A really dark and disturbing read, the slow pace builds tension and you can almost feel a creepy crawling sensation on your skin.
There are some dexterous twists and turns, and the characters have depth and texture. The town of Arnhill is chilling and is the perfectly described, sinister backdrop for this sinister read. Not somewhere I'd like to visit.
I really enjoyed this and will be recommending.

After receiving a mysterious email Joe returns to his home town in Nottinghamshire, where he has taken a job at his old school. However, the job is not Joe's main reason for returning to the old mining town. When Joe was a teenager something awful happened to his younger sister, Annie, and now it seems that something similar may be happening again. Joe doesn't want anyone else to suffer as his family did but he also wants the guilty ones to pay for what they did.

This the second book from C.J. Tudor and as with 'The Chalk Man' it is a mystery thriller, though this time around there is definitely more horror in the tale, and possibly a hint of the supernatural. It is extremely far fetched at times but that's okay as the great writing and engrossing story are plenty enough to keep readers entertained right up to the chilling end.

Joe Thorne returns to Arnhill, the town where he grew up, in the hope that he can finally find out what happened to his little sister Annie, why did she disappear when she was 8 years old, why did she turn up again 48 hours later and why was she never the same little girl again.

The story is told over two timelines, the present day where he has come back to his home town to work as a teacher in his old school, and his childhood days where we see the lead up to Annie going missing and what happens when she returns. Joe is determined to find the person responsible for all the heartache caused to his family and make them pay the price.

This latest thriller by CJ Tudor is a spine chilling read with lots of twists along the way, it keeps the reader guessing all the way to the end, and I certainly didn't expect it to end the way it did. If you are not easily spooked then this is one for you.

I'd like to thank Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the approval. I will post my review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on publication day.

There was a lot of hype around The Chalk Man, C.J.Tudors first breakout novel, which in my opinion was richly deserved. So it must have been quite a task to come up with that difficult second novel. But C.J Tudor seems to know what she loves to write and goddam any of you naysayers, she going to write it. And it appears what she loves writing is British Stephen Kingesque supernatural mysteries. And from this novel it looks like shes going to continue to be very good at it indeed. whilst this novel misses the 80's nostalgia that I loved in The Chalk Man its still a very enjoyable and creepy tale of small town secrets and how, no matter how far and fast you run, those secrets have a habit of catching up. I'm very much looking forward to her next novel.

The tricky second book.  I was a huge fan of C.J. Tudor's debut, the totally unmissable The Chalk Man which blew my socks off and left me a little bit in love with Ed, the main character.  I often still think about him and that brilliant ending (book hangover, much?).  So there was nothing on earth that was going to stop me from reading Tudor's second novel, The Taking of Annie Thorne.  I received a free eARC of this book from the publisher but this has in no way influenced my review.

I loved it.  The Taking of Annie Thorne is just as dark, just as creepy and just as brilliant as The Chalk Man (although I will put my hand up here and confess that I loved The Chalk Man just a teeny tiny smidge more).  There are definite similarities between the two books; a small claustrophobic town, our main protagonist is a teacher (there are other similarities between Ed and Joe which I won't go into detail about here), strange creepy inexplicable things happening to normal everyday people.  But I enjoyed that, it added to the story for me.

I found our main protagonist to be instantly likeable.  He has a troubled past after discovering his sister, that's Annie, has changed beyond recognition after she went missing one night.  He's flawed (definitely flawed) with an addiction to gambling and a penchant for stretching the truth but when he receives an email telling him that 'it's happening again' he feels he must return to the town of his youth and see for himself.  There are elements of the supernatural at play in this novel which would normally turn me right off but the way Tudor has written her story had me engrossed.  I didn't care that I didn't really believe in certain aspects of the story.  What is reading if not escapism?  I was captivated from the first page to the last and felt fully invested in Joe's plight to discover the truth.

