Just... wow wow WOW!

I’ve had a bit of a break from reading, due to life getting in the way - don’t you just hate it when that happens?
So, The Other People is the first book I have read for 6 months, and BOY did I totally fall into it! I could not put it down, and finished it in record time.
I didn’t know what to expect from this. I’d never read anything from author C.J. Tudor previously, and unlike what I usually do, I didn’t find out what this story was all about before I started to read.

I cannot describe the plot, as it is so multi layered and far too difficult for me to try to explain without causing total confusion!
The story is told from various character’s point of view, and at different points in time. However, they are woven together absolutely seamlessly.
Often when I read, I find myself more interested in one character’s point of view/story, than another, but with this book I was gripped with every single chapter.

I did find myself a bit confused at times - it seemed it was a bit paranormal in places. I wasn’t sure if I was reading too much into that or not. Turns out I wasn’t! I loved that unexpected aspect of it though.

Loose ends were all tied up brilliantly, and as for the epilogue - sequel anyone? Yes please!

If you like a story that you just cannot fathom out - THIS is your book! A touch paranormal, fantastically thrilling, and the most mystery packed plot!

C.J. Tudor, why have I only just discovered you?!

Gabe is driving home to his family when he sees his five-year-old daughter, Izzy, peering out of the rear window of an old beat-up station wagon festooned with bumper stickers. She’s supposed to be home with her mother and he gives chase, but the car gets away. He learns soon after that his wife and daughter have been murdered in their home. Gabe insists to the police that they must be wrong because he saw his daughter in a stranger’s car, but they deny that this is possible. Soon he finds himself under suspicion for his family’s murder. Years later, now exonerated, but with the murders still unsolved, Gabe spends his time living out of a camper van and driving along the motorway where he saw the station wagon, hoping to see it again.

Gabe’s story intersects with that of Katie, a waitress in a Service Station, who’s a single mother and takes pity on him. Then there’s Fran, who with her daughter Alice, is on the run. Then there’s the child in a vegetative state in a private residence who dreams, and the Samaritan, a sinister criminal who helps Gabe in his search.

Being a C. J. Tudor novel, this is a story with a strong supernatural element. Alice is afraid to look into mirrors, for when she does she falls unconscious, dreams, and the mirror shatters leaving her with a pebble which she hoards in a satchel. It’s clear from early on that she is somehow linked to the girl in the coma. But The Other People is also a crime thriller, and Gabe discovers a disturbing organisation (The Other People of the title) that organises on the Dark Web.

I won’t say more for risk of divulging spoilers, but as with the author’s previous titles, The Chalk Man and The Taking of Annie Thorne, both of which I’ve also read and reviewed, this book seamlessly blends the supernatural with crime thriller, producing a very compelling tale.

As a big fan of C.J Tudor I was very excited to discover the other people, and I was not disappointed. This is a superbly written, exciting and gripping thriller. I finished it in record time as I just couldn’t put it down. 5 well earned stars.

I quite enjoyed reading this book. I was at the edge of my seat for a bit. It is slightly different from books I normally read but none the less it was great.
Great plot and a fantastic twist. Well worth the read.

The highly anticipated next instalment from CJ Tudor does not disappoint! Right from the outset the thrilling chase begins, a father in search of his daughter who most think is already dead. A thrilling ride through the underbelly of society where the other people hide. Bizarre, dream like enchantment of a pale girl in a white room and the girl who seems to walk through mirrors to pick up pebbles keep going it will make sense!
Cracking read although not entirely what I expected, very enjoyable!
Thanks to NetGalley and penguin UK for the ARC.

I am a big, big fan of C.J.Tudor and her books. The Other People is the second book I’ve read by her in the last couple of years, her debut The Chalk Man being the first. The Chalk Man was probably the best book I read in 2018 – and I read a lot of fantastic books so to say that I was looking forward to reading The Other People is definitely an understatement. I don’t think I have to keep going on about how much a thriller appeals to me as a reader – this book definitely ticks all of my boxes, pre-read. I was not disappointed.

