Oh jeepers I think CJ Tudor is trying to make me never want to leave the house again. Certainly never to visit an old pit village and given that I'm from the North East of England, there are a few of them about here! Haha this was a creepy CREEPY novel from the start..

There's lots of elements here which thriller fans and horror fans will love - the abandoned pit village where only the most stalwart of people are living now. A troubled man returning to his childhood home, an even in the past which scars him and which people in the village do not want him to reveal. A missing girl who returns, 'changed'

The sense of foreboding is strong throughout and it makes you want to read on that's for sure. There are some troubled,troubled people in this story mind!

The village of Arnhill is fictional but somewhere in Nottingham. If it were real, no one would go after reading this! The novel does fall into the category of supernatural and it was this side of things which for me lessened the grip of the novel and later events made the novel go beyond the realms of what I felt I could believe and invest in. This is hard without giving anything away.!

It reminded me of certain Stephen King books I used to scare myself with when I was younger and this one was creepy and unsettling. Not a strong one for locations but the setting was very memorable.

A bit too unsettling and strange for me in the end.

Loved the main character in this book and the author does a great job in making him extremely likeable. He''s the kind of character you want to do well and see winning. The interactions between him and the other characters are well written, witty, intelligent and bemusing. It's a good storyline and an easy read this book. If you're a fan of mystery books then this one is for you. It also has a twist at the end i certainly didn't see coming.Well done.

I loved this book, another fantastic read by the author. It's full of atmosphere and mystery, and with the creepy Arnhill pit at the centre of the story, and the cottage, it was hard to read late at night.

It's really well written, and I can't wait for the next book by this author.

Wow, I've been waiting for this, certainly didn't disappoint, absolutely fantastic, this is one to be read again and again, this is one of those books that you can see as your reading like a movie playing out in your mind, can't wait for the next one from C.J Tudor

The Taking of Annie Thorne is a slickly entertaining horror / thriller, with undertones of Stephen King but with a feel that is particularly English. Were i to be picky, the denouement feels a little too easy and rushed, but with a story like this it’s all about the build up and the tension, and this book delivers on that front.

Joe a teacher with a history.He moves back to a Nottinghamshire school to teach,one that he himself. went to.
The village he was brought up in has a past that is both haunting and terrible.

Joe ,who has a problem with gambling tries to escape his debtors,hence the move. His past soon start to overtake him as he looks to find the answer to why his sister Annie went missing for two days and returned a different child altogether.

The book is well written with ironic humour laced through it, a defence mechanism of Joe. The book is very much a Stephen King type novel but not so imaginative and certainly lacks that insight into the troubled mind that King so illustrates for us.
Never the less ,a decent read but not so rewarding as it's pretty shallow and obvious .

Superbly written the story got me guessing until the end. It was very gripping a great page turner couldn’t put it down. The story flowed so easily with lots of twists and turns and got you guessing until the end and certainly didn’t guess the end. It was a bit creepy and gruesome in places I liked the characters they were very interesting and overall a very good read I would definitely recommend it.

Great book, easy reading style, and a encapsulating storyline, which reminded me of Stephen King’s Pet Semetary. I now need to read this author’s previous book, as this one was so good and the ‘Chalkman’ received such rave reviews

The Taking of Annie Thorne is the follow-up to C.J. Tudor’s stunning debut novel The Chalk Man, which I reviewed on this blog last year. As with its predecessor, Tudor’s use of language allows her to create a genuinely unsettling thriller that spans across two time periods, revealing how the hidden secrets of childhood resurface and impact on the current day. The book shares a lot of the same DNA as The Chalk Man, even referencing the standout twist in a rather meta-callout. However, while The Chalk Man was rooted in realism, The Taking of Annie Thorne pushes the boundary into the supernatural, hinting at mystical forces behind events. As well as crafting horrific sequences, laden with gory descriptions that crawl under the skin, Tudor is a master at drip-feeding clues and hints throughout the novel, knowing exactly how and when to reveal a plot point to the reader.

Tudor’s work is often compared to Stephen King, with the author himself even proclaiming “If you like my stuff, you’ll like this” as a cover quote. The Chalk Man was reminiscent of Stand By Me and IT, whilst The Taking of Annie Thorne bears strong similarities to another of King’s books – however, to name the title might be considered a significant spoiler. Tudor manages to take King’s style of writing, particularly his horror, and adapt it to English shores – and to be quite honest, these are some of the best Stephen King books, not written by Stephen King. My only issue with The Taking of Annie Thorne is that it feels a bit too derivative of one of King’s books, which actually weakens the story. Tudor does introduce her own elements to the story, such as the loan shark angle, which does distinguish it slightly from King’s original novel, but it will be easy for critics to dismiss it as a copy.

