The Chalk Man, C.J. Tudor

The Chalk Man opening line: The girl’s head rested on a small pile of orange-and-brown leaves.

The Chalk Man

My blurb:

Eddie, Hoppo, Fat Gav, Metal Mickey and Nicky are a gang of friends doing what kids do. They ride their bikes, hang out together and sometimes they explore the woods. Then Fat Gav gets a bucket of Chalk for his birthday and they find a great way of communicating with one another. They use Chalk Figures in different colours. But then Chalk Men start to appear that they haven’t drawn and they don’t signify anything good.

The Chalk Man
Looking back, it all started on the day of the fair and the terrible accident. When twelve-year-old Eddie first met the Chalk Man. It was the Chalk Man who gave Eddie the idea for the drawings: a way to leave secret messages between his group of friends. And it was fun, to start with, until the figures led them to the body of a young girl.
That was thirty years ago and Ed thought the past was behind him. Then he receives a letter containing just two things: a piece of chalk, and a drawing of a stick figure.
As history begins to repeat itself, Ed realises the game was never over…
Everyone has secrets.
Everyone is guilty of something.
And children are not always so innocent.
My verdict:

An excellent first novel which will leave you wondering how all the loose threads tie together. Well written and moves seamlessly between 1986 and 2016.

About the author:

C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, where she still lives with her partner and young daughter. She left school at sixteen and has had a variety of jobs over the years. In the early nineties, she fell into a job as a television presenter for a show on Channel 4 called Moviewatch. While writing the Chalk Man she ran a dog-walking business, walking over twenty dogs a week as well as looking after her little girl. She’s been writing since she was a child but only knuckled down to it properly in her thirties.

Publishing information:
ISBN 9780718187446
Format Trade Paperback
Published February 2018
Disclosure: I was sent the book to review by Penguin Random House South Africa. I was not required to write a positive review. This post is in line with my blogging policy.
Inspiration published on Lavender and Lime April 29:

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8 thoughts on “The Chalk Man, C.J. Tudor

  1. I have read a couple of other reviews for this book, Tandy, and they are all excellent. I am adding it to my [groaning] TBR.

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