Best horror books to read

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The best horror books to read this spooky season

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Features

Listen to the audiobook trailer for The Chalk Man

CJ Tudor on her chilling debut, The Chalk Man

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Interviews

The Penguin Podcast: CJ Tudor on her chilling debut, The Chalk Man

The Drift

THE HEART-POUNDING NEW NOVEL FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE BURNING GIRLS WHICH HAS NOW BEEN ADAPTED INTO A HIT PARAMOUNT+ SHOW! 
 'The wildest thriller of the year is three thrillers in one. Buckle up' LINWOOD BARCLAY&lsquo;If you like my stuff, you'll like this&rsquo; STEPHEN KING&lsquo;Now this is a real horror story&rsquo; 5 STAR READER REVIEW&lsquo;One of the best thriller&rsquo;s I&rsquo;ve ever read!&rsquo; 5 STAR READER REVIEWSurvival is murder . . . An overturned coach full of students. All of them are trapped. 
An isolated chalet full of friends. Soon they'll be enemies.A stranded cable car full of strangers. One of them is dead. 
 
Outside, a snowstorm rages. 
Inside each group, a killer lurks. 
But that's not their only problem. 
 
Why is no rescue coming? What are they trying to escape from? And who are the terrifying Whistlers?Praise for C. J. Tudor:'Some writers have it, and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time' LEE CHILD'C. J. Tudor is terrific&rsquo; HARLAN COBEN&lsquo;C.J. Tudor should be on everyone's must-read list' CHRIS WHITAKER'A dark star is born' A. J. FINNSunday Times bestseller, November 2023 
Waterstones Thriller of the Month, November 2023

An exceptional thriller that blew me away with its original, high-octane plot, jaw-dropping twists and characters I cared about. When I wasn't reading The Drift I was thinking about it. A writer at the top of her game

A truly terrifying, ice-cold chiller from the master of macabre. C.J. Tudor should be on everyone's must-read list

Chilling . . . Her most complex and terrifying yet. The three intriguing locked-room mysteries in an eerie end-of-the-world setting provide the springboard for an enjoyable, fast-paced and captivating thrill ride. You'll be on tenterhooks throughout as the story builds inexorably to a grand reveal and a shocking finale

C.J. Tudor is a genre fiction pioneer. With every new book, she manages to achieve what most writers can only dream of, and The Drift is no exception. Taut, action-packed and oh-so-clever, this thrilling rollercoaster of a ride takes the reader on a journey into the frozen unknown

Whoa! I raced through this in a couple of days. SO good, SO gripping, SO clever. A runaway train of a book

Sublimely executed, this is a dystopian thriller of real class.

Fast-paced with twists and thrills, this brutally chilling novel will keep you on tenterhooks

Atmospheric, with suspense dialled up to the max, and at times heavily claustrophobic, this is a page-turner which flirts heavily with horror and delivers on all counts

A chilling, captivating thrill ride

Tudor has a lot of scary, horror-tinged fun

Without fail, CJ delivers every single time. The Drift is a tense, nail biting thriller that's smart, gripping and brilliantly twisty. Faultless.

Absolutely raced through it...An action-packed and chilling horror thriller that's like Station Eleven re-crafted by John Carpenter

Wow! Very clever, mysterious and thrilling with twists and turns that will smack you in the face like many evil snowballs

Heart-poundingly mysterious, breathtakingly twisty, and emotive like a sucker-punch to the chest. The Drift is unputdownable!

Some writers have it and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time

C. J. Tudor is terrific. I can't wait to see what she does next

If you like my stuff, you'll like this

Taut, tense and deliciously dark, C.J. Tudor's post-apocalyptic thrill ride is unmissable

C. J. Tudor’s love of writing, especially the dark and macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert. Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover, television presenter and copywriter. 
 
She is now the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chalk Man, The Taking of Annie Thorne, The Other People, The Burning Girls, The Drift and The Gathering. All of her books are in development or optioned for TV. The Burning Girls is available on Netflix. 
 
She is also the author of a short story collection, A Sliver of Darkness.

A crashed coach full of students. 
A stuck cable car full of strangers. 
An isolated chalet full of friends. 
A killer snowstorm outside. 
Inside one group, a killer. 
But which one? 
And why is no rescue coming? 
How did they become trapped? 
And what were they all trying to escape?

