The Chalk Man is a debut novel with many intriguing elements. As a boy Ed comes to the rescue of a young girl injured following an accident at a fair. This sets off a chain of events that resonates to present day. Switching from past to present, the novel is a coming of age drama, a horror story and a psychological thriller with an interesting twist at the end.

Now this is what you call a great read!!This is my favourite genre of book but it was quite different to the usual thriller type books I read. To me, In a way it has a sort of feeling of the series Stranger things on Netflix (which is very popular) which is also about a group of boys that strange things happen to them. The story goes between 1986 to 2016 but what happens in between is the real mystery which I’m not going to spoil for you. All in all a brilliant read which I recommend 100%

There are Those kind of books that you just know so deserve your 5* rating, and this is one of them.

Its a story that is going to stand out to me, its kind of unique in its story telling, I felt Eddie was actually speaking to me and telling me his life story.

A groups of boys, making their own adventure dream up a secret code that involves drawing stick men as signs. Each boy has a different colour chalk to represent who the message is from. Very ingenious I thought........until things start to go wrong.

Eddie is now grown telling us his story and his part. Then it flicks back nicely to years before when he was with his mates, its all tied in really well, not confusing at all and very well done.

This book is very different in its writing, it feels very different in its approach which will make this stand out from the crowd for sure.

We have a newly hired teacher Mr Halloran who features in several places within this story.
A girl named Elisa who Eddie was quite taken with even at a young age.


A murder in the woods.

This author C.J. Tudor has a fabulous way with words which keeps you hooked and some really good gems within its sentences which if you read carefully you will never forget.

Eddies summer that changed everything in his adult life is a remarkable story that you won't be able to put down.

My thanks to Penguin UK - Michael Joseph via Net Galley for my early copy

It's 1986 and 12 year old Eddie is at the town's fair. It is here he meets the Chalk Man who gives him the idea of using chalk drawings to communicate in secret with his mates. However, the chalk men lead them down a dark path to a dismembered body. 30 years later the chalk men reappear and Ed finds himself experiencing a waking nightmare.

This thriller has a hint of the supernatural about it. I can see this doing really well, it's entertaining and a page turner. Moving between 1986 and 2016, it reminded me of Stephen King's Stand By Me. The only downside was it doesn't quite capture the 80's, Eddie talks about his dad working from home on a computer, this doesn't ring true (this was a time when broadband wasn't widespread and people didn't have the technology to work from home.

There was something so familiar about the description of the summer of 1986 here with the group of kids going everywhere on their bikes and with each of them having a nickname. However this is not a cosy, nostalgic look at young Eddie’s life and there are several dark topics included. Like many other reviewers it did bring to my mind the movie Stand by Me, which I would suggest is a compliment. There is a great cast of characters and it was interesting to chart the changes in them between 1986 and 2016.
There is a great feel to the narrative which I think would work really well as an audiobook.

I can’t remember the last book I enjoyed as much as The Chalk Man. Actually I can remember – and it was probably a classic Stephen King chiller. The Chalk Man is very reminiscent of ‘It’ or 'The Body' (filmed as ‘Stand By Me’) in that it takes the reader to the traumatic horrors that happened to our characters when they were little gang of misfit kids back in the 1980’s and then it jumps to the present day and we see how those events have affected their adult lives. Yes, The Chalk Man is very Stephen King-like but that’s not a bad thing – this kind of British horror story is always a pleasure to read.

There are practically too many treasures to mention in this review –one highlight for me was the spookiest ghost I’ve encountered in a book for many years (since Danny Glick in ‘Salems Lot’ actually, but he was a vampire so I suppose he doesn’t count) and the ending was absolutely heart stopping. I went to sleep with the light on.

I love it. It will be a massive hit and I take my hat off to C. S. Tudor; I hope she’s got a lot more stories up her sleeve.

Many, many thanks to Penguin, to NetGalley and to Ms Tudor for giving me the privilege of reading and reviewing The Chalk Man. I would recommend it enthusiastically to anyone.

First title I Have read by this author, and certainly wont be the last. I enjoyed the story and found it well written, and easy to get into,

The Chalk Man is a chilling psychological thriller that is very hard to put down .The story goes back and forward from 1986 when Eddie and his friends were 12 years old to the present .It all started at the Fair but this was the beginning of an event that will have repercussions and change all the boys lives.I loved the characters and could just imagine these boys on their bikes making the most of the summer, they used coloured chalk to leave messages for each other .I particularly liked the ending wow just brilliant .

