The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor [Book Review]

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor

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BOOK INFO

Title: The Hiding Place

Author: C.J. Tudor

Publisher: Crown

Publish Date: February 5, 2019

Genre: Paranormal Mystery

Series: na

My Rating: 4/5

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor

BOOK BLURB

The thrilling second novel from the author of The Chalk Man, about a teacher with a hidden agenda who returns to settle scores at a school he once attended, only to uncover a darker secret than he could have imagined.

Joe never wanted to come back to Arnhill. After the way things ended with his old gang–the betrayal, the suicide, the murder–and after what happened when his sister went missing, the last thing he wanted to do was return to his hometown. But Joe doesn’t have a choice. Because judging by what was done to that poor Morton kid, what happened all those years ago to Joe’s sister is happening again. And only Joe knows who is really at fault.

Lying his way into a teaching job at his former high school is the easy part. Facing off with former friends who are none too happy to have him back in town–while avoiding the enemies he’s made in the years since–is tougher. But the hardest part of all will be returning to that abandoned mine where it all went wrong and his life changed forever, and finally confronting the shocking, horrifying truth about Arnhill, his sister, and himself. Because for Joe, the worst moment of his life wasn’t the day his sister went missing.

It was the day she came back.

With the same virtuosic command of character and pacing she displayed in The Chalk Man, C. J. Tudor has once again crafted an extraordinary novel that brilliantly blends harrowing psychological suspense, a devilishly puzzling mystery, and enough shocks and thrills to satisfy even the most seasoned reader.


The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor

MY REVIEW

Joe goes back to his hometown after being gone for many years. Once back in town, he discovers some recent events that are eerily similar to things that happened in his past. He gets caught up in discovering the truth behind the recent events and uncovering the secrets and lies of his past.

Joe is a desperate mess. He’s down on his luck, owing money to some bad people, and lying his way into a new job in his hometown. Not to mention the events from Joe’s teen years have led him to not exactly be welcomed back with open arms.

The secrets from Joe’s teen years mostly center around what happened to his sister. She went missing, but she came back. Soon after arriving back in town, Joe learns another kid recently went missing and showed up again after a couple of days. He is afraid history is repeating itself, and takes measures into his own hands to set things right.

The Hiding Place is a slow-paced, character driven story. I was not expecting a supernatural element to this novel, so that took me by surprise. This book is listed as a mystery thriller, but it read more like a horror novel. Dark, bleak, and atmospheric.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Books by C.J. Tudor:
  1. The Chalk Man
  2. The Hiding Place
  3. The Other People
  4. The Burning Girls
  5. The Drift
  6. The Gathering

12 thoughts on “The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor [Book Review]

  1. I was all in until you revealed that there was a supernatural element then I was all out. I’ve never been a supernatural fan in any way (unless it’s by my guy Stephen King)

    1. I like supernatural, but need to be in the mood for it. I wasn’t expecting it for this book. Guess I should read book descriptions a little better. ?

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