Thank you to Netgalley, CJ Tudor and Penguin Michael Joseph for my ARC of the Taking of Annie Thorne.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book by this author; The Chalk Man which I read last year, and I enjoyed The Taking of Annie Thorne just as much. It is a brilliant combination of thriller and horror that chills you to the very bones.

Joe Thorne is returning to his hometown of Arnhill. A place he swore he'd never return to, but here he is, taking up a teaching place at the run down academy. Joe is followed by a trail of bad debts and a desperation to get himself out of trouble. Which means a return to the past. Twenty five years ago he and four friends were involved in something they'd all rather forget. Something which fills Joe with fear and disgust if he just thinks about it. But his return to the village is bringing the past back to haunt them all.

So firstly I'd like to talk about the setting. This was hugely atmospheric, I think more so because I grew up in a village much like Arnhill and actually don't live too far away from Nottingham where the fictional village of Arnhill is placed. An old mining town full of folk who don't take kindly to strangers, run down pubs and miner's welfare's and of course the looming shadow of the abandoned pit. Not to mention all the people who used to work there and cannot let that legacy die. It's a very claustrophobic atmosphere and C.J Tudor nailed that perfectly.

Joe was a great character, complex, deceptive but also strong and enduring. His life had been a patchwork of horrors since he was 15 and yet somehow he has managed to stay alive and relatively sane (depending on who you talk to). The supporting characters too were excellent from the fiendish and feisty Gloria, to Brendan the Irish recovering alcoholic.

As for the twists and turns of the story nothing surprised me more than that ending! Absolutely excellent from start to finish I devoured this book in a matter of hours.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying this author's first book I was really looking forward to this one and I wasn't disappointed! One of this year's not to be missed books!

I read this on holiday which meant I spent the first day or so sleeping on a sun lounger because I was up all night reading. I LOVED this book! It reminded me a little of Pet Sematary and the idea that death is not something to be tampered with. I will be recommending this to everyone I know.

Excellent book with a great storyline. Characters that are so well written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

This book was amazing it started slowly but then it took off and I found myself unable to put it down. I had read The Chalk Man by this author and I loved it so I was hoping this book would be as good, I need not have worried and although I was convinced I had worked it all out I hadn't and the ending was brilliant.

Another absolutely brilliant book from CJ Tudor! I read this in one sitting as I couldn't put it down. Lots of twists, and shocks as expected and different from anything I've read before.

What a brilliant follow-up to „The Chalk Man“!

I was drawn into the story immediately. And I also fell immediately for Joe Thorne. He is not at his best. His gambling addiction led him into depts. The guy he owes is getting impatient. So he returns to his home town to work at his old school as a teacher because he has a plan to get money. But he is not welcome there. Something dark happened when he was a kid and his old friends don’t want him to tell their secrets.

Joe is a unique character. I liked him from the first page. The story has a dark and eerie atmosphere. Something is absolutely creepy about this town. I would not call this book a thriller. It is more a psychological mystery story with a slightly supernatural touch. For me this was an excellent mix and made the book unputdownable for me. It was a highly entertaining and gripping read. I really enjoyed “The Chalk Man”. But “The Taking of Annie Thorne” is even better because of its well-crafted story, the unique characters and the creepy atmosphere. I happily put C.J. Tudor on my elusive list of favorite authors.

Thank you very much for allowing me to read an advanced copy! This story centres around Joe Thorne, and his sister Annie who goes missing. Annie comes back but isn’t the same!

I absolutely loved this, it’s so different to what I usually read. It’s creepy, and if you love horror or scary films you’ll love this! It’s probably the best book I’ve read for a very long time. Literally kept me on the edge of my seat until I’d finished it. Will be buying a copy to read again.

A great read.
This book is very dark and creepy with lots of twists and turns. I enjoyed the way it went from then and now to tell the story. The characters were interesting and all had a less than flowery past really.
The book kept me wanting to turn the pages to find out what happened next.
I don’t think I’ve read a book that is like this for a long time.
Loved it.
A must read

Very Creepy and dark, what a brilliant read, I haven't read anything so good since James Herbert. It is totally spine chilling I loved the story line and the writing style. I just didn't want to put it down.

A fantastic, well-written eerily, creepy, riveting second novel from this author, what more can I say. A great edge-of-your-seat read and a must for anyone looking for a tense thriller. If you haven't read CJ Tudor's debut The Chalk Man then why not? This one is just as good! Thank you NetGalley and Michael Joseph publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy.

