This is a creepy story full of twists and turns with a completely unexpected ending!

In terms of characters I wasn't a particular fan of the main character Joe, although he's been through a lot I just didn't find him that likeable. I don't know what it was about him but I just didn't really warm to him - it didn't have an impact on the story, but at the same time I wasn't overly bothered about what happened to him! There are some brilliant characters in here though, Gloria being one of my particular unexpected favourites!

There are lots of proper creepy moments in here. If you like horrors with creepy children and dolls (eeek!) then you'll love this! There's some real atmosphere in this, that will have you on the edge of your seat (or hiding behind a cushion!) and I absolutely loved that. Arnhill as a village sounds like an absolutely awful, doomed place - definitely somewhere you would avoid, and it just adds to the brilliant atmosphere.

Overall, a good book that I enjoyed and loved the creepy elements to it.

This book was incredible, it lived up to Tudor's previous novel and gave me so much more! The characters were well fleshed out and each brought a lot to the table. The hints for the plot twists were good and I guessed some of them but others really shocked me.

This took me a couple of attempts to get in to over a number of months but when I eventually got in to it I was slightly disappointed. I just felt like it dragged so much and I was waiting for something to happen. The characters were all a bit wishy washy and quite honestly a bit dull. Also...I did find myself, all the way through, thinking have I read this book before or is it just that I have read a book like this before? To be honest I was just glad to finish it!

Its not all negative though, the book is well written and I did actually like the story, albeit being incredibly familiar to me!

Such a shame because I really wanted to like this book!

This is a very well written book. It grabbed me from the first page. I would recommend this book It was a great read.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

*Many thanks to C.J. Tudor, Penguin UK and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
My second book by the author turned out to be just as moderatley interesting as her first one. There is some creepiness and horror just enough for a good weekend read, but I was not overwhelmed by this offering.

A sinister thriller with plot twists and turns in the story of Annie and her mysterious disappearance from her bed one night and then even more surprising, she returned 48 hours later but would not or could not divulge where she had been or why! No spoilers here but this book is definately worth a read and I thank netgalley for an arc in return for my honest opinion.

The Chalk Man author C J Tudor returns this month with a chilling, creepy new tale. Packed full of tension, this absorbing page turner transports us to a claustrophobic small town that’s hiding a secret darker than anyone could imagine. It’s eerie, unnerving and seriously addictive, so prepare to be thrilled.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. It isn't quite upto the standard of Stephen Kings books but was a great read. It will keep you wanting to read more and read it in a few days. it ticks all of the boxes for suspense and drama and a bit of darkness.

It was OK. The beginning was definitely better than the end which became a bit far fetched and left far too many questions unanswered. The great reveal at the end about who Fat Man was, wasn’t even a question I had wanted answered!
Joe is a downtrodden teacher who returns to the Nottinghamshire town he grew up in to take up the post of English teacher which has become vacant after the last teacher apparently killed herself and her son. He forges a reference, having left his last job under suspicious circumstances and convinces the Head he is there to give something back. He rents the cottage where the teacher killed herself and her son very cheaply as we soon find out he has no money and huge debts. Annie Thorne was Joe’s sister and the real reason he is back in Arnhill is to avenge her death by extorting money from the person he thought was responsible for the events that led to it.
I would class this book as a horror more than thriller and sadly it is not original, with the idea of a place where people come back from death possessed.
I finished the book quite happily but it didn’t leave me wanting more, only perhaps wanting answers to questions such as what did happen to Annie in the 48 hours she was missing and what actually led to the teacher killing herself and her son? I would recommend this to people who I know specifically like this kind of horror with a warning about its shortcomings (in my opinion).

Unfortunately I read this book a while ago and seem to have missed it when writing reviews. - sadly I cant remember enough detail to give a full review.
However, thanks to NetGalley for the ARC :-)

Very much in the same vein as The Chalk Man, but that isn't a bad thing. Dark and compelling, with a touch of the supernatural. I really enjoyed it.

#TheTakingOfAnnieThorne #NetGalley
A masterpiece by female Stephen King.
One night Annie disappeared and then returned after 24 hours. Her parents thought that there was nothing wrong but her brother, Joe knew that this was not his sister Annie.
Told from two POV's, this thriller is a masterpiece. Characters are so creepy that once you start reading about Joe then you would lose yourself in his story while Annie attracts you towards her story. They both are perfectly written. Its a fast paced thriller which kept me hooked whole night.
A must read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK for giving me an advance copy of this masterpiece.