A Sliver of Darkness

All hail the queen of scream. A Sliver of Darkness is C.J. Tudor at her spine-tingling, nightmare-inducing best. Read it if you dare...

This unsettling collection of stories from a writer often called the 'British Stephen King' deftly inverts the banal and unremarkable to reveal their underlying horror

Beautifully barbaric, creepy as hell and crammed with barbed wit, Tudor can say more in one short story than many writers can manage in a full length novel

Brilliantly creepy and perfectly executed

A decadent and phantasmagorical descent into the dark chasm where I first fell in love with horror fiction. Told with real heart along with daemonic savagery, these are stories to luxuriate with in the tenebrous

Some writers have it, and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time

The Burning Girls

** NOW A NETFLIX SERIES STARRING SAMANTHA MORTON AND RUBY STOKES** 
 
The chilling RICHARD &amp; JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chalk Man 
 
If you see the Burning Girls something bad will befall you... 
 
'A mesmerising and atmospheric page-turner, with plenty of shocks and a surprise twist for a finale. Her best novel yet' SUNDAY EXPRESS 
 
'Hypnotic and horrifying . . . Without doubt her best yet, The Burning Girls left me sleeping with the lights on' CHRIS WHITAKER 
_________ 
 
500 years ago: eight martyrs burned 
30 years ago: two teenagers vanished 
Two months ago: a vicar died mysteriously 
 
Welcome to Chapel Croft. 
 
For Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo it's a fresh start. New job, new home. But in a close-knit community old superstitions and a mistrust of outsiders mean treading carefully. 
 
Yet right away Jack has more frightening concerns. 
 
Why did no one say the last vicar killed himself? Why is Flo plagued by visions of burning girls? And who is sending them threatening messages? 
 
Old ghosts with scores to settle can never rest. And Jack is standing in their way . . . 
_________ 
 
'Tudor operates on the border between credulity and disbelief, creating an atmosphere of menace' Sunday Times 
 
'A gothic, spine-tingling roller-coaster of a story . . . CJ Tudor is a master of horror' C.J. COOKE, author of The Nesting 
 
'The best book yet from C. J. Tudor' Best 
 
Praise for C. J. Tudor: 
 
'C. J. Tudor is terrific. I can't wait to see what she does next' Harlan Coben 
 
'Britain's female Stephen King' Daily Mail 
 
'A mesmerizingly chilling and atmospheric page-turner' J.P. Delaney 
 
'Her books have the ability to simultaneously make you unable to stop reading while wishing you could bury the book somewhere deep underground where it can't be found. Compelling and haunting' Sunday Express 
 
'Some writers have it, and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time' Lee Child 
 
'A dark star is born' A. J. Finn

Hypnotic and horrifying, C. J. Tudor held me captive with another truly terrifying tale. Without doubt her best yet, The Burning Girls left me sleeping with the lights on

Chris Whitaker, bestselling author of Waterstones Thriller of the Month We Begin at the End

Combines crime fiction with elements of gothic horror . . . Tudor operates on the border between credulity and disbelief, creating an atmosphere of menace

A mesmerising and atmospheric page-turner, with plenty of shocks and a surprise twist for a finale. Her best novel yet

The best book yet from C. J. Tudor

A gothic, spine-tingling roller-coaster of a story that expertly weaves the tale of eight martyrs from 500 years ago with a contemporary narrative about a priest coming to terms with their past, The Burning Girls adds yet more evidence to the fact that C. J. Tudor is a master of horror

It's definitely the best of Tudor's books to date, which says a lot. This is one talented author and her international reputation is well-deserved . . . This is a great novel for a dark night in a snowstorm

This creepy, tense thriller, packed with twists and turns, keeps the reader immersed until the shocking conclusion

Chilling . . . Mixes real historical events with fictional horror and mystery

Best-selling author C. J. Tudor returns with another page-turner

Pacey, spooky . . . the twists keep coming

Creepy . . . Tudor throws everything at her reader in a complex plot

Reverend Jack Brooks is looking for a fresh start. 
Chapel Croft appears the perfect place, but the village has a dark and dangerous 
history - and the ghosts of its past refuse to stay buried. 
Decades ago, two girls disappeared. And just months ago, the last vicar 
committed suicide - but not before leaving a message for Jack. 
Jack must uncover the truth, or risk sacrificing the village to the evils that lie 
within. 
But the truth is hard to find, when everyone has something to hide. And as long buried 
secrets of Jack's own resurface, faith alone will not save them . . .

