C.J. Tudor | THE CHALK MAN

Plot (via Goodreads):

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code: little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

In 2016, Eddie is fully grown and thinks he's put his past behind him, but then he gets a letter in the mail containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank--until one of them turns up dead. That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago. 

Review:

THE CHALK MAN is one of those novels that is such a wonderful blend of some of my favorite genres. It's part thriller, part ghost story, part cold case, and oddly enough part coming-of-age. Tudor does a fantastic job of blending together these genres into an excitingly complex and twisted novel that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

The plot of this novel is not only brilliantly executed, but stunning in how it weaves between 1986 and 2016. In the chapters of 1986, you can see the haze coming off from the summer sun, feel the heat on your skin, and smell the aroma of mayhem as we are introduced to five young kids leading (somewhat) normal lives...but something evil is lurking. A multitude of evil things lurk in this peaceful community. Honestly, these chapters were more enjoyable to me than the chapters set in present time. It had this eerie vibe with excellent pacing and was reminiscent of a horror/suspense version of the movie NOW & THEN for me. I just absolutely loved how talented Tudor is at writing these kids and how seemingly effortless it came off as she wrote about their parents as well.

The chapters set in present time are more grey, depressing, and feature our characters weathered. Again, Tudor does a fantastic job with these characters as we really see how that summer in 1986 and everything that has happened in their lives afterwards has left them into these rather unlikeable characters who are mere shells of who they once were. They are devastatingly different, no longer curious children running wild on bicycles without a fear in the world. These kids have seen it all...and as you continue down this frightening road, you will too.

The pacing with this read is spectacular as we get bits and pieces leading up to dead bodies, buried secrets, and a chaotic storm that is known as the summer of 1986. As the novel weaves between the past and present, Tudor effortlessly gives the reader more and more as so much is uncovered, it's hard to stop. Like, no breaks whatsoever. I definitely recommend hydrating and having a full meal before diving into this one. 

With a solid plot, well-written characters, and a complex ending, I really did enjoy this novel. My only fault with it was the final chapter. While I found everything was neatly tied with a bow, the final chapter alluded that there was more to the story and didn't feel right for me...and honestly made me question if things really were wrapped up nicely, or if something even more sinister is brewing between the pages. That being said, this did not hinder from the fact that this novel is definitely one I would recommend and did enjoy! 

*Special thanks to Crown Publishing for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5