When a book has received so much hype, it's difficult not to pick it up with a sense of foreboding. Will it live up to expectations, or prove a disappointment?
I'm happy to say The Chalk Man was a worthwhile read. Perhaps not the 'spooky' one I'd expected, but certainly atmospheric. The sections set in the 1980s were deliciously evocative of the era, with so many references I could identify with.
I won't go into plot details but instead say I found the book well-written and perfectly paced. Its style was more simplistic than I'd imagined (not a criticism, it suited the story and the cast of characters). My only small quibble would be with the ending, which I felt didn't do it justice. But an accomplished debut and I look forward to reading the author's follow-up in 2019.

After reading the hype I could not wait to read this book. Engaging and well written, but not as thrilling as I expected. I do not want to give too much away. Recommended reading.

OH MY GOODNESS THE ENDING!!
This isn't one i'll forget in a hurry - a great page turner: bit creepy, bit twisty and finishes with the literary equivalent of a slap across the face!

Not as sinister as I first thought but definitely an engaging read. A slow start but the 1986 events make up for it. It was all so interesting that I sometimes wish the present narration doesn't interfere. It was creepy with a surprising ending. Not what I expected but certainly a great book.

A really scary kind of read that made me jump at every little noise I heard but also it made for a brilliant read. I shall be looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future and can really recommend it if you want a great read ...Keep the lights on !!

I had heard so much about this book and decided to make it my next read ince the hype had died down.
I don't know but for me it was a bit of a slog. I didn't love it or hate it but just felt like I should keep reading.

Gosh! This is a good read! The perfect balance between wanting to know what happens, savouring the excellent writing and not wanting it to end. I loved it! A creepy thriller/murder mystery with interesting characters, lots of twists and turns and a satisfying and surprising ending. Fabulous!

Thanks so much to netgalley and Penguin books for the opportunity to preview this excellent read.

I enjoyed this book however feel it still has some unanswered questions.

This had me gripped from the 1st, slightly gruesome, chapter. It became a little muddled in the middle however came together for the ending.

Loved the throw backs to growing up in the 80’s.

3.5 stars

This book lived up to all the hype. From page one I was hooked. I actually went to bed early and did not switch my kindle off until I had finished it.
I was ready to be disappointed but I was so wrong. This was a masterpiece. This author certainly knows how to grap you by the jugular and not let go. I LOVED IT!!!!!
I would like to thank the author C J Tudor,Penguin and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review. Thank you for a really good read.

Loved this book. Was a great read and got through it really quickly - a page turner! Would recommend this book to other readers of books in this genre.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.
What a good read this one was. I really wasn't sure what to expect and when I started it I wondered if it was really going to be something I could get into.
I did get into it, and I really enjoyed it.

This is a book that's received much praise, but also a fair amount of criticism. It's definitely one that has split the crowd somewhat, and whenever that happens, I know that it's a book that I need to read so that I can see which side of the fence I'll choose.

I went into this one with an open mind, and hoping for the best. After reading a spate of books that I liked but that didn't blow me away, I was ready for something amazing. I'm happy to report that this book was great, perhaps not great enough for 5 stars, but still great.

The book had a fantastic opening chapter, but it is slightly gruesome and it caught me off guard. (I love it when that happens!). The story then progresses with alternating chapters set in the past and in the present. I was reminded somewhat of Stephen King's writing style in that the chapters set in the past were narrated by a young twelve year old Eddie, and the current chapters were narrated by an adult Eddie. I really enjoyed this change in viewpoint, and I do seem to enjoy books that have young narrators.

I found it quite amazing that this is a debut novel as the author does a great job of pulling the reader into the story. It's gripping and it has a number or twists and turns. On the negative side, I did find that there were a few plot holes, although the story did, for the most part, pull together well. But I did still have questions, and I wish I didn't. It could very well have been the author's intention to leave us wondering about certain things, but in this case I would have preferred the story to have a clear ending, to have been wrapped up neatly. But let me say this, the last chapter of this book left me reeling. I did not see it coming, but it also left me with an overriding sensation that I needed to sit down with someone else who had read the book and chat about the ending, and the implications. Not altogether a bad thing I suppose. The reader is definitely left thinking with this one.