The Taking of Annie Thorne by C J Tudor. Out February 21st 2019

Chilling, creepy, gripping and oh my that doll !! 5 stars



When Joe Thorne was fifteen, his little sister, Annie, disappeared. At the time, Joe thought it was the worst thing in the world that could ever happen. And then she came back.

Now Joe has returned to the village where he grew up, to work as a teacher at the failing Arnhill Academy. Not an act of altruism, but desperation. Joe has bad debts – and bad people – he needs to escape. He also has an anonymous email: I know what happened to your sister. It’s happening again.
But coming back to the place he grew up, means facing the people he grew up with, and the things they did. Five friends: Joe, Stephen Hurst, Marie Gibson, Nick Fletcher and Chris Manning. They were the five who were there that night. Something they haven’t spoken about in 25 years.
Coming back means opening old wounds, and confronting old enemies and Joe is about to discover that places, like people, have secrets. The deeper you go, the darker they get.
And sometimes, you should never come back.


I loved Chalk Man it was one of my favourite reads this year, so when Nick and Lucy said they had read this I knew I had to read it too.
From the first few pages I was hooked and what a way to start a book!!
Arnhill is a grim bleak pit town where the coal mine is now shut and the whole place screams of deprivation and you get a sense quickly that something bad happened here and is happening again.
The way the author describes the village of Arnhill I am not sure it would be on anyone’s holiday destination list.
Joe Throne has been away from Arnhill where he grew up with his family for a while. Joe is a teacher and comes back to teach at his old secondary school. When he returns, he meets up with people from his past and encounters their children whilst working at the school.
Joe has a lot of skeletons in his closet and you never see where the next one will pop out. I think the way that the author is able to portray this suspense is key to the story.
Joe’s sister Annie went missing from her room one night when he was a teenager, only to return two days later, what happened to Annie and Joe after this and is uncovered in the chilling and creepy book.
The occupants of Arnhill are equally as grim as the setting and everyone has a story, and this mostly revolves around the pit and the village and what happened there. The characters were really well developed, and I felt a real empathy for some and a real loathing for others. I also enjoyed how Joe revisited his past and saw people in a different light which is often the case with people you go to school with.
The book was so creepy in places and you never knew what was coming next. There were times I had to put it down as I needed to take in what I had just read also times when I experienced hide behind the pillow moments. Being able to make a reader feel like this is a real gift.
C. J Tudor is a fabulous storyteller and I love how she has a way of bringing the past into the present as she did in Chalk Man.
This book really unnerved me at times, but I could not put it down and it was a really fantastic book.

In 1992 Joe Thornes 8 year old little sister Annie goes missing from her bed, only to reappear 48 hours later, refusing to say what happened, she is so terribly different to the child she was before. Once so loveable and sweet, she is now completely unrecognisable.

This tells the story of troubled teacher Joe returning to his home town to face past demons...

A real page turner of a book, perfect for thriller fans, this will keep you guessing until the end.
Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an arc of this book.

The Taking of Annie Thorne was creepy, atmospheric and I totally did not see the end coming.

I think this is better than The Chalk Man, in that the characters were all fab, including psycho Gloria!

Looking forward to lots more by CJ Tudor...…..

Phew! This is Pet Cemetery on steroids! A tragic event in Arnhill leaves a vacancy at the local school. A place that used to support a mining community before the pits closed. It offers an opportunity for Joseph Thorne to flee from serious gambling debts and apply for the teaching post - in the village where he spent his formative years. Where his eight year old sister Annie disappeared for forty-eight hours - and then she came back. But was it Annie, really? Does Joe remember everything that happened twenty-five years ago? Beth Scattergood teaches art at Arnhill. She says on meeting Joe: "Only two types of teacher end up at Arnhill Academy. Those who want to make a difference and those who can't get a job anywhere else. So, which are you?" What was it Joe? That mysterious text you received? 'I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again' A shiver down the spine...

The old gang are still here, well, some of them. Joe's mates from way back. The ones who were there when it happened. The only ones who knew... Sinister events from all those years ago woven into a horror story that is epic and truly frightening. Throw Stephen King, James Herbert and a touch of Edgar Allen Poe into the blender and C.J. Tudor emerges with this delicious tale of a village, a pit, unexplained suicides and hair-raising scary events.

