Second thriller by C J Tudor, author of The Chalk Man. Joe never wanted to return to Arnhill but when he hears about what happened to a young boy and it’s the same thing that happened to his sister many years before, he needs to go back and find out the truth and confront certain people. Psychological, very suspenseful thriller.

Although the prologue was a jaw dropping way to begin the novel, the entire story failed to woo me into a 4 or 5 star rating. The Hiding Place sees the return of Joe Thorne to his hometown of Arnhill and takes up residence in a cottage where a woman and her son were recently found in a gruesome crime scene. Taking a job at the local high school, it isn't too long until it becomes apparent that Joe might have alternative reasons for coming home. Because it soon becomes clear that something isn't quite right in Arnhill.

The Hiding Place carries with it a chilling and creepy atmosphere that reminded me very much of American Horror Story. As the plot moves from the present to events in Joe's past, the mystery takes on a supernatural quality, but I failed to really feel invested in the story. I kept putting the book down and picking it up again and I was just relieved to be finished.

Eh. This book was a page turner at times but not consistently so. The ending fell flat, as if the author was trying to wrap up too many things in just a handful of pages. With that being said, one of the main mysteries was not really addressed in a well-rounded way. And was this a paranormal story? I couldn’t really tell but felt this was alluded to. Overall I was left feeling disappointed.

I loved The Chalk Man and was super excited to read this author's next book. However, unfortunately this book ended up being a bit of a let down. I was intrigued in the beginning and kept reading because I was invested in the mystery and didn't know where the story was going. So many tropes and storylines I do not like were in this book and I feel like there was not enough back story or development of the main character so 1) I didn't care that much about him and 2) some of the twists that came were not a big deal to me. I did love the brother sister relationship that was developed, though. But this relationship was the only one that felt full. As far as the end, I did not enjoy it and. felt it was too similar to one other particular book. Overall, I will still read whatever this author does in the future but this was not my favorite.

First off, I want to say, I don't want to miss anything C. J. Tudor writes. THE HIDING PLACE is her second novel just recently released and was just as good, (for me) as her debut, THE CHALK MAN.

"Arnhill is a grim little village where lots of bad things have happened." And it's happening again. You could say the town is cursed or perhaps it's just the ghosts of Joey's past that want him gone.

Joe Thorne grew up in Arnhill and has recently returned to fill an opening as an English teacher. He's kind of a quiet, mysterious guy with a multitude of secrets....and personal faults, and now on top of everything else, he must face....and relive his darkest memory of all....what happened to his beloved little eight year old sister.

"Sometimes I think it's not the passing of the years that really ages you, but the passing of the people and the things you care about."

While renting an old dilapidated cottage with a bloody history, and icky creepy-crawling creatures in the bathroom....all he can afford, Joe, and his sarcastic mouth ponder how he will manage to avoid dangerous enemies and entities of his past.....and present who threaten to do him deadly harm.

Dark and twisty, and as with THE CHALK MAN, somewhat reminiscent of a Stephen King read, but with her own "skittering chittering" flair.

***ARC provided by Crown Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for review.***

The Hiding Place by C. J. Tudor - Now available

After reading The Chalk Man I knew I had to read the author's new book and it did not disappoint. English teacher, Joe, fudges his resume to land a teaching job back in his hometown where, twenty-five years ago, his sister disappeared for two days and when she returned she was "different'. It seems Joe returns to his to solve a vendetta related to his sister's disappearance but it is much more complicated than that. This book is full of surprises and I loved how the author revealed the story a little at a time. Full of deception, betrayal, lies, and twits, I could not put this book down! A great read for those who love thrillers, there is a fair amount of violence so people who are sensitive to that should be forewarned. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the chance to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is hands down one of the best books that I've read this year. I loved the humor and the suspense of this read. Definitely recommended.

The book jacket description is very good for this one. The beginning, after the prologue, of the book is a little slow, confusing in some places, as the author builds up background on the characters and their places in the story. After that it takes off with a bang. Drawn back to his hometown after he receives information on a young man's death that closely resembles his sister's many years before, he'll have to sort through the many, many clues and figure out what is happening. A good thriller with several original twists, I enjoyed the book.

