So Creepy!


I love it when I get the opportunity to simply rave about a book.   

The Other People by C.J. Tudor was just so suspenseful and creepy.  This father’s search for his little girl will resonate with any parent out there.  I wanted so badly for everything to be okay!

The author keeps the reader guessing throughout and each chapter amps up the danger and the mystery.

The reason behind everything was so very sad, yet so wonderfully happened.

I just loved this read and can’t wait for the author’s next offering.

*ARC provided via Net Galley

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ecopy. A dark and twisty book! Gabe's daughter is taken right in front of him and he can't catch them. Then he receives a call from a detective stating his wife and daughter were killed in a robbery. Yet he knows that he had just seen his daughter alive in the van. His father in law says it's them in the morgue but he just can't believe it. No one believes him and he waits to see that van that took his daughter a few years before. A twist that you will not see coming.

I had heard nothing but good things about Tudor's previous book The Chalk Man so I was thrilled to get an ARC of this one and it did not disappoint.  This one was told from the perspectives of three people who's connection come together later in the story.  

There was a little paranormal thrown in but I found it to be pretty minor and it didn't throw off the feel of the book like some other's i've read (cough, cough Behind Her Eyes).  I found the story to be intriguing, fast-paced, and a twisty thriller.  I dare say it felt a bit Harlan Coben-ish (which is high praise as he is one of my favorite go to thriller authors).

*Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advance copy.  #TheOtherPeople #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of The Other People by C.J. Tudor.

This is a twisty turny story of a man who, shortly after hearing that his wife and daughter have been killed, sees his little girl in the back of someone else's car.  So who can blame him when for years after their "death" he spends all of his waking hours driving up and down the town's highway searching for his missing girl.  Despite what anyone says, he knows that she isn't dead.  But after going down the rabbit hole of the dark web, he learns that there might be a group of people responsible for what happened to his family.  And they go by the name of The Other People. 

I think Tudor hit a home run with this one, I've read his other work, but I really enjoyed this one.  It has a lot of different elements, and even dabbles in supernatural, but it all just seems to work.  It's full of intrigue and takes you in directions you never expect to go.  It's fresh and fun.

Wow, fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book was fantastic and unputdownable. This book redefined the “twist”. 

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

A great thriller that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. I’d recommend this to those who enjoyed “The Chain” recently. The layered stories of who is involved with the Other People keeps evolving throughout this book and keeps the reader guessing. Highly recommended!

Gabe’s 5 year old daughter Izzy was murdered 3 years ago, but Gabe is convinced that he saw her being driven away and that she is still alive. He has been searching for her with the help of a mysterious man known as the Samaritan. Their search leads them to the Other People. The book wasn’t suspenseful but the plot held my interest and I liked the slow revelation of the links between characters and events. Even at the end new twists were appearing. However, there was a continuing theme involving pebbles and the ocean that I found to be a pointless tease with no payoff. Frankly, it felt like it belonged in another book. I’m in the minority in disliking the author’s fondness for supernatural nonsense. I didn’t like it in “The Hiding Place” either, nevertheless I will continue to read this author’s books because the good features are very good indeed. 

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Gabe lost his family in a tragic home invasion, or so he was lead to believe. Gabe never gave up hope because he saw is daughter in a car on the freeway returning home.  A desperate pursuit leads a multi layered thriller that peals the onion layered told by several points of view. A terrific third novel by C.J. Highly recommended.

Rating: ★★★★★

Synopsis

She sleeps, a pale girl in a white room . . .

Three years ago, Gabe saw his daughter taken. In the back of a rusty old car, covered in bumper stickers. He was driving behind the car. He watched her disappear. But no one believes him. Most people believe that his daughter, and wife, are dead. For a while, people believed that Gabe was responsible.

Three years later and Gabe cannot give up hope. Even though he has given up everything else. His home, his job, his old life. He spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, sleeping in his camper van in service stations, searching for the car that took her. Searching for his daughter.

Katie spends a lot of her life in service stations, working as a waitress. She often sees Gabriel, or ‘the thin man’ as she has nicknamed him. She knows his story. She feels for him, because Katie understands what it’s like to lose a loved one. Nine years ago, her father was murdered. It broke her family apart. She hasn’t seen her oldest sister since the day of the funeral; the day she did something terrible.

Fran and her daughter, Alice, put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people that want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter. She knows who is responsible. And she knows that if they ever find them, they’re dead.

Review

Thanks to the publisher and author for providing an advance reading copy of The Other People in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

The Other People continues the trend of making Tudor a household name. Relentlessly creepy, bone-chilling, and altogether gripping, this is one novel that’ll have you turning the pages late into the darkest of nights. This is C.J.’s best novel to date and she is only just getting started. Pre-order this book immediately.