I cannot say more about the plot without spoilers. I can say though, do not read in bed, at night! And if you enjoyed The Chalk Man you will certainly get chills from reading The Taking of Annie Thorne.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for my ARC.

It was probably a terrible idea to start this book right in the middle of a really busy couple of weeks in university. I finished it in two days (which is impressive for me). Two days where I had so much else to do but I just couldn't drag myself away from it. I actually finished it at half 2 in the morning because I couldn't sleep until I knew how it ended.

I was hooked from the first page. This was a great story and a brilliant read, CJ Tudor deserves so much praise for this book. Addictive, creepy and chilling. Like The Chalk Man, the story jumps between past and present, which is actually something I really like in a book.

I really enjoyed The Chalk Man and personally I think The Taking Of Annie Thorne is even better. I enjoyed it so much more. Definitely one you'll want to put at the top of your TBR list when it's released next year.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy or this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured The Taking of Annie Thorne in one sitting, it had me totally hooked from page one and did not let up, this is the 2nd book I have read from CJ Tudor and I'm thirsty for the next!!!

Basically, Joe's sister Annie goes missing when she is 8 years old, to return 24hrs later completely different person and won't say where or who she has been with, strange to say the least,

When Joe is much older a good 10yr later he gets an email saying that the same thing has happened again and against his better judgment gets a job at his old high school to enable him to look into what is going on in the town, he's running from bad debts and bad people and so sees his as an opportunity to solve what happened t his sister and get away!

You got to read this book, its scary and a few times I was hiding behind my hands lol not daring to read another line but obviously carried on anyway haha, seriously good book, it's thrilling and scary and also funny in parts. Has all you would want from a good read!!

5 stars again CJ Tudor!

Wow, I've been waiting for this, certainly didn't disappoint, absolutely fantastic, this is one to be read again and again, this is one of those books that you can see as your reading like a movie playing out in your mind, can't wait for the next one from C.J Tudor

Really enjoyed this book. Another creepy offering from this author. The writing style is excellent and you can tell the progression from the first book to this one.

Would highly recommend this book. 5 stars

I loved this book I really need to go back and read the chalk man. I understand fully why Stephen King is so impressed with CJs work.

Rather than talk about the amazing story that CJ slowly and mesmorisingly grabs the attention with and risk potential spoilers I would just say if you love classic horror stories with numerous unexpected twists and turns populated by 3d characters who suprise you by not being quite what you peg them for then this book is definitely for you.

CJ has rapidly become one of my favourite authors and I will be buying myself a copy of this next year.

I'm so glad I got the chance to read this book and hope my honest review is helpful as CJ deserves the recognition

When Joe Thorne was fifteen, his little sister, Annie, disappeared. At the time, Joe thought it was the worst thing in the world that could ever happen. And then she came back. she wasn't the same not the fun loving Little Annie that he loved, she was a stranger someone he didn't know the sister he once loved he was now scared to death off!

now after so many years away from the place he grew up in Joe returns and gets a job at his old school Arnhill Academy but why is he truly back? could it be that his on the run from the people he owes money too, could it be that he just wants to come back to a place he called home or is it because he wants REVENGE! for what happened to his Sister Annie and his school friend Chris.. Five friends: Joe, Stephen Hurst, Marie Gibson, Nick Fletcher and Chris found something a secret place when they as younger a place that screamed Danger! a place that once they go in it will never ESCAPE Them!

SECRETS,LIES,DECEPTION,BRIBERY AND MURDER!! Tie these Five people together tying them in multiple knots till they choke begging to break free of the past!!

the secrets will come out shocks will be made old battles will come back to haunt all those involved is Joe going to find out the truth to what happened to his Sister and Chris is what he thinks happened really true or is there a much darker truth going to come out that is going to be more shocking and devastating?

The Taking Of Annie Thorne has the chilling haunting Eco of The Chalk Man it takes you grips you holds you tight until you are breathless with fear and shock!

i loved C.J Tudor's first book The Chalk Man and i was worried that this book may not be as good but i think it was even better and The Chalk Man was great and creepy, The Taking Of Annie Thorne is a book that will give you chills you will find it hard to put down it's one of those books where you just want to keep reading because you want to know what happens next it's filled from the bottom till the top of the page with twists and turns it will make your head spin i truly i truly loved it i didn't see the twists coming this is a 5 star book one they i will recommend to family and friends.. thank you to the Publishers and Netgalley for letting me read this book early i loved it

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy of The Taking of Annie Thorne, a stand alone thriller set in the Nottinghamshire mining village of Arnhill.

