This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m definitely looking forward to reading more! I was kept on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story, it was told in this way where you never quite know what’s going on or who to trust. I loved the supernatural aspect, it really added something great to the story, and made it more Stephen King-like in my opinion.

Joe was a pretty interesting character, I never really knew how to fully feel about him. At some point I loved him, others I was screaming at him not to do something stupid. Of course where would the story be if the character’s didn’t do something annoying. Most of the side character’s just frustrated me, but I get how they made the story whole.

Overall I think this was definitely a solid psychological thriller, with a great supernatural aspect. A couple parts made me cringe or be a little, I don’t wasn’t to say scared so maybe freaked out. It takes a lot for me to consider a book scary, and I would say this was more of a freak you out type of book.

I have such mixed feelings about this book. First off, it is not nearly as good as Tudor's debut novel, The Chalk Man. I think I really only like HALF of this book. Told in two separate time periods in the protagonist's life (as a child and as an adult); the story of his childhood gave me the chills but I was not attached to his adult story which felt incomplete and left me with a lot of lingering questions. I wish this book was longer and delved more into the mystery of the cave but overall I am still a fan of this author.

Thank you Netgalley or my copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this one after really enjoying The Chalk Man, but unfortunately, this one didn't work for me. Maybe I'm asking for too much, but even in a supernatural story, I want at least a little bit of an answer to WHY things happened the way they did. An author doesn't have to fully explain--I understand that it's sometimes okay to let the reader infer certain aspects of a plot resolution. But this one just left me scratching my head. There are no answers, and it just felt weirdly unfinished.

A lot of people are comparing this author to Stephen King, and I definitely saw that in The Chalk Man, especially the scene from the theme park. This, however, seemed like more than just a nod to Pet Sematary, and ventured dangerously close to rip-off territory.

I do think this author can write, though. And there were pieces of this story that I got really excited about, but that excitement fizzled the further I went. As much as I didn't love this one, I'd be game to pick up her next outing.

A suspenseful mystery about a teacher who returns to the scene of the crime - the high school he once attended - in an step to lay to test the ghosts of the past - including his sister, who was never the same after she was billed, attacked and abandoned in an old mine near Arnhill. Betrayal, suicide and murder have made Arnhill the last place he wants to be - and his old friends as well as his enemies aren't too happy to see him back, either. The bully of his youth is older and more powerful, and his son shows every indication of following in his father's footsteps. But there are a few old timers who remember him more fondly, and see his return as an occasion to right old wrongs, punish the guilty, and put our hero's demons away for good. A strong, solid story, well told by a fluent writer.

If you love a good ghost story, then read this one. It was a legitimate scary and creepy book. I couldn't put it down and just had to know what happened next. I loved the back and forth from the past and present. The twist at the end was amazing. This book was well written and the characters fabulous.

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor; honestly I didn't care for this book as much as the Chalk Man. The lead character was rather morose, depressed, and moody, and returned to his hometown for unknown reasons. It was hard for me to get through this book, as descriptions of the mine, one of the main settings, was just not interesting. I had trouble getting into the book. For that reason I gave up about 2/3 of the way through.

This was a slow-burn type of mystery. You never know exactly what going on, as a lot of background information is hinted at throughout. Overall, a good read that kept me interested.

When I read C.J. Tudor's first novel, The Chalk Man I did not have any experience with Stephen King novels. Since then I have read several of his books and I can now understand why so many people say Tudor is pulling so much from King. I was therefore worried I would not like The Hiding Place, but I ended up loving it even more than her first novel!

The Hiding Place follows a teacher who returns to his hometown. Joe never wanted to come back to Arnhill after what happened to his sister, but when he receives word that it may be happening again he has no choice to to face old demons again. The novels goes back and forth between past and present as we discover what Joe ran from all those years ago, and is now trying to uncover. He lies his way into a teaching job and finds himself thrown back into his past.