Would I recommend this book? Most definitely and I suggest if you haven't read The Chalk Man you download that too.  I'm a huge fan of horror/crime crossover novels and this one is another to add to the favourites list.  Tudor's writing is sublime and before you know it hours have passed and you've forgotten to pick the kids up from school (that didn't happen...honest!).  Deliciously creepy, totally addictive and the type of book I want to read over and over again.  Don't miss out on this exceptional book!

I chose to read and review an eARC of The Taking of Annie Thorne.  The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The Taking of Annie Thorne grabbed me from the first page, I could of quite happily read this in one sitting.

I knew what I was letting myself into from the prologue. A PC and WPC were called to a cottage in the ex mining village of Armley. Teacher Julia Morten had murdered her son Benjamin before committing suicide. In Ben `s room she had written NOT MY SON.

Joe Thorne was brought up in Armley but had not returned since he qualified as a teacher. As a teenager Joe had a little sister called Annie who went missing for 48 hours and then she returned. Annie never said what happened whilst she was missing but was very disturbed. Weeks later Annie and their father died in a car crash.

Joe lived in Manchester but had to leave because he owed gambling debts to Fatman. Joe applied for Julia Morten`s old job and got it, he also found himself moving to Julia`s cottage where the murder occurred.

On Joe`s first day he witnessed schoolboy Jeremy Hurst bullying another boy. Joe had been friends with his dad Stephen Hirst at school and had been in a gang. That night his cottage was vandalised and a brick thrown through the window. The next day Joe was in the pub after school when he was threatened by Stephen and told to find a job elsewhere.

Joe and Stephen both know what happened the night Annie went missing. Stephen was a councillor in the village and scared Joe will tarnish his reputation.

The Taking of Annie Thorne was beautifully written and I enjoyed Joe`s at times painful but accurate observations. The plot was a mix of psychological thriller mixed with the supernatural with a pinch of the macabre. I could picture the beetles crawling out of the walls on the floor.

I liked Joe and who used black humour to hide his pain. My favourite characters were fellow art teacher Scattergood who had her own reasons for being at Arnley Accademy. I also liked Gloria the hit woman who beat up Hurst`s chronies.

I look forward to more from C J Tudor.

Hmmmmm, I haven’t read The Chalk Man so this was my first introduction to C.J Tudor.

I like her style of writing and I actually forgot it was written by a woman as Joe’s character was so convincing. The story held me and it was an easy read, not a slogger! I did however feel a little short-changed and left wanting more. It felt like a cross between Stephen King’s Pet Sematary and the Krays! Characters seem to come from nowhere and with the exception of our protagonist I don’t think we get to know any of them well enough to care what happens to them and we never really get to the bottom of everything that happens and no I DON’T think we should see the monsters in Bird Box!

All in all a pretty good read but more a Big Mac than a Sunday roast. My thanks to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I didn't find this book difficult to read and the narrative mocked at a good pace. I couldn't like any of the characters - they a lll seemed equally "bad" at heart. The book is quite difficult to define, part alien body snatchin, part mystery and part psychological thriller. Overall i think it just failed to deliver on its early promise. I didn't dislike it but it wouldn't be up there with my favourites. Although I didn't get all the plot twists and I did like the ending

One night Annie Thorne goes missing. She reappears 48 hours later but won't (or can't) say what happened to her. The book is well written and a gripping read. It hooks you in from the opening scene and manages to hold your attention throughout. It's a very dark novel and not for the faint hearted. There's something I can't quite put my finger on which is stopping me from giving it 5 stars but it is well worth a read!

It took me a while to read as it was so scary I had to put it down and pick up it quite a lot till I had a stiff drink, a strong word with myself and went for it last night, pants and vest to the very last page!

Dolls, puppets and puppet dolls are terrifying. They are the reason I have yet to finish ‘House of Small Shadows’ by Adam Nevill almost 6 years after I bought it and ‘The Taking of Annie Thorne’ contains a doll named ‘Abbie Eyes’ that will possibly haunt your dreams if you are anything like me!

Joe Thorne has returned to his old town of Arnhill , ostensibly to lay some ghosts to rest but he is haunted by more than one of the elements of his past.