In 1992 8 year old Annie Thorne disappeared for 48 hours and came back a different personality. 25 years later her brother, Joe, returns to Arnhill looking for ...

I thoroughly enjoyed The Taking of Annie Thorne which is a creepy thriller with horror overtones and much more going on than the synopsis suggests. It took me out of my comfort zone which is the rather prosaic realm of police procedurals and enthralled me to the extent that I read it in one sitting, unable to put it down. I have not read a horror novel before, unwilling to suspend my disbelief of what I can’t touch or logically explain, so I didn’t know what to expect. I actually found it quite easy to accept the inexplicable and just go with the flow. Much of this is, I think, due to the inviting nature of the rest of the novel which grabs you and doesn’t let go. Apart from a bit of scene setting at the outset the novel is told in the first person from Joe Thorne’s point of view. He has a very appealing cynical take on life which draws the reader in and holds the attention but the real hook is his reason for being in Arnhill. Initially it is very unclear and only unfolds throughout the course of the novel. Quite often I find this secretiveness in a novel extremely frustrating but in this case I found it intriguing and was desperate to find out more. Add to this the troubles that followed him to Arnhill and it makes for a very good read.

The novel is billed as horror so there are the requisite creepy moments with beetles and Annie Thorne’s behaviour, told in flashback to 1992, at relevant points but, to me, the real horror lay in the Lord of the Flies attitude permeating the local school. I found it fascinating and revolting.

I really liked the interplay between Joe and his old school friends as their past relationship is gradually revealed. Nothing is as it seems and the twists come thick and fast as the novel draws to a conclusion. It seems in retrospect to be a master stroke to make the novel a first person narrative because the reader is reliant on Joe for information and assessment, who, it soon becomes apparent, despite being smart, does not have the best judgement. I found it very human that he thinks he knows what happened and is acting accordingly.

The Taking of Annie Thorne is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Sometimes I find writing book reviews challenging. Have I been fair in my assessment and scoring? Have I been too harsh? Have I been too gushing in my praise for a favourite author?
And then, like today, it's a doddle.

I loved this book and I really, really love the writing style of CJ Tudor. Her debut novel 'The chalk man' was fabulous and so it was with some trepidation that I opened her new novel. Wow! I should have known, this is an excellently crafted, spooky tale with characters that, within the fear and suspense, made me laugh out loud. It's a great storyline about a teacher, Joe Thorne, who returns to his childhood village where some horrible murders have taken place and where he continues to grapple with his own personal demons, problems and nightmares.

It made me laugh, it made me cry. I was frustrated by the lead character, Joe, whilst simultaneously hoping agains hope that he'd get the upper hand and that all would become clear (it does). There are sinister undertones throughout, where you just know something horrible is going to happen, but, you're not sure what? or when?

The writing is a dream, the storyline gripping and in summary it's a 'must read' for anyone who loves a spooky, riveting tale and who doesn't?

Fabulous 5 Star read.

Sinister, creepy and told with impressive skill, C.J Tudor has done it yet again in her second book, following on from the cult favourite The Chalk Man released earlier this year. Combining "old school" horror (there's dolls, there's beetles, there's graveyards, there's witchery) with the twistiest twists, macabre backdrop and many, many secrets. Again, there are elements of Stephen King's horror/supernatural, and the kind of ghost stories you'd tell your friends at sleepovers, but told in a way that, apart from a few paragraphs, is actually not as graphic as her previous novel in it's gruesome nature, but more psychological; the fear and terror leaks out of the chapters and fills you with an overwhelming sense of dread. Just magnificent.

If you have read The Chalk Man (and if not then you definitely should, immediately!) you'll spot some excellent "easter eggs" in this book which I loved and instantly wanted to tweet about them but then couldn't because spoilers, so that was frustratingly brilliant. Actually, just like The Chalk Man, you want to talk about SO MUCH of this book, your brain frantically left trying to figure out the mysteries and how you feel about the characters (most of whom are pretty unlikeable).

