The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor is a dark thriller that has quite a few intriguing characters that the reader will instantly relate to. When a book stays with you long after you have read it, you know it is one that has merit. Told through a dual timeline, the story is one that will keep you guessing right to the end.
Title: The Chalk ManAuthor: C.J. Tudor
Publisher: Crown Publishing
Genres: Thriller, Adult Fiction
Publication Date: January 9, 2018
Rating:
In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever 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 that his friends got the same message, 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.
❃ I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. ❃
Review: The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
There is something about a great thriller that I find absolutely exciting. However, the spine-chilling books aren’t typically ones that I gravitate towards, until I picked up The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor. The opening of the book is written in such a shocking and intriguing way that I was immediately lured into a book that is totally out of my comfort zone.
❀ Incredible Characters
The aspect that I enjoyed the most about The Chalk Man is the cast of characters that Tudor has created. Something about these boys from the 1980s riding bikes all over town instantly reminded me of the kids from the TV show Stranger Things. I love how realistic and interesting the boys are, right down to their nicknames, such as Fat Gav and Metal Mickey.
❀ Alternating Time Periods
Written in alternating time periods, the plot flows seamlessly from 1986 to 2016. Told from Eddie’s point of view, the story unfolds through his eyes as both a preteen and an adult. Tudor slowly adds details from each time period that connect and lead to a greater understanding of the events that occurred when the boys were younger. This style is not always easy to pull off and it works really well in this novel.
❀ Mesemerizing
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor is a book that I highly recommend to fans of the genre. The writing is mesmerizing and the characters are so fantastic. This is one thriller that will definitely have you wondering what happened from beginning to end.
Book Quotes: The Chalk Man by C,J. Tudor
Book Beginning:
Start at the beginning.
The problem was none of us ever agreed on the exact beginning. Was it when Fat Gav got the bucket of chalks for his birthday? Was it when we started drawing chalk figures or when they started to appear on their own?
Friday 56:
At the door, Chloe pauses. She has on her concerned face. “Seriously, though, if you need a get-out I can give you a call on your mobile if you like- fake emergency?”
About C.J. Tudor
C. J. Tudor is the author of The Hiding Place and The Chalk Man, which won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel and the Strand Magazine Award for Best Debut Novel. Over the years she has worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voice-over artist, and dog walker. She is now thrilled to be able to write full-time, and doesn’t miss chasing wet dogs through muddy fields all that much. She lives in England with her partner and daughter.
About Lori
Avid reader. Contributor to The Candid Cover. Educator.
I have been seeing this book around a lot lately. It sounds like such a cool and interesting story. Adding it to my list right now!
I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did. 🙂
One of my 2018 goals is reading more thrillers and after reading this review I am a 100% sure that I want to read The Chalk Man. If I could buy it right away I would but I’m trying to save up money so I’ll have to wait for a little while. But I WILL buy it this year and read it for sure!
I hope that you enjoy the thrillers that you do get the chance to read this year. 🙂
Great review! It does sound like an amazing story with great characters to boot. It’s not always easy to master different time periods and making them work, but I’m glad the author managed that here. Interesting kids on bikes, riding around town and having adventures does sound like a pretty cool picture.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one, even if it is a bit out of your comfort zone 🙂
The different time periods work so well in this novel. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. 🙂
The fact that it kept me guessing was just amazung. And, I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much too! 😊
I know, right?! I love all of those twists that just kept coming. 🙂
I’m curious about that shoccking beginning.
Sounds Awesome.
Love the creepy concept! I’m the same as you, thrillers aren’t the genre I would immediately reach for, but there really is nothing better than a great one. Sometimes it’s fun to read something that leaves you completely unsettled for days afterwards.
So true! This is one that stays with you, for sure! 🙂
Great review!
Thank you for your honest review, it’s much appreciated!
Sounds creepy! Thanks for sharing about the book!
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I read this, too. I think THE CHALK MAN is just a good book that has been overly praised. So expectations were set too high for the reader.
Probably it’s the end of THE CHALK MAN that grabs so many great reviews. Although the reader knows already that a certain character is flawed, the ending italicizes and boldfaces “flawed.”
I thought this end was funny, though. I know the author did not intend this reaction. So, for me, this book didn’t work so well