Joe Thorne is a teacher, he’s also a gambler with a large debt owed to the Fatman, who is after his money. So he returns to his childhood village to teach in his old school, to settle some scores and to raise the money to repay this debt. There he meets with some remaining members of his old gang and they are not happy to see him. They all have secrets, secrets that begin with his sister Annie...

This is a dark and creepy thriller, that just simmers with tension right up to an immensely satisfying end.......but is it ?

I loved this, It reminded me a little of Stephen King’s, Salem’s Lot, as in returning to a troubled town with a little of the same atmosphere of an ancient evil lurking nearby. There are some real heart thumping moments and it honestly gave me the creeps at times, in a great, horror story way......Abbie Eyes will stay with me for a long time. Brilliantly atmospheric with great twisty, nerve jangling writing. I can thoroughly recommend this and I will definitely be reading more by C J Tudor albeit with the lights on !

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

#TheTakingOfAnnieThorne #NetGalley

Published by Michael Joseph (Penguin Random House)

4 Stars from me!

What a fabulous, creepy little book!

I was drawn in from the very first page and flew threw this book because I just didn't want to put it down. 

It was creepy, chilling in places, had a good build up of suspense, a few twists and turns and some really likeable characters. In fact, the attention to detail surrounding the characters and the effort taken to flesh them out is what made this book so brilliant for me.

If you have a book lover in your life, who enjoys a bit of unnerving escapism, this is probably the perfect Christmas gift!



Synopsis: When Joe Thorne was fifteen, his little sister, Annie, disappeared. At the time, Joe thought it was the worst thing in the world that could ever happen. And then she came back.

Now Joe has returned to the village where he grew up, to work as a teacher at the failing Arnhill Academy. Not an act of altruism, but desperation. Joe has bad debts – and bad people – he needs to escape. He also has an anonymous email: I know what happened to your sister. It’s happening again.

But coming back to the place he grew up, means facing the people he grew up with, and the things they did. Five friends: Joe, Stephen Hurst, Marie Gibson, Nick Fletcher and Chris Manning. They were the five who were there that night. Something they haven’t spoken about in 25 years.
Coming back means opening old wounds, and confronting old enemies and Joe is about to discover that places, like people, have secrets. The deeper you go, the darker they get.
And sometimes, you should never come back.

Very cleverly written and very good! I will be looking out for more from this author and will be recommending to all.

Not my usual genre but this book had me gripped throughout. Will be looking out for more of the same!

4.5 stars. I read this authors debut novel The Chalk Man and really liked it so I was looking forward to reading this book as well. Wow it certainly kept me hooked and I devoured it in one day. It was very dark and creepy and left me spooked but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

What a fabulously creepy gem of a book to curl up with on a dark night. Joe Thorne's sister died tragically when he was a teenager, and he left the small town of Arnhill shortly after her death. Why he then decides to return to the claustrophobic town, where everyone knows your business is a mystery that is slowly revealed as the book progresses.
Alternating between past and present it quickly becomes clear that there is something very rotten at the heart of the town. Not only are there corrupt councillors, and school bullies that are never punished, there is also something decidedly wrong with the very earth the town is built on. Joe has returned to escape the problems of his present but also to lay old ghosts to rest; to find out what really did happen to his sister and to prevent history repeating itself. As he encounters old school friends and acquaintances, no-one is who they appear to be, and the book has twists and turns that will really keep you on your toes. There are some genuinely creepy moments that will have goose bumps forming and your hair standing on end. It's an absolute cracker, and I can't wait for C.J. Tudor's next book.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Wow! I loved C.J. Tudor's debut, The Chalk Man. But she's definitely taken a step up with The Taking of Annie Thorne. The two books are similar with regional, small town settings and a past history that threatens the present day. Something happened to Joe Thorne's little sister, Annie. Something dark, macabre and tragic. And it's happening again.

