An absolutely brilliant chilling, thrilling, edge of your seat read, C J Tudor is a master of storytelling. A wonderful story , fast paced and addictive reading. The writing is amazing, the characters so well developed and fleshed out. A highly recommended read.

https://lynns-books.com/2020/01/20/the-other-people-by-c-j-tudor/
5 of 5 stars
The Other People is such a great read. It’s a psychological thriller but what makes it so gripping and so tense is the fact you simply have to know what’s happened. I remember watching a film a few years ago, a guy and his girlfriend at a service station and the girl goes missing and her boyfriend becomes all-consumed with knowing what happened to her, to such an extent that he’s even prepared to put himself in danger. Okay, I’m not saying that I put myself in danger by reading this book (just to be clear) – although there were late nights. What I’m really getting at is that the author manages to put you into the central character’s shoes. He’s desperate to know what happened and as a reader you become totally wrapped up in his desperation. Your curiosity is heightened to a ridiculous level, you feel sorry for him and almost want to shout hints but more than that you’re willing the story forward in order to unravel the mystery and that, for me, is a winning story. On top of that there are stories within stories taking place here that gradually feed into the main thread. So many lives all connected, primarily, by the need for revenge. An eye for an eye.

The story is compelling virtually from page 1. There is a mystery girl who lies in a room alone – but I won’t elaborate further on that aspect of the story. Moving swiftly on, we then make the introduction of Gabe, who is the main POV character although not the only one. Gabe is on his way home, worried about being late and stuck in traffic, he’s idly looking at the car in front, and reading the abundance of stickers plastered over the back, when a little girl sits up on the backseat, a girl who looks exactly like his own daughter, you can only imagine the turmoil his mind spins into when this little girl sees him and mouths the word ‘daddy?’ The traffic then lightens and the car in front pulls ahead, disappearing into motorway oblivion. Gabe knows his daughter can’t be in that car. He knows she can’t. But at the same time he knows what he saw and with every fibre of his being he knows it was his little girl. As it happens, whilst Gabe was on his way home, his wife and daughter have been murdered. Gabe becomes the main suspect for a while and whilst his story of the car on the motorway is listened to with scepticism absolutely nobody believes that his daughter was in that car. Gabe still does, he believes his daughter has been taken and his search for that strange car and his missing child becomes all consuming for him and totally gripping for me.

Alongside Gabe we follow another couple of character’s. A waitress in a motorway service station called Kate. Kate sees Gabe on regular occasions as he spends his life trawling the roads looking for the mystery car. He’s almost like a ghost, a shadow of his former self. He inspires pity in others but also discomfort because he’s clearly so desperate and so sad. Kate doesn’t have the happiest existence. She’s lonely. She works hard to make ends meet and wonders if she’ll ever have either the time or energy to become involved in another relationship. Being a single mother of two and working long shifts really doesn’t help in that respect. Then there’s Fran and her daughter Alice, who seem to live in a perpetual state of fear and are constantly on the run. Their lives are ruled by the need to stay hidden but from what isn’t immediately clear. The other character of note is the Samaritan. This chap certainly has all the menace! Fortunately, he seems to have fallen into the category of ‘helpful guy’ in terms of wanting to assist Gabe find the car and this is just as well, I don’t think you’d want to fall on the wrong side of the Samaritan. I actually found this character quite fascinating and could easily read a book that centres around his dark dealings.

Obviously there are more characters involved and the way their stories are gradually revealed is deceptively addictive. In laws, mothers, daughters, sisters, police, and more. There lives are inextricably linked in strange ways, and the beauty of the story is the differing shades of grey that they’re all painted in. Here are secrets and lies aplenty. Mistakes that can’t be run away from and wishes that should never have been uttered. The dark web is named so for a reason and it’s involvement in this story takes us down a creepy ‘big brother’ track that gives you the chills. Be careful what you wish for people because you never know who is watching.

I don’t really want to say too much more for fear of spoiling a story that is best discovered during the read and not before. This is well written. The characters and their motivations feel very real and propel the story forward at a great pace. I couldn’t put the book down and practically read it in two sittings. The ending pulled all the complicated threads together and I’m left with a feeling of wanting to read this again as well as being ridiculously curious about one of the other characters.