The chilling and spine-tingling Sunday Times bestseller

The Other People

The chilling new novel and Sunday Times top 10 bestseller from the bestselling author of The Chalk Man and The Taking of Annie Thorne 
 
'C. J. Tudor is terrific. I can't wait to see what she does next' Harlan Coben 
 
'A mesmerizingly chilling and atmospheric page-turner' J.P. Delaney, bestselling author of The Girl Before 
 
Driving home one night, Gabe sees the face of a little girl he knows in the rear window of the car in front. 
She mouths one word - 'Daddy'. 
 
He never sees his five-year-old daughter, Izzy, again. 
 
The police believe she's dead. But three years later, Gabe still drives the roads, searching for the car that took Izzy, never giving up hope . . . 
 
Fran and her daughter, Alice, aren't searching - but running. Always one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them. 
 
Because Fran knows the truth about Gabe's daughter - and she knows what those chasing her and Alice will do if they ever catch them . . . 
 
'Hugely enjoyable and deliciously creepy' Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient 
 
'A creepy, intense novel that drew me right in and never let go' Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife 
 
'Utterly magnificent. Such a beautifully weaved and satisfyingly complex tale, with just the right level of spookiness' James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series 
 
'Chilling and utterly gripping. Loved the twists and the well-drawn everyday details. A fantastic new book from the Queen of Creepy' Will Dean, author of Dark Pines 
 
'A darkly compelling tale of justice, revenge and the darkness lurking at the edges of everyday life - with an utterly propulsive plot that makes it very, very hard to put down' T. M. Logan, author of The Holiday 
 
'C. J. Tudor's best novel to date . . . utterly emotionally believable . . . gripping and thoroughly entertaining' Sarah Pinborough, author of Behind Her Eyes 
 
Praise for C. J. Tudor: 
 
'If you like my stuff, you'll like this' Stephen King 
 
'Britain's female Stephen King' Daily Mail 
 
'Some writers have it, and C. J. Tudor has it big time. The Taking of Annie Thorne is terrific in every way' Lee Child 
 
'Her books have the ability to simultaneously make you unable to stop reading while wishing you could bury the book somewhere deep underground where it can't be found. Compelling and haunting' Sunday Express

C. J. Tudor is terrific. I can't wait to see what she does next

C. J. Tudor has done it again. A mesmerizingly chilling and atmospheric page-turner

Utterly magnificent. Such a beautifully weaved and satisfyingly complex tale, with just the right level of spookiness

Chilling and utterly gripping. Loved the twists and the well-drawn everyday details. A fantastic new book from the Queen of Creepy

Will Dean, bestselling author of Red Snow

The Other People is a creepy, intense novel that drew me right in and never let go. C. J. Tudor's books keep getting better and better, and this one won't let you stop reading until the very last page!

Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife

Hugely enjoyable and deliciously creepy. I was hooked from its gripping opening, all the way through its many twists and turns. Ostensibly about a man searching for his missing daughter, it's a tale about loss, where nothing is quite as it seems; and, although you may think you've got it worked out, C. J. Tudor is always several steps ahead. A brilliant storyteller.

Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient

Her books have the ability to simultaneously make you unable to stop reading while wishing you could bury the book somewhere deep underground where it can't be found anymore. Compelling and haunting

An intense novel that gets right to the heart of what it means to love and to grieve. Intriguing, dramatic and heart-breaking

A father's desperate search for his vanished daughter provides the beating heart of this complex thriller, which is suffused with loss, longing and vengeance. Touches of the supernatural bring an extra dimension to the spine-tingling thrills

A darkly compelling tale of justice, revenge and the darkness lurking at the edges of everyday life - with an utterly propulsive plot that makes it very, very hard to put down

T. M. Logan, bestselling author of The Holiday

C. J. Tudor is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. She has such a gift for storytelling. Couldn't turn the pages fast enough