This is a great read. In 1986, Eddie and his friends are 12 years old with nothing better to do than cycle around and have fun. Until the day they find a dismembered body in the woods...... Now in 2016, the events of that time still haunt Eddie, and when he and his friends all receive a letter warning them about the chalk man, they begin to wonder if that killer from way back is still at large. Told in the 2 time frames, this is a real page turner which will keep you guessing right to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

A gripping page turner that left me wanting more. I was constantly trying to guess the who, the what and why and never quite grasped it

What can I say except WOW! I hadn't heard of Chalk Man until I got an email asking me if I'd like to read it so I wasn't sure what to expect. Upon reading what I found was a novel that well and truly had me. Honestly, I couldn't put the book down.

Every time I thought I had it all figured out, it went in a different direction. The story is some what slow building, plenty of detail, although I think I could re-read and still find clues missed from the first time round. The way it is written gives it a real eerie feel, as though you should be looking over your shoulder. And the ending, well that was the icing on the cake.

The Chalk Man is mysterious and thrilling, a real page turner. This is a who done it with a mega twist, one not to be missed!

Maybe 3.5 stars. This was an enjoyable enough suspense story about a group of friends back in 1986 and in 2016. The story is told along the 2 timelines. It has some good twists. I enjoyed the references to the 80s.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this!
There were touches of Stephen King's Stand By Me with a group of young friends finding a dead body and the adult version of one of the boys narrating the story. This helped reel me in from the beginning.
I loved the flashback-present day style narration. I found it flowed really nicely, with the 1986 narration having a more childish feel than the 2016 narration which just went with the story.
There are so many twists and turns, the final one being the best for me!
The book is really well written. The characters pull you in and are believable.
I will be recommending this book to anyone who wants to listen!

Well, I must admit, when I first started reading this book (ebook, thanks to Netgalley) I was all for a 2-3 start rating, due to the fact you have to read from the past-preasent/Future...from 12 year old Eddie to 42 year old Ed.

but once I was around 60% into the book, I became rather hooked as I was wanting to know who is the killer...👻👻👻👻

I don't like spoiler reviews so please don't think I'm going to give any away.

I also went into this book not even knowing fully what it was about, all I had seen was the "HangMan" drawing online aswell as the title being "The Chalk Man".

brilliant read, and a fast one too... (I would've finished this in a couple of days, but due to being ill in bed, sleep came first)

I've now decided it's a 4 star and I would highly recommend it too.

also, I did NOT see that coming at the end 😲😲😲😲

well done C.J.Tudor this being the first book I've read of yours

WOW! This book is definitely one of the best you will read this year!!
Fast paced and grippy from start to finish.

The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor was an excellent thriller that I found addictive. I could not put down and I read it in one day. The story was creepy and full of suspense. The characters were interesting and likeable. I am eagerly awaiting more books from this author. I would like to thank NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Its nothing that i havent read before. Full of cliches and borrowed heavily from most of Stephen Kings works. A shame, as i was looking forwars to this one too.

This was a dark and creepy psychological thriller with many twists and turns before the final denoument.
Told in the first person by Ed and set in two time frames, 1986 and the present day it is the story of something which happened to Ed and his gang at age 12 that has had a profound influence on the rest of their lives. The grown up characters all carry secrets which are not revealed until the very last page. Ed is the epitome of the unreliable narrator as the reader only sees the events from his view both as adult and child and is not sure how much to trust what he says. At age 42 he is still living in the same town and house as he did as a child and he is now a teacher at the local school. He comes over as slightly weird, collecting all sorts of things and keeping them filed in boxes in his spare room. He reminded me a little of John Fowle's "Collector" as I wasn't quite sure what to make of him. He is still friends with Hoppo and Fat Gav although there is some strange dynamics within the group,and animosity, particularly towards Mickey who has left the area.
The past events take place over a Summer when Ed's group of friends discover a body. Although someone is presumed guilty of the murder Ed is convinced it is the wrong person. Chalk signs. lead them to the discovery and Ed suffers nightmares as both an adult and a 12 year old afraid the Chalk Man is coming back.
When chalk clues and notes start to appear in 2016. as they did 30 years ago Ed is sure that the murderer has returned.
This book kept me guessing right up to the last page. There are a lot of dark characters within the novel and all have something to hide. The Chalk Man is well written with great characterisations. It is perfect for readers who like noir thrillers with lots of twists such as Gone Girl or Girl On the Train.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this dark twisted thriller that kept me guessing right to the end. A group of children spend their childhood years together, exploring and playing in their local area but things are always as they seem. Now adults things start to surface including the chalk drawings they used as a code when they were young. Who is trying to contact them and why?
A super read that has you hooked from the very first page

4.5 stars. Wow this book had me hooked from the first page. It was very creepy and full of twists I certainly didn’t see coming. I loved the way the story unfolded through the alternating chapters and timelines. Would definitely recommend this book.