In terms of criticisms. I don’t really have any to be honest. I would mention that the story involves light magical realism which is very subtly played out and for me added an extra speculative vibe that was curiously creepy.

Overall this was a really good read that I would definitely recommend to lovers of mysteries that involve light fantasy.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publishers, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

The Other People, the third novel from C.J. Tudor, is narrated by three different characters; Gabe, Fran and Katie. Gabe believes his daughter is still alive, kidnapped by someone in a rusty car, with stickers all over the back. Distincitve, he spends days and nights driving on the M1 in the hope that he will spot the car. He now lives in his campervan, having given up his house and job to concentrate on looking for his daughter Izzy. Gabe regularly stops at the services which is where Kate works as a waitress; she recognises his sadness and loneliness. Kate is a single mother, working nights to be there for her children during the day. She knows Gabe’s story from the media coverage three years ago and from the posters Gabe put up in the service stations. Fran finds herself on the run with her daughter Alice, not trusting anyone, trying to out run those who want to hurt and her daughter. Alice suffers from terrible nightmares and has a tendency to black out. Alice understands the threat and knows what to do in an emergency, surprisingly not to call the police. There are also chapters about a young girl, looked after by nurses who is liked up to machines that keep her alive, who is she and what is her story and how does she fit into this complex and intriguing story, where nothing is as it first seems. This is one amazing rollercoaster of a book, dark, chilling and utterly thrilling.

C.J. Tudor’s writing grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until the last word on the last page. I loved the multi faceted plot line with the different characters, the twists and turns and the underlying menace had me gripped, so much so I didn’t want to put the book down until I got to the end. The loss of a loved one, how we deal with this and how we feel about justice served, does it help with the grief process are major themes in this book and as a reader it makes you think about what you would do in the situations presented; Gabe’s situation is every parents nightmare. This is a slow burner, gradually giving the reader more information, on a need to know basis, slowly building the suspense and tension as it moves towards the conclusion. This was one of the reasons I was so addicted to this book, I needed answers to the many questions this book posed and wanted to find out how it all came together. I have read the previous two books by C.J. Tudor, The Chalkman and The Taking of Annie Thorne, both of which had similar M.O, but The Ordinary People feels different, a step-up from her previous book, but yet with the familiar style of C.J. Tudor, a sense of otherness, and unease that stays with you throughout the book.

In my opinion The Other People is C.J. Tudor’s best book yet. You can feel the tension throughout, as it slowly builds as the book progresses. The underlying menace keeps you on the edge of your seat, and in my case unable to put the book down . Chilling, cleverly plotted and all consuming this is one utterly amazing read.

Heartbraking, chilling, scary and a real page turner. I love this author and the way she tells a story. Oh boy what a read and yes this author has done it again!!!! How far would you go to get revenge? Hooked from the first page, a ghost story but with so much more. This read gave me goosebumps on my goosebumps. This author is brilliant at storytelling, what an imagination!!!! Original plot, wonderful characters and beautifully written everything that this author always delivers. Left me wanting more and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Driving home, Gabe receives a devastating phone call – his wife and daughter have been murdered at their home. How can this be, though, when he has just seen his daughter being driven past him? For a while, it is thought that Gabe was responsible for their deaths, and now, three years later, he is a shadow of the man he once was. Never giving up hope of finding his daughter alive, he travels up and down the motorway, searching for her. Whilst at a motorway service station, he meets Katie, a waitress who knows what he is going through as her father was brutally killed nine years ago. Fran and her daughter, Alice, are also constantly on the move, desperately trying to evade someone who knows the truth about what links each of these events…

After reading (and thoroughly enjoying) C J Tudor’s previous books, The Chalk Man and The Taking of Annie Thorne, I was fully expecting them to be of a similar vein. Whilst there are shadowy undertones to The Other People, it is more of a straightforward thriller than the previous two books, and this made it an unexpected and very welcome read.

I love C J Tudor’s storytelling and it is to her credit that she manages to successfully weave together several stories to create a tight, cohesive plot. At the start, I did wonder how each part of the plot related to the other, but gradually the truth was revealed, creating a timeline of events that explained everything clearly.

I warmed to the character of Gabe straight away and had great sympathy for his plight. I could feel his frustration in knowing that his daughter was still alive yet not being able to convince anyone else that he was telling the truth. His confidant, The Samaritan, was a fascinating character and I was pleased when we finally discovered his story.