Joe Thorne returns to the village where he was raised and from where his sister Annie disappeared when she was eight. She returned, seemingly unharmed, 24 hours later, and even if Joe’s parents didn’t admit that there was something very different about Annie, it was obvious to Joe that she wasn’t the same as before. Joe is a failed gambler on the run from someone he owes a large amount of money to and he returns to Arnhill, a mining town with a dark past, to teach at his old school. He needs money to pay his debts and has scores to settle.

I was initially hooked by the mystery of what happened to Annie but was then drawn into Joe’s story of his past and what had happened to his friends from the nineties to the present day. The book is set in two timelines, the present day and twenty-five years before when Annie disappeared and then returned, and I thought the two were tied together brilliantly. I hadn’t realised there would be a supernatural side to the story, and I think that’s the only part I didn’t really enjoy, but the characters in this book, the build up of tension, and the unexpected twists were brilliant.

I hadn’t read C J Tudor’s previous book and so didn’t know what to expect, but The Taking of Annie Thorne kept me reading late into the night and then, when I’d finished, I was too spooked to go to sleep.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin (UK) for an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

C J Tudor has fast become one of my favorite authors. The Taking of Annie Thorne is a great read and one that shouldnt be missed.

Many Thanks to Net Galley, Penguin UK and C.J. Tudor for this outstanding book

The Taking Of Annie Thorne is a sinister story with supernatural elements that chills and tingles the spine. What a brilliant 2nd book this turned out to be after The Chalk Man. C J Tudor has surely manage to create a genre that would appeal to all thriller lovers with a touch of supernatural.

Joe Thorne is returning to Arnhill, a dilapidated mining village whose residents look upon any new face with dislike and suspicion and the closed up pit mine serving as reminder of the lost glory. The atmosphere created by Tudor in showing the village is masterful, The rundown pub, the failing school in this deteriorating and desolate village everything comes alive in the minds of the reader. It's been 25 years that Joe has escaped Arnhill but he's forced to return and take up a job in the school due to his gambling debts but slowly the truth emerges and lots of twists and turns later we are sitting on tenterhooks to find out where the story is leading to.
Joe is flawed but he's been struggling for 25 years and one can't help but feel for his misfortunes. The truth of his sister Annie's disappearance and return makes for some chilling and terrifying account.

Looking forward to read more by C J Tudor.

There are a lot of positives about this novel.

I liked the quality of the dialogue, especially in the sections describing the child-hoods of the 'gang'. The characterisation was excellent. At times some of the characters had an almost ghost-like quality.

The tension builds steadily throughout the book. There are plenty of red herrings along the way before the truth is revealed. This novel certainly kept me gripped. Both in terms of the adult Joe Thorne and the child version.

I found it hard to settle on a star rating, I have given a charitable 4* score because of the clever one-liners in the dialogue, both child related and school teacher related.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for a copy of this novel in exchange for this review.

Joe Thorne has returned to arnhill. He has to find out what happened to his friend and his sister.
He's a school teacher and starts a job at his old school but hierarchy aren't happy with his appointment.
He's living in a cottage where a teacher killed her son and herself. Could this be linked to what happened to his sister?

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

oh my word...what a nail biting frightening book this was..so glad i am off to work tonight and not going to bed as this one would give me nightmares....

annie thorne is missing...she was put to bed by her father but she wasnt in her bed in the morning...two days later she is found alive ...but is it annie that has come back....

joe the brother has a checkered past, his love of cards is ruining him, he has run up a load of debt and has run off from a loan shark and started a new job at his old school....

he runs into several of his former school mates and a whole host of memories...plus he has taken over residence of a cottage that had seen a suicide and a murder ...bad vibes

this is one creepy story and i loved it...thank god i work nights though gonna be adding this author to my list of ever growing authors to keep an eye out for

An absolutely stunning novel with dark twists that capture your imagination on every page. I have heard many speak that the author is the UK equivalent of Stephen King, and I couldn't agree more. The story is atmospheric and at times an utter shock! With an eccentric take on a classic chiller thriller, this novel will pull you in so deep you will be hooked until the very end.