The Chalk Man
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological
3.9
(1.1K)
C. J. Tudor
“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 NOVELA 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 endingIn 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
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More Details:
Author
C. J. Tudor
Pages
304
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2018-01-09
ISBN
1524761001 9781524761004
Community ReviewsSee all
"The Chalk Man started out so well, and then went in a strange direction. It was all pretty unbelievable by the end. It followed pretty closely to Stephen King stories, and made some King references. Part of me likes it, and part of me doesn't because it may have been too much. I enjoyed the paranormal-seeming aspect (or was that just me?) but the resolution (and buildup to the resolution) was odd. I kind of wish just the first half of the book would have been expanded, and not gone into this territory of a thousand loopholes. I am really not a fan of the ending of this book; I've been looking forward to this book for quite a while, so this was disappointing."
Emily
"Want my personal review feel free to message me. Waste of my time and the most cheesy thriller I have ever read. Look up trigger warnings for this one before you read. "
Veronica
"I enjoyed this book. It was clearly inspired by Stephen King, and the mystery kept me intrigued until the end. I will say, I wouldn't call this a thriller so much as a mystery novel without the detective element. I'm also a plot-driven reader, meaning that while I enjoy good character development and relatability, I don't have to connect to characters to enjoy a book. I can see why people who need that element don't enjoy this as much. It's not a book for everyone, but it was an entertaining book for me."
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Stephanie Bartley
"I thought the tone of this book was really boring and not my regular choice in books. I picked it up bc it was a crime thriller, but i didn't find anything thrilling about this book. I didn't like any of the characters either so it was really hard to connect."
Zaira Acosta
"Definitely creepy and disturbing. "
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lex .
"That last chapter though...just when I thought everything was all wrapped up, there was one more little jab to freak me out. I really enjoyed this, it was definitely a fast-paced and engaging read. I did figure out some of it, but what I liked about this book was that it wasn’t just one thing to figure out. And I did not see that ending coming, so that was a complete surprise! Loved the nostalgic 80s feel too, between the recent movie version of “IT” and “Strangers Things,” I feel like the 80s are having a moment, and it’s rad."
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Allie Peduto
"Really enjoyed this read, although the ending has left me a bit confused"
Erin Harvey
"Creepy. Disturbing."
Patti-Ann Clarkson
"A little twisted, but doesn't quite land. The author has a keen sense of style, but gets hung up on repetitive sentimentality. Fans of crime fiction will spot the major revelation a mile off. Would not stand up to reread."
tinyhouse bigreads
"one of the best psychological thrillers i have ever read"
Kelli Sipple