It's a good read people. And if any of you do read it, feel free to pop me a message so that we can chat. :-)

Crime novel,thriller and mystery all rolled into one. The twists will keep you guessing right to the end

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Clare Bear S - Clare's Interpretations's Reviews > The Chalk Man
The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor
The Chalk Man
by C.J. Tudor (Goodreads Author)
24034373
Clare Bear S - Clare's Interpretations's review Apr 23, 2018 · edit
really liked it
bookshelves: 2018-netgalley-challenge, 2018-english-mystery-challenge, 2018-reading-challenge-read

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The prologue opened with an unknown person finding the head of a female, they stroke its face and then pick the head and put it in their bag.

The Chalk Man is set between 1986 and 2016 and is told from the POV of 12 year old Eddie now Ed. In the summer of 1986 everything changed for Eddie and his friends Fat Gav, Metal Mickey, Hoppo and Nicky. First Albino school teacher Mr Halloran arrived in the quiet village, then Eddie witnessed a terrible accident at the local fun fair and then Metal Mickey's big brother drowned.

For Fat Gavs birthday he was given a chalk set, Ed decided they could use them for secret messages. Fat Gav gave each member of the gang a different colour chalk so they knew who was the message giver. This was fun until each member had a stick man drawn outside their house to meet in the school playground. When they met each child denied drawing the stick men, the kids decided to follow the stick men which led them to the woods and a dead body.

In 2016 Ed is a school teacher, Fat Gav is in a wheelchair after a terrible accident when he was 18 years old and Hoppo is a plumber. Metal Mickey moved years ago and had not been for years. However one day Ed received a phone call from Mickey who was returning to the village and wanted to meet up. Shortly after Mickey is found dead and the mysterious stick men begin to haunt Ed again.

This was a superb story, part mystery, psychological thriller with a bit of horror thrown into the mix. Although the part when 12 year old Eddie was viciously attacked then sexually assaulted by Metal Mickey's big brother did disturb me. I loved reading about the gang as kids and what they turned into by 2016.

My favourite characters were the mysterious white haired Mr Halloran who was Eddie's guardian Angel. Later Eddie's flat mate Chloe was very matter of fact and took no nonsense.

The Chalk Man was a complex story with many different threads to the tale. There were plenty of suspects and red herrings galore. I have given this book four starts because some aspects of the story remained unanswered. However it did not ruin the conclusion of the book for me. I highly recommend this book.

5 likes


GraphREADING PROGRESS
July 31, 2017 – Shelved
July 31, 2017 – Shelved as: to-read
December 22, 2017 – Shelved as: 2018-netgalley-challenge
March 20, 2018 – Started Reading
March 20, 2018 – Shelved as: 2018-english-mystery-challenge
March 20, 2018 – Shelved as: 2018-reading-challenge-read
April 21, 2018 –
22.0%
April 22, 2018 –
65.0%
April 23, 2018 – Finished Reading

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With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.<br /><br />The prologue opened with an unknown person finding the head of a female, they stroke its face and then pick the head and put it in their bag.<br /><br />The Chalk Man is set between 1986 and 2016 and is told from the POV of 12 year old Eddie now Ed. In the summer of 1986 everything changed for Eddie and his friends Fat Gav, Metal Mickey, Hoppo and Nicky. First Albino school teacher Mr Halloran arrived in the quiet village, then Eddie witnessed a terrible accident at the local fun fair and then Metal Mickey's big brother drowned.<br /><br />For Fat Gavs birthday he was given a chalk set, Ed decided they could use them for secret messages. Fat Gav gave each member of the gang a different colour chalk so they knew who was the message giver. This was fun until each member had a stick man drawn outside their house to meet in the school playground. When they met each child denied drawing the stick men, the kids decided to follow the stick men which led them to the woods and a dead body.<br /><br />In 2016 Ed is a school teacher, Fat Gav is in a wheelchair after a terrible accident when he was 18 years old and Hoppo is a plumber. Metal Mickey moved years ago and had not been for years. However one day Ed received a phone call from Mickey who was returning to the village and wanted to meet up. Shortly after Mickey is found dead and the mysterious stick men begin to haunt Ed again.<br /><br />This was a superb story, part mystery, psychological thriller with a bit of horror thrown into the mix. Although the part when 12 year old Eddie was viciously attacked then sexually assaulted by Metal Mickey's big brother did disturb me. I loved reading about the gang as kids and what they turned into by 2016.<br /><br />My favourite characters were the mysterious white haired Mr Halloran who was Eddie's guardian Angel. Later Eddie's flat mate Chloe was very matter of fact and took no nonsense.<br /><br />The Chalk Man was a complex story with many different threads to the tale. There were plenty of suspects and red herrings galore. I have given this book four starts because some aspects of the story remained unanswered. However it did not ruin the conclusion of the book for me. I highly recommend this book.<br /><br />
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/24034373-clare">View all my reviews</a>