It is blatantly obvious that I am a fan of Tudor’s. I loved her debut novel, The Chalk Man, that went on to win the ITW Thriller Award and Strand Magazine’s Award for Best Debut Novel, not to mention her amazing follow-up novel, The Hiding Place/The Taking of Annie Thorne. She is a wonderful suspense writer who has been likened to Stephen King (even called Britain’s Female Stephen King by the Daily Mail) and it shows through her consistency in writing gripping, thrilling novels that will haunt your dreams for days.

I continue to come back to this sentiment as I finish her novels: what really makes them are her characters. Every single one is flawed; not one is perfect, especially on the inside where it counts. Motivations for their actions are slowly brought to light as the novels progress, giving you a reason to flip to the next page. And the next one. And the next one… You catch my drift. Her settings are always bleak, which adds to the creepiness factor and makes for such intriguing world-building. Her descriptions are always on point, allowing readers to vividly picture all of the details surrounding the characters.

I make it a point in my reviews to never reveal spoilers, or really much information about the novel at all. Books are meant to be explored and secrets revealed by you. All I can say is that, even when you think you have it all figured out and you can open the door to let the light in, Tudor spins you 180° and pushes you back into the darkness.

A perfect mix of Adrian McKinty’s The Chain and Alex North’s The Whisper Man, The Other People is sure to be THE, if not one of the, Top Thrillers of 2020 and is destined for a Netflix Original Series.

Oh my god, this book. Oh how I loved it so much! I devoured it in a day and a half. I just couldn’t put it down it was that good. It was so suspenseful and just drew me in without letting go. The premise is very interesting to me. I felt for the main character and wanted him to find justice. I refer books where I can root for the characters. I recommend this to everyone to read when it comes out.

(4.5)I'll keep this as unspoilery as possible, so let me start by briefly mentioning my one gripe with the story:  if that supernatural element had been explained or perhaps ventured into a tad I would have been fully satisfied. That aside, this was one hell of a great thriller. I missread every situation, and that ENDING. I'll leave it there, as the way this whole thing unfolds is just *chief's kiss*.

This book kept me engaged, kept me guessing.

I can only tell you how it made me feel, and not all of that, as it would give too much away.  I will tell you that I related strongly to some of the characters, and felt their sadness.  I also felt their hope, even when hope should have been gone.  But we humans, for the most part, are resilient, and this book presents a stunning picture of that resilience.

There are good people in the world, and you will meet your share of them in this book.  There are bad people as well, and this book does not lack in that area.

I guessed wrong on nearly every situation and I consider that to be a good thing.  The writer knows how to keep you guessing.  I enjoyed the characters, the story line, and the writing.  I would definitely recommend this book to a friend.

Thank you to NetGalley.com and the publisher for my copy.

C.J. Tudor has become one of my favorite authors.  She really manages to give me the creeps when reading her stories.  Just so you all don't think that's an insult, I believe that is her point so it's all good fun!

In this one, Gabe is driving home when he sees a car in front of him with a lot of bumper stickers on it.  It sure is standing out because of all the stickers and because Gabe is stuck in traffic, he is compelled to stare at it.  All of a sudden, he sees his daughter pop in front of the back window of this car!  What is going on?  Why would his daughter be in a strange vehicle and not home where she should be at that time of day? He immediately starts honking his horn and flashing his lights. The car takes off and Gabe gives chase, losing the car.  He pulls over in a panic to call home only to find more heartbreak is happening at his house. What ensues after is a years long quest to find out what happened to his daughter.  Gabe is not buying what he is told by police or family.

 Meanwhile, we are introduced to Fran and Alice.  Alice has disturbing visions that lead her to lapse into a unconscious state.  Fran and Alice are on the run but we don't know why yet.  

We are also introduced to Katie and her sister, Lou.  Lou is barely scraping by and Katie questions her life decisions.  However, Katie relies on Lou to help with childcare. Katie meets Gabe in the diner where she works and while we don't know why or how all these people and their stories are going to intersect, it's a fun time reading and heading to the place where we find out. 

I really wanted to see how all of the characters would intersect and what the deal was with Alice's "spells".  Of course I also wanted to know what was going on with Gabe's daughter. 

C.J. Tudor takes you on a wild, twisty, ride as usual with a splash of other worldly goodness.   It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it.   Releases January 2020.

A solid 4.5 star thriller!

I loved the concept of this novel and how brilliantly it was executed. I flew through this read as the seemingly unconnected pieces of the storyline slowly started to come together until everything clicked into place and it all made sense! My one gripe is that I wish the supernatural element had been explored/explained a little bit more, especially regarding the character of the Samaritan. But overall, Tudor did an amazing job creating characters to root for and a gripping storyline. 