Joe is not an altogether likable character, but I found that as I learned more about his childhood, I began to relate to him more and better understand what he had gone through. The novel is not particularly faced paced, but it moves in such a way that you simply must keep reading. I also found myself greatly moved towards the end of the novel and was nearly brought to tears. Anytime an author can do that, it is considered a win in my book.

I did have one big issue with the novel. It ended with big questions unanswered, and not in a way that seemed intentional in order to leave things up for interpretation. It felt more like the author realized they did not know how to conclude or explain things, so they chose to just ignore those problems and hope the reader didn't notice. Other than that one issue, I really enjoyed the book and I look forward to reading Tudor's next novel!

Back when Joe was a teenager, he and his friends discovered something bizarre. At first it looked like a cool place to hang out, but that was not the case. Bad things happened and as soon as he was old enough, Joe got the heck out of dodge. Now he has received a mysterious message that brings him back home - that last place he wants to be.

Ohhhhh - this was good. Told in alternating chapters of the past and present, this sometimes got so scary I had to put it down. And no reading after dark. I love these kind of books that have that undertone of something evil and you are just never sure who is going to win. I put it in the category with Stephen King novels - one of my all time favorite authors. I am so glad to have read this book as I was missing stories that gave me chills up my spine and goosebumps.

My thanks to Crown Publishing and Netgalley.

I was anxiously anticipating another read from C.J. Tudor. After reading The Chalk Man, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Tudor’s second book.
The Hiding Place was a slow burn. It took me awhile to get into, but I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple parallel stories that were going and the switching of time periods for the full scope of the story. About ⅔ of the way through, I wasn’t sure if all the moving parts would come together in the end, but I held on. And boy, the last 10% of the novel is quite the rollercoaster of happenings. Hold Tight! Like I said, I really like the back and forth between the time periods, it allows for a reader to get to know the characters in the present, but also where they came from and how Arnhill just sort of stayed the same, protecting their own-- or at least those they chose to protect.

It didn’t live up to my Chalk Man expectations, but I’m going to keep my eye out for more work from C.J. Tudor. I like her writing style and the way I always seem to connect with her characters.

Terrible things happened in Joe Thorne's English home town of Arnhill 25 years ago. His eight-year-old sister Annie disappeared and Joe thought it was the worst thing that could ever happen.....until she returned.

Later on Joe's mate Chris jumped to his death on the grounds of their school, Arnhill Academy. Joe moved away soon afterwards, and now he's a forty-year-old English teacher who drinks too much, smokes too much, and has a gambling problem.

As the story opens Joe has just moved back to Arnhill, being drawn back by an anonymous email that said: "I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again." Joe obtains a teaching position at his old school and rents a dilapidated cottage that was the site of a murder-suicide.

Joe isn't bothered because the place is cheap and he wants to absorb its 'atmosphere' for personal reasons. Moreover, Joe only plans to stay in Arnhill long enough to settle old scores and pay off a gambling debt - so that Gloria the enforcer doesn't cripple him for life (or worse).

The leader of Joe's old high school gang, a sociopath named Stephen Hurst, is irked about his former pal's return. Stephen wants Joe out of town YESTERDAY and will do almost anything to make that happen. Stephen has other things on his mind as well: his wife Marie is dying of cancer and his son Jeremy - a bully like his dad - is constantly making trouble at school.

Arnhill, a defunct coal mining town, exudes a sinister atmosphere and eerie noises. Furthermore, the crumbling colliery's underground tunnels and pits - like all dangerous places - attracts kids looking for adventure. That led to trouble 25 years ago....and seems to be causing trouble again.

And then there are the black beetles.....oy vey!!

In addition to his mission in Arnhill, Joe has to do his job at the school - where he teaches classes; has lunch with other instructors; catches bullies tormenting students; and so on. Joe acquires both friends and foes at the school, and these side narratives help round out the novel.

