The Chalk Man

My rating: * * * *

Goodreads Description

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. They spend their days biking around their sleepy 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.

My Review

This is a book that's received much praise, but also a fair amount of criticism. It's definitely one that has split the crowd somewhat, and whenever that happens, I know that it's a book that I need to read so that I can see which side of the fence I'll choose.

I went into this one with an open mind, and hoping for the best. After reading a spate of books that I liked but that didn't blow me away, I was ready for something amazing. I'm happy to report that this book was great, perhaps not great enough for 5 stars, but still great. The book had a fantastic opening chapter, but it is slightly gruesome and it caught me off guard. (I love it when that happens!). The story then progresses with alternating chapters set in the past and in the present. I was reminded somewhat of Stephen King's writing style in that the chapters set in the past were narrated by a young twelve year old Eddie, and the current chapters were narrated by an adult Eddie. I really enjoyed this change in viewpoint, and I do seem to enjoy books that have young narrators.

I found it quite amazing that this is a debut novel as the author does a great job of pulling the reader into the story. It's gripping and it has a number or twists and turns. On the negative side, I did find that there were a few plot holes, although the story did, for the most part, pull together well. But I did still have questions, and I wish I didn't. It could very well have been the author's intention to leave us wondering about certain things, but in this case I would have preferred the story to have a clear ending, to have been wrapped up neatly. But let me say this, the last chapter of this book left me reeling. I did not see it coming, but it also left me with an overriding sensation that I needed to sit down with someone else who had read the book and chat about the ending, and the implications. Not altogether a bad thing I suppose. The reader is definitely left thinking with this one.

It's a good read people. And if any of you do read it, feel free to pop me a message so that we can chat. :-)

My Rating: * * * *

Publication Date: March 2018 (South Africa)

Genre: Crime Fiction

Format: Trade Paperback

Source: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, C. J. Tudor and Penguin Random House SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.