The sole survivor of a car crash which killed his father and sister, walking with a literal and metaphorical limp, he is going back to his inglorious past to try and right things before what happened to his sister can happen to another child. And before his present catches up with him in the form of a terrifyingly believable debt collector.

Opening with a shockingly brutal death, this story builds and builds to the crescendo of a finale but just when you think everything is resolved and you can breathe again,WHAM! you are knocked for six!

The cottage Joe finds to rent became available because the previous owner committed suicide,this also opened up a job vacancy at his old high school. Immediately recognisable to anyone who has lived, or is living, in a small town, C.J Tudor creates a dense atmosphere of unforgotten deeds, legends and myths that only small towns can generate and a creeping air of suspense. Places like Arnhill are always poised on the precipice of the latest disaster and this is what makes ‘..Annie Thorne’ so relatable.

A mining town whose collapse meant 4 lost and never recovered bodies, a child who went missing and returned days later not quite herself, teen suicides and the creepiest plot I have read in a long time entangle you in a narrative that stops you breathing until you realise you need to gasp for air.

Old sins cast long shadows and in the case of Arnhill there is something very rotten underground.

To say more is to risk giving away spoilers-an absolute no no to this bookblogger’s mind!-all I will conclude with is ‘The Taking of Annie Thorne’ could be said to combine the best elements of ,James Herbert, M.R James, ‘‘Pet Sematary’‘ and the creepiest doll ever.

Shudders!

Wow! This was excellent. I shall have to go and read The Chalk Man.
I really wanted to read this in one sitting and I pretty much did it. Good, interesting plot. Kept me enthralled. The book kept going back to 1992 when the friends had their pack at school and the present day when one of the friends returns to where he grew up. Things start to happen and make people uncomfortable. Why? There's only one way to find out!!

While I try never to judge a book by it's cover I am easily swayed by the synopsis and The Taking Of Annie Thorne's synopsis grabbed me. Spine chilling and thrilling was promised, but I felt like I was left more expectant and cold than anything.
The idea of the story grabbed me, a fan of changelings and body snatcher sci fi I was expecting something along those lines. What I got was a sort of King-esque human version of Pet Sematary without a real explanation for it or even an attempt at an origin.
The writing and dialogue was very varied as was the narrative. Going from steady and easy to read to awkward dialogue and excess plot.
I struggled through the book waiting for an explanation to the plot synopsis that originally drew me in, but instead I got to the end non the wiser and more confused.
Grab this book for a holiday read so you are surrounded by something to lighten the mood and opportunities to step away when the need or desire arises.
Thanks to Netgalley and Crown for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for my honest review.

A gripping interesting read, different to anything I had ever really read before (I usually read thrillers) but it was good and loved the way the characters were written, I could really visualise them. Thank you

As a huge fan of The Chalk Man I was very excited to see that CJ Tudor had a new book and was delighted to be asked to join the tour.

Firstly let's talk about our main character Joe Thorne.  Returning to his childhood home of Arnhill, a pretty grim and dismal mining town, he manages to get a job in his old school teaching English.   However, nothing is exactly what it seems here; Joe is returning under a rather dodgy and dangerous cloud; he has nasty people chasing him and on top of that his sister was killed under suspicious circumstances in Arnhill when she was 8.

The Taking of Annie Thorne is a creepy and dark story with elements of supernatural aspects, however what really struck me is the incredible writing, the ability to bring the characters to life and give them a voice in the readers head.  Joe's humour and self depreciating personality was a joy to read.

Dark, funny, creepy and gripping - if you enjoyed The Chalk Man - then you will love The Taking of Annie Thorne.

I loved the chalk man by this author and looked forward to reading this lastest book . Quite a different read with an element of the supernatural throughout I didn’t find this to be quite as good as the chalk man ..however, in saying this , I still like the authors style of writing and found this book a good read . 3.5 rounded to 4 with my thanks to the publisher and netgalley for my chanc3 to read.

