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C. J. Tudor

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The Chalk Man: A Novel Kindle Edition

by C. J. Tudor (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 12,341 ratings

Editors' pick Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

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“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

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Readers will undoubtedly be reminded of the kids of Stand by Me and even IT. . . . [The] first-person narration alternates between past and present, taking full advantage of chapter-ending cliffhangers. A swift, cleverly plotted debut novel that ably captures the insular, slightly sinister feel of a small village. Children of the 1980s will enjoy the nostalgia.”—Kirkus Reviews

“[A] promising debut . . . with the nightmarish inevitability of the Grimmest of tales . . . her storytelling prowess is undeniable.”—Publishers Weekly

“CJ Tudor has written an utterly original novel—a thriller in which the suspense comes not simply from what happens, but from that dark place within the human mind from which all the greatest mysteries and terrors emerge. This one will hold you in its grip to the last page.”—Joyce Maynard, New York Times bestselling author of Under the Influence and To Die For

“What a great book. A twisty thriller and downright creepy ending. Five stars.”—Sarah Pinborough, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes

“Imaginative, with an intriguing premise that straddles two fascinating worlds. It’s a frenetic ride that’s deep and alluring, oozing with suspense. A rollicking good time.”—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The 14th Colony

“C.J. Tudor knows the twelve-year-old who still lives in all of us, that kid who chills himself to the bone with an intuition of what lurks in the woods, or in his own closet, and The Chalk Man walks the haunted bridge between then and now—between sheer childhood terrors and a true crime so grisly and personal it’s cold hand never leaves the back of your neck. Suburban adolescents on bikes, squeamish love, nascent sexuality meets adult-world obsession and lust and violence . . . and through it all runs an affecting story of friendship, loss, and the inescapable frailties of mind and body.” —Tim Johnston, New York Times Bestselling author of Descent

“A cleverly constructed, artfully told tale of secrets, lies, and warped passions—featuring a troubled protagonist, a terrible murder that wasn’t what it seemed to be, and a raging monster at the heart of it all.”—John Verdon, internationally bestselling author of Think of a Number and the Nero Award-winning Peter Pan Must Die

“C.J. Tudor’s The Chalk Man is a stunning debut, a riveting thriller about the powerful grip of the past and the unbreakable bonds of childhood friendship. The ending of this smasher will completely throw you for a loop. Don’t miss a word of it!”—David Bell, bestselling author of Bring Her Home and Somebody I Used to Know

“The Chalk Man is an intricate and surprising book that will reward the reader who approaches it with the attention it deserves.”—Thomas Perry, New York Times bestselling author of The Old Man

“Tense, skillful storytelling.”—Ali Land, internationally bestselling author of, Good Me Bad Me

“Kept me up until five in the morning. Wonderfully written. I loved it!”—Kimberley Chambers, bestselling author of Backstabber and The Wronged

“It’s been a while since I’ve read such an impressive debut. The pace was perfectly judged, the characters superbly drawn and there’s a creeping sense of unease that starts with the prologue and grows throughout the book. And then that ending! It feels so fresh and deserves to be a huge success.”—James Oswald, bestselling author of the Inspector McLean series

“What an amazing debut! Such an ingenious, original idea. I was engrossed from the very first page. I loved how the 1986 and present day storylines weaved so skillfully together to create that unforgettable and unexpected ending. Compelling, taut and so very, very chilling. This book will haunt you!”—Claire Douglas, bestselling author of Last Seen Alive

“Impossible to put down, cleverly constructed and executed.” —Ragnar Jonasson, author of the bestselling Dark Iceland series

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 CriticsAward 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.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue

The girl’s head rested on a small pile of orange-and-brown leaves.

Her almond eyes stared up at the canopy of sycamore, beech and oak, but they didn’t see the tentative fingers of sunlight that poked through the branches and sprinkled the woodland floor with gold. They didn’t blink as shiny black beetles scurried over their pupils. They didn’t see anything any more, except darkness.

A short distance away, a pale hand stretched out from its own small shroud of leaves as if searching for help, or reassurance that it was not alone. None was to be found. The rest of her body lay out of reach, hidden in other secluded spots around the woods.

Close by, a twig snapped, loud as a firecracker in the stillness, and a flurry of birds exploded out of the undergrowth. Someone approached.