The Other People is one of those books that, once I reached a certain point, I found myself saying, ‘I’ll just read one more chapter…’ It has an addictive plot that demands you know what is going to happen next. If you’re a fan of this author, then you are going to love this!

I loved this! It was exactly the right balance of intriguing mystery, dark thriller and engaging characters! It kept me guessing right the way through and I got nothing correct in my guesswork (this is the best!), yet when everything was revealed it all made total sense. CJ Tudor is a master at the twisty thriller; I have no idea how she does it but she is amazing and this book is clever, captivating and you won't be able to put it down until you get to the final page. Really engaging from start to finish: 5 stars!

Oh C.J.Tudor why oh why do you Insist on adding a supernatural element to your books? It just doesn’t work. I removed a star because of the whole ridiculous wind scene. I’ll admit the pebble thing fascinated me and I wracked my brains trying to figure it out but man that scene was just stupid. It took a lot away from the book.
I have been on the fence with my opinion of C.J.Tudors books after The Chalk Man didn’t blow me away and I avoided The Taking of Annie Thorne like the plague after hearing about the ridiculous supernatural element, but I thought I would give this ago in a attempt to make my mind up about her books & I’m still on the fence. I love that your compelled to read as there are so many questions and every chapter brings a few answers but loads more questions and it’s one of those ‘just one more chapter’ books I need to know what’s going on.
I really did enjoy this book until THAT SCENE that was just so ridiculous and unbelievable and it took a lot away from the book, but I’ve still given it 4 stars because of how addicted I was to the book.

I’ve read all of C J Tudor’s books and this is my favourite by far.
It’s a great mystery thriller that is full of twists and turns.
It starts off seemingly as three different stories - about Gabe, Katie and also Fran - but as the book goes on you realise there’s a connection.
Gabe’s told that his daughter is dead but he’s sure he saw her in the back of a car on the motorway, so spends his life in a camper van trawling the motorway looking for her.
Katie knows him only as ‘the thin man’ as she works in a service station on the motorway, and knows he’s desperately sad.
Fran is on the run with Alice and time is fast running out for them.
I loved the way this story came together and I was hooked from the first page.
This is a great mystery thriller with a slight hint of the supernatural as you’d expect from C J Tudor.
Thank you to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Back of the book :

She sleeps, a pale girl in a white room . . .

Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl’s face appear in the rear window.

She mouths one word: ‘Daddy.’

It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.

He never sees her again.

Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe that Izzy is dead.

Fran and her daughter, Alice, also put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them.

Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter. She knows who is responsible. And she knows what they will do if they ever catch up with her and Alice . . .



What I think :

Gabe is driving home on the motorway one night, when a face of a child suddenly appears in the rear window of the car in front of him. The child looks just like his daughter Izzy. The same child mouths one word before she disappears from view : Daddy … But how on earth can that be ? His daughter is safely at home with his wife Jennifer, Isn’t she ?

Its when Gabe rings home to make sure that his wife and child are safe that a strange voice answers the phone, it is a police officer who tells Gabe the awful news that his wife and child have been murdered. Gabe is so upset that when they ask him to identify the bodies of his loved ones, he can’t, his father-in-law does it. So Because Gabe hasn’t seen his family in death, in his head his daughter is still alive and in the back of the dirty beaten up old car …

Gabe then sells all of his possessions and his home, he spends all of his time driving up and down the motorway, the last place that he saw his daughter, in the hope that he will see her again.

Fran is also on the same motorway, but she and her daughter Alice are running away. But, from what or who ?

Alice has a sleep illness, she can fall asleep at any time and in any place. But when she wakes up she always has a pebble in her hand. Clickety-click, The Sandman is coming …

Then there is Katie, she is a single parent and works in the service station at night, on the same motorway that Gabe drives up and down and that Fran uses to escape. She sees Gabe quite a lot and calls him ‘The Thin Man’. Katie thinks that he has a lot bothering him because he doesn’t speak much.

And just who are ‘The Other People’ ?

With their ‘An eye for an eye, A tooth for a tooth way of dealing with things. Gabe really needs to find out, because they may hold all the clues to Izzy’s disappearance in the back of the that car three years ago …

What a book !