C. J. Tudor's best novel to date. This tale of the lengths some people will go to to ease their grief was utterly emotionally believable while still treading at the edges of the worlds of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Gripping and thoroughly entertaining. I can't wait to see what she does next

It's rare to read something so downright terrifying but C.J. Tudor manages it time and again. The Other People grabs you by the throat and keeps on squeezing till the very last page. Clever. Original. Brilliant

I adored The Other People. I was absolutely gripped from start to finish. Deliciously dark, with realistic characters that you simultaneously root for, then recoil from

Excellent. A clever, tense and touching novel

Sets the bar high for every other thriller this year

Diabolically clever and propulsive as a rollercoaster. If you like twisty thrillers that leave you guessing till the very last page, this is a must-read

Alma Katsu, author of The Hunger and The Deep

Another black fist of doom, smashing into the feeble world . . . loved it!

Such intricate and enthralling storytelling. Evocative and creepy

This book is chilling. It's the type of book you need to read with the lights on and the doors locked but it's so gripping you won't regret the mild night terrors

C. J. Tudor has crafted an intense novel that gets right to the heart of what it means to love and to grieve . . . Intriguing, dramatic and heartbreaking

A chilling psychological thriller, pulsing with atmosphere and plot twists

A well-crafted story that blends a mystery with some supernatural chills. You'll want to leave the light on

A chilling, atmospheric tale of justice, revenge, and the darkness lurking on the fringes of society

Vivid characterisation, lots of mystery as well as a twisting plot, it makes for a gripping page turner

The chilling new novel by the bestselling author of The Chalk Man is an absolute page-turner. We'll just say the author isn't referred to as the 'Queen of Creepy' for nothing

Complex thriller which is suffused with loss, longing and vengeance. Touches of the supernatural add to the spine-tingling thrills

A novel with a formidable emotional pull

C.J. Tudor is mastering the suspense/horror genre . . . It's quietly disconcerting, completely relatable and shows you that humans have a wonderfully dark side

Kidnap mystery and horror suspense all rolled into one as a man is haunted by his abduction of his daughter while the woman who knows what happened is on the run for her life

CJ Tudor taps into those things that woke you up in the night when you were a kid and then stay with you when you're an adult

Some writers have it, and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time

An intense novel that gets right to the heart of what it means to love and grieve

Wonderfully gripping and doubt-inducing

Driving home one night, Gabe sees the face of a little girl he knows in the rear window of the car in front. She mouths one word - 'Daddy'. He never sees his five-year-old daughter, Izzy, again. 
 
The police believe she's dead. But three years later, Gabe still drives the roads, searching for the car that took Izzy, never giving up hope . . . 
 
Fran and her daughter, Alice, aren't searching - but running. Always one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth about Gabe's daughter - and she knows what those chasing her and Alice will do if they ever catch them . . .

The Taking of Annie Thorne

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
'TERRIFIC IN EVERY WAY' LEE CHILD 
 
You won't be able to put down the spine-tingling new novel from the author of The Chalk Man . . . 
___________ 
 
THEN 
 
One night, my little sister went missing. 
 
There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst. 
 
And then, miraculously, she came back. 
 
She couldn't, or wouldn't, say what had happened. 
 
But she wasn't the same afterwards. She wasn't my Annie. 
 
Because sometimes my own little sister scared me to death . . . 
 
NOW 
 
The email arrives in my inbox: 
 
I know what happened to your sister. 
 
It's happening again . . . 
_______________ 
 
'Confirms Tudor as Britain's female Stephen King. There is a creeping dread on every page' Daily Mail 
 
'Shows that her excellent The Chalk Man was no one-off in matching Stephen King for creepiness' Sunday Express 
 
'Written with such skill it's hard to believe this is only her second book. It gives King a run for his money' James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series 
 
'Dark, gothic and utterly compelling' J. P. Delaney, author of Believe Me 
 
'Deliciously creepy . . . An absolute corker of a book' Riley Sager, bestselling author of The Last Time I Lied

Some writers have it, and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time . . . The Taking of Annie Thorne is terrific in every way

Confirms Tudor as Britain's female Stephen King. There is a creeping dread on every page and, as you start a new chapter, a dark shadow over your shoulder. Tudor's punk prose style and her great eye for menace make this a book no one should read at night.