The book follows Gabe, a middle-aged man who has spent the last 3 years searching for his beloved daughter, Izzy. Pronounced dead along with his wife, Gabe knows that this is definitely not the case – at least not where Izzy is concerned. How can he possibly be so certain? He saw her with his own eyes, zooming away in a car in front of him on the motorway after her death had already been established by police. Needless to say, no one believes him and Gabe even considers whether he imagined it all along. Determined not to give up, Gabe keeps looking for Izzy and when strange things start occurring, he knows that there’s a lot more to it than those around him are letting on.

I absolutely loved the characterisation here – the desperation attached to Gabe was heartbreaking at times but it was really easy to sympathise with him and his situation. The story was incredibly fast paced, meaning I got through it in absolutely no time at all – a definite theme where Tudor’s books are concerned. Thoroughly recommended – put it to the top of your 2020 thrillers list, for sure.

ANother fabulous read by Tudor. Three years ago, Gabe was driving home and sees his daughter in the rear window of an old beat up car, then Gabe receives a call from the police informing him that his wife and daughter were dead.. Gabe does not believe his daughter has been murdered and buys a camper van driving up and down the motorways searching for her.at says “have you seen me?”

Fran and her daughter Alice are driving along the same motorways on the run.

This is really tense and atmospheric, I thought it a bit supernatural at first but was really engaging and a 5* read

Another fantastic read from the British Stephen King! An extremely clever plot which is frighteningly conceivable. The atmosphere is decidedly creepy with touches of the supernatural. An extraordinary and exciting thriller about the lengths people will go to for revenge. I was absolutely gripped.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another brilliantly dark and creepy story from C.J. Taylor.

The book instantly draws you in, with the mystery of a murdered mother and child, and a father who refuses to believe his daughter is dead. For three years he has been travelling up and down the motorway searching for her, as he is certain he saw her that night, being taken in a car. But no one believes him.

The story is split between the father Gabe, a waitress in one of the many service stations he visits called Katie and the mysterious Fran. Each character is fascinating and their stories gripping, as we learn more about them, and how their lives are interlinked. I was gripped throughout, and loved each twist and turn.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

4 Stars from me

What an incredible storyline! Much like with The Taking of Annie Thorne CJ Tudor has created a surreal and captivating core within the story of The Other People.

The concept of 'The Other People' is both creepy and fascinating - I wonder if Tudor had fun researching the ins and outs of the dark web!

Poor Gabe really has led a life plagued with nightmare scenarios, he seems to have lurched from one awful situation to another. 

Seeing his daughter in a car and then being told that she couldn't have been there because she had died... what a way to mess with his mind! 

This is a satisfying read which requires a little suspension of belief in reality but just go with it as the story is superb!

Another top class read from C.J. Tudor. A gripping fusion of thriller, horror and fantasy which had me hooked from the first page to the last. Highly recommended.

A spooky book at the start that made me wonder if it had been listed in the wrong genre. Its hadn't but then again...... CJ Tudor certainly has something. Lots of weird characters - who were engaging. A good (if far fetched) story. I wondered about the setting and although it occasionally mentioned places/ names in the UK, there were a lot of americanisms (e.g. 'homecide') that left me a bit at a loss for the locus in quo.

Will I read more by this author? For sure!



NOTe for publisher. It is a testament to the author that I continued with this book as the editing in the copy I received was awful. Throughout the book, words were hyphenated for no good reason and line breaks confusing and annoying.