I enjoyed the character of Joe and his cynical approach to life. He's returned to his home town of Arnhill and his old school to teach English. At this point, I'd like to point out that not all teachers are alcoholics but sarcasm does seem to be a default setting for most teachers. Sometimes it's the only way a teacher can cope. And it's certainly the only way that Joe can cope as he confronts his past and the truth about his little sister.

As the story unfolds, the creepiness that's there from the beginning, begins to ratchet up until it reaches screaming pitch. Cleverly, C.J. Tudor doesn't explain everything leaving the reader's imagination to conjure up possible answers. And I think I can get away with saying that the ending is just as chilling as the beginning. A truly magnificent book!

A brilliant story, I loved the mystery to it, and the supernatural edge. It had me spooked and wanting to keep the lights on, so that's always a great sign of a spooky tale. Written brilliantly, with some dark humour woven in with the psychology, and sociology, looking at how far the apple falls from the tree.... I thoroughly enjoyed it

I first came across CJ Tudor when I read by chance her debut novel 'The Chalk man' after been intrigued by the title and description. I really enjoyed that book and could see that there was more to come from this new author, so when I heard this book was due out I was very keen to review it.
Excellent plot and the main character Joe is so interesting. The suspense / tension builds throughout the length of the book and by the end I was unable to put my kindle down.
The main character Joe Thorne is not a character you automatically like, he is an ex-gambler and owes money to a lot of evil people and a pathological liar. When Joe receives a mysterious email, he returns to Arnhill and applies for the position of an English teacher position at his former school. Memories flood back on Joe seeing old aquaintences and places, most of which he would rather forget. Arnhill is the place where his sister 8 year old sister Annie disappeared only to be found a couple of days later, but she was never the same. Joe now feels that there is unfinished business that requires sorting.

I would like to thank Net Galley, Penguin UK and Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent book, well written and with first class storyline, full of twists and turns with surprise ending. Very much enjoyed reading and found it hard to put down.

The Taking of Annie Thorne is the second book by C J Tudor and I found it just as enjoyable as her debut The Chalk Man. This story has a very dark feel to it and no doubt will haunt my mind for a while to come.

Joe Thorne returns to his hometown Arnhill to settle old scores with his former school pals. With no good childhood memories due to his Dad and his beloved sister Annie dying there and a somewhat strained relationship with his Mother his return is not a welcome one.

This creepy tale certainly made me use my brain in understanding as I found Joe to be a deep, loner and weird type. My eagerness to find answers had me desperate to read on in to the early hours.

A fabulous well written psychological thriller that was a pleasure to read. My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC digital copy. This is my own opinion of The Taking of Annie Thorne

Wow! This is one compulsively creepy story! The first thing I should say is that I'm a bit of a scaredy cat, but I so wanted to read this... and although it scared the bejesus out of me in several places and I had to stop reading it before I went to bed, I'm so pleased I pushed my boundaries!

I loved the main character and his sense of humour - that really added something special to the story and he reminded me of Elvis Cole from the Robert Crais books - that same type of wise-cracking banter that you know is going to get him into trouble. But although he provides light moments, he is surrounded by darkness - some of it of his own making, but some of it ancient.

I thought the setting was perfect and loved the contrast between a run down pit village and the supernatural. Phew! I need to detox on a few romcoms now...

A very enjoyable book., I hovered between 4 and 5 star rating so I rounded down to 4 stars. The main character I would describe as an anti-hero and I absolutely loved the sarcastic approach. There were some excellent sentences that made me stop and think 'why can't I ever think of things to say like that?'. For example 'Happiness is overrated..... If you bought it on Amazon, you'd demand a refund. Broke after a month and impossible to fix. Next time will try misery - apparently that s**t lasts forever'. The primary reason for me not giving a 5 star rating is I found myself linking this book with Stephen King's novel 'It' except only one of the gang of kids returns not most/all of them. Have a read of this I'm sure you will enjoy the style and narrative.

