The Chalk Man: Murders, Chalk and More!

I don’t read thrillers too often, because very often they bore me. This one got some very high praise from another blogger, so when I had the opportunity to receive it, I decided to take it!

The must-read thriller of 2018, this riveting and relentlessly compelling psychological suspense debut will keep readers guessing right up to the shocking ending

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy little English village and looking for any taste of excitement they can get. The chalk men are their secret code; little chalk stick figures they leave for one another as messages only they can understand. But then a mysterious chalk man leads them right to a dismembered body, and nothing is ever the same.

In 2016, Eddie is fully grown, and thinks he's put his past behind him. But then he gets a letter in the mail, containing a single chalk stick figure. When it turns out that his friends got the same message, they think it could be a prank . . . until one of them turns up dead. That's when Eddie realizes that saving himself means finally figuring out what really happened all those years ago.

Expertly alternating between flashbacks and the present day, The Chalk Man is the very best kind of suspense novel, one where every character is wonderfully fleshed out and compelling, where every mystery has a satisfying payoff, and where the twists will shock even the savviest reader.

I received this book for free from Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

What I Liked about The Chalk Man:

1. The main group of friends in this novel, three guys and one girl, gave off The Goonies vibe a bit. It was a lot of fun.

2. The chapters alternate between 1986 and 2016. This allows for a lot of fun cliff hangers and definitely ups the intensity of the novel as you’re working through the mystery of each year trying to figure out how the two ultimately tie together.

3. The use of the chalk drawings not only was creepy, but well-done. It was continued throughout the novel and felt quite authentic, especially as it tied into our main group of friends.

4. The ending, of course! I couldn’t guess the twist, which is always a plus. (Caveat: I’m the WORST at guessing plot twists…)

The Chalk Man will be released January 9, 2018! Click the links above to pre-order yourself a copy!

What’s a thriller you read recently that you loved?

A.S. Thornton

A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.