The Burning Girls is C.J. Tudor's best yet!

Having read and enjoyed Tudor's previous books, it felt to me like this is the novel where she fully embraces her own style over and above paying homage to writers who inspire her. The references to horror books and films are still there, and fun to spot, and serve to illustrate the character's interests rather than feeling cliched but there was a stronger sense of originality.

I won't say anything detailed about the plot, this is one where it really pays to go in blind and let the narrative unravel, feel the tension build, and enjoy the twists.

Two things in relation to characters though; firstly, there is a killer who is deliciously unhinged and capable of inflicting extreme terror, and secondly, I loved the main character who is refreshingly flawed and morally dubious.

I found the mother-daughter relationship realistic and relatable, the village setting provides the claustrophobia of generations of families knowing each other's business, and the supernatural element is suitably creepy.

Perfect for spooky season and those long dark nights!

Perfect book for these winter nights... just a little bit creepy,and a little bit scary.
Several storylines,that all twist together in ways that make you go "ah" and " arghhhhh"
There was very little I could predict was going to happen,so I was turning pages pretty fast.
A fantastic lead character,that being a single female parent vicar brought to mind Phil Rickmans Merrily Watkins,and she happily lived up to that reputation.
Best book yet I think.

received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. My true rating for this is 3.5 stars.

This is the story of Jack single parent of teenage daughter Flo. Jack left the last parish under a cloud after an exorcism went wrong. She moves to Chapel Cross which is a small village with a tight knit community and strange traditions. They have a history of the Sussex martyrs who were burnt at the stake. The villagers make twig dolls to commemorate them. Two girls went missing 30 years ago. The village is filled with secrets and lies and the appearance of the occasional ghost.Jack also has a secret past that there is no getting away from.

I am a big fan of C.J.Tudor but I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as her other books which is why I have given it 3.5 stars. I would give trigger warnings for bullying and abuse. There are times that I felt really uncomfortable reading this book and I think that this shows how talented a writer the author is to make me feel this way. I loved that there was ghosts and supernatural elements in this book and I felt that the readers are left to make their own mind up. Some of the storyline, aside from the ghost/supernatural elements felt very over the top to me. I am really not sure about one of the side stories, in all honesty I didn’t quite understand where it went.

Overall I enjoyed this book and feel it is a real pity it is not released in time for Halloween. (less)

My thoughts about this brilliantly written gripping, horror murder mystery thriller, was outstanding. C J Tudor’s The Burning Girls, is a story of Jack and her teenage daughter Fio, who move to Chapel Croft, to start a new life after leaving Nottingham. When they arrive in Chapel Croft, life seems not easy, as the town has some darkest secrets hidden with it and haunted. When events start to occurring, with Flo having nightmares of The Burning Girls who died years ago, A vicar who killed himself are some of the events that happen, to find out the mystery of Chapel Crofts history timeline was just fantastic. It all makes sense when you reach to the end of the book. Author C J Tudor, not only she writes a fantastic hardhiting story, but the characters she develops are just fantastic. This was my first read from this author and it won’t be the last.C J Tudor’s The Burning Girls is one of the books you won’t be able to put down. A well written murder mystery gripping thriller, that will give you chills and scare the hell out of you.What I liked about the story was it had some of the best moments, with its hardhiting story and its characters. C J Tudor’s writing is truly remarkable. No wonder her debut novel was optioned for TV adaption. The Burning Girls takes you on a journey through darkest hidden secrets of Chapel Croft. C J Tudor’s The Burning Girls, is one of the best mystery thrillers, I’ve read since Alex North’s The Whisper Man. Highly Recommended. This is going to be huge in 2021. Take a bow C J Tudor, you have nailed it with this one, with its unique story, and the characters, and with its nail biting ending, that shocked me bravo. I would like to say thank you to Author C J Tudor,Jennifer from Michael J Books and Netgalley for giving me a chance to read and review this outstanding thriller.💥💥💥💥💥⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After a traumatic experience the Reverend Jack Brooks is assigned to a new post at Chapel Croft. This is a close knit community that follows old traditions and harbours many secrets.
She is finding it hard to gain the trust of the residents, her teenage daughter is being bullied and missing her friends.
A scary read with menacing characters that kept me on the edge of my seat.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I. Absolutely. LOVED this book! I’d recently read The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor and thought it was amazing so when I spotted her new novel, I knew I MUST read it!

This story centres around Reverend Jack Brooks, a badass reverend (duh) who has relocated from Nottingham with daughter Flo, in the name of vicarage duties, to Chapel Croft - a quiet village with a lot of history...