The book's title is a bit misleading; the place in question is really not for hiding, more like disappearing. And many of the characters in this thriller are so off-putting that you wish they would vanish. This is not to diminish the quality of the story, it merely means that you're seldom sorry to see them go. C.J. Tudor specializes in creepy and this is undeniably creepy but not especially scary. And some of the circumstances and plot lines seem a bit glued on, rather than part of a whole. But it's still a good read, a kind of "yes, you can go home again, but knowing what you left, why would you want to?' My main peeve -- and here's a bit of a SPOILER -- is that the supernatural doings seem lifted from Stephen King's brilliant Pet Sematary, only the animals in this one are human. That book scared the bejeesus out of me. By all means, read Tudor's take. But if you really want to stay up all night, party with the King.

If you love thrillers, this is definitely one for the "to be read" list... If you love creepy thrillers, stop what you're doing and pick this up immediately.

This fantastic blend of spooky and suspense will keep you on the very edge of your seat till the very last page. The book starts off with a bang - gruesome details of a violent murder then trails off as we follow Joe on his journey back to his hometown to teach at his alma mater in the tiny little mining town of Arnhill. We know somethings wrong and bad things happened to Joe here, something really bad. C.J. Tudor takes her sweet time unravelling the mystery to us. This eerie mix of suspense and supernatural will give you goosebumps and keep you flipping through the very end.

I found the beginning half of the book to be very slow and filled with details that seemed repetitive and unnecessary. The second half of the book though, make sure you buckle up because you're in for a ride.

I will be posting this review onto my instagram and goodreads on 2/6/2018. www.instagram.com/steepedinwords

" You can still feel the echoes of bad things. They imprint on the fabric of our reality, like a footprint in concrete. Whatever made the impression is long gone, but you can never erase the mark it left."

This book starts with a horrific murder of a child, the suicide of his mother, and the disappearance of children in a small town. But even more horrifying than children going missing, is their return. These children have no memory of where they were, and they aren't quite the same child as before they disppeared.
The protagonist of the story, Joe, knows all to well after Annie, his little sister disappeared and reappeared when he was just a teenager.
"The Hiding Place," alternates between Joe's past and his present, and it had me compelled after just a few pages. The plot was fast paced and consistent throughout, it involved many different arcs including flashbacks that kept the reader engaged and yearning for more. The plot development was fantastic, it really amazed me how flawlessly she fit it all into just 345 pages.
This book had various Stephen King like qualities, it was not only creepy in so many ways, but it left me completely unnerved. The imagery gave me goosebumps and made me feel as if I was no longer in the comfort of my own home.
I'm not sure if this book is for the faint of heart, but if you love horror and books that give you that unsettling feeling, then this is for you. It was both horrifying and suspenseful and kept secrets right up until the very end.

Published yesterday!

C.J. Tudor is an author you should watch out for, especially if you're a big fan of thrillers. Last year she published The Chalk Man, which was good enough. But, in my opinion, The Hiding Place was a much better book.

The Hiding Place is about Joe, a gambling-addicted, somewhat-washed-up, teacher who returns to his boyhood hometown of Arnhill when a job opportunity at his childhood school becomes available. But, while work may be one motivating factor in his return to Arnhill, it is far from the only reason. After a murder-suicide flips the town upside down, it is clear there is something strange happening in the town. And Joe will need to confront his past in order to address the present mysterious happenings.

I really enjoyed the story line for this book. I was invested from the beginning and I felt that there was an appropriate amount of tension to keep the reader moving forward. There is something spooky and mysterious about this book, with a little bit of a paranormal spin on your basic thriller.

There was one downside for me; while I felt like the story made sense and it had a beginning, middle and end, I still felt like I had a lot of unresolved questions at the end. For me, there were quite a few loose ends that I would have liked to have seen tied up. But, it may be that the author wanted to allow the reader to interpret some of the mystery for themselves.

