms, but unfortunately and probably due to the huge amount of hype surrounding this book I expected so much from this book but it never quite hit the mark. Don't get me wrong it's well written and the author has done a remarkable job creating her characters and producing a book that was both atmospheric and creepy, but I found the pace slower than I like in a book.

Im kinda sad. I havent been this sad in a while after finishing a book. You know why? Becasue the book was just so friggin good and enjoyable I didnt want it to end!

Its hard to give a synopsis of the story without giving away some spoilers but here goes. (spoiler free)

The story is based around a group of 5 friends, told from their childhood in 1986 and present day as adults.
Our main protagonist and narrator of the book is Eddie and we also have Fat Gav, Hoppo, Metal Mickey and Nicky.

They leave secret messages for themselves with drawings of chalk men. Only they can understand who left the message and what they mean. But when they find a mysterious chalk man image and it leads them to the dismembered body of a girl in the woods.

Back to present day and Eddie thinks he has left it all behind him until he receives a chalk man in the post. He soon finds out that his other friends have also received one and when one of them turns up dead he realises that he needs to figure out what really happened all those years ago if he is to save himself and his friends.

Now that just skirts the surface of this fantastic novel. You will have to read it to find out the whole story and enjoy the time with these five characters and numerous other fantastically vivid and memorable ones - the Vicar and Mr Halloran to name two. They are already etched in my brain.

The story is set in the town of Anderbury in England but for some reason I spent most of my time picturing this story somewhere in the US. Maybe because it reminded me a lot of The Body by Stephen King with a touch of The Goonies thrown in. Hell even the vicar felt like a US preacher and Mr Halloran also felt like he belonged in a strange novel set in a small US town.

I cant begin to tell you how much I loved this book. It was just immensely readable. The story itself is really good but its more how it is told here that is the real beauty of this book. Yes, there is a mystery to it but thats not really the point of this book, or more to the point, the real enjoyment of this book. The beauty of this is in the writing, the characterisation etc. You are put into an immersive world with fantastically vivid characters popping out of the pages. I cant remember the last time I was so invested in a book and so totally immersed. I tried to slow down towards the end as I didnt want it to come to an end.

it is hard to believe that this is a debut novel. There is such an assuredness about the authors writing. You feel like your hand is held from the start and you are brought on the journey with the characters through the magic of the authors words as she steers you safely through the many crazy happenings and characters in Anderbury.

