C.J. Tudor’s terrifying thriller, The Taking of Annie Thorne, is published in paperback today by Penguin Random House / Michael Joseph.
Since its hardback publication, the novel has garnered a huge amount of publicity. Last month, it was sitting at No. 1 across three Kindle categories: the Classic Horror category, the Horror Fiction Classics category and the Horror Thrillers category.
Bestselling author Lee Child was quick to show his support for the novel, saying: “Some writers have it, and some don’t. CJ Tudor has it big time – The Hiding Place is terrific in every way.”
It was lauded by the Daily Mail in this brilliant review: “The second novel from the author of last year’s wildly successful The Chalk Man confirms Tudor as Britain’s female Stephen King.”
And the Express said: “C.J. Tudor’s The Taking of Annie Thorne shows that her excellent The Chalk Man was no one-off in matching Stephen King for creepiness”
Published simultaneously in the UK and US in February – in the US as The Hiding Place by Penguin Random House / Ballantine, the novel has been sold into an outstanding 31 territories to date.
It follows Joe, whose little sister disappeared when he was fifteen. At the time he thought it was the worst thing that could happen to him…
And then she came back.
Now Joe has returned to the village where he grew up, to work as a teacher at the failing Arnhill Academy. Not an act of altruism, but desperation. Joe has bad debts – and bad people – he needs to escape. He also has an anonymous email: I know what happened to your sister. It’s happening again.
But coming back to the place he grew up, means facing the people he grew up with, and the things they did. Five friends: Joe, Stephen Hurst, Marie Gibson, Nick Fletcher and Chris Manning. They were the five who were there that night. Something they haven’t spoken about in 25 years.
Coming back means opening old wounds, and confronting old enemies and Joe is about to discover that places, like people, have secrets. The deeper you go, the darker they get.
And sometimes, you should never come back.
Last month, C.J. Tudor was awarded the Strand Critics Award for Best Debut Novel, and the Best First Novel Award at the Thrillerfest Awards for her first book, The Chalk Man.
C.J. Tudor’s third novel, The Other People, is due to be published on 23rd January 2020 – and we can’t wait!
C. J. Tudor lives in Sussex, England with her partner and daughter. Over the years she has worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voiceover 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.
