The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor – #TLCBookTours Review and Giveaway

Posted 6 February, 2019 by Heather in Blog, Blog Tour, Giveaways, Heather, Heather Book Review / 2 Comments

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

The Hiding Place by C.J. Tudor – #TLCBookTours Review and GiveawayThe Hiding Place by CJ Tudor
Published by Crown on February 5, 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Paranormal, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Source: TLC Book Tours
Buy on Amazon
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5 Stars

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.

“Some writers have it, and some don’t.  CJ Tudor has it big time – The Hiding Place is terrific in every way.” –LEE CHILD
 
“With The Hiding Place, CJ Tudor has proven that she is a true master at creating perfectly dark, highly propulsive, and tightly coiled mysteries that are utterly impossible to put down. From page one, the reader is pulled in with a gathering sense of dread, and taken on an addictive, thrilling ride to the very last page.” –AIMEE MOLLOY, New York Times Bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

 

 

I really enjoyed C.J. Tudor’s debut dark mystery/thriller, The Chalk Man, and I eagerly opened the pages of her new stand alone novel The Hiding Place. Like her earlier novel, The Hiding Place is dark, gritty, and full of flawed characters trying to live their lives–and not being that successful at it. Joe Thorne is a desperate man who just wants to forget about the past, but his current situation has him reluctantly returning to his hometown of Arnville on a mission. Told through current day chapters with flashbacks to what happened to the characters in 1992, Joe’s journey is full of drama, sorrow, and tough decisions that have shaped him into a sarcastic gambling addict, who also happens to be a decent teacher.

Joe hasn’t been in this decaying old mining town since he was in school, and since his sister and father died in a car accident that left Joe with a bum knee. But he knows that he’s still on the outs with his old chums/school bully-turned school board member Hurst. Now Joe has to deal with Hurst’s privileged and troublemaking son at their old school where Joe has conned his way into an English teaching position. Any time Joe tries to discipline the son, Hurst comes down even harder on Joe–both through the school and outside of it with some cronies who love to beat people up.

But Joe didn’t just take a teaching position because he needed a job. He returned to Arnville because there were mysterious murders just like the ones that happened with his sister all those years ago, and he also sees the opportunity to find a way to pay off his gambling debts. Most of the citizens of Arnville aren’t so welcoming to Joe, especially since he’s renting the cottage where the murders happened. As you slowly learn about Joe and what makes him tick while he unearths other characters’ dark secrets, the ominous setting pulses in the background–just waiting to claim another victim.

I give The Hiding Place a five out of five. C.J. Tudor weaves a story through two different time periods very well, and the story was revealed at a great pace. The atmosphere of Arnville and especially the mine itself, was dark and oppressive, making the overall tone of the book that much more suspenseful. Joe is a normal guy who has turned to not-so-great things due to trauma in his past, and he’s coping with these things the best he can–with booze and gambling. But he’s likable, and funny in his thoughts and comments. This dark suspense builds and builds until all is revealed, and I definitely enjoyed the journey to learn the truth about what happened to Joe’s sister Annie.

Find THE HIDING PLACE

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About C.J. Tudor

C. J. TUDOR is the author of The Chalk Man, and lives in Nottingham, England, with her partner and three-year-old daughter. Over the years she has worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voice-over, and dog walker. She is now thrilled to be able to write full-time, and doesn’t miss chasing wet dogs through muddy fields all that much.

Find C.J. Tudor

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter widget below for your chance to a copy of THE HIDING PLACE. Open to US mailing addresses only.

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C.J. Tudor’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS for THE HIDING PLACE:

tlc

Monday, January 28th: Books & Bindings

Tuesday, January 29th: Books Before Bedtime and @booksbeforebedtime

Wednesday, January 30th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Thursday, January 31st: Jessicamap Reviews and @jessicamapreviews

Friday, February 1st: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Monday, February 4th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Tuesday, February 5th: @outofthebex

Wednesday, February 6th: Bewitched Bookworms

Thursday, February 7th: @prose_and_palate

Friday, February 8th: Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Monday, February 11th: Novel Gossip and @novelgossip

Tuesday, February 12th: Erica Robyn Reads

Wednesday, February 13th: @scaredstraightreads

Thursday, February 14th: From the TBR Pile

Sunday, February 17th: Rockin’ Book Reviews

Monday, February 18th: @wherethereadergrows

Monday, February 18th: Girl Who Reads

Wednesday, February 20th: Kahakai Kitchen

Thursday, February 21st: Book by Book

Friday, February 22nd: Book Fidelity

Monday, February 25th: @hotcocoareads

Wednesday, February 27th: Booktimistic and @booktimistic

Thursday, February 28th: Midwest Ladies Who Lit

Monday, March 4th: Wining Wife

Tuesday, March 5th: Write Read Life

Heather

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I'm a PhD chemist who loves sarcasm, music, and books-paranormal, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, and romance. Most of my free time is spent at the martial arts studio these days--whether practicing Combat Hapkido or reading books while watching my son's Taekwondo classes, or even working up a sweat with Kickboxing for fun. Goodreads

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