A brilliant and wonderful dark scary read. This is as good as the Chalk Man. Joe is not a likeable character as the story unfolds but this is a compelling read. I read this in one sitting. Perfect reading for a very windy and rainy winters night. What did happen to Annie? This story is about bullying and wanting to belong and being scared to tell the truth. It is about myth and fact mixed together. A great scary read right up to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

As often seems to be the case sadly, I just wasn't feeling this book the way other reviewers seem to have. For one, it was depressing. The place they lived was depressing, people had cancer, were dying, hating themselves, had debts, were being chased and threatened. It was hard work. The main character Joe didn't seem to be able to speak a sentence without a quip, which made him seem a bit of a berk to be honest. The main 'point' didn't make itself apparent until about three quarters of the way through - until then, it was just 'berk man has quipped filled conversations and gets drunk'. What even was the main point? There wasn't a clear explanation of what had happened to Annie ever! It smacked of trying too hard to be Stephen King, which it isn't. Synopsis, as I see it, is 'people go down hole and come out messed up', but the book, in my opinion, needed more on why!

This is the second book I have read by CJ Tudor ,I loved The Chalk Man and The Taking Of Annie Thorne in my opinion is even better .This is a terrifying,creepy thriller..Joe Thorne who grew up in the old mining village of Arnhill returns as a Teacher in the local school he once attended ,with a burning desire to dig up the past and find some closure as he has never got over the death of his young sister Annie .The story is one of those that grabs you from the first chapter and never lets go .Such a clever plot told in past and present time.a story with mystery ,a little bit of the supernatural , revenge and murder .Fabulous ! Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my preview copy in return for an honest review .

Did not enjoy this book anywhere near as much as the first novel. Disappointing story and even more of a disappointing end.

The Taking of Annie Thorne is the second novel of CJ Tudor, published as 'The Hiding Place' in the US. While I haven't read The Chalk Man, the high praise did not escape my attention, so I was very keen to try this new author.

Joe Thorne is an ex-gambler who owns lots of money to bad people. After receiving a mysterious email, Joe returns to his birthplace of Arnhill to apply for an English teacher position at his former school. Seeing old friends and places brings back memories that Joe would rather forget, but he has some unfinished business in Arnhill that needs sorting out. Arnhill is the place where his sister Annie disappeared when she was 8. Annie was found a couple of days later, but she was never the same.

Joe is a piece of work! A pathological liar with a deeply engraved sense of sarcasm and a weakness for booze and gambling. He is not the kind of character I would be normally fond of. However... when I learnt about Joe's relationship with his sister Annie, my heart melted. I got to believe that deep down Joe was a good guy who wants to do the right thing.

When I started reading the book, I was immediately pulled in. The writing was superb! The right amount of creepy and engaging, with a witty dialogue. I couldn't get enough. CJ Tudor has an undeniable skill in writing dark stories depicting the chilling atmosphere of a small town with interesting characters.
Somewhere around half way through the book, as the full story of Annie's disappearance slowly unfolds, the writing gets very grim, sick even, and I started to feel really uneasy and perhaps less invested in the story as this caught me by surprise. The reading experience turned out to be much more disturbing and darker than I expected, horror-like I would say. What I did love were the the numerous twists that I did not see coming, the last one left me gaping.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I'm now off to look for a fluffy, heartwarming book to steady my heartbeat!

Many thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Out on 21 February 2019!

C J Tudor is one of a few authors who can really set my nerves on edge. The Taking of Annie Thorne is both satisfying and complex. Joe, is a creepy central character and the dismal small minded and claustrophobic Midlands former mining town is an ideal setting .

Joe returns to his old school as a teacher intent on uncoveringthe truth around the disappearance of his sister years earlier. He’s seedy, rundown and difficult to like, but compelling nevertheless as layer upon layer of secrets are revealed. Kept me gripped as a thriller right the way through and a couple of scenes, particularly in a disused mine shaft, are genuinely chilling.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Set in Nottingham, a child goes missing and then came back not the same person. The brother returns to his roots and the past all comes back to haunt him. Another fantastic book from CJ Tudor, you won't want to out this down!