The author is a good storyteller and the tale includes some clever surprises. That said, the narrative crawls along too slowly (for my taste) and the main character, Joe Thorne, has an extremely annoying personality. Joe has a sarcastic streak and a breezy jokey way of talking that NEVER LETS UP....even when he's facing down hooligans. I wanted to cover Joe's mouth.😷

The novel leads to a fitting climax that wraps things up in a satisfactory fashion. One of my favorite scenes involves a sinkhole, which I've always found intriguing ....and this is a good one. 🙂

Overall, I'd say the book is a clever mystery/thriller that would appeal to fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (C.J. Tudor), and the publisher (Crown) for a copy of the book.

Joe, the protagonist, returns home to Arnhill after receiving an email stating that strange things were beginning to happen again. This was a place he never planned to see again. When he was a teenager his sister, Annie, disappeared and then returned and then….well you will have to read the book to find out exactly what happened to Annie. But this town is filled with strange occurrences, secrets and darkness. When Joe returns, it’s a little convenient for him as a place to hide from his gambling problems- or so he had hoped. Joe is a mess. He begins a new job at his old school after lying through the interview, he drinks a little too much alcohol, he owes someone a lot of money and he starts to have difficulties with some of his students pretty quickly.

When I began the book I didn’t really know what to expect. I was really excited after reading her debut novel, “The Chalk Man” but couldn’t get into this one as much. The prologue was intriguing and pulled me in but once the novel started I waited and waited and waited to find out how it was connected to Joe’s story and what exactly happened. It seemed like there were too many story lines, some of which were never wrapped up and it just got confusing trying to remember all of the characters. Also, I couldn’t connect or relate to Joe which made it a difficult read. I know he was definitely not a “perfect” protagonist- and that can certainly be OK with me in books but there was something about him that was just not likeable at all.

I do think there was great potential for this book and I would definitely check out another book by the author. This one just didn’t do it for me. Thank you so much Netgalley and Crown publishing for the ARC copy.

Rating: ★★★★☆+

Synopsis:

Joe never wanted to come back to Arnhill. After the way things ended with his old gang–the betrayal, the suicide, the murder–and after what happened when his sister went missing, the last thing he wanted to do was return to his hometown. But Joe doesn’t have a choice. Because judging by what was done to that poor Morton kid, what happened all those years ago to Joe’s sister is happening again. And only Joe knows who is really at fault.

Lying his way into a teaching job at his former high school is the easy part. Facing off with former friends who are none too happy to have him back in town–while avoiding the enemies he’s made in the years since–is tougher. But the hardest part of all will be returning to that abandoned mine where it all went wrong and his life changed forever, and finally confronting the shocking, horrifying truth about Arnhill, his sister, and himself. Because for Joe, the worst moment of his life wasn’t the day his sister went missing.

It was the day she came back.

Review:

First off, thanks to Crown and the author for an advanced reading copy of The Hiding Place (aka The Taking of Annie Thorne in the UK) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

So, I loved Tudor’s debut, The Chalk Man, which was published last year (you can see my full review here). Suffice to say, picking up The Hiding Place and binging it was a no-brainer. I love slow-burn, horror-infused mysteries/thrillers where you are left on the edge of your seat throughout the entire read.

Unlike The Chalk Man, The Hiding Place took on a much darker theme and even had a supernatural vibe to it. If I had to compare it to anything, I would probably say Stephen King’s ‘The Outsider’. A violent and gruesome opening scene, leading into a fully fleshed murder-mystery with an air of the supernatural.

What I enjoyed most about the novel was the constant sense of “WTF is going on????” Tudor takes such a slow and deliberate pace when it comes to revealing pertinent information that you are just itching to get to the conclusion. In all honesty, I think that is what makes her such a fantastic writer. She keys in on what a reader like myself wants in these types of stories, and surrounds it with a phenomenal tale with horror imagery sprinkled in. It is like the perfect cheesecake filled with spiders.

Tudor has definitely earned the moniker ‘Britain’s female Stephen King’. Based on her debut, she has been on my must-read list. Now, with two fantastic releases, she needs to be on yours.

