BookBrowse has a new look! Learn more about the update here.

What readers think of The Chalk Man, plus links to write your own review.

Summary |  Excerpt |  Reviews |  Beyond the book |  Read-Alikes |  Genres & Themes |  Author Bio

The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor

The Chalk Man

by C. J. Tudor
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus:
  • Readers' Rating:
  • First Published:
  • Jan 9, 2018
  • Paperback:
  • Dec 2018
  • Rate this book

  • Buy This Book

About This Book

Reviews

Page 1 of 4
There are currently 25 reader reviews for The Chalk Man
Order Reviews by:

Write your own review!

Jean L

Good read
This is a quickly read book as it holds your attention. I found it riveting. The back and forth in time did not bother me as much as I thought it might. Each chapter had the year posted at the beginning.'I would recommend it to any readers who like thrillers.
Linda W. (Arlington, TX)

Excellent!
The Chalk Man has only one narrator and two time periods, making it a welcome relief after some recent suspense novels that had too many characters and too much switching back and forth of time periods.
When Eddie is 12 years old, terrible things happen in his village, and he tells us how he remembers them. When he's 42, he's still living in the same house in the same village and bad things start happening again, involving the same people. But is he telling the whole story? Is he an unreliable narrator?
A very well written, suspenseful and believable novel.
Carolyn (Summerville,SC)

Who Is The Chalk Man?
I enjoyed this book. It held my interest throughout, and drew me back to read more late at night. I am getting tired of books that switch back and forth through time, but that format did work here, for the most part. The story was quite suspenseful, and there were surprises, but I was glad that one suspicion I had proved to be true. Glad I read this one!
Diane S. (El Paso, TX)

Who is the chalk man?
Who is the chalk man? That was the question hovering in the back of my mind as I became engrossed in this suspenseful and dark thriller. The author effectively shifts back and forth from events that occurred in 1986 to what's happening in 2016 as the mystery unravels. The characters are well-developed, and I particularly appreciated the author's dry sense of humor. And then there is the uber-creepy ending...yikes! If you love a well-constructed mystery, The Chalk Man doesn't disappoint.
Mary Jane D. (Arlington Heights, IL)

Page Turner
C.J. Tudor's first thriller The Chalk Man is a great read and hard to put down. From the first page to the last there are twists and turns and secrets revealed to help unravel unfortunate occurrences and a gruesome murder. The characters are slowly developed both as children and adults to make the outcomes understandable. Just when I thought I had figured things out another detail would be revealed. I would recommend this book to those who like mysteries and thrillers. I would definitely read another book by this author and hope she writes one soon!
Power Reviewer
Kristen H. (Hagerstown, MD)

Hard to Erase
Great thriller! Just when I thought that I had it figured out, there was a great plot twist. I loved how it went from past to current and it wasn't confusing at all. This author was excellent in setting up the scene in each chapter - well written and definitely pulled you in to read just one more chapter no matter how late it was. This was one of those books that keeps you up and turning the next page but yet you hate to have it end.
Jeff M. (Somerset, NJ)

The Chalk Man
Alternating between 1986 and 2016, secrets and unintended consequences abound in this very well written first novel by CJ Tudor. Particularly notable is her ability to get into the minds of what twelve year olds are thinking (circa 1986) and her poignant descriptions of the ravages of dementia on individuals and families. Plot advances well in both time periods with a number of surprises along the way. Well developed characters and a satisfying read. Would recommend.
Molly K. (San Jose, CA)

Hopscotch
Hopscotch. Chalk Man had me at page 1 and never let go. I refer to the language and the writing style. I marked a number of passages to read and reread and will use one of them as the introduction to a discussion I am leading later this week. A few brought forth a tear or two. Credit to the author, of course.

The story is fascinating and heart-breaking, a coming of age tale that left the children without oars to navigate their lives. Each character (children, adults, and children as adults) is unique, with motivations and flaws that could only erupt in sadness and defeat. I wanted to root for one of the children, but was left hanging and empty.

All in all, a well-crafted story with lots of twists and turns (like hopscotch) and chalk to keep the game going. I often wished the story was a bit less creepy. Again, the writing is precious, and I will look forward to more from C.J. Tudor. A winner.

Beyond the Book:
  Sidewalk Chalk

Become a Member

Join BookBrowse today to start
discovering exceptional books!
Find Out More

Top Picks

  • Book Jacket: The Briar Club
    The Briar Club
    by Kate Quinn
    Kate Quinn's novel The Briar Club opens with a murder on Thanksgiving Day, 1954. Police are on the ...
  • Book Jacket: Bury Your Gays
    Bury Your Gays
    by Chuck Tingle
    Chuck Tingle, for those who don't know, is the pseudonym of an eccentric writer best known for his ...
  • Book Jacket: Blue Ruin
    Blue Ruin
    by Hari Kunzru
    Like Red Pill and White Tears, the first two novels in Hari Kunzru's loosely connected Three-...
  • Book Jacket: A Gentleman and a Thief
    A Gentleman and a Thief
    by Dean Jobb
    In the Roaring Twenties—an era known for its flash and glamour as well as its gangsters and ...

BookBrowse Book Club

Book Jacket
The 1619 Project
by Nikole Hannah-Jones
An impactful expansion of groundbreaking journalism, The 1619 Project offers a revealing vision of America's past and present.
Book Jacket
Lady Tan's Circle of Women
by Lisa See
Lisa See's latest historical novel, inspired by the true story of a woman physician from 15th-century China.

Members Recommend

  • Book Jacket

    The Very Long, Very Strange Life of Isaac Dahl
    by Bart Yates

    A saga spanning 12 significant days across nearly 100 years in the life of a single man.

Wordplay

Solve this clue:

L T C O of the B

and be entered to win..

Win This Book
Win Smothermoss

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering

A haunting, imaginative, and twisting tale of two sisters and the menacing, unexplained forces that threaten them and their rural mountain community.

Enter

Your guide toexceptional          books

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.