There is no sign of second-album syndrome: the mix of grotty provincial realism and amateur cold-case sleuthing works just as well here

As enjoyable and well written as her first, The Chalk Man

Dark, gothic and utterly compelling, The Taking of Annie Thorne pulls off a rare combination - an atmosphere of unsettling evil along with richly nuanced characterisation

J. P. Delaney, bestselling author of The Girl Before

Tudor's 2018 The Chalk Man was a standout mystery novel with a fresh voice and a spooky plot. This is even better

Shows that her excellent The Chalk Man was no one-off in matching Stephen King for creepiness

Sunday Express's Bestseller Predictions 2019

From the author of The Chalk Man comes an equally creepy story about missing children

Amy Lloyd, bestselling author of The Innocent Wife

The Taking of Annie Thorne deserves every plaudit it receives

Richard Armitage, narrator of The Taking of Annie Thorne and star of The Hobbit

I loved everything about this book

So dark, so dastardly, so incredible. Still pondering this one, it's just that disturbing. C. J. Tudor has done it again. Bravo!

A can't-put-it-down thriller if ever I met one. I loved The Chalk Man and this is equally as fabulous. The Taking of Annie Thorne by lead head-rattler C. J. Tudor!

Joanna Cannon, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep

Deliciously creepy, impeccably plotted and laced with both wicked humor and genuine shocks, The Taking of Annie Thorne is the kind of read-under-the-covers thriller you didn't think people wrote anymore. Lucky for us, C. J. Tudor still does. An absolute corker of a book

Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Final Girls and The Last Time I Lied

Dark and creeping and utterly unpredictable, The Taking of Annie Thorne is another triumph of a novel by C J Tudor. With its compelling characters and witty writing, it grips from the very first page

Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl

Gripping and dark, The Taking of Annie Thorne descends like its very own mine shaft, getting creepier the further you go. You'll race to the finish

With shades of Pet Sematary and an all-round aura of creepiness, The Taking of Annie Thorne cements C. J. Tudor's position as a major new talent at the dark heart of crime writing. Her characters are compelling, the village of Arnhill as atmospheric as its abandoned pit, and she possesses that rare ability to keep the reader turning the pages, desperate to discover what happens next. Brilliant

If you found your pulse racing as you read Tudor's previous book, you won't be disappointed in The Taking of Annie Thorne, another spooky, sinister slice of tension

Delicious in every way. A deliciously creepy story, deliciously told. Storytelling like a siren's song: your hair will prickle and stand on end but you won't be able to tear your eyes from the page. If you like Tana French, you will love, love, love C. J. Tudor

Razor-sharp writing and masterful plotting drive this dark story about a small town, buried secrets, and ghosts from the past. Witty and compelling all at once, The Taking of Annie Thorne is a must read page-turner

WOW WOW WOW! C. J. Tudor's follow-up to her impressive debut is superbly chilling and delightfully creepy. Smartly written and brilliantly plotted, here is a book that crawls under your skin and hooks on until you reach that jaw-dropping ending

C. J. Tudor has proven that she is the true master at creating perfectly dark, highly propulsive, and tightly coiled mysteries that are utterly impossible to put down. From page one, the reader is pulled in, in a gathering sense of dread, and taken on an addictive, thrilling ride to the very last page

Aimee Molloy, New York Times Bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

C. J. Tudor nails it again with this clever, disturbing novel where the scars of an old mining community are opened by a slash of cold murder. From the shocking opening to the explosive finale, The Taking of Annie Thorne is a chilling page-turner that will leave you checking the locks at night. Brilliant

Olivia Kiernan, author of Too Close to Breathe

I loved it. The quality of her writing meant it was an absolute pleasure to read, as well as being genuinely terrifying. It made my hair stand on end! Genius

C. J. Tudor writes evil with aplomb - The Taking of Annie Thorne reveals how evil casts its resonance through places, people and our shared past. This book lingers with you long after the lights go out

What an absolute treat of a novel this was. Such an assured, distinct voice and an absolute belter of a plot

I rattled through The Taking of Annie Thorne by C. J. Tudor - it reads like a Stephen King novel, and I can't think of a higher compliment than that!