They knelt down beside the unseeing girl. Their hands gently caressed her hair and stroked her cold cheek, fingers trembling with anticipation. Then they lifted up her head, dusted off a few leaves that clung to the ragged edges of her neck, and placed it care- fully in a bag, where it nestled among a few broken stubs of chalk.

After a moment’s consideration, they reached in and closed her eyes. Then they zipped the bag shut, stood up and carried it away.

Some hours later, police officers and the forensic team arrived. They numbered, photographed, examined and eventually took the girl's body to the morgue, where it lay for several weeks, as if awaiting completion.
It never came. There were extensive searches, questions and appeals but, despite the best efforts of all the detectives and al the town's men, her head was never found, and the girl in the woods was never put together again.

Chapter 1
2016

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 the chalk figures or when they started to appear on their own? Was it the terrible accident? Or when they found the first body?

Any number of beginnings. Any of them, I guess, you could call the start. But really, I think it all began on the day of the fair. That’s the day I remember most. Because of Waltzer Girl, obviously, but also because it was the day that everything stopped being normal.

If our world was a snow globe, it was the day some casual god came along, shook it hard and set it back down again. Even when the foam and flakes had settled, things weren’t the way they were before. Not exactly. They might have looked the same through the glass but, on the inside, everything was different.

That was also the day I first met Mr. Halloran, so, as beginnings go, I suppose it’s as good as any.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071FDZYVK
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (January 9, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 9, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 7654 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 372 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0593359011

Best Sellers Rank: #63,873 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #271 in Horror Suspense
- #1,301 in Serial Killer Thrillers
- #1,492 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 12,341 ratings

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C. J. Tudor

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C. J. Tudor lives with her partner and young daughter. Her love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert.

Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover artist, television presenter, copywriter and, now, author.

Her first novel, The Chalk Man, was a Sunday Times bestseller and sold in thirty-nine territories.

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Helene Stephens

Scary - Strange: The Chalk Man

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2019

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I enjoyed this book, and I enjoyed the concept of the chalk stick-figure drawings, which provided the "secret code" for the youngsters. Although the description of the drawings reminded me of Sherlock Holmes's "Adventure of the Dancing Men," I primarily thought that this book may have been inspired by "Penpal" by Dathan Auerbach. Even though the plot is only vaguely similar to "Penpal," the voices of young Eddie alternating with mature Eddie, as the narrators, had an almost similar ring.

The voice(s) of Eddie are done very realistically, and the little asides of young Eddie were perfect. His description of The Chalk Man (a teacher with Albino coloring) was strong and allowed the reader to form his/her own opinion as to whether the Chalk Man was a good or bad character. Likewise, Eddie's young friends are also very well done, and are quite individual characters. The reader is able to decide as to the positive or negative nature of each young boy.

Despite the small town atmosphere and the described adventures of the young boys playing, there seems to be quite a bit of "evil" floating through this story, from the demented Reverend to the bully Sean, to the horror of the amusement ride malfunction, to the murders and deformities, the false accusations, the illnesses of the senior characters -- the place doesn't seem like a happy one. Even Eddie himself has a character flaw to sometimes steal, and I wondered about the impact of the locale in which he grew up.

The story is intriguing, but there seems to be a lot going on and sometimes I was a bit confused as to how the facts fit together. Still, this was a mysteriously strange and darkly fascinating read. Four Stars

7 people found this helpful

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FaithOryx

Interesting Mystery - Worth the Investment of Time to Read

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2018

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The Chalk Man is a fun read with some twists and turns. This was more mystery than thriller, but with some exciting moments here and there. What you have here is a story told in two timelines - 1986, when Eddie is twelve years old, and 2016, when Eddie is 42 years old. That childhood summer is a hazy memory of bikes and hot days, but with more than one odd and frightening event derailing the pre-adolescent lives of Eddie and his friends. 30 years later things have come to head, and it's time to look back at that summer from their adult perspectives. The environment is certainly fun, taking place in an English village, which is a new and interesting view of the eighties nostalgia movement.

There is more than one story and mystery that evolves within the pages and the ending is mostly satisfactory on all accounts. I've read lots of (positive and negative} reviews that comment on this book's similarities to some current and cult favorites (Stranger Things, It [most likely based on the success and style of the recent movie release], Stand By Me/The Body, etc.). I do agree this book is an ode to Stephen King, with nods in his direction at most of the climatic scenes. That being said, it has its own original flavor and I think that some of the events are more coincidental than homage, perhaps a victim of how the story should unfold. If you love eighties nostalgia, coming of age, and life-long mysteries, than this book is for you. Even if you've seen and read all of the potential referenced media, you will be in for fun surprises and an ending all its own.

