The Taking of Annie Thorne by C J Tudor #Review

 I am delighted to be taking part in the celebrations for the publication of C.J.Tudor's thriller, The Taking of Annie Thorne. With a touch of horror, it is a riveting read:

 

Then . . .

One night, Annie went missing. Disappeared from her own bed. There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst. And then, miraculously, after forty-eight hours, she came back. Though she couldn't, or wouldn't, say what had happened to her.

But something happened to my sister. I can't explain what.

I just know that when she came back, she wasn't the same.

She wasn't my Annie.

I didn't want to admit, even to myself, that sometimes I was scared to death of my own little sister.

Now . . .

The email arrived in my inbox nearly two months ago.

I almost deleted it straight away - but I clicked Open:

I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again . . .

My Thoughts

The Taking of Annie Thorne grabs you by the throat in the opening prologue and keeps you firmly hooked right up to the end. It is suffused with a creepy atmosphere which is always there in the background with mysterious dark shadows, skittering noises and foul smells. It is a dark mystery with a elements of horror.  C J Tudor has a distinctive voice and I love her style of writing. Her characters are firmly drawn and stand clearly on their own two feet. You feel that you can recognise them. In some cases, you realise that you are wrong. 

    As the story unfolds, you fear what might be about to happen. You are drip fed details about the past in a tightly plotted story. In contrast to the serious and threatening tone to the story, I appreciated Joe Thorne's wry and sarcastic asides. There are so many secrets to be uncovered. Everyone you meet seems to have something to hide and so does the land itself. 

In short: A stunning mystery which sends chills down your spine. 

You can read my review of The Chalk Man here.

 

About the Author

C. J. Tudor was born in Salisbury and grew up in Nottingham, and has recently moved to Kent with her partner and young daughter. Her 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 artist, television presenter, copywriter and, now, author. 

Her first novel, The Chalk Man, was a Sunday Times bestseller in both hardback and paperback and sold in thirty-nine territories.

 

You can follow C J Tudor here: Facebook   |  Twitter

Book link: Amazon UK 

Thanks to Jenny Platt of Penguin Randomhouse and C J Tudor for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.