This book has so much going on, it’s a wild ride and I enjoyed every second. As well as the dark twists and shocking secrets, there are themes explored that are more prevalent to ‘real life’ including cruelty and bullying which makes the story sadly relatable in places. I really admire C.J. Tudor’s style of writing, she just has that magic gift of completely drawing you into a story so that it consumes you until you’ve finished - and when I did finish, I was left reeling by the ultimate revelation. An absolutely enrapturing read for me from start to finish and I have absolutely no doubt that this will be a bestseller.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph & Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Burning Girls is another masterpiece by CJ Tudor.I have read her previous books and loved them all so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed by this new story .It is a creepy almost Gothic like book full of surprises and twists ,one of those books that is so difficult to put down ..Jack Brooks is the new Vicar of a sleepy village called Chapel Croft which seems steeped in history .She arrives with her teenage daughter Flo and things will never be the same ,ghostly sightings ,missing girls,very spooky full of great characters.Jack is unlike a vicar I really liked her though she has a dark past ,a lot of the characters seems to have a secret just fabulous .I look forward to reading the next book by this Author .
Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

C J Tudor is brilliant and getting better with each book. I love Jack, who is an incredible contrast that goes against all ideas of a typical reverend. The story itself is confusing at times with jumps from different perspectives and time jumps however the mystery and the story itself is simply too good to not get immersed in it. The main character is brilliant as the audience is lulled into believing at first she is someone holy however as the story unravels, so does the likability and unlikability of all. I felt very satisfied with the ending exchange between Clara and Jack. It felt very honest.

Wow what a tense, gripping, spine chilling and haunting and twisty turny book. I was completely and utterly hooked into this book. The scene is atmospherically gothic, surreal, has that creepy village feel reminiscent of Agatha Christie and an M R James spooky feel. Loved loved loved it. It’s one of those books that when you finish it you just need to pause and let the tale sink in. This one will haunt me for a long time....

‘By the pricking of my thumbs
Something wicked this way comes’

It sure does. Reverend Jack Brooks and daughter Flo get a temporary posting to Chapel Croft in Sussex after some problems in the old parish in Nottingham. What unfolds will not only blow your socks off, it’ll ignite them too.

This is very well written, I like the lively (oh boy, is it’s lively!) and engaging style and the humour between Jack and Flo which demonstrates their close relationship. I love the film references too and that the author challenges the readers expectations. There’s a good mixture of well depicted characters especially Jack and Flo, the latter being my stand out character. I love the weaving of the fact of the Sussex Martyrs of 1555-57 with the fiction and folklore of events in Chapel Croft with the burning omens of doom. There are surprises aplenty so expect your jaw to thud to the floor and your eyes to pop in shock. CJ Tudor uses all the senses to convey some horrifying occurrences with some examples of human cruelty. It is as scary as hell in places with some truly creeptastic locations and accompanied by spooky events to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. I did figure some aspects out as the clues are there but some came as a very unpleasant curveball. I had to reflect on the ending for a while but conclude it is good and very twisty. I like the symbolic way that Jack leaves the past behind.

Overall, another winner from the author and I have no doubt this will another best seller.

With thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the much appreciated arc copy for an honest review.

Wow C.J has done it again, yet another fantastic read, fast paced with twist after twist. I did not predict that ending!. Brilliant and will definitely be recommending this to everyone.

I really enjoyed this book all the way through. It had a really good plot, great main characters and really keeps you hooked on the plot. I would highly recommend this book.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was absolutely brilliant, fabulous story great characters and some twists that I was definitely not prepared for.

#TheBurningGirls #NetGalley
A good read but a bit lengthy.
It was a good read by c j Tudor as I was expecting it to be. Although it seemed like a murder mystery and horror at some places and feels like nostalgia is setting up in your brain but it's characters draw you out from that nostalgia and you keep reading because of this author's writing style.
Overall it's a good read. One should go for it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for giving me an advanced copy.

The burning girls by C J Tudor
4 stars

A complex story that touched on an element of horror on several occasions. An atmospheric tale based in an isolated English village with a dark history.... And a darker current one.

Reading the ARC was a challenge because of formatting issues and a lack of location numbers. With no sense of how long the story was, it felt overly long.

This is the first time in ten years I’ve regretted not reading a book in paperback. The author has a gift for telling a dark tale and I wish I had read it in its final form.

Another very good novel by CJ Tudor, an author I have eagerly followed since reading her excellent debut novel 'The Chalk Man'. This novel is a bit quirky and is full of suspense, intrigue, thrills and excellent characters.

Reverend Jack Brookes is a single mother with a fourteen year old daughter and an unconventional vicar who moves to Chapel Croft in a remote corner of the English countryside. She discovers a community haunted by death and disappearances. Five hundred years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake here. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself. Jack is looking for a fresh start and live a peaceful life but instead she finds a community full of secrets.

Jack and daughter Flo discover that the town is full of strange ways, mysteries and suspicions. Flo is troubled by strange sightings in the old chapel and it becomes obvious that there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest. Everyone has secrets and links to the villages bloody past and are keen to protect them so no one trusts an outsider.

Great storytelling.

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

I never repeat the blurb. Sorry to say, this was just not for me. Never too keen on books which not to the supernatural. Will try more by the author though, as I liked the writing style.