The novel’s protagonist, Joe Thorne, is a complicated character – presented as both sympathetic and selfish. Despite the family tragedy that haunts his childhood, he returns to his childhood home for less than virtuous reasons and is immediately presented as a con artist. There are glimmers of responsibility seen, particularly when he gets a job as a teacher, but it is the character’s inability to face up to his actions that causes drama and conflict. The book’s ending is shocking and chaotic, and ultimately, the protagonist is the cause of much of the disaster that ensues. As with Eddie in The Chalk Man, Tudor is great at creating ‘unreliable narrators’ and revealing the imperfections of her leads.

Tudor also demonstrates an enviable ability to blend nostalgia and horror together in a toxic soup, haunting her protagonists with the actions of their youth. The small mining village of Arnhill is the archetypical creepy village, swallowing up the many tragedies and amplifying that atmosphere out into the residents. With Joe choosing the site of a horrific murder-suicide as his base of operations, Tudor has plenty of opportunities to scare the reader with psychological horror, blurring the line between the real and the imagined. The opening prologue is extremely grim and bleak as two police officers investigate a crime scene, setting the tone for the entire novel.
 
While Tudor excels in cultivating that ‘edge of your seat’ tension throughout the book, it was the brief sparks of action where when I found myself leaving finger-shaped indentations on the edge of my Kindle. One flashback scene, which evoked memories of The Exorcist, was extremely visceral in describing the violent behaviour of the possessed individual. The slow build-up, culminating in those vivid scares and bursts of violence, demonstrates the cinematic potential for The Taking of Annie Thorne. Even the ending, which is abrupt and shocking, would translate brilliantly to the screen – lingering in the mind long after the book has concluded.

As with The Chalk Man, Tudor attempts to deliver another last-minute reveal but it lacks the same impact as its predecessor and merely resulted in an intrigued eyebrow raise, rather than a jaw drop. The Taking of Annie Thorne suffers the fate of being compared to two books; fans of The Chalk Man will notice the similarities in Tudor’s writing style and naturally compare the two; and the specific plot of the book invites, unintentionally or not, comparison to a certain iconic Stephen King novel. Unfortunately, this is often the case for sophomore novels and while The Taking of Annie Thorne is a brilliant read in its own right, it does stand in the shadow of two other books. Brilliantly unsettling, and rich with horror, it is great to see C.J. Tudor grapple with more supernatural elements in her writing and she proves herself not to be a one-trick pony, and a wonderful new talent in British Horror Fiction.

This was a fabulous read. It (and I am not the first person to say this about the author) had undertones of Stephen King type tension and terror but also, for me, a little Harlon Coben wisecracking and dark humour. For the latter imagine Myron Bolitar dropped into the disused coalfields of Nottinghamshire.

Joe Thorne was fifteen when his little sister went missing for forty-eight hours; she came back but for Joe she really didn’t. Twenty five years later Joe is back in the small ex-mining village of Arnhill. He is up to his eyes in gambling debts and is looking for a bolthole. In addition he has had an anonymous email: ‘I know what happened to your sister. It is happening again.’

Recently the village has suffered a murder and suicide; a mother has killed her son and then herself. Scrawled on the wall of the boy’s bedroom are the words NOT MY SON. This is a seriously creepy story which is very well written. The characterisation is tremendous. In particular I loved sardonic Joe, psychotic Gloria and laid back Brendan. The atmosphere of a rather desolate village is beautifully drawn, along with the hopelessness of a lot of its inhabitant, very good sympathetic background.

Joe has to face old friends and enemies, what they did in the past and what is happening now. Is history going to repeat itself?

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

"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."

Firstly i would like to say thank you to Netgalley.co.uk and Penguin House UK for the letting me read an ARC of this fantastic book by CJ Tudor. I was excited to read this second novel as the debut (The Chalk Man) was so good!

The writing keeps you completely hooked and on the edge of your seat, this book has mystery, thrills, horror mixed up with a bit of the supernatural. During reading i really thought i'd got it, but no! Every time i got it oh so completely wrong! I read the entire book in two sittings as it was so gripping, i just needed to know what was going on. The characters were as strange as the going on's in the book so that just felt as though it fit with the whole genre of the book.

The reason i have only given it 4 stars is because when i got to the end i still felt slightly confused and had questions, questions that weren't going to be answered.

All in all, i thought this book was excellent and i would definitely recommend it! I will be buying it to re-read definitely!