Joe Thorne returns to Arnhill, a place he'd rather have consigned to the history books. His old gang wish he'd never come back, stirring up bad memories, betrayals, the suicide and the murder. He's in a lot of trouble, he's a gambler and is needing a lot of cash to get him out of the mess he's in. He was sent a message urging him to come back to Arnhill and there's unfinished business and he'd still like to know what really happened to his sister, Annie.

He's renting the house where Julia Morton lived with her son Ben where a murder/suicide was committed. The house seems to be sending him clues and the noises late at night bring his childhood fears right back to him. He also takes Julia's job at the High School.

The story goes back to the past and the abandoned mine and then jumps into the present day. It's an atmospheric read which is really creepy and slightly supernatural and ghostly and I found the ending stayed with me long after I finished the book.

My review…

I loved The Chalk Man and so was looking forward to C.J Tudors latest book The Taking of Annie Thorne. But when I first started it, I wasn’t blown away and was really wondering where it was going! The opening scenes where two bodies are discovered was quite a shocker but then we move forward a few months to the next occupant of the cottage where the deaths occurred. Joe Thorne is back in his home town to take up a teaching position but his timely reappearance may not be entirely unrelated to the gruesome past of his new abode. Because Joe has experienced loss himself. When he was younger, his little sister Annie went missing for two days and when she came back things were never quite the same again…

The first half of The Taking of Annie Thorne was definitely a slow burner and as I said before, I really wasn’t sure where it was going. Joe was a rather unlikeable character and I got frustrated by his lack of morals whilst also trying to work out what he was hiding. But he was obviously traumatised by what had occurred to his younger sister and we gradually start to find out what became of Annie and how it affected Joe and his family.

This was a darkly atmospheric chiller that just got better the further along the twisty path the reader traveled. The scenes featuring Annie after her reappearance were incredibly creepy and very disturbing. The supernatural elements of the plot weren’t entirely unexpected for me so I was able to just see where the storyline took me. And the ending really did send a shiver down my spine! So although I didn’t love this as much as The Chalk Man, I did enjoy the moment that everything came together especially as there was a twist that I really hadn’t seen coming! A harrowing, shadowy book that will give you nightmares. You have been warned!

After reading the Chalk Man by this author which was WOW I was so happy to be approved the new book from this fantastic author. I read this book in one sitting, the tension is palpable. Çhilling and so atmospheric. This author is so good at what they do. They hook you and keep you hooked until the very last page. Then after you have finished the book you sit there and say WOW. This tale smacks of a book I read when I was younger but it is so much more. A rollercoaster of a read that leaves you feeling exhausted, listening for the chattering sounds and in my case had me reading till 3am. Thank you I am a very happy reader and can't wait to read what this author does next. Highly recommended.

Well it's happened again,another great read from the pen of CJ Tudor. Just as haunting as her first but with more of a polished edge. Her style has yet to settle into one that is more unique to her but it's hard to write a horror/ suspense novel without your own favourite authors haunting its pages. It's Stephen King voice I feel whispering throughout this one , as I thought it was James Herbert within the pages of The Chalk Man. That's just my opinion on that though.

This book will certainly be on many TBR pile's this year as it was on mine. A story that is hauntingly eerie in a manner that will keep you on the edge of your seat as you follow Joe's journey to his past. Live each day of Joe's nightmare alongside him as he wrestles with his past. A past that we find out about in generous chunks as it runs side by side with his present life. The author keeps the plot moving along at nice steady pace for me that doesn't see me skipping parts to get to the end of the page. A pace that saw me indulging and savouring each paragraph and page. A chilling, taut, thrilling, hair on the back of your neck standing up kind of book. An author whose true voice has yet to be revealed through her stories but it's getting there, and I am sure future books will reveal it in its true glory.

As always these are just my opinions. Thanks to NETGALLEY for the chance to read it.

STAR RATING 4

Fantastic read, highly recommended, I could not put it down.
Lots of memories from my wife's career, a good twist, in fact a few throughout the book. Too plausible in parts! Good psychological thriller, look forward to the next one.