Set in Nottingham (my birthplace), the perfect setting for a horror story, because the scars of industry, particularly collieries, are still visible and relevant in these villages, even when the green hills hide the spoil tips and the pit wheels have flower planters around them. Here are working class communities where families would (and still do) all know each other, and their secrets, are proud of their heritage, loyal, and suspicious of strangers (you only have to check out a few Nottinghamshire "Spotted" pages on Facebook to see this). This all plays beautifully with the idea of returning to a village you'd left behind as a teen in tragic circumstances in the 90's, as Joe Thorne did. All his old friends, and enemies, are still there, and a terrible secret they shared and hoped had been eradicated, has drawn Joe back. Can he unearth the truth and importantly can he survive it?

Bullies, gangsters, friends, teenage crushes all feature along with a sense of nostalgia, juvenile misadventure and folklore, as well as sheer terror. This book is for anyone that ever explored somewhere they shouldn't have done with friends as a kid and never told their parents.

I predict this will be a bestseller for 2019 and is ripe for a TV miniseries/drama so add it to your wishlists/preorders now.

Special thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in advance, my review is entirely my own thoughts and written in my own words.

Loved The Chalk Man, and absolutely love The Taking of Annie Thorne just as much.

C. J Tudor has again written a book that absorbs you into the past and present of the characters.

Unfolding a story full of mystery and horror that keeps you in suspense all the way through.

C J Tudor is a unique writer, can't wait for book 3.

Thank you netgalley, Penguin and C J Tudor for allowing me to read and review this book.

I loved this book, another fantastic read by the author. It's full of atmosphere and mystery, and with the creepy Arnhill pit at the centre of the story, and the cottage, it was hard to read late at night.

It's really well written, and I can't wait for the next book by this author.

Great book, easy reading style, and a encapsulating storyline, which reminded me of Stephen King’s Pet Semetary. I now need to read this author’s previous book, as this one was so good and the ‘Chalkman’ received such rave reviews

This was a fabulous read. It (and I am not the first person to say this about the author) had undertones of Stephen King type tension and terror but also, for me, a little Harlon Coben wisecracking and dark humour. For the latter imagine Myron Bolitar dropped into the disused coalfields of Nottinghamshire.

Joe Thorne was fifteen when his little sister went missing for forty-eight hours; she came back but for Joe she really didn’t. Twenty five years later Joe is back in the small ex-mining village of Arnhill. He is up to his eyes in gambling debts and is looking for a bolthole. In addition he has had an anonymous email: ‘I know what happened to your sister. It is happening again.’

Recently the village has suffered a murder and suicide; a mother has killed her son and then herself. Scrawled on the wall of the boy’s bedroom are the words NOT MY SON. This is a seriously creepy story which is very well written. The characterisation is tremendous. In particular I loved sardonic Joe, psychotic Gloria and laid back Brendan. The atmosphere of a rather desolate village is beautifully drawn, along with the hopelessness of a lot of its inhabitant, very good sympathetic background.

Joe has to face old friends and enemies, what they did in the past and what is happening now. Is history going to repeat itself?

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Once again, C.J Tudor has created an intriguing and atmospheric world that sucks you in and chills you to the bone. The story was engaging and told with such skill i could see it playing out in my mind as i read. Parts were extremely creepy and left me on edge. I absolutely loved it.

Clever horror/thriller with a touch of the supernatural.

Please note there may be some spoilers!

When Joe Thorne was 15, his 8 year old sister, Annie, went missing. After an extensive search all hope was lost. However, 48 hours later, Annie came back, but different.
Fast forward 25 years, in debt, desperate and lured by a mysterious email echoing the past, Joe has come back to the village where he grew up. A village haunted by its past and its present. Joe has to face up to the people he left behind and confront the things that they did.

CJ Tudor follows up her massively successful debut The Chalk Man, with this 'horror/thriller with a supernatural vibe'. I’d not managed to read The Chalk Man but was grateful and excited to receive an advanced reading copy from the publishers.

Wow, what a page turner. I read this in a few sittings over two days which is unusual for me. Well paced and perfectly plotted with a time line that goes back and forth, but not excessively. It’s a perfect device to help build up the suspense and mystery which is retained
throughout.

The main character, Joe, is not particularly likeable, but interesting, yes. He’s massively flawed and searching for forgiveness, answers and maybe revenge.
Many of the characters from Joe’s past are equally disagreeable and are great baddies who make for satisfying foils. Foils which help to move Joe’s creepy journey along through the many twists and turns that you can’t see coming, as he searches for answers and redemption.