All of that being said, this one was really good, but didn't blow me away. I would recommend it, especially for those who have never read anything by C.J Tudor. She's an author worth checking out.

-This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, C.J. Tudor, and Crown Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

This was my first book by this author and I am sorry to say that i was no that impressed. I thought this would be more of a mystery or a thriller, but there didn't seem to be much of that. I wanted more of a creepiness factor, but there was none of that. Aside from a scene or two, I didn't feel creeped out at all and that was disappointing. It was mostly about Joe and the fact that he was dealing with all the bullies in town, both adult and child. I thought the book focused too much on that. And I really didn't think the character of Gloria and her issues were necessary. I will say that the ending had a nice twist to it, especially regarding what happened to Annie. But the book just didn't keep me on the edge of my seat. I wasn't captivated by it. It was just meh for me.

As with Tudor’s previous novel, I loved this book!

Joe gets a job at Arnhill Academy, the school he went to as a kid. His old town hasn’t changed much - a lot of his friends still live there, the school still favors the bullies, and The Pit is still there. Joe has gotten himself into a desperate situation and is in need of money, so he’s headed home to try to get it. He knows something that happened way back when he was a kid, and he’s going to use it to his advantage. But Joe slowly realizes that not everything is just how he remembered it.

This book had a bit of a Stephen King vibe to me, which I really enjoyed. Arnhill is a bit off, The Pit is a bit off, and everything is kind of gritty in the same way that King writes. Which I loved.

I also loved how none of the characters really felt like good characters - they all lie, cheat, extort, and bully their way around. Everyone was good and not so good at the same time.

This book was creepy, suspenseful, intriguing, and horrifying all in one. Definitely recommend!

This is the second book that I have read by C. J. Tudor and if you like psychological thrillers, you have found your author.
Joe Thorne the main character grew up in Arnhill and has returned to teach at the local school. He
has extremely unhappy memories of his childhood and of the bullies who made his life hell. Joe decides to rent the home where the teacher who he is replacing killed her son and then committed suicide.
The story begins to terrify from that point. C. J. Tudor writes similarly to Stephen King.

"The Hiding Place" by C.J. Tudor, Crown, 288 pages, Feb. 5, 2019.

Joseph Thorne, 40, is a teacher in England. He has a gambling problem.

He receives an email saying "I know what happened to your sister. It is happening again." His sister, Anne, was 8 when she disappeared. He was 15. She returned 24 hours later, but she wouldn't say anything about what happened.

Thorne returns to Arnhill, where he grew up. He gets a job teaching and rents a cottage where a murder-suicide took place. He is in debt to a loan shark. He wants revenge against enemies from his youth.

There is a shroud of mystery about the town since a mining accident in the 1940’s took the lives of 18 men. Flashbacks reveal with happened to Anne.

There's a supernatural element to this story, which probably should put it in the horror category instead of mystery. It is a quick read.

C.J. Tudor is also the author of "The Chalk Man” which I liked more than "The Hiding Place." This novel is titled "The Taking of Annie Thorne" in Britain.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The past isn’t real. It is simply a story we tell ourselves. And sometimes, we lie.

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor tells the story of Joe Thorne and his return to his childhood home of Arnhill. Mysterious things have happened in this town starting with his sister’s disappearance years ago. She returned 48 hours later with no explanation as to where she was or what happened. The same thing has happened 25 years later to another child, Ben, who is missing for 24 hours then returns. He is found murdered by his mother who then kills herself. When the cops discover the body the words “not my son” are written in blood over his bed. Joe receives a mysterious email stating that they “know what happened to his sister” which makes him return even if he knows it’s against his better judgment.

Joe is able to lie his way into a teaching job at his previous high school and it is clear from the beginning that no one is happy to have him return to this town. There are secrets that are better left untold and his old “gang” from growing up will do anything to make sure they are. While Joe deals with various threats throughout the book it is digging into his past that is the real threat. The lies he’s told himself to “forget” the things that happened 25 years ago are resurfacing and that’s not always a good thing.

