I read The Chalk Man last year and while I really enjoyed it, it also felt like something was missing. I was excited to try out another novel from Tudor when I saw The Hiding Place was available, so I jumped at the chance! Right away I recognized Tudor's eerie writing style and I was completely hooked. I did get a little confused at times as it seemed like there were a lot of sidetracked conversations and separate random storylines happening (like his gambling habit) that just didn't really seem necessary, but all in all it was an entertaining read. I thought the plot was interesting with a little Pet Cemetery feeling to it and I felt like I had to know what was going to happen asap. I found myself reading quickly to the end and turning page after page saying, "just one more chapter". I would definitely recommend this novel if you enjoy suspense novels or if you read and enjoyed The Chalk Man. Thank you to NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3/5

I had a great time reading The Chalk Man and so I was very excited to receive a copy of The Hiding Place. I really loved everything about this deeply disturbing book. C.J. Tudor has a wonderful way with words that I was tearing through the pages with anticipation throughout the entire book. I can't wait for the next one! Highly recommend!

I always really enjoy thrillers that draw me in with a creepy cover and keep me reading non-stop! Tudor has talent that keeps her at the top of the bestselling list. It's devourable!

I made it 25% into this and had to bail. The writing is fine but I'm just not seeing the point to the story.

This is the kind of book that you have and you are really not sure when you are going to read it. Do yourself a favor and read it. It is a small town story with a mystery and even a little of the supernatural. I am just sorry it too me so long to read it.

I was really blown away by C.J. Tudor’s first book, so I was so excited to see this follow-up, which once again takes a dark look at a small town and its past.

I loved it.

That’s not to say there are some things I would like to see somewhat different, but that’s just because I think this book has the potential to be great.

The basic story is about a man, Joe, who returns to his hometown because he receives a strange message. When he was a teenager, his sister disappeared. The trouble started when she came back. And now someone believes it’s happening again - something Joe wants desperately to prevent.

The storyline is really mysterious and really sets a mood. There’s something odd going on, and there’s a lot of moving parts that come together to create a picture that is ridiculously creepy and intense. MILD SPOILER: There is a bit of an homage factor to another famous story, but I didn’t necessarily find that a negative. I enjoyed seeing a different take on this situation and it didn’t feel redundant to me.

The slight issues I had were twofold: A) I didn’t like Joe, though I felt for him. He has been through a lot, but it’s not a case of his struggles made him stronger. Maybe the opposite. B) I wish the ending was more clear. There were things that were heavily implied, but some things were just left that way. I wish it was clearer exactly what the “secrets” were. I’m left still putting some pieces together.

But honestly, I read this in like two days. I couldn’t put it down. If you’re a fan of creepy thrillers and horror, get this book. It will be worth it.

I’m excited to see where C.J. Tudor goes from here.

The Hiding Place opens with a vivid description of a horrific murder/suicide. It is an opening that tantalizes and draws you in. You want to know more.
Now enter Joe Thorne, former resident of Arnhill, the village where the aforementioned murder/suicide took place. Why would Joe come back to Arnhill, the village he describes as bitter, brooding and sour?
Arnhill had not always been so broken. There was a prosperous iron ore mine that provided employment to many villagers. But cave ins and the loss of lives finally led to the mine being closed. The mine was filled in but a vast crater remained to remind all of their losses.
The closed mine would pique the interest of many local youth. Exploration would of course follow. This would be disastrous. There would be consequences. Joe of course had been one of those who explored the mine and found the secrets housed within.
Now Joe had been drawn back to Arnhill, to the current tragedy and to the link that might be between that tragedy and the one that befell his family. His exploration of the mine with his friends years before had dire consequences. Is there something about the mine?
This may seem to be a novel about the super natural but it is really about people and their behaviors. After wading through lying, cheating, bullying, beatings, gambling, murders, thefts and vandalism, comes clarity. There is resolution and termination.
There are many characters and stories in The Hiding Place. Readers must pay attention to all the plots whirling at the same time.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. #NetGalley #TheHidingPlace

Joe Thorne returns to his home town of Arnhill the one place he never wanted to be back as a teacher.His sister Annie had disappeared when Joe was a kid and even though she did come back things were never the same. After getting an email that things are happening in Arnhill again Joe decides to go back to finally  get answers as to what happened all those years ago. 

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor is a creepy horror story as well as a mystery.I overall enjoyed the mystery aspect more than the horror story but it was difficult to put down once started.  An interesting premise and characters made this an entertaining read 

I would like to thank Crown Publishing  & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

While I appreciate that the author gave Stephen King credit for inspiring her, I felt like I was reading a combination of Desperation/ Salem's Lot/Pet Sematary/ and even a little bit of Harry Potter a little too much.. Having said that, I still found it hard to put down and sped through it pretty quickly. Even the couple little twists surprised me, which is good.