If you havent guessed already from my somewhat babbling and incoherent review, I adored this book. It is among and quite possibly my favourite read of the year. Do yourself a favour and get your hands on a copy. id be astonished if you dont find it anything short of brilliant.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin UK and C.J. Tudor for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin UK for offering me an ARC copy of this novel that I freely chose to review.
This story, told in two different time frames by Eddie Adams (known as Eddie Munster as a child, because all the friends had nicknames and somehow the Munsters and the Adams became conflated into one…), has all the elements fans of mysteries and thrillers love. Strange characters, plenty of secrets, red herrings and false clues, lies, many suspects, a slightly odd setting, bizarre murders, strange relationships… A murder involving bizarre circumstances (a chopped-up body with a missing head, strange chalk drawings…) took place in a small and picturesque UK city (it sounds small enough to be a town, but as it has a cathedral, it is a city) in 1986 (although there were other strange things that happened at the time too, coincidental or not), and became known as the Chalk-Man murder. Thirty years later someone starts asking questions and stirring things up. Eddie narrates, in the first-person, the events, including his memories of what happened when he was a teenager and also telling us what is happening now. Those of you who read my blog know I have a thing for unreliable narrators, and, well, Eddie is a pretty good one. He is an English high school teacher and seems fairly reliable and factual in his account, and he does a great job of making us feel the emotions and showing us (rather than telling us) the events; although slowly he starts revealing things about himself that make him less standard and boring, and slightly more intriguing. Eddie does not have all the information (it seems that the friends kept plenty of things from each other as children), and sometimes he is unreliable because of the effect of alcohol, and possibly his mental state (his father suffered early dementia and he is concerned that he might be going down the same path). But there are other things at play, although we don’t fully get to know them until the very end.
The story reminded me of Stephen King’s It, most of all because of the two time-frames and of the story of the children’s friendship, although the horror element is not quite as strong (but there are possible ghosts and other mysterious things at play), and the friends and their friendship is more suspect and less open. In some ways, the depiction of the friend’s relationship, and how it changes over time, is more realistic. Of course, here the story is told from Eddie’s point of view, and we share in his likes and dislikes, that are strongly coloured by the events and his personal opinions. The main characters are realistically portrayed (both from a child’s perspective and later from an adult one), complex, and none of them are totally good, or 100% likeable, but they are sympathetic and not intentionally bad or mean (apart from a couple of secondary characters but then… there is a murderer at work). Morality is ambiguous at best, and people do questionable things for reasons that seem fully justified to them at the time, or act without thinking of the consequences with tragic results. I am not sure I felt personally engaged with any of the characters (perhaps because of Eddie’s own doubts), but I liked the dubious nature of the narration, and the fact that there were so many unknowns, so many gaps, and that we follow the process of discovery up-close, although there are things the main character knows that are only revealed very late in the game (although some he seems to have buried and tried hard to forget). The parents, and secondary characters, even when only briefly mentioned, serve the purpose well, add a layer of complexity to the story and are consistent throughout the narration.
The mystery had me engaged, and the pieces fit all together well, even when some of them are not truly part of the puzzle. I can’t say I guessed what had happened, although I was suspicious of everyone and, let’s say I had good reason to be. I liked the ending, not only the resolution of the mystery but what happens to Eddie. If you read it, you’ll know what I mean.
The writing is fluid, it gives the narrator a credible voice, it gets the reader under the character’s skin, and it creates a great sense of place and an eerie atmosphere that will keep readers on alert. The story deals with serious subjects, including child abuse, bullying (and sexual abuse), dementia, and although it is not the most graphically violent story I have read, it does contain vivid descriptions of bodies and crime scenes, and it definitely not a cozy mystery and not for the squeamish reader.
A great new writer, with a very strong voice and great ability to write psychological thrillers, and one I hope to read many more novels by.

Another stunning cover design to grab readers' attention during the busy new year period. It is no accident that the story within the covers is as strong. The writing is brilliant with realistic characters throughout and a totally believable storyline.
Having been a teenager myself in the 1980s when this story begins, and having been the only girl in a friendship group of school children I could imagine being one of the characters in the story.
We have all done things in our childhood like drawing chalk man designs for passing on messages (there were no mobile phones in the mid eighties, remember!) and the summer holidays were often spent cycling around looking for where the rest of your mates were hanging out - usually signified by a pile of pushbikes outside someone's house. And of course a group of kids with active imaginations always come up with stories about anyone who looks even the slightest bit different to the norm such as Mr Halloran in the book.
The way the author has linked tragic events that happened in 1986 to people and happenings thirty years later is absolutely ingenious. The older version of every character was spot on, with health issues affecting some of the older generation being presented with compassion and understanding. The emotions felt by each of the youngsters and their understanding of certain situations is written in terms that a child of that age would use. I love the way that in the later years of the book the adult characters express feelings of insecurity that we all feel - that we aren't ever really "grown up" at all.
As with a lot of books in this genre, most of the characters have been harbouring secrets for many years and when some of the revelations are made it makes others in the friendship group completely reassess what they have always thought were the facts. New information gets exposed in jaw dropping fashion but some secrets are never told, not even to your best mate.
I found this book extremely readable, well paced and will definitely be recommending it strongly as a top read for January. This review will feature on my review page at www.sandiesbookshelves.blogspot.co.uk

Wow!! There are far more expletives I could use to describe how much I loved this book but let's just say it has become one of the best books that I have read this year (and I read a LOT). As a reader my first love was horror and this book encapsulates a lot of this genre even though it is classed as a thriller. A gruesome murder (or two...), mysterious chalk men drawn at crime scenes and the walking, talking dead appearing in your dreams - what's not to love! I raced through this book in a few hours and risked travel sickness reading on the bus as I could not put it down.

Dark, gruesome and packed full of that creeping horror feeling that will give you goosebumps. Highly recommend you bang this on your TBR for January. I will be buying multiple copies to spread the book love (hysteria)!

