The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"You can feel it in the woods, in the school and in the playground; you can feel it in the houses and at the fairground. You can feel it in most places in the small town of Anderbury . . . the fear that something or someone is watching you. 

It began back in 1986, at the fair, on the day of the accident. That was when twelve-year-old Eddie met Mr Halloran - the Chalk Man.

He gave Eddie the idea for the drawings: a way to leave secret messages for his friends and it was fun, until the chalk men led them to a body.

Thirty years later, Ed believes the past is far behind him, until an envelope slips through the letterbox. It contains a stick of chalk, and a drawing of a figure.

Is history going to repeat itself?

Was it ever really over?

Will this game only end in the same way?"

My Thoughts:

This book was totally not what I expected it to be!  I don't mean that in a bad way at all but it is really the best way to describe my reading experience.  I picked up this book expecting a thriller which it definitely was.  That being said - the twists and turns this book took and everything that happened within its' pages was definitely not what I originally expected.  This book starts out with a bang and really doesn't let up.  Sure there are times where maybe the author lulls you into thinking that you might know what is going on but I definitely didn't.  I loved how this book switched back and forth between when Eddie and his friends were younger and then back to present day.  It gave the book a similar vibe to Stephen King's It (which I have not yet finished but do plan on getting back to soon).  I also really appreciated the fact that it felt like two separate mysteries and I was fully invested in both of them.  Like so fully invested that I think I managed to finish this book in less then three days.  I just could not stop reading this one!  I don't think that it is too spoilery to say that the author manages to tie everything up beautifully.  I feel like there were a few things that I was able to guess but there was so much more that I didn't.  I enjoyed my time with this book immensely and cannot wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Overall, I found this to be such a great book and I'm glad that I didn't let it linger on my TBR list.  I realize that I didn't tell you a whole lot about it in specifics but I really think this is a book that you should just pick up knowing as little as possible.  Just go on the ride that the author takes you on, it is completely worth it in my opinion!  This is a dark read with a few very uncomfortable moments but it was also oh so good!  I also really enjoyed the fact that this book was a standalone thriller.  I'm basically a series addict if you haven't noticed but I loved that this book stands on its' own.  It's a reminder for me that I need to read more books like this that aren't part of a series once in awhile.  I think that the thing that will stick most with me after finishing this book is the tense and haunting atmosphere that the author created.  There were times that I knew that something bad was going to happen but yet I just couldn't stop reading as I needed to know what would happen next.  I would highly recommend this book to fans of thrillers and mysteries!

Bottom Line:  If I gave actual ratings, I would rate this one 4.5 stars - it was a read that I won't be forgetting about any time soon!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.