This book started out really strong for me. I enjoyed the beginning, but as I got closer to the middle I realized I just didn’t really care what happened. I did not finish this book.

2.5 STARS

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC for review!

The pros: The writing was engaging, the premise was fantastic. There was SO much potential! It sounded like a mystery-thriller with a possible supernatural element. Sign me up!

However... this novel really fell flat for me. The author seems to have lost her way. There are so many subplots that I think got forgotten altogether, and none of them were given a satisfactory ending. The author never really explored the supernatural element; instead she just sorta-kinda-almost hinted at maybe there is something... but "I can neither confirm nor deny" as the saying goes. The ending felt forced, like she suddenly remembered "Oh, I have to clean this up!" and tried to wrap everything up in a neat little package in just one or two chapters. This resulted in a number of out-of-left-field revelations that were too far-fetched to even be considered plot twists. Character development wasn't the greatest; I'm struggling to remember many of the names of the main characters, and I didn't have anyone to root for. I wasn't impressed with the way that she portrayed autistic individuals ("Little Miss Scary"?!), and our main character was very much wrapped up in his own victimhood, to the point of ignoring those he was making (or had made) victims.

I think with some more editing and time this could be a really excellent novel. The bones are there, she just needs some help getting it fleshed out well.

I just had to snag this book. I read CJ Tudor’s debut novel, The Chalk Man and loved it. I could not wait to dive into The Hiding Place. Joe Thorne accepts a teaching position in his hometown…a place he thought he would never see again. Arnhill is an old village, with an eerie history. It is also filled with secrets and lies. The cottage he moves into was previously owned by a teacher and her son. She was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and her son also murdered-with a message written in blood, “not my son.” He knows the story. When his sister disappeared when he was a teenager, she came back but was not the same. Does it have something to do with the old mine? As he tries to unlock the mystery, he is consumed by the past, the lies and small-town bullies.

This book leans more towards suspense and horror, rather than psychological. –which is totally fine with me. This book is definitely odd. Most of the characters are awful human beings. They are all flawed. However, oddly likable. It is difficult to figure out Joe Thorne. He is a liar and doesn’t seem to ever fully reveal the truth. At the end of the book, I still felt that there was more to than meets the eye.

I actually really enjoyed the horror and unexplainable aspects of the novel. There have been too many occasions where a novel has a mystery and ends up being an easy solve. This does not happen in this story. It gave a constant feeling of uneasiness. I also will never be able to see beetles ever again. There are some parts that completely freaked me out. Be prepared, the descriptions pretty graphic and gruesome.

I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. I read it in less than 2 days. I am also counting down the days until her next book is released!

Thank you NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and CJ Tudor for a copy of this book!

I have to start this review by saying that my hopes for this book were extremely high. I set my expectations up there because of how much I absolutely loved The Chalk Man, C.J. Tudor’s first novel.

Joe is pretty much a miserable, middle aged guy with a lot of regrets (very similar to the main character in The Chalk Man). He returns to his hometown where he isn’t wanted because some pretty sinister things have been occurring that seem all too familiar to Joe. There’s something going on there that he wasn’t able to stop years ago but maybe this is time he can.

I found this book to be pretty scary which is a major plus for me but the story just did not impress me. It was too similar to her first book at some points and that was a little annoying. The main characters in both books were pretty much identical and I was looking forward to getting to know some new/different characters here.

It took me quite some time to get into the story. The book started with a bang but it was uneventful for awhile. The one thing that kept me reading was the creepy atmosphere of it.

The Hiding Place by C J Tudor was thrilling, fantastic, creepy, odd, wonderful and I loved it. I literally could not put this book down! Joe Thorne returns to his small town in England after receiving a mysterious email, “…it’s happening again.” A woman has just been discovered, a suicide, and down the hall is her little boy, also dead with writing in blood above his bed “Not My Son.” Joe, a teacher, but also a man with a gambling problem, returns to seek revenge, or maybe justice, for what happened to him 25 years ago. His small town used to be a mining town, but the mine shut down years ago. But another, darker, cavern lies below the earth in this small town. Joe meets Marcus, a boy who is bullied in school by the son of Joe’s tormentor turned friend, Stephen Hurst. Marcus becomes the go between for Joe and the mysterious person who sent the email, and later another mysterious text message. Joe is also reunited with the gang he hung out with as teenagers: Hurst, Maria (now married to Hurst), and Fletch. As the story goes on, it turns into a story of rituals held hundreds of years ago, and children who go to the cave, and return changed into zombie like beings. I’m not usually a fan of these types of works but I love C J Tudor. This is the second book of hers I’ve read, and I’ve loved both of them. You can’t help but get sucked into the story. I look forward to reading much more by Ms. Tudor in the future.
Thank you to the publisher for this free e-book in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #TheHidingPlace.