I will definitely be reading whatever CJ Tudor writes next!

t’s the Chalk Man that did it, such a great debut, made me an instant fan of the author. So much so that requesting her new book off the Netgalley was an inevitability. A pleasant kind of inevitability. And I’m thrilled to report Tudor doesn’t disappoint, there’s the same dynamic quality to this book, the same kind of glued to the pages, can’t wait for what’s next sort of thing. This book grabs your attention and doesn’t let go until the very end. In fact, choosing not to fight it, this ended up being a one sitting read for me. Something normally quite challenging for a 400 page book, but this one sped by madly, timed it took from 10 15 am to 2 29 pm, all in. And thoroughly entertaining for that entire time. And just when I was thinking…well, this is really good, but you kind of know what’s going on mostly, it threw an awesome curveball of a plot twist at about 90 or 91% that upped the entire production value considerably. Not merely a properly thrilling thriller, but the one with the actual whoa level of a surprise ending. Good, great. It’s been a minute since I’ve read a thriller, usually these sorts of thing are one of the main basics of my literary diet, but lately I’ve been indulging in the more…horrific realms of readers’ delights, and this was a genuinely awesome return to form. All the things I like about the genre, done well. A dark psychological tale with great characters and intricate plotting. Just how dark? Dark enough to utilize the dark web as a major plot driver for this very modern sort of Strangers on the Train scenario. Revenge is never far from the mind of the wronged and helpless, but it’s ever so tricky…unless, of course, it is done by other people. Right? Well, read and find out. This is essentially a revenge thriller, a story of a grief crippled family man whose family is brutally taken away from him, who finds himself unable to let go or move on three years and many miles later. In fact, Gabe spends most of his time driving and looking for his daughter, hoping against all odds for, desperate, until he finds out a thread to follow in his dark labyrinth of despair, a thread that’ll lead him to the unimaginable truths and terrifying discoveries. Yeah, I know, that’s fairly generic, but then again, this is a sort of story where you really have to pay attention at what you divulge, the sort of story reader really ought to just plunge into, it’s that good. Tons of fun to read. So glad to know the author is maintaining the awesome quality level she’s set for herself with her debut. No slacking off here, not at all. In fact, wherein Chalk Man seemed derivative to some reviewers, this one ought to up the originality game considerably. I’m not sure I loved the supernatural angle on this one or even thought it was necessary. It seems like the only potentially contentious thing about an otherwise great read and will probably be very much a matter of personal preference. I don’t normally mind the inclusion of the supernatural and I don’t think of myself as a genre purist per se, but this seemed so complete as a mystery thriller, it just didn’t seem to need any otherworldly enhancements. Again, user mileage may and most likely will vary with this. But otherwise…thriller fans, this is the one. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Another AMAZING book but C.J. Tudor!  Not that my expectations were low or anything, but I loved The Other People just like I did her previous works.  There are several characters introduced at the beginning, so it could be easy to get muddled, but Tudor does an awesome job at letting us know who is who, and who is important.  There are also several storylines going at once and she weaves them together quite well.  The Other People even has a little bit, maybe, of the supernatural going on.  And I think I liked that part the best.  It was a little different than her previous works, but not in a bad way.

Part of me, a small, small, SMALL part, is a little sad that I read this ahead of when it's released.  And that means I'll have to wait even longer for her next one.  But I know it'll be worth it.

The Other People publishes on 1.28.20.

5/5 Stars

This book read differently from the last CJ Tudor book I read. This novel was a slow burn, more psychological than thriller. Even though the pacing was slow I was intrigued as to how all of the various characters connected. Can’t wait to read what Tudor has in store next.

Hands down Tutor's best book in my opinion! An absolute thrill ride that kept my mind in high gear for the entire read. There were no moments of slow burn in this book for me.

The "dark web" we have all heard of it, but what really is out there on the dark web? Is there a group of people that have decided that payback is a bitch?! You do me wrong, you are going to get what is coming to you? Wow I was enthralled with this whole thing. I would prefer not to know the answer to that question...No thanks, I am good....... C.J. Tudor your google history must be crazzzzyyy! LOL.

This was such a carefully created plot that it truly kept me in the dark (in a fantastic way) the entire book. It is not often that you can say you truly did not know what direction this was taking. Heck half the time I really wasn't sure each character was really who I thought they were.

Imagine the terror you would feel being stuck in traffic, behind a crappy car...you are bored and studying the numerous crazy bumper stickers on the car..then you see her...is that your daughter? No it couldn't be her in the rear window of a strangers car...yet it is..she mouths "daddy". I mean wow that is just the beginning of the shocking and crazy things going on. I kept wondering...hmmm what did Gabe do to bring this on? Are "The Other People" checking Gabe off their list? Revenge is sweet?

I can't recommend this book enough! I must admit I have read this author's last two books and I liked them but I wasn't jumping up and down yelling I LOVE THIS BOOK...Yet.......I am with this one...5 stars from start to finish!

"The greatest acts of cruelty are born of the greatest love."  I found this on a review that made me want to read this one

She follows up the "Chalk People" without missing a beat; maybe there are some original stories left.


"Missing is different to being dead. In a way, it’s worse."  Don;t miss this read people

Thank you for the ARC Net Galley

I flew through this in record breaking time. This reminded me of "The Chain" but was executed a hundred times better, I also enjoyed the paranormal twist.  A slowly unravelling suspense novel that I highly recommend.