I’d heard great things about The Chalk Man so I began reading it with eager anticipation. I have to say it definitely lived up to the hype. I was drawn in from the first chapter and hooked until the very end.

This book is C J Tudor’s debut novel and I’m overwhelmed at how brilliantly this story is out together. It’s a tense psychological thriller with twists and turns galore that keep you guessing to the very end. A fantastic read that I can highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

I thought this novel started very promisingly, with the split time perspective encouraging me to read on. However, I just felt that it didn't develop in a way in keeping with such a strong start. It started to feel a bit haphazard and chaotic, and by the end like the author was desperately trying to conclude all of the separate strands. Saying that, it was an enjoyable read. The bullying scene early on was particularly well written and the chalk motif was intriguing, but sadly, for me, it just didn't come together coherently enough.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The novel opens with a particularly graphic scene which triggers a series of disturbing events.
In 1986 our protagonist, Eddie and his friends have a secret code. They draw stick figures in chalk to send messages to one another that only they will understand.. When a series of chilling events occur which seem to be linked to their chalk drawings their summer reaches a gruesome end.
In the present timeline, adult Eddie receives a drawing in the mail, a chalk figure. Is the past catching up on he and his friends?
This is a fascinating novel with a superb ending and the introduction of the enigmatic Mr Halloran is a genius touch that gives a double meaning to the books title. The only reason that I have not given 5 stars to this title is that the informal style of writing at the start of the book took me a while to adapt to. This is purely personal preference and this is a highly recommended novel.

This was a creepy story but really fascinating reading. Some amazing characters and lots of red herrings. The conclusion was almost a surprise but the build up to it totally absorbing. Great read..

Just a few pages of the story and I knew that this will be one of the books that I call a “Getting to work late” book.

Impossible to put down, well written and a story that grabs you and doesn’t let go until the end.

I love a good book with twists and turns.

I’m a C.J.Tudor fan now and I hope there will be many more books.

Fatima

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

This was fantastic - it's been a while since I've read such a good mystery/thriller novel. It was a refreshing take, and definitely kept me guessing. Well worth the read.

This is a really creepy, really enjoyable debut. I loved all the twists and turns, and can't wait to see what C J Tudor does next.

Another one I didn't finish and this time it was entirely my fault for picking a horror story when I literally can't sleep after reading such tales - I must not have read the blurb carefully enough but by 10% in, it started giving me the heebie-jeebies and I had to quit, sorry! 3 stars because it seemed well-written as far as I got and to give 2 stars seems unecessessarily pejorative considering I didn't get a quarter of the way through and you can't give zero stars on this site.

There's so much foreshadowing going on in the early chapters here you cannot help but doubt the rest will live up to it. A gang of young lads about twelve years of age in 1986 seem to be in a youthful idyll, but it's actually a horrific place, where girls get half their face demolished by a loose fairground ride carriage, albino teachers seem to be wrong 'uns, and where our narrator's parents get tormented by protesters over the woman's working in an abortion clinic. And that's not the worst of it, as horrid death sends its creeping, jagged scars into the group - scars that will last at least the next thirty years.

That worry, that the book wouldn't live up to its premise, was evident throughout my reading of it, but it was only partially founded come the end. Yes, it proves to be a messy melange of darkness, nastiness and worse, but as a dark thriller the book certainly works, even if a shade of it just misses out on a final sheen of conviction. It certainly works as a fine calling card for Caz, as those who know the author apparently call her. I can certainly see why she went for gender-neutral initials, for at times this certainly does not seem to be the work of a female mind; the laddish world of boys in the 1980s and the psychology present in the hero to this day are firmly wrought, and the horror is quite full-on at times. Certainly a success.