If I had a complaint at all, it was Eddie's very personal role and involvement which is perhaps both peripheral and inessential. I'm still considering his role, as well as the role of the other characters, and deciding what I think. It's the title of the book and the related games of the children that make me pause, trying to perhaps make more of something than there is to begin with. It's a difficult position to explain without giving spoilers about characters and happenings, which is the worst a reviewer can do to a reader. So read for yourself and see what you think about how everything connects.

The book on its whole is somewhat sad and less fun than those above-referenced books, leaving me with a feeling of wanting more. I wouldn't rate this lower than four stars, however, because it's a proper mystery and well written. I did not walk away angry with the ending or frustrated with plot holes. I suppose in hindsight I shouldn't overthink this one, and just try to enjoy it as it is. Days later this book has stayed with me as I ruminate over the details, so for that, it's definitely worth the investment of time.

9 people found this helpful

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M. Sloan

Good writing flow

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024

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Good writing flow but a little too drawn out for me. It was a good story but took a bit to read.

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024

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Excellent read, very well written. Kept me guessing all the way through. I look forward to reading more by this author!

One person found this helpful

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Aaron

Basically Stephen King fan-fiction (but not in a bad way)

Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2019

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I mean no disrespect by calling this “Stephen King fan fiction.” I don’t think the author was hiding it either, although “homage” might be a nicer word. There are hints and nods towards “The Shining” and “Salem’s Lot,” but the clearest reference is to “It,” with the jumps between 1986 and 2016, the makeup of the gang, even the characters’ personalities themselves. There are also aspects of Tana French in there. I’m assuming others have already noticed this, so I won’t dwell on that too much. I’ll also try not to spoil it for others who want to read it for themselves.

I like that this book was a quick read, something you can finish on a flight or in a few hours on a lazy day or, in my case, when my reading had stalled for months and I needed something to jumpstart it again. It doesn’t weigh down the story with unnecessary flourishes, and its characters are relatively well fleshed-out.

I wasn’t crazy about the cliffhanger endings to nearly all the chapters, though. The author even makes an observation about cliffhangers that is perhaps a bit self-conscious. I know authors want us to keep reading, and we will if they keep the plot going. Cliffhangers are just too easy and, at times, unnecessarily melodramatic, especially when the result is a red herring. If you read this book relatively quickly, these cliffhangers start to become predictable.

Tudor leans a bit too heavily into Stephen King territory at times. Perhaps readers who don’t know King’s stories will be fine with it. But, as the story ends, Tudor really surprises. It’s almost as if King was a crutch and, by the end, Tudor was ready to take it off. As I believe this is her first book, I am cautiously optimistic and will venture to pick up the next one. I hope the crutches are off by then because there’s clearly a good author in there somewhere who knows how to plan a story. She just needs to be herself more and not be called “The British Stephen King.”

6 people found this helpful

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Ron Howard

Draws you in from the first paige

Reviewed in Canada on July 5, 2023

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Very well written, makes you keep turning the pages. Excellent writer .

Mr. J. N. Simpson

Another great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 19, 2024

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Another great read. Easy to read and fast paced. Clever twists and turns and I look forward to reading more of her books. Great author. You won't be disappointed

Cliente Amazon

Una historia curiosa y contada de manera que te atrapa.

Reviewed in Spain on June 24, 2023

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Se lee en dos tardes, es una pequeña maravilla si te gustan las historias de asesinos misteriosos. Con su puntada final y todo.

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Vijibala

One of the best novels out there

Reviewed in India on June 12, 2023

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I thought that I would regret buying this but it was the opposite. CJ Tudor is the next Stephen King

Carolin

Terrific!

Reviewed in Germany on August 17, 2022

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After The Taking of Annie Thorne the second book by Tudor that I've read and I can't decide on which one I enjoyed more! Her storytelling is captivating and she unfolds the story in such a nice way. Not too slow yet not too quick. And with Tudor there are always multiple unexpected plot twists that keep you hooked the entire time! I will definitely order another one of her novels!

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