Was surprised by the turn of events in this one. After reading his other works, I was sure that I had this C.J. Tudor work all figured out. Surprise, I wasn't even close. A great addition to library thriller/fiction collections!

While quite enjoyable, The Hiding Place lacks the magic of C. J. Tudor's first novel, The Chalk Man. What she does well, though, she does very well. Like The Chalk Man, the backstory of The Hiding Place unfolds slowly as the story progresses, and the reader learns that what happened in the past has everything to do with the present and future.

What was undoubtedly intended to conclude the book with a twist, however, failed to impress. For all the book was shaping up to be, the flopped concluding chapters stripped the book of its place among the ranks of The Chalk Man.

I really enjoyed Chalk Man by CJ Tudor and was expecting the same level of excitement and intensity from this story. While this story kept me curious, I felt it was a bit slower than the previous novel. This novel isn't connected to Chalk Man, but is similar in style. I felt the writing had a very similar taste to a Stephen King novel which was very exciting. There was a creepiness factor which kept me intrigued and flipping the pages. I felt like the ending was strong and a bit unexpected, with a few twists I enjoyed and the reason I rated 4 stars over 3 stars! If you enjoy a creepy horror type story, this is a book for you!

4.25 stars I’ve discovered another favorite author! After reading The Chalk Man and devouring it, I was thrilled to get an ARC for Tudor’s most recent book The Hiding Place. I find this author has an uncanny ability to develop a captivating plot that feels plausible yet is completely mysterious. I loved that this story took on a more sinister and supernatural sequence of events. I was gripped from the start and just had to know how it would all turn out.

I will warn that readers will have to suspend disbelief and be ok with a horror aspect. This book was near perfect for me although I thought the reveals were not quite as intense as The Chalk Man. But believe me, there will be some reveals that leave you gasping because you didn’t see it coming. The book focuses on Joe Thorne, a gambling addict who is in a whole lot of debt. He receives a cryptic message from an unknown sender letting him know that things are happening again in Joe’s hometown Arnhill. What the heck is going on??? What is up with Arnhill??? And why does Joe even care??? These are but some of the dangling unknowns that will keep you glued to the pages!

A huge thank you to Crown Publishing for an ARC on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor is one of those books that has you wondering three-quarters of the way through about what just happened. This book took a dark twist from what I had predicted. Joe has been wandering aimlessly throughout his adult life after he tragically lost his father and sister. Now he's back in his hometown trying to make a go of it as a teacher at his former school. He soon gets caught up in some leftover drama from his past. Read and enjoy!

Synopsis
Joe Thorne never thought he’d return to Arnhill, the little northern England town where he grew up, but he finds himself taking a job as a teacher at the local school. But he doesn’t take the job because he’s desperate for an income, or even because he’s driven to help the students. Something terrible happened in this town when he was a child, and he thinks that it might be happening again.
Plot
I was enthralled by The Hiding Place from cover to cover. This is one of the most engaging books I’ve read in a while. Giving it 5 stars was a no-brainer. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes that feel of Gothic horror without it being too terrifying to be able to sleep afterwards.
While insanely atmospheric, C. J. Tudor keeps the plot moving forward. There are numerous extendd flashbacks Joe’s schoolboy days, slowly revealing what really happened twenty years ago. While incredibly creepy, I wouldn’t quite classify this book as a horror, although towards the end things definitely turn… horrific.
There are quite a few twists in this story. A few of them I saw coming a mile away, but I didn’t mind. The tumultuous journey towards these twists was so damn appealing.
Characters
While I’m beginning to tire of the trope of the main character being incredibly flawed and unlikeable, this book is an exception. Joe Thorne is a liar. He’s a coward. He’s a tad narcissistic. He even has a limp and a gambling addiction which contribute to the myriad of problems he faces in the book. But he still has a spark of likeability, and I think it’s because of a combination of two things. He’s got a great sense of humour—that dry sarcasm that I greatly appreciate in a protagonist. He also feels terribly about how he handled things when he was child, and he’s hoping to make up for his mistakes. All these characteristics make for a dynamic and fascinating main character.
Language
This book wouldn’t be so mind-blowing if it weren’t impeccably written. C. J. Tudor has a gift for language, and she had more than a handful of lines that gave me chills. That said, occasionally the book bordered on pretentious. Joe Thorne has a lot of observations about the world, and occasionally I would cringe at how ostentatious he was coming across. That said, I really didn’t notice this too much until towards the end, and by then I was so invested that it would have taken a sledgehammer of prose to get me to quit reading.

While this book has supernatural elements, it shares a lot in common with the typical psychological thriller that it would appeal to everyone, except for people who detest anything remotely fantastical with every ounce of their bones. I recommend this who wants to read a spooky story set in a small town that’s rife with a dark history, muddy present, and unclear future.

This review will be posted on May 7, 2019