The character of Annie Thorne is both charming and then, on her return, deeply unsettling. The author has managed to craft a character that gave me the chills. Dolls, creepy kids and horror, equals heebie jeebies!!

I think the author’s great strength is the ability to bring a setting and an era to life. The scenes set in the 90’s, feel like the 90’s. Secondary school feels like how school was, and a small village with a dark secret, feels exactly like that. The village is brought to life so well that it feels like a character. One that is scarred, secretive and full of foreboding.

This is a brilliantly eerie novel that at times chills you to the bone. There’s hints of Stephen King in the writing and more than a nod to 'Pet Cemetery'. It’s gory at times (the author does body-horror unnervingly well) but still remains clever. If you like a good scare, go get it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC, in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Joe Thorne is in trouble, he owes money to lots of people and decides to take up a teaching job to help pay it back. But this isn’t any old teaching job, it’s at his old school where suspicious going’s on happened 25 years ago and they are starting again. It’s up to Joe to find out what is happening.

I couldn’t put this book down, it was full of suspense and mystery. The characters are brilliant and the setting is really good too. The story goes back and forth between past and present but not in an obtrusive way. And there’s a shock twist which always makes things good. Highly recommended

What a fantastic book. When I first started reading this book I was slightly wary and didn't see where it was going. I didn't think I was going to like the main character in the story Joe, as he seemed not a particularly nice person, and if I am honest I am still not sure I liked him as a person but as a character in the story he was brilliant. I would have to say Gloria was my favorite character, if unexpected. All of the characters in the book were stongly developed and the story slowly unravels as you read on but twists away from where you thought it was taking you. several times. I think this is the best book I have read for a while and strongly recommend it if you like a twisty, creepy tale.

The Taking of Annie Thorne by C J Tudor is a thriller with plenty of horror moments thrown in.
Joe Thorn's sister Annie went missing when she was eight years old, twenty four hours later she came home but would not say where she had been and was acting strangely. Years later Joe, now an unemployed teacher receives a email from an anonymous sender informing him that strange things were happening again in his home town. Joe against his better judgment takes a job at the school that he attended as a teenager to look into this.
This story hooked me from the beginning, it had scary parts and witty dialogue. I really liked the characters and the descriptions of his home town.
This is the second book from this author that I have read and I'm looking forward to her next book.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin Random House UK for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was very curious to see how Caz would follow up the roaring success of the Chalk Man, and was thrilled to see it's every bit as good. Great use of the claustrophobic small-town setting, secrets-galore, and a cast of characters with multi-layered motives keep you turning pages at a rate of knots.

“Sometimes Dead is better…”

Imagine a cross between a classic 20th Century horror story and a really great modern British psychological thriller and that is what the wonderful C. J. Tudor’s new novel is like. Set in a bleak Nottinghamshire pit-village and time hopping between the 1990’s and the present day, it has everything you could wish for in a spinechiller and then more – it is creepy, exciting, immensely readable and fabulously well written.

There is more than an element of Stephen King in Ms Tudor’s storytelling, but that is not a bad thing; the basic plot reminds me a lot of ‘Pet Semetary’ - but I suppose that book was based on some scary folk legend in the first place – and of course authors have always drawn on classic stories for their inspiration.

The Taking of Annie Thorne is a must read for everyone who was blown away by Ms Tudor’s first novel ‘The Chalk Man’. She is definitely well on her way to being a British literary superstar.

Loved, loved, loved this! Such a well written novel with lots of twists and turns and questions as to what happened that it really keeps you enthralled!

Well, knock me down with a feather. THIS was good.

Strike that. This was staggeringly good. "The Taking of Annie Thorne" has given fear a voice, which builds from a whisper into a scream. It contains something dark and predatory – and I’m not just referring to one or two of the characters.

So many curious instances got under my skin that I was itching for explanations. And there were plenty of corners for folks to back themselves into, like Annie’s brother, English teacher Joe Thorne, whose prospects are already packed and waiting to leave the building.

When challenged Joe seems to have a pathological need to make his life way more difficult than it already is by making flippant remarks (quite brilliantly, I might add), which provokes more than a raised eye brow in response. He certainly lives up to his name by becoming a ‘Thorne’ in most people’s side, with minimal effort on his part.