This was a fantastic read and this author manages to deliver a heart-pounding and mysterious story yet again.
This was a tangled web of reactions where everything that is seemingly random is interconnected until finally, the bigger picture emerges.
Each individual here suffers from an almost 3 degrees of separation, there are no coincidences between these pages and all roads will eventually converge.
So this starts off sprinting with Father and husband Gabe travelling home when he is almost positive he spots his five-year-old daughter Izzy in the back of a vehicle he is tailing behind.
Thus begins a nightmare there seems no end to and Gabe's existence now consists of haunting the motorway and services in his beat-up old camper van searching for the daughter he believes is still out there alive.
This is despite his father in law identifying his wife Jenny and daughters bodies he still refuses to believe that Izzy is gone.
This is told from multiple POV each individual playing their part and all connected in some way.
We have single mum Kate the kind-faced blonde waitress that serves Gabe his coffee when he stops off for a break, she observes the closed-off pain that radiates and nicknames him the thin man.
Then there's Fran and Emily on the move and forever running from something in their past.
Emily with her strange ways, fear of mirrors and her rucksack of pebbles she won't let out of her sight.
Then there's Gabe's mysterious samaritan is he friend or foe and what does he want.
The Girl in the room hooked up to all those monitors just where does she fit into all this and also who is the sandman, finally just who are The Other People and what is their purpose.
So many questions thrown into this mix waiting for answers.
This was fast-paced from the onset and pulled me in keeping me turning those pages long into the night.
A fantastical suspenseful mystery that I enjoyed immensely,
I voluntary reviewed a copy of The Other People.

Nicely done -- it was beautifully written. However, it is not for me.
Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderful, fantastic, gripping......C J Tudor rocks!!

Her books are just amazing. If you haven't read her yet, you're missing out!

A well written, fast paced, edge of your seat thriller. I very much enjoyed reading this book and am now off to see what else C J Tudor has written.

Honestly I don't think I can say many more complimentary things about CJ Tudor. From her first book I've been hooked and The Other People has done nothing to release me. This novel feels more rooted in reality in some ways than her previous books but theres still some spooky goings on to keep that supernatural theme of her novels going. This is a compelling, tense, sometimes desperately sad story of loss, pain and the desire for revenge. Just simply fantastic.

Her best book so far! C.J Tudor has a brilliant way of storytelling and this book is no different. I read this in one sitting it was that good. The concept is very unique which drew me to it and i enjoyed it throughly. I cant wait for her next one now.

This was the first book I’ve read by this author, although she’s been quickly carving a name for herself as a British thriller writer to watch. And now I see why; I’ve been a little bit of a reading slump so far in 2020 but this is one of those books which is truly hard to put down. Creepy, mesmerising and intense reading.

It’s difficult to sum up this book as there is a lot going on. We meet Gabe in the prologue – stuck on the motorway, desperate to get home to his family. Suddenly he sees what he’s sure is his daughter in the van in front of him, stops to call home and check and his entire life changes.

Fast forward a few years and Gabe is a wreck of his previous self; he’s lost his family but never lost hope. He spends his days driving the motorways, trying to find his daughter and the car he’s sure he saw her inside.

“People say hate and bitterness will destroy you. They’re wrong. It’s hope. Hope will devour you from the inside like a parasite. It will leave you hanging like bait above a shark. But hope won’t kill you. It’s not that kind.”

Layers are added to Gabe’s tale with multiple points of view; there’s Katie, the waitress in a motorway service station who observes Gabe’s demise as he passes through. And we’re also introduced to Fran, whose connection is initially unclear but, guess what, she’s on the run, in a service station, with her young daughter Alice. These long stretches of motorway driving and anonymous service stations all add to a creeping sense of isolation and tension as some characters are desperate to escape, and others are just looking to be found.

These seemingly disconnected strands are all intriguing in their own right, each character has their own demons and their own motivations. But how do the all fit together, and who are the ‘other people’? The author takes her time unwinding a dazzlingly complicated thread dating back decades, and the results are explosive.

The less said about the story itself, the better. Safe to say things ramp up fast – there’s a mysterious Samaritan, a body in a car and an online community of vigilantes and some supernatural elements thrown into the mix. But at the heart of this there’s strong, troubled characters and a twisting turning, dark tale of family, grief and revenge. Things got a little weird in places – and I have to admit that I wasn’t 100% sold on the supernatural elements – but it all makes epic, compulsive, page-turning reading.

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Reminscent of Stephen King (back when he was off his face on a cocktail of drugs), there is a menacing feel to this story with layer upon layer of intrigue.
It is quite a dark and claustrophobic read with a slight nod to the supernatural. This is really the only thing not completely explained in a reasonable way by the end of the book and therefore lends the book a not quite finished feel.
Overall, a fun book with horror elements to it.