Deliciously creepy, and written with such skill and fluency it's hard to believe this is only her second book. Indeed I think it gives King a run for his money

James Oswald, bestselling author of the Inspector McLean series

C. J. Tudor is a writer of real creepiness. The Taking of Annie Thorne is no exception - a dark, chilling mystery that had me reading until the early hours

I read this novel with a sense of creeping dread. It was an achingly good, well-plotted, dark, disturbing piece of pure brilliance! C J Tudor is my new favourite author.

Sam Carrington, bestselling author of Bad Sister and One Little Lie

Loved this. Funny, frightening, goes out with a BANG. Believe the hype!

A brilliantly sharp and distinctive voice and super-creepy plot. Fab

Finished this creepy corker last night. Utterly compelling with a host of intriguing characters and brilliant writing. Fans of The Chalk Man will definitely not be disappointed

Isabelle Broom, author of One Thousand Stars and You

I loved The Chalk Man, but The Taking of Annie Thorne is even better, creepier and more addictive! I was so creeped out I had to stop reading until my husband came home one night! Brilliant stuff - well done, C. J. Tudor!

Following on from C J Tudor's successful debut, comes a novel about bullying, cruelty and deceit. . . Tudor keeps the novel moving at a fast pace

A Stephen King style thriller that will have you transfixed and submerged in the entanglement of the twisting plot. This book kept me intrigued all the way to the very end

Crime meets psychological suspense meets out-and-out horror. From the stomach-churning first chapter to the grand guignol ending that is as shocking as it is surprising, Tudor racks up the nastiness . . . Another hit.

Matches Stephen King for creepiness. A must-read for horror fans

Creepy beyond words. Just like Stephen King, the fact that Tudor's characters are so believable makes the events even creepier

TIP IN FRONT 
 
'Deliciously creepy, and written with such skill and fluency it's hard to believe this is only her second book. Indeed I think it gives King a run for his money' James Oswald, author of the Inspector McLean series 
 
 'A can't-put-it-down thriller if ever I met one' Joanna Cannon, author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep 
 'So dark, so dastardly, so incredible' Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife 
 
 'What an absolute treat. Such an assured, distinct voice and an absolute belter of a plot' Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies 
 
 'Deliciously creepy, impeccably plotted and laced with both wicked humor and genuine shocks . . . An absolute corker of a book' Riley Sager, author of Final Girls 
 
 'With shades of Pet Sematary and an all-round aura of creepiness, The Taking of Annie Thorne cements C. J. Tudor's position as a major new talent at the dark heart of crime writing' Fiona Cummins, author of Rattle

THEN 
 
One night, my little sister went missing. 
 
There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst. 
 
And then, miraculously, she came back. 
 
She couldn't, or wouldn't, say what had happened. 
 
But she wasn't the same afterwards. She wasn't my Annie. 
 
Because sometimes my own little sister scared me to death . . . 
 
NOW 
 
The email arrives in my inbox: 
 
I know what happened to your sister. 
 
It's happening again . . .

The Chalk Man

'IF YOU LIKE MY STUFF, YOU'LL LIKE THIS' STEPHEN KING 
 
'WONDERFULLY CREEPY - LIKE A COLD BLADE ON THE BACK OF YOUR NECK' LEE CHILD 
____________ 
 
SOON TO BE A MAJOR BBC DRAMA 
 
It was only meant to be a game . . . 
 
None of us ever agreed on the exact beginning. 
 
Was it when we started drawing the chalk figures, or when they started to appear on their own? 
 
Was it the terrible accident? 
 
Or when they found the first body? 
____________ 
 
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 
 
SHORTLISTED FOR A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD &amp; THE STEEL DAGGER, BEST THRILLER AWARD 
 
'A must-read' Daily Express 
 
'A tense gripper with a leave-the-lights-on shock ending' Sunday Times 
 
'There are shades of Stephen King in this very creepy timeslip' Guardian, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 
 
'A frightening Stephen King-esque coming-of-age story cum murder mystery' Daily Telegraph, BOOKS OF THE YEAR 
 
'There are shades of Stephen King when the reality bends into the sinister, and a deliciously creepy finale' Daily Mail 
 
'Deliciously creepy with a side order of Eighties nostalgia' Good Housekeeping

Wonderfully creepy - like a cold blade on the back of your neck

The Chalk Man works, it's a lively and entertaining read . . . Tudor's got talent

This assured debut is very much in the Stephen King vein - creepy with plenty of menace

Hot damn C. J. Tudor's The Chalk Man is good. Very Stephen King-esque

CJ Tudor's very clever, wrong-footing debut will leave you checking that doors and windows of your holiday cottage are secure . . .

