The Chalk Man: A Novel

C. J. Tudor

Jan 2018 · Sold by Ballantine Books

About this ebook

“Want to read something good?. . . If you like my stuff, you’ll like this.”—Stephen King • WINNER OF THE ITW THRILLER AWARD • WINNER OF THE STRAND MAGAZINE AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT NOVEL

A riveting psychological suspense debut that weaves a mystery about a childhood game gone dangerously awry, and will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking ending

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are on the verge of adolescence, spending their days biking in search of adventure. The chalk men are their secret code, stick figures they draw for one another as hidden messages. But one morning the friends find a chalk man leading them to the woods. They follow the message, only to find the dead body of a teenage girl.
 
In 2016, Eddie is nursing a drinking problem and trying to forget his past, until one day he gets a letter containing a chalk man—the same one he and his friends saw when they found the body. Soon he learns that all his old friends received the same note. When one of them is killed, Eddie realizes that saving himself means figuring out what happened all those years ago. But digging into the past proves more dangerous than he could have known. Because in this town, everyone has secrets, no one is innocent, and some will do anything to bury the truth.

Praise for The Chalk Man

“Wonderfully creepy—like a cold blade on the back of your neck.”—Lee Child

“An assured debut that alternates between 1986 and 2016 with unpredictable twists. The Chalk Man fits well with other stories about troubled childhoods such as Stephen King’s novella Stand by Me. . . . Tudor never misses a beat in showing each character as both a child and an adult while also exploring the foreboding environs of a small town.”—Associated Press

“Utterly hypnotic. The Chalk Man is a dream novel, a book of nightmares: haunted and haunting, shot through with shadow and light—a story to quicken the pulse and freeze the blood. A dark star is born.”—A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

“If you can’t get enough of psychological thrillers with sharp twists and turns, you need to read The Chalk Man”—Hello Giggles
 
“I haven’t had a sleepless night due to a book for a long time. The Chalk Man changed that.”—Fiona Barton, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow

Ratings and reviews

After reading the blurb for The Chalk Man, I was hoping for a creepy and engrossing read. The prologue does have that element, but it quickly went downhill from there. The story is rather dry and the pacing is extremely slow, to the point that it almost drags much of the time. So much of the book is dedicated to character and location descriptions that I found myself quite a ways in and still wondering when the suspense would actually start. I could have been okay with some character description had there been any characters that were likable enough to make me want to know more about them, but that wasn’t the case. By the time Eddie and company finally found the body, there wasn’t much in the way of suspense as the conclusion was way too easy to guess. The biggest issue for this reader is the complete suspension of belief required for this tale. One example is our narrator, Eddie, telling the story by going back and forth between 2016 and 1986. The changes in tense were a minor irritation, but the thing that had this reader’s eyes rolling was the sheer number of details that Eddie was able to recall after thirty years. Major events are one thing, but to remember lengthy conversations and even what people were wearing on any given day is a big stretch. Then, as the story slowly progresses, it isn’t just about the murder of one girl. There are several little side mysteries to be solved, each with their own little twist. Sadly, as these revelations trickled in, they really weren’t all that surprising and made the conclusion more convoluted than anything else. I actually set this one aside several times, but I did finally finish the book, more out of a mild curiosity to see if I was right than anything else. In the end, I found myself disappointed in this not so thrilling thriller, and I can’t say that it’s one I would recommend.

Eddie and four of his friends were 12 years old that summer. It was quite an exciting time for them all. It was the summer Eddie and Mr. Haloran, a teacher, saved a girl's life. Eddie and his friends found a dead body. One of them loses a brother. One of them loses a dog. One of them was abused by the reverend. It was a summer that would seem to last a lifetime. Slightly reminiscent of Stand By Me, this story is told in the present and bounces back and forth to 30 years ago. Four boys and a girl who started a summer in innocence and ended with something else. Some things last forever ... the mystery of the dead girl, the death of Mr. Haloran, who taught Eddie about The Chalk Man. What really happened that summer? And how does that affect these childhood friends now they are adults? This is story-telling at its very best, well written, with characters the reader won't soon forget. It has everything, the purity of childhood, a look at life from a child's wondering mind... the angst of growing up and away... the losses that can never be replaced ... the trust that may have been misplaced along the way. The conclusion is astounding, a surprise I never saw coming. Makes me want to go back and read it again. Many thanks to the author / Crown Publishing / Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of THE CHALK MAN. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. Book will be available 1/9/18.

It's a good read and you won't put the book down. However, I'd say it's heavely "inspired" the Stephen King's work. It, stay by me, secret garden, bag of bones, they are all there. That being said, I bought the book after reading a suggestion by SK himself. If you are a fan of King, you'll enjoy this book, but maybe won't be surprised by the plot.

About the author

C. J. Tudor is the author of The Drift, The Burning Girls, The Other People, The Hiding Place, and The Chalk Man, which won the International Thriller Writers Award for Best First Novel, the Barry Award, and the Strand Critics 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.