The dialogue volleys and character depictions are delivered with an extra-special kick to give an immediate impression of a person’s outlook. But whether this ensures they are perceived as a victim or survivor, hunter or prey, blameless or otherwise, is a distinction that blurs over time.

Connecting the last of the dots that lead to Annie’s disappearance and her subsequent return (not to mention other significant peculiarities) made me realise why you should never, ever jump to conclusions. "The Taking of Annie Thorne" is so much more than a compelling story – it’s a cunning and slippery journey into the unknown.

I really loved this author's debut - The Chalk Man - when I read it a while ago so I was very excited to see what she would come up with next. As with her debut, there are a few nods to the great Stephen King that do stand out to those who have already read certain of his books, but the story she weaves around these is unique in itself. To be honest, when was the last time you really read a book in this genre that was unique in every way?
Joe grew up in Arnhill, he went to the school, he had his gang of mates, and he had a sister. Until that fateful day when she went missing whilst they were exploring the old mine. She did return home but, let's just say, things were never the same. So to say he has mixed emotions about returning would be an understatement. But something has forced his hand and he knows he has to return to put an end to something they should have buried years ago as it is obvious it's beginning again. So he lies and cajoles his way into a teaching job at his old school. But it soon becomes obvious that someone in the town isn't welcoming him home.
Joe is a bit of a colourful character. He really doesn't help himself with what he gets up to and I guess his decision to return home was aided by the wish to run away from his past misdemeanours. He also doesn't help his cause by sticking his nose into things that certain people want to keep hidden. But he does eventually get people on side and, to be honest, he can do with all the help he can get as what he is trying to sort out comes from a very weird place.
Admittedly the first part of this book is a much more gentle pace than I am used to but from reading The Chalk Man, I had confidence that once it was all set up, it would speed up a bit towards the end. I was right to stick with it as once it got going there was no stopping the action and tension as they ramped up and I turned (swiped) the pages ever faster.
The supernatural element that flows throughout the book is also very well handled. Sometimes I have seen this stuff coming right out of left field and spoiling the book for me, but here it all flows very nicely and it's blatantly obvious from the outset that things are a bit spooky down in Arnhill.
At the end of the book I did have some unanswered questions, mostly about all the spooky stuff, which did irk me for a little while. But then I sat back and pondered on it all and decided that the whole point of some spooky, the reason it is scary, is that it isn't always explained or indeed explainable. Some things you just have to not know and I am now more comfortable in my ignorance of such matters.
All in all, a cracking follow-up book which cements this author firmly on my watch list. I really can't wait to see what she serves for her next course! My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Having read The Chalk Man and very much enjoyed it, I snapped up the chance to read C. J. Tudor’s second novel. I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed. As with The Chalk Man, Tudor grabs us by the throat in the opening chapter, and doesn’t let up all the way through. Full of interesting, detailed characters, you’re never sure who to trust.
Initially set in modern day Nottinghamshire, as the story progresses you start to get parts of the 90s back story of when the protagonist’s sister, Annie, went missing when she was 8 and he was 15. Each part to this leaves you wanting more, but the interwoven modern day tale is equally gripping, and I found I couldn’t put this book down and read late into the night to finish it.
There’s a few otherworldly / supernatural elements to the story that you never get quite to the bottom of, and I’m sure that will annoy a few people (probably the same people who got cross with Bird Box for not showing the monsters), but I found that leaving this aspect to the imagination was far more powerful than explaining it all in detail could ever be.
Overall a 5* read for me, and I will definitely be picking up the author’s future books too.

When Joe Thorne receives an email with the words “I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again” he knows he must go back.
Years ago his younger sister went missing, only to return 48 hours later. Joe seemed to be the only one to notice she wasn't the same when she returned.
Being in debt through gambling he decides to leave town and apply for a teaching job at Arnhill Academy, a school he used to attend as a youngster, but not everyone is happy to see him back.

C J Tudor has a brilliant way of drawing you in and this one is no different. I enjoyed the way you learn about Joe's life, past and present, then bit by bit through flashbacks you also find out just what happened to 8 year old Annie when she went missing all those years ago. As the truth comes out not only is it full of shocks, twists and turns but you also realise why some are not happy at his return.
I have no hesitation in recommending this book which gets five stars from me.
My grateful thanks to NetGalley and Michael Joseph for my copy.