A tense gripper with a leave-the-lights-on shock ending

You'll be gripped by this cracking debut novel . . . it will keep you up all night with all the lights on. This intriguing, satisfying thriller delivers a series of shocks . . . reminiscent of the master of horror Stephen King

It's a very clever story - you'll love it!

Gripping, chilling . . . brilliant. As creepy as that house with dark windows we all knew as kids. I can't wait for the next one

Completely engrossing. Puts me in mind of Stephen King's The Body

The past rises from the chalk dust. A labyrinthine tale that kept me guessing right to the end

Half horror, half crime, The Chalk Man is a creepy, compulsive novel

Taut, twisty and very creepy, this is a must for anyone who enjoys psycho-thrillers . . . The ending is genius

Deliciously creepy with a side order of Eighties nostalgia

Started and finished in one day. Absolutely gripping, chilling, and as creepy as that house with dark windows we all knew as kids. Brilliant read and can't wait for the next one!

Luca Veste, author of the Murphy & Rossi novels

A well-constructed thriller layered with secrets, suspense, twists, turns and an outcome you may not see coming

It is hard to believe The Chalk Man is the debut novel from C J Tudor. The writing is sublime, and the ending is spine-tinglingly chilling

This insanely readable chiller has it all - a brilliant, nostalgic flavour, humour and heart . . . A fantastic debut from a major new talent.

Strong characterisation, plenty of plot twists and an evocative portrait of small-town life in the 1980s add up to a riveting read

The prose is punk, the pace fast and the plot sinewy. There are shades of Stephen King when the reality bends into the sinister, and a deliciously creepy finale . . .

Even Brexit impact reports made less frightening reading than C. J. Tudor's Stephen King-esque coming-of-age story cum murder mystery The Chalk Man. With tyro crime writers this dark, the future is bright

The novel is so well executed . . . Tudor is very good at deploying shocks and surprises that catch you off guard. I jumped so many times while reading I could have been sitting on a chair made of cactus

Thriller of the Week - an intriguing puzzle with an engaging cast of characters . . . a highly promising debut

There are enough twists and turns in this dark debut thriller to tie you in knots. The end is fabulously surprising and satisfying . . . creepy

[CJ Tudor] creates a winningly dark atmosphere and serves up a beautifully timed stream of intriguing new plot elements

Scare yourself silly with this brilliant chiller . . . a spine-tingling read

One of the best suspense thrillers i've read. A very easy 5 big fat stars and 100% recommended

Is The Chalk Man one of THE books of 2018? YES, YES YES IT REALLY IS . . . an absolute corker, a spine tingling read

A fantastic debut novel to keep you up late at night

It's a corker that'll give you the willies. Chalk one up to C J Tudor.

Genuinely creepy books don't come along very often, but this one can hold its missing head up high

There are shades of Stephen King in this very creepy timeslip, as well as an evocative portrait of small-town life in 1980s Britain

My favourite crime book of 2018 would have to be The Chalk Man. It initially brought to mind twisted tales of suburban Americana such as Stand by Me and Carrie. However, by weaving in authentic and evocative period detail C. J. Tudor manages to create a story that tells of the darkness at the heart of small-town life that is, like the rotten pastoral in a M. R. James ghost story, uniquely English. Unsettling, taut and skillfully plotted, The Chalk Man grabbed me by the throat from the very first sentence and didn't let go until the final, heart-stopping page

Nuala Ellwood, author of The Day of the Accident

[I] haven't had a sleepless night due to a book for a long time. The Chalk Man changed that. Many congrats C. J. Tudor

What a great book. A twisty thriller and downright creepy ending. 5 stars.