This book is one of the best debut novels I have read!! It could quite easily give you nightmares!
Written in two time zones,1986 and 2016, the story revolves around the adventures of four children, Eddie,who is the narrator,Fat Gav,Hoppo and Nicky, the tomboy, who enjoy their long summer holidays riding bikes and getting into mischief. They start leaving secret messages to each other in chalk,each person has a different colour. One day, a chalk figure leads them to a dismembered body in the woods and their lives change forever.
This book is in places so wholesome and reminiscent of happy childhood days ( 1986) carefree and fun,then adult life intrudes with murders,and ghosts,that hark back to childhood wrongdoing and wrongs have to be avenged. So many secrets and incidents are revealed and discovered, it is a marvellous read.
I loved the chalk figures and the way they lead to bodies,very scary harbingers of doom! They reminded me of the dancing men in the Sherlock Holmes book. There were plenty of false trails to follow and the whole atmosphere was at times very creepy.
In conclusion, this is a fabulous read, being dark,chilling and very engrossing. I will definitely be recommending this to family and friends!!
I have left a copy of this review on Goodreads today.

I received a free ecopy of this book in return for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and and the publisher for the opportunity.

This book is an easy read you can slide into without effort but is also a terrific, mystery. along the way it also takes a philosophical look at youth, old age and memory loss, innocence and guilt. After opening with a strangely picturesque, description of a dismembered body, we move on to lead character Eddie ‘Munster’ Adams. The story flips between 1986 and 2016, so Eddie alternates between being a confused overthinking 12 year old and a disheveled and somewhat lonely 42 year old. In 1986, Eddie and his friends draw chalk men to send each other messages, but then Eddie begins to have nightmares that are portents of terrible events. In the morning there are chalk men on the ground. In 2016 the details of an old murder are stirred up by Eddie’s one time friend. Eddie tries puts the pieces together whilst agonising over his own part in them.

The 80s nostalgia and the supernatural aspects made this the perfect follow-on from watching Stranger Things season 2, though in truth the supernatural element is a small part of the story. This book is so much more than that though. In 1986 Eddie and friends display naivety confronted by the horrors of real life, but in 2016 the same characters are coping with aged parents who have dementia and the disappointments that being a grown-up with unfulfilled potential brings.

The pièce de resistance however comes right at the end when, having had the mystery solved for them, the reader is ready to pack up and move on, but is suddenly hit with a series of punches that leaves you reeling. Like some of the best endings, you can see where the characters are headed but are left to play out those extra scenes in your head.

If you like a good murder mystery you will enjoy this book. If you like philosophical look at life growing up in the 80s you will enjoy this book. If you like a book with a supernatural edge you will like this book, but if you like a book with all of these things, grab this book with both hands.

"For who are we if not the sum of our experiences, the things that we gather and collect in life? Once you strip those away we become just a mass of flesh, bone and blood vessels."

I often find that hugely hyped books just don't live up to the buildup generated around them, but I'm pleased to say that The Chalk Man is one of the few that does. I've been seeing lots of good reviews for this one, and the premise sounded right up my street, so I requested it from NetGalley and I'm so glad I did because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've read a lot of thrillers recently that have been only OK and I was a bit wary to have to read another one that didn't grip me, but The Chalk Man was a breath of fresh air.
Like a lot of other reviewers have said, I found The Chalk Man very reminiscent of Stephen King, especially The Body and It, with the gang of children discovering something sinister and the older versions of themselves having to revisit it. I would say though that, while there are similarities, Tudor has made The Chalk Man his own and he definitely has a distinctive way of writing. It's very straightforward yet there are all kinds of emotons under the surface, both sinister and lighter. In fact, I did find myself chuckling a few times when reading this book, which is a nice contrast to the dark subject matter.

The characters are recognisable yet not stereotypes, especially the lead, Eddie, who is relatable yet has a mysterious undertow to his character that leaves you questioning. I liked the little group of kids, though I did think the relationships between them all could have been explored a bit more.

The Chalk Man has a depth that you don't often find in thrillers, yet it's still a page-turning read which will suit anyone who loves edge-of-your-seat thrillers. Every time a mystery was solved, another one cropped up.

My Rating: 4 Stars


I received a review copy of The Chalk Man, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. My thanks to the author and publishers.

This is neat little thriller, told half from the viewpoint of a young boy and his friends, and half from that same boy as an adult as he tries to piece together a long running puzzle of murders, mysteries and lies that tore the friendship group apart. Well paced and cleverly played out, the twists keep coming right through to the final chapters and keep the story intriguing and suspenseful throughout.