C.J Tudor’s debut had me wondering if I was going to read an exciting thriller, or a Stephen King retread.
The Chalk Man is the debut of its author, and for a new writer I was expecting some hiccups or mistakes.
To be honest I didn’t find either and was impressed with the story Ms. Tudor’s presents.
The story bounces back and forth between 1986 and 2016. It involves 5 kids on the verge of adolescence who find a body. The main protagonist is Eddie Adams. He is the narrator of the story and also is the leader of this rag tag group of kids.
The kids spend their time hanging out, bike riding, and looking for any kind of adventure in their small, sleepy English village. To toss a little excitement in there the kids also use “Chalk Man” drawing as their code for messages that only they can understand. However, it becomes apparent that someone is also using the code for their sinister means. The kids choose to follow this “Chalk Man” code from the stranger and discover the body of a young girl mutilated in the woods. Their lives would never be the same. Flashforward to 2016 and Eddie and his now adult friends discover that the past is still with them.
Eddie receives a letter in the mail with a stick figure in it. His friends would also get the same message, but they each chose to ignore it thinking that it was just a childish prank. That is until one of them ends up dead. Eddie realizes that in order for this to stop and to save himself. He and his friends much venture back to that small village from their childhood, confront their past, solve murdered girl’s mystery., and avenge their friend.
While the author was clearly influenced by Stephen King’s “IT”, and “Stand by Me”. I had to confess that I kept wondering if one of the characters were going to ask, “You want to see a dead body?”
Ms. Tudor is still able to weave a very simple story with the material she is working with. While I admit I don’t know if I will read any future works by her. I will say that this is a very good novel if you are a King fan, or just like the good thriller/horror story. If you meet those items I listed, then this will be a good book to read.
My life so far 