The Chalk Man by C. J. Tudor publishes in paperback today with Michael Joseph, and is primed to be the biggest paperback release of the year.

Following its hardback publication in January, this spine-chilling thriller went straight in at No.9 on the Sunday Times bestseller list selling over 30,000 copies across all formats. C. J. Tudor has enjoyed a similar of level success in the American market with 30,000 copies sold, and she’s a bestseller in Australia where she sold over 17,000 copies across trade paperback and eBook. Having sold in 40 territories worldwide, The Chalk Man has been a bestseller in multiple other markets too, including Brazil, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, Turkey and Portugal where it reached No.2.

C. J. Tudor has been heralded across the globe for her prestigious thriller fiction debut, and The Chalk Man has garnered support and rave reviews from fellow acclaimed crime authors, including Stephen King who said, “If you like my stuff, you’ll like this “, and agency author Fiona Barton who revealed, “I haven’t had a sleepless night due to a book for a long time…The Chalk Man changed that.” Praise also came from bestselling author Val McDermid who described it as “a labyrinthine tale that kept me guessing right to the end.”

The Chalk Man is shortlisted for the CWA Steel Dagger Award, and after legions of fans voted in their thousands, C. J. Tudor was the recipient of a Dead Good Reader Award at Harrogate earlier this year, positioning herself alongside big brand authors such as Lee Child and Clare Mackintosh.

In 1986, Eddie and his friends are just kids on the verge of adolescence. 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.

Everyone has secrets. Everyone is guilty of something. And children are not always so innocent. 

In case you happened to have missed the buzz surrounding The Chalk Man, here is a snapshot of a few more terrific author reviews:

“Wonderfully creepy – like a cold blade on the back of your neck.” Lee Child, author of the internationally bestselling Jack Reacher series

“The Chalk Man is coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop him. Tense, skillful storytelling and plenty of horror.” Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad Me

“Completely engrossing. Reminiscent of those unsettling Stephen King stories of childhood.” John Boyne, author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

 “Gripping, enjoyable and worth it.” Cecelia Ahern, author of P.S. I Love You

“Its cold hand never leaves the back of your neck.” Tim Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of Descent

“It’s a frenetic ride that’s deep and alluring, oozing with suspense.  A rollicking good time.” Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The 14th Colony

See for yourself what all the hype is about, and pick up your copy here.