I love a good thriller, but there was a supernatural aspect to this one that I wasn’t expecting. I’m not big into reading supernatural novels, but Tudor’s writing was very good that I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. I liked the protagonist, Joe, although there were many reasons not to like him. I wanted to make sure that things turned out okay for him. I was actually shocked by the surprise twist in the last chapter. I did not see that coming so Tudor did a really good job throwing that one at us at the end. I definitely look forward to reading more of her books and would recommend this especially if you like thrillers with a supernatural twist.

Thank you NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My nan once said "It's not the dead you need to be scared of, love. It's the living." She was almost right. But I do believe you can still feel the echoes of bad things.”
**************
Joe Thorne is a troubled and tormented soul. With a propensity for drinking too much, a bum leg which causes him to limp, and a history of gambling and debt... and that’s just getting you acquainted with him. There is a lot more to Joe, and what drives him. Deep down he is a good man wanting to conquer his demons, get some answers and settle some scores. His witty sarcasm, at times humorous, is a nice respite from the creepiness of this dark story. His tender love for his sister, who died at the age of 8, and his propensity for coming to the defense of the bullied underdog endears the reader to this complex character.

This is a present-day story of Joe coming back to his home town of Arnhill with an agenda and with flashbacks to his youth. He is now an adult, an English teacher, albeit acquiring the job dishonestly. Joe has quite a back-story, and his telling of it is what pulls us in to this. When he was in high school he ran with a bunch of bullies but always felt inadequate, a follower, not a leader. Seems those bullies went on to spawn bullies of their own. This is a focal point of the story. A few of his old classmates are still living in the dilapidated town of Arnhill, and just as arrogant and dispicable as he remembers them. One of the first things Joe does is break up a fight where a kid is being bullied, reminding him of his own young days.

The pace picks up in the second half, ratcheting up the tension and before I knew it, I was reeled in. I won’t be able to lift a toilet-lid again without thinking of those swarming, black beetles… eeew

When we hear the story of the old coal mine and what the kids discover, it gets really creepy and is written quite graphically… it definitely lives up to the “chiller” factor. Is the epilogue satisfying… creepy… shocking? Read it and find out.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my digital complimentary copy for review

After spending every spare moment reading this book, I have to say that C. J. Tudor is now an auto-buy author for me. Her second book has been on my wishlist ever since its UK title (The Taking of Annie Thorne) was whispered on Twitter.

Dark and creepy, The Hiding Place had just enough spookiness to weird me out, yet enough lighthearted wittiness to make me smile sometimes. Joe Thorne was an excellent protagonist. I did wonder, more than once, if Tudor spent time in an actual public school while writing this book because so many environment descriptors were spot on. There’s a definite sense of hierarchy which most schools would like to deny, but it totally exists.

I tend to avoid Stephen King books because of the excessive profanity. Tudor uses a similar supernatural element without making it completely R-rated, and I appreciate that.

The Hiding Place is a book I’d pass on to friends (if I had a hard copy) and recommend for those who enjoy a suspenseful, mysterious read.

This book seriously creeped me out right from the very first chapter. I actually put the book down after the first chapter and took a break from it because it was so messed up I needed to clear my head before I started again. The entire premise of the book is dark and twisty and spooky and gives off some serious Pet Semetary vibes.....

I loved the main character Joe. He obviously has some issues... he's a snarky, sarcastic, alcoholic gambling addict and everything else you wouldn't really expect from a teacher. If you wrote a list of characteristics you wouldn't want your child's teacher to have, Joe could check off every item on that list. However, as dark and depressing as the story could get, Joe's one-liners that were thrown in here and there would have me cracking up. I think without these little breaks of laughter, the book would have been too dark and too difficult to finish.

If you're looking for a book with a lot of twists and turns with a Stephen King-y vibe than this is definitely the book for you. Imitation is the sweetest form of flattery and Tudor is obviously a King fan, however, I think her book is more reader-friendly.