I loved the way that it starts off really slowly, building up bit by bit, throwing out little clues and twists then just when your least expecting it, all the clues slot into place and you think, wow ! just wow ! it really is a brilliantly written book. I personally couldn’t put it down until the end.

I was really pleased when Michael Joseph asked me if I would like a copy of C.J.Tudors new book. After I’d let out a huge squeal and done a happy dance around my living room I got straight back onto my computer and emailed them back ‘Yes Please, Thank you so much !

I really enjoyed this authors other two books and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. I particularly like them because although they’re classed as a thriller, there is something a little bit ‘other worldly’ and ‘spooky’ about them.

The characters are real you can really relate to them, you can feel Gabe’s pain at losing his wife and child and you can almost feel Fran’s fear about being chased and caught by the person or thing that is after her.

I think this is probably her best yet !

I give this book my highest award of 10/10 (5 stars )

This is the story of Gabe. He is trying desperately to get home as he promised his wife he wouldn’t be late again when he gets stuck in traffic. He sees his daughter Izzy in an unfamiliar car mouthing the words to him “help me daddy”. He rings home for the phone to be answered by a police officer who informs him his wife and child have been killed in a home invasion. His sighting is dismissed and he spends the next few years trying to find his daughter.

This story is told from several points of view, Gabe, Alice & Katie. I really enjoyed all the characters in this book but Gabe was my favourite. What is behind Gabe’s sighting of his daughter was really interesting and this definitely could become a series if the author wished to revisit the theme with different characters. I look forward to further titles by this author.

The other people starts off with Gabe, an overworked and stressed father trying to get home to his family, when he spots a car in front of him driving erratically, trying to get by it he sees a little girl in the back seat, she mouths Daddy and with horror he realises it’s his daughter Abbie, but it can’t be, she’s at home with her mother, unable to believe it he goes to a service station to call his home and a stranger answers saying his family are dead.

What follows, is a mans obsession to find the truth at what happened to his family and as I read it, I did sometimes wonder how it was all going to be tied up as it seemed as if there we’re three or four separate stories going on but over all it is a good thriller and I look forward to reading more from this Author.

This is a book of many strands - a young girl in a coma, a woman and girl on the run, a man haunted by his past and the murder of his family, as well as his conviction that his daughter is alive as he saw her being driven away on the day of the attack. The author intertwines them all quite cleverly, although some of the 'coincidences' do rather stretch belief. Less believable are the supernatural elements of the tale, which really are, in my opinion, unnecessary and detracting from the suspense building in the story.

Overall I enjoyed it, wanted to find out what happened next and empathised with the characters which are presented in a rounded manner. The tension builds well, and just when the reader feels overwhelmed by the various strands, they begin to pull together.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK and Michael Joseph for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I can tell this is a good book. The writing is pacy and the narrative builds and falls as events happen. For me it just felt like the author had thrown a bit too much at it. I kept having to go back to see if I had missed something. It was a very complex storyline and at times disturbing. Just not for me although i think others will love that complexity and unknowingness

Superb!
I read it in one day I just couldn't put it down, full of mystery, suspense, creepy foreboding and a delicious set of twists that just hook you in and won't let go.
I don't know how Tudor writes these excellent thrillers time after time but I can't praise her enough, this is a brilliant book.

She is baaack!!! My favourite author is back with a brand new gripping and unputdownable novel that made my heart race. I am not exaggerating. The Other People is suspenseful, riveting, and surprising and it confirmed, once again, that C. J. Tudor is an amazing storyteller.

The story is told mainly from three points of views. Gabe is a broken man on a mission: find out who destroyed his family and took away his daughter. Three years after someone killed his wife, Gabe has left his job and his house and he is travelling in a white van to find anyone who could have news about his daughter. The only problem is that he is the only one looking for his Izzy because for the rest of the world she is dead and buried next to her mother.

Katie is a single mother working in a restaurant and she has noticed the thin man coming in once a week and orders coffee while searching for his daughter. She knows his story, but she has her own problems to deal with.

Fran is on the run with her daughter Alice. She can’t stop. If they stop, they will be found and Alice will be in danger, so they just keep running.

How are these three characters connected?

The plot is dark, twisty, but also heart-breaking. Gabe’s grief over the loss of his family was hard to read and very emotional. My heart really broke for him as he goes over his guilt, the regrets, and the past memories.

