TLC Book Tours, Debut Thriller from C.J. Tudor: The Chalk Man

The Story:
In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy little 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. Expertly alternating between flashbacks and the present day, The Chalk Man is the very best kind of suspense novel, one where every character is wonderfully fleshed out and compelling, where every mystery has a satisfying payoff, and where the twists will shock even the savviest reader.

Read what others on The Chalk Man tour are saying!

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My Thoughts:
I admit to being completely obsessed with Stranger Things, the horror/sci-fi series on Netflix. When I saw The Chalk Man recommended to fans of the series, of course I had to sign up for a copy! I don't usually read horror or thrillers, but I never watched shows like Stranger Things either, so I knew I had to give this book a chance. I guess I was going into the genre with fresh eyes so to speak! I love supporting debut authors, too. That said, while the book wasn't for me, get thee to a book store if you like creeptastic stories.

The Chalk Man has mystery, suspense, and murder to make it quite a thrilling book. I was hoping for a supernatural Chalk Man or something like the Demogorgon or Shadow Monster, but it turned out the Chalk Man was rather down-to-Earth.:\ The book certainly explores elements I imagine books like those by Stephen King are full of. In fact, most of the characters are strange with some interesting quirks to say the least. I honestly did not connect with any of them. The main character doesn't have much charisma and I gotta say, that the ending was pretty gritty. I'm still quaking in my boots an hour after having turned the last page. *Shivers*

While The Chalk Man isn't the thriller for this reader, I found that the author's style of writing unique. I liked the back and forth time jumps from the 1980s to 2016 and that usually isn't my scene. I think it's something that only works in this type of book. As I said, I was hoping that the story would explore friendship and pop culture in the 80s maybe with a supernatural element from the advertisements, but alas, it did not. It was still a decent debut novel and one I'd recommend for readers of the genre.

~ My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars ~

*I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255.*

Happy Reading!