Once again, C.J Tudor has created an intriguing and atmospheric world that sucks you in and chills you to the bone. The story was engaging and told with such skill i could see it playing out in my mind as i read. Parts were extremely creepy and left me on edge. I absolutely loved it.

Clever horror/thriller with a touch of the supernatural.

Please note there may be some spoilers!

When Joe Thorne was 15, his 8 year old sister, Annie, went missing. After an extensive search all hope was lost. However, 48 hours later, Annie came back, but different.
Fast forward 25 years, in debt, desperate and lured by a mysterious email echoing the past, Joe has come back to the village where he grew up. A village haunted by its past and its present. Joe has to face up to the people he left behind and confront the things that they did.

CJ Tudor follows up her massively successful debut The Chalk Man, with this 'horror/thriller with a supernatural vibe'. I’d not managed to read The Chalk Man but was grateful and excited to receive an advanced reading copy from the publishers.

Wow, what a page turner. I read this in a few sittings over two days which is unusual for me. Well paced and perfectly plotted with a time line that goes back and forth, but not excessively. It’s a perfect device to help build up the suspense and mystery which is retained
throughout.

The main character, Joe, is not particularly likeable, but interesting, yes. He’s massively flawed and searching for forgiveness, answers and maybe revenge.
Many of the characters from Joe’s past are equally disagreeable and are great baddies who make for satisfying foils. Foils which help to move Joe’s creepy journey along through the many twists and turns that you can’t see coming, as he searches for answers and redemption.

The character of Annie Thorne is both charming and then, on her return, deeply unsettling. The author has managed to craft a character that gave me the chills. Dolls, creepy kids and horror, equals heebie jeebies!!

I think the author’s great strength is the ability to bring a setting and an era to life. The scenes set in the 90’s, feel like the 90’s. Secondary school feels like how school was, and a small village with a dark secret, feels exactly like that. The village is brought to life so well that it feels like a character. One that is scarred, secretive and full of foreboding.

This is a brilliantly eerie novel that at times chills you to the bone. There’s hints of Stephen King in the writing and more than a nod to 'Pet Cemetery'. It’s gory at times (the author does body-horror unnervingly well) but still remains clever. If you like a good scare, go get it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC, in return for an honest review.

I must admit that I have never read C. J. Tudor's previous book The Chalk Man so I was not aware of the quality of her writing. From the opening horrifying sequence to the last spine chilling page I was absolutely gripped and read the book is just two sittings. It was for me quite unputdownable as I had no idea how everything would all end. The story begins with the discovery by two police officers at an isolated cottage of two bodies, one is that of a teacher from the local school who has appeared to have committed suicide after brutally murdering her own son in his bedroom. On the wall smeared in blood are the words "he is not my son".

This is followed by the first person narration of Joe Thorne who a few months after the two deaths is now renting the cottage and about to commence a teaching position at the above mentioned school, a school he had previously attended as a pupil and a teaching position that has been achieved through a forged reference. Why after so many years has Joe returned? and what is the connection if any between the double deaths and the strange disappearance when Joe was a teenager of his beloved sister Annie who although returned after 48 hours was never the same person again. As an anonymous message to Joe states is the past repeating itself?

This is a creepy and atmospheric mystery tale that had this reader simply wanting to know what was ultimately behind the strange goings on. I liked the way that the writer described and brought to life the depressed former North Nottinghamshire mining village of Arnhill with its failing academy school, the run down pub and the locals who will never leave and are suspicious of strangers. Overlooking and dominating the village both physically and mentally is the remnants of the abandoned pit. But as we shall discover Arnhill has a history that predates the mimes.

There are a few surprising twist and turns along the way and in Joe with his chequered past and outstanding gambling debts we have a character that is far removed from the normal teacher and now he faces the prospect of deep buried secrets resurfacing putting him in grave danger.

If you like a sinister thriller with a supernatural element then I think you will enjoy this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for this eARC.

The Taking of Annie Thorne is the second novel from C.J. Tudor. Tudor’s first novel, The Chalk Man, garnered rave reviews from Stephen King, Lee Child and Ruth Ware (a personal favourite author of mine), so I had very high hopes for this book.

Joe Thorne’s little sister, Annie, went missing when she was a child. After 48 hours, she returned, but she was different, and Joe found himself scared of her. Something happened to Annie while she was missing, but she won’t say what. Joe has an inclination that he knows, but it really is too terrible to think about.

25 years later, Joe returns to the village he grew up in. He has made some bad choices, and needs a place to lay low. With a teaching job at his old school, he hears of children unexpectedly changing, and he fears that whatever happened to Annie is happening again.

