A Book A Week

"Places have secrets too, I think. Like people. You just need to dig. In land, in life, in a man's soul."

Last year, I read and enjoyed C.J. Tudor's debut novel The Chalk Man. That book weaved alternating time periods and strong characters into a suspenseful and enthralling mystery. The Chalk Man immediately became one of my favorite reads of 2018 and left me anxiously waiting to read whatever Tudor came up with next. When her publisher offered me a copy of her next novel, The Hiding Place, I eagerly jumped on the chance to read it.

Joe Thorne is happy to be getting a fresh start. He struggles with alcohol, is a gambling addict, and was recently dismissed from his teaching job in a shroud of personal and professional disgrace. As he looks to create a new beginning for himself, Joe turns to the place where everything started last time. He never thought he'd come back to his hometown of Arnhill, but here he is. He's secured a teaching position at the same school he attended. The Arnhill Academy was so eager to find a teacher that they skimmed over most of Joe's checkered past. For better or worse, Joe is starting over.

Joe's predecessor at the academy was an unassuming single mother who shocked the town when she brutally murdered her young son and shot herself. Now Joe has taken her job and moved into the same cottage where the gruesome crime occurred. He's optimistic about this fresh shot at life. He's already stopped a bully from picking on a student, is getting along with his co-workers, and seems to be on the path to happiness. Life has other plans. The longer he stays in the town, the more he's realizing that things aren't as different as he hoped. In fact, the dark history of Arnhill that destroyed his life years ago seems to be repeating itself.

The Hiding Place, C.J. Tudor's sophomore novel sees the author's brilliant writing veer into much darker territory. While this novel shares many of the same themes as Tudor's debut (childhood trauma, community culture in a small town, etc.) it really pushes the author into new territory. One climactic flashback scene, in particular, left me emotionally shaken. Tudor deftly balances these bleak scenes with brisk pacing, detailed character development, and wit that surfaces at all the right moments. As she did in The Chalk Man, Tudor again employs flashbacks to both provide depth and backstory and to ramp up the suspense. Even a twist that seemed almost too familiar for this longtime fan of Stephen King couldn't detract from my overall satisfaction with this book. With The Hiding Place, C.J. Tudor proves that The Chalk Man was no fluke. She recently tweeted that her next novel is complete, and I'll be the first in line to give it a read!

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2019, 6)