Title: The Hiding Place by C. J. Tudor
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense, Supernatural (Ghosts)
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
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.
Review:
The Hiding Place by C. J. Tudor is a suspense-laden mystery with supernatural and horror elements.
Joe Thorne’s return to his hometown of Arnhill is not exactly altruistic. He is going back to hopefully get a job teaching at his alma mater Arnhill Academy. And yes, he has received an eerie message that what happened to his sister, Annie, is happening again. However, the impetus for his decision is to escape a loan shark’s increasingly threatening efforts to force Joe to repay his debts. Upon his return, a sense of dread overcomes him as he settles in at the cottage whose occupants met a horrific end. Joe is also quickly target by his former friends, Stephen Hurst and Nick Fletcher, who resort to violence as they attempt to convince him to leave town. Despite his increasing discomfort and unease, Joe must revisit the worst time in his past in order to hopefully put an end to the malevolent force threatening the town’s children.
Joe does not make much effort to overcome the demons that he brings with him to Arnhill. He drinks too much, sleeps too little and often goes to work with vicious hangovers. He has long avoided facing the tragedies that occurred during his teen years, but it does not take long for him to realize he will have to confront the events that forever altered his life. Joe harbors many regrets about what happened to Annie and his friend, Chris Manning. Once he realizes that history is repeating itself, Joe reluctantly returns to the place that was essentially the beginning and the end of the horrific events that have forever changed him.
At one time, Arnhill was a prosperous town with the local coal mine providing jobs for the community. The town barely survived the mine’s closure and years later, the abandoned mine still looms in the distance. It is also a source of fascination for the teenagers due to the unsubstantiated rumors that swirl around it. In 1992, Joe and his friends were unable to resist exploring an entrance to the mine. Their explorations lead them to a terrifying discovery that sets them on a path of unending heartache and pain. After the heartbreaking events that occur in the aftermath, Joe is certain he has made it impossible for anyone to enter the mine. Or has he?
The Hiding Place is a very atmospheric and increasingly spooky novel. Joe is a surprisingly reliable narrator whose growing unease forces him to revisit his heartrending past. He also manages to elicit readers’ sympathy in spite of his all too human flaws. With otherworldly elements and an gradual sense of overwhelming dread, C. J. Tudor brings the novel to a twist-filled conclusion. Fans of horror novels will enjoy this spine-tingling novel.
