Review: The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

by Susan Roberts

The Chalk Man is such a fantastic book that it's hard to believe that it's a debut novel. I can't wait to see what this author writes next. She's definitely on my list of favorite authors.
Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2018; Crown; 978-1524760984
audio, ebook, print (288 pages); thriller

This book is told in two time periods - 1986 and present day. In 1986, Eddie and his 4 friends (3 boys and I girl) are adolescents, spending their time riding their bikes, making forts in the woods and just goofing around. They come up with a plan to use chalk drawings to send private messages to each other - like 'meet in the woods - now'. It's a harmless little game until a chalk drawing left by someone (and none of them know who) leads them to a dead body in the woods. After that, the small group of friends break up and never talk about the chalk drawings again. That is until present day when they all get a letter in the mail with the drawing of a chalk man. Their earlier discovery of the body has haunted them for their entire lives and they know that the chalk man drawings mean something but have no idea what it is and are determined to find out.  After one of their childhood group dies in a suspicious manner, they all realize that they may be in life or death struggle with whoever is the chalk man.

This is a wonderful, well-written novel full of likable characters that will pull you in from page 1 and keep you rapidly turning pages until the end. I expect to see this book listed as one of the top suspense novels of 2018.

Buy The Chalk Man at Amazon
Also available at Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter. The Chalk Man was inspired by a tub of chalks a friend bought for her daughter’s second birthday. One afternoon they drew chalk figures all over the driveway. Later that night she opened the back door to be confronted by weird stick men everywhere. In the dark, they looked incredibly sinister. She called to her partner: ‘These chalk men look really creepy in the dark...’
Connect with C. J. on Facebook and Twitter

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina when she isn't traveling. She and her husband enjoy traveling, gardening and spending time with their family and friends. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and thrillers. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads,  or Twitter. 

Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up today! Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.