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Fans of Stephen King, look no further: I might just have found you a new favourite book. C.J Tudor is amazingly skilful of getting right under your skin, like the very best of King’s novels and definitely succeeded in getting me to turn all the lights on before I headed upstairs as I just couldn’t stop thinking about the sheer darkness in this cracking debut novel. You can feel it in the woods, in the school and in the playground; you can feel it in the houses and at the fairground. You can feel it in most places in the small town of Anderbury . . . the fear that something or someone is watching you. It all begins back in 1986, at the fair, on the day of the accident. That was when twelve-year-old Eddie met Mr Halloran - the Chalk Man. He gave Eddie the idea for the drawings: a way to leave secret messages for his friends and it was fun, until the chalk men led them to a dead body. Thirty years later, Ed believes the past is far behind him, until an envelope slips through the letterbox. It contains a stick of chalk, and a drawing of a figure... I don’t want to give any more away as this is such a rattling good read. This book will definitely unnerve you and leave you looking over your shoulder in case something is on the point of dropping through your letterbox. I can’t wait to see what C.J Tudor does next as The Chalk Man had me hooked. An absolutely excellent read – buy it if you Dare!

I enjoyed this book although didn't connect with it as much as others seem to have. The main character was likeable enough, but many others seemed very one dimensional and peripheral. I liked the chalk man concept but found some plot elements confusing. Also I worked out who did it about half way through!

1986: Twelve year old Eddie and his friends summer holidays started as you would expect, bike rides and general high jinks. But the summer soon turns cruel.....two accidents tarnish their summer but then the violence starts. A game they played with chalk in innocent fun becomes the precursor to assault and then a brutal murder. 30 years on Eddie has tried to leave the memories behind, but then the chalk men begin to appear again.

I love it when the hype is deserved. Too many times I've read a book only to think 'meh'. But this has everything I love in a book, murder, mystery, the occasional dash of humour and of course a great big dose of 80's nostalgia. A fast paced thriller for anyone who likes Stephen King and Stranger Things.

I started this book on my phone while waiting for someone. I then tried to read the book I was reading previously but I just couldn't stop thinking about the chalk man, so had to go back to it and finish it. The story sucked me in and kept me there. It had lots of sub plots that all linked in to the main story and added extra dimensions. For me, everything was tied off nicely ... with a few surprises!!

I started reading ""The Chalk Man" on my Kindle with great interest but after getting to 11 % in the book and never having felt that anything grabbed me, I threw in the towel. I rarely do this . Sorry, not my type of novel...But then I am also not a fan of Stephen King......I will refrain to review the book in my blog.......thanks for allowing me the download.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't really know what to expect when I started this.. I've seen lots of people reading it and I've seen good and bad reviews. I really enjoyed this book though. The fact that it's set in the past in 1986 when the events actually occurred and now, well, 2016, when Ed is still trying to figure out what happened all those years ago, compelled me to keep reading. Each chapter was ended on a cliffhanger so I couldn't put the book down and just had to keep reading on to get all the answers! The writing flows really easily which also helps to whizz through this book really quickly.