This was a rollercoaster of a read. Even though I figured out a couple of things early on, I was still surprised and shocked by the many twists that just kept coming and coming and I didn’t know where the story would lead.

I adored the author’s first two novels, so I had no doubts that her third one would be any less. The Other People is engaging, twisty, chilling and it made me hold my breath and stay up late at night to finish reading.

I’d like to thank Penguin UK-Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Other People’ by C J Tudor in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Driving home on the M1 motorway Gabe sees a rusty yellow car in front of him, a little girl appears in the rear window and mouths the word ‘Daddy’. He immediately recognises her to be his daughter Izzy but it can’t be as she’s at home with his wife Jenny. For the next three years, following the death of his wife and daughter, Gabe drives up and down the motorway searching for the yellow car desperate to find Izzy, not for one moment believing she’s dead.

‘The Other People’ is a dark and compelling thriller involving the dark web and a website that helps ordinary people looking for a way to ease their grief by bringing retribution to wrong-doers. It’s a cross between horror, mystery and the supernatural, well-written, spooky and so disturbing, and once you start reading it’s hard to stop. It’s compulsive reading with interesting characters, drama, tension, intrigue, twists and turns, and an explosive ending that will shock and amaze in equal measure.

C.J. Tudor has the uncanny knack of creating the perfect balance between horror and thriller, weaves a gossamer-thin thread between what could be a supernatural threat or an earthly danger which produces the perfect page-turner that will keep you on your toes.
In her third book, she has done it again, and I can't rate this book highly enough if you like your books to be accompanied by a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms. I am really keen not to give anything away, so in the most general terms, what follows is a tale of revenge, misplaced trust, love, regret and duty. It's a corker and I cannot wait for what the author's imagination conjures up next.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Gabe is heading home , following an old car covered in stickers he sees his daughter in the back of the car . He arrives home to find the police there and finds out his wife Jenny and daughter Izzy have been murdered. His father in law ,Harry , identifies the bodies as Gabe becomes a suspect in their killing . He is cleared but cannot believe Izzy is dead . He gets an old campervan and patrols the motorways day and night trying to find the car he followed . He gives out fliers at motorway service stations and elsewhere with a picture of Izzy but has no response . He has sought the help of a man he calls the Samaritan who contacts him to say that he has located the car in a small lake . He is attacked in his motorhome and threatened . This is when he finds out a "payback" group called "The Other People" who operate on the Dark Web to bring justice to victims of crimes , however when you use them they use you to do jobs on their behalf with no backing out. A girl called Alice is on the run with an older woman called Fran , who is protecting her , but from what ? A well thought out story with a paranormal undercurrent which comes to a head in the final chapters.

There was something so deja vi about this story. I found myself continually trying to remember which book I've recently read that I could compare it with but I couldn't because I began to settle in to the storyline which turned out to be quite enjoyable and wanted to find out the reason behind everything.

Brrrrrrr - that's me trying to shake off the goosebumps after reading The Other People, which I should also mention that I started yesterday morning with the intention of reading a couple of chapters and before I knew it, it was 6pm in the evening, I was still in bed and had finished the book.  If that doesn't tell you what I thought of The Other People, then I shall try to elaborate:

The Other People is CJ Tudor's third standalone thriller and, in my opinion, her best yet!  It's creepy as f*ck, weird, scary, hair-raising and spine-chilling and that's just the first chapter!!

Can you imagine stuck in traffic on the M1 and a little face appears in the back window of the car in front... it's your 5 year old daughter and she's mouthing DADDY... WTAF.. well that's what happens to Gabe.

The story then picks up three years late - Gabe is a broken man after the murder of his wife and daughter but he doesn't believe it was his daughter who died as he saw her in a car 3 years ago.  Katie is a single mother who works the night shifts in a motorway service station and has watched Gabe for years searching for his daughter.  Fran is on the run with her young daughter Alice trying to hide from someone who wants her and her daughter dead.  How are these people connected and what really happened to Izzy?

I won't say much more, except this really is a book you can't put down.  Each chapter leaves you gripped and gasping for more.  All the characters are fascinating and the pace of the story keeps your heart rate raised throughout.

I absolutely LOVED this book and although it's only 13 January 2020 it goes straight into my TOP TEN books of the year so far.