I loved C.J. Tudor's first book, The Chalk Man. When I saw that she had a new book coming out, I was so excited to get my hands on it. This was really disappointing though. I didn't feel any kind of connection to the narrator or any of the other characters in the book. The ending struck me as anti-climactic, and overall I feel like it's a pretty forgettable read. I haven't given up hope yet though--I'll look forward to her next book with hope that it grabs me like her first one did.

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor is a mesmerizing novel. While reading it I was so tempted to go to the end to learn if anyone would die. There was so much tension in the book driving the reader on to learn why Jo Throne returned to his old town and where is his sister! He has returned to his old home town but not because he was so fond of it, had a happy life or missed his close friends. In fact the truth is just the opposite. He needs to learn the truth about what happened to his family and those around him. By the end of the book he does and its a complete surprise to him and to the reader. The book concludes with another huge surprise but Joe takes it well and feels he can go o with his life.

After reading Tudor's first novel, I was excited to dive into The Hiding Place. If I was expecting something similar, I was mistaken. However, that's not to say that The Hiding Place isn't a good book. The pacing is very good and kept me on the edge of my seat, and the atmosphere is excellent. Dark and creepy, the supernatural elements of the book keep it from becoming too dreary, while the line between thriller and horror continues to blur. There are obvious comparisons to be made to Stephen King, and although I feel that Tudor is "not quite there," I think this is a good effort and will be looking forward to her next publication.

Having loved her debut book, I was anxious to dive into Tudor's latest. Set once again in a small English town, the main character returns to his childhood town to teach in its mediocre school. Joe rents the cottage where a terrible murder has just taken place, a former teacher killed her young son and then herself. Lovely digs, right? Yep, it just keeps getting creepier as Joe finds strange beetles in the home, encounters his former mates who no longer see him as their friend, rediscovers the mysterious hidden tunnels and caverns at the coal mine, and is haunted by the disappearance and eventual death of his own sister years ago. My problem with this book is that it seemed as if it couldn't decide between a mystery and horror, and admittedly, I am not a big horror fan. Ultimately, I was entertained but not completely satisfied.

First I would like to thank NetGallet for the eARC for my honest review. C.J.Tudor has written a classic horror/mystery. An easy read that always pulls you ( even when you don't want to go) to an ending that you cannot stop yourself from going too. I enjoyed the read, exploring the fear, the inevitable, the wonderful need to go whereyou know you should not! The Hiding Place.

This is a decent, slightly supernatural, mystery. I got through about 40% of it and almost quit but then decided to finish to give an honest review.
Something about the main character, Joe, didn’t grab me, and none of the other characters were likable. The entire tale is dark and depressing. Joe is such a loser but, at least, redeems himself a bit as the story plods on. All in all, an okay read but not as exciting as I would like.

I really enjoyed this sophomore thriller from C.J. Tutor. It was deliciously creepy the whole way through and it only got more difficult to put it down with each chapter. The pacing was very well done and the shifts between past and present were handled with perfection. Arnhill fits the archetype of my favorite kind of fictional town: it's small and suspicious of outsiders (even their own who leave) with a chilly feeling of some dangerous undercurrent that goes back to its founding. I was surprised with the supernatural element that came into the story but pleasantly so. It suited the creepiness of the story well. The whole novel is downright dark and I like that.

Joe is a fantastic character! He's probably my favorite thriller protagonist I've read in a very long time. I loved his sarcasm, his wit, and his devotion to righting wrongs despite committing so many of them himself. He's not an angel and he knows it but despite knowing the world is a dark place he can't stand to see others suffer, unless they deserve it of course. The side characters all fit into the story well and wove together in surprising ways.

The prose was well done too, nothing too flashy to stand in the way of the story itself. The only thing I'm torn on is the ending though I will say that it fits better with me the more I think about it; I certainly can't think of a better way to close out such an intense plot. So overall, I really liked this haunting thriller and can't wait to check out Tudor's debut!

Note: I received a free Kindle edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher Crown Publishing, and the author C.J. Tudor for the opportunity to do so.