I read a lot of psychological thrillers, which is the primary genre this book has been listed as, but I feel that this is definitely more of a horror-thriller in part. I have read a few Stephen King books, but only very occasionally dip into horror, and very rarely into books about the supernatural, so this was quite a different style of book for me to read.

I felt that it took quite a large portion of the book before we actually got to the matter of Annie’s disappearance, and some of the beginning chapters were a bit slow. However, I was interested in the other story threads, and was aware that this was all important in the overall plot, so it didn’t have a huge impact on my overall enjoyment. I quickly came to realise that nothing in Tudor’s writing is a throwaway line, and nothing is unimportant in pulling together the story as a whole, so pay attention even if you can’t see where you’re heading! The last few chapters of this book seem to pass in breakneck speed, with so many twists and turns that I’d barely recovered from one before the next was upon me. Towards the end, I really couldn’t put it down.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable read, and one I will be recommending.

4 out of 5 stars.

The Taking of Annie Thorne will be published on 21 February 2019.

Having read The Chalkman which I found difficult to put down and very creepy. When offered a preview copy of her follow up novel I jumped at the chance. If anything this book is even scarier and more creepy. Definitely in the genre of Stephen King. Not a book to be read late at night. Be warned.

A village with dark secrets from the past and a returning member of the community after several years away with his own demons to confront. Definitely recommended

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Joe Thorne is in trouble, he owes money to lots of people and decides to take up a teaching job to help pay it back. But this isn’t any old teaching job, it’s at his old school where suspicious going’s on happened 25 years ago and they are starting again. It’s up to Joe to find out what is happening.

I couldn’t put this book down, it was full of suspense and mystery. The characters are brilliant and the setting is really good too. The story goes back and forth between past and present but not in an obtrusive way. And there’s a shock twist which always makes things good. Highly recommended

Having read THE CHALK MAN by the same author I was desperate to read this one as soon as I could. The chalk man has been my favorite novel of 2018 and was so excited to be allowed to read THE TAKING OF ANNIE THORN.

i felt this was written along the same structure as The Chalk Man with the main character returning to memories of a gang of friends and hidden secrets and regrets. It is a horror story alongside early Stephen King and I can easily visualize it as a film. Thorny (Annie's brother) is a character you are unable to decide if you like him or not and also whether you want him to navigate his path through the story or not.

Also I have to give one line away and only other readers of C.J Tudor will get it and that is 'Better than a real head, i suppose'. Thank you C.J.T.

After only two books I am a massive fan and thoroughly enjoy the ease of reading her work, its written in real language and allows you to use your own imagination through the story; so much like Mr King.

What a fantastic book. When I first started reading this book I was slightly wary and didn't see where it was going. I didn't think I was going to like the main character in the story Joe, as he seemed not a particularly nice person, and if I am honest I am still not sure I liked him as a person but as a character in the story he was brilliant. I would have to say Gloria was my favorite character, if unexpected. All of the characters in the book were stongly developed and the story slowly unravels as you read on but twists away from where you thought it was taking you. several times. I think this is the best book I have read for a while and strongly recommend it if you like a twisty, creepy tale.

heard a lot about this author and the chalk man and though not lucky enough to get that I did manage to get an advanced read of the taking of Annie thorne. Thanks netgalley and publishers for giving me the opportunity .

Ok so I enter into a intriguing plot and with a host of characters, alternating chapters which appears to be the way these days,past and present
I liked the flawed main character and cd feel the threats around him, gloria was quite a hard as nails charcter who I wdnt mess with!

The plot itself ,the mystery is at times a bit muddled, was it supernatural, was it a murderer ,was it a car crash, was it old folk lore and sacrificial ,in the end I reflected does it matter, sometimes ambiguity is ok and it can be all of those things.

This author was unique in mixing styles of horror ,thriller, mystery ,I would like though to have known about where Annie went ,why did come back so changed ,was it what happened to her by another human, was it that she got lost and unwell, was it darker forces,what happened to her and the book also reminded me a lot of the concept of pet cemetery in some ways by Stephen King which clearly inspired this novel .

The bully's are indeed that and I always felt a sense of dread and fear when they were on the page .

The descriptions of the black scutteling beetles and the sounds really was creepy ,does he hear that due to the trauma when he was a child and its his mind or is it that they supernaturally manifest .

The pitt was well described and spooky

I will read this writer again and hope that links will be made and common themes arise to link the events so its more clear through each novel what is taking place but genre wise this author doesn't settle for one theme and its a mix that almost works just leaves me with too many questions to feel fully satisfied .

A good read over all though