Sarah Pinborough, the number 1 bestselling author of

Absolutely brilliant. I was expecting a creepy horror story that I'd have to read with all the lights on but this book is so much more than that - it's witty, insightful, clever, thoughtful, mysterious, gripping, nostalgic and utterly compelling. Publishers often talk about "an exciting new voice in fiction" and I genuinely think C. J. Tudor is going to be huge. This book has bestseller written all over it and if it doesn't go to number one I will eat my crime writing hat

What an amazing debut! Such an ingenious, original idea. I was engrossed from the very first page. I loved how the 1986 and present day storylines weaved so skilfully together to create that unforgettable and unexpected ending. Compelling, taut and so very, very chilling. This book will haunt you!

Sunday Times bestselling author of Last Seen Alive

It's been a while since I've read such an impressive debut. The pace was perfectly judged, the characters superbly drawn and there's a creeping sense of unease that starts with the prologue and grows throughout the book.  And then that ending! It feels so fresh and deserves to be a huge success

Sunday Times bestselling author of the Inspector McLean series

Utterly Hypnotic. The Chalk Man is a dream novel, a book of nightmares: haunted and haunting, shot through with shadow and light - a story to quicken the pulse and freeze the blood. A dark star is born

Impossible to put down, cleverly constructed and executed

author of the bestselling Dark Iceland series

Kept me up until five in the morning. Wonderfully written. I loved it!

I absolutely loved The Chalk Man . . . It's a dark, mesmerising thriller with an ending that left me with goosebumps!

C. J. Tudor

Praise for The Gathering

Britain’s female Stephen King returns with a sparkling, yet terrifying, story of a colony of vampires . . . this a brilliant high-concept thriller

C.J. Tudor is getting better and bolder with every novel, and the bar was pretty high to start with. THE GATHERING is an incredibly exciting novel, tightly plotted and brilliantly tense, with an atmosphere you could ...

The author is the British queen of horror and, now, vampires

Britain’s female Stephen King returns with a sparkling, yet terrifying, story of a colony of vampires . . . this a brilliant high-concept thriller

C.J. Tudor is getting better and bolder with every novel, and the bar was pretty high to start with. THE GATHERING is an incredibly exciting novel, tightly plotted and brilliantly tense, with an atmosphere you could ...

The author is the British queen of horror and, now, vampires

Britain’s female Stephen King returns with a sparkling, yet terrifying, story of a colony of vampires . . . this a brilliant high-concept thriller

C.J. Tudor is getting better and bolder with every novel, and the bar was pretty high to start with. THE GATHERING is an incredibly exciting novel, tightly plotted and brilliantly tense, with an atmosphere you could ...

The author is the British queen of horror and, now, vampires

Books by C. J. Tudor

Articles featuring C. J. Tudor

The best horror books to read this spooky season

Listen to the audiobook trailer for The Chalk Man

The Penguin Podcast: CJ Tudor on her chilling debut, The Chalk Man

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Praise for The Gathering

Britain’s female Stephen King returns with a sparkling, yet terrifying, story of a colony of vampires . . . this a brilliant high-concept thriller

C.J. Tudor is getting better and bolder with every novel, and the bar was pretty high to start with. THE GATHERING is an incredibly exciting novel, tightly plotted and brilliantly tense, with an atmosphere you could ...

The author is the British queen of horror and, now, vampires

Britain’s female Stephen King returns with a sparkling, yet terrifying, story of a colony of vampires . . . this a brilliant high-concept thriller

C.J. Tudor is getting better and bolder with every novel, and the bar was pretty high to start with. THE GATHERING is an incredibly exciting novel, tightly plotted and brilliantly tense, with an atmosphere you could ...

The author is the British queen of horror and, now, vampires

Britain’s female Stephen King returns with a sparkling, yet terrifying, story of a colony of vampires . . . this a brilliant high-concept thriller

C.J. Tudor is getting better and bolder with every novel, and the bar was pretty high to start with. THE GATHERING is an incredibly exciting novel, tightly plotted and brilliantly tense, with an atmosphere you could ...

The author is the British queen of horror and, now, vampires

Books by C. J. Tudor

Sign up to the CJ Tudor newsletter

Articles featuring C. J. Tudor

The best horror books to read this spooky season

Listen to the audiobook trailer for The Chalk Man

The Penguin Podcast: CJ Tudor on her chilling debut, The Chalk Man

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter