Some writers have it, and some don't. C. J. Tudor has it big time . . . The Taking of Annie Thorne is terrific in every way

Confirms Tudor as Britain's female Stephen King. There is a creeping dread on every page and, as you start a new chapter, a dark shadow over your shoulder. Tudor's punk prose style and her great eye for menace make this a book no one should read at night.

There is no sign of second-album syndrome: the mix of grotty provincial realism and amateur cold-case sleuthing works just as well here

As enjoyable and well written as her first, The Chalk Man

Dark, gothic and utterly compelling, The Taking of Annie Thorne pulls off a rare combination - an atmosphere of unsettling evil along with richly nuanced characterisation

Tudor's 2018 The Chalk Man was a standout mystery novel with a fresh voice and a spooky plot. This is even better

Shows that her excellent The Chalk Man was no one-off in matching Stephen King for creepiness

From the author of The Chalk Man comes an equally creepy story about missing children

Spine-tingling

Spine tinglingly good

The Taking of Annie Thorne deserves every plaudit it receives

I loved everything about this book

So dark, so dastardly, so incredible. Still pondering this one, it's just that disturbing. C. J. Tudor has done it again. Bravo!

A can't-put-it-down thriller if ever I met one. I loved The Chalk Man and this is equally as fabulous. The Taking of Annie Thorne by lead head-rattler C. J. Tudor!

Deliciously creepy, impeccably plotted and laced with both wicked humor and genuine shocks, The Taking of Annie Thorne is the kind of read-under-the-covers thriller you didn't think people wrote anymore. Lucky for us, C. J. Tudor still does. An absolute corker of a book

Dark and creeping and utterly unpredictable, The Taking of Annie Thorne is another triumph of a novel by C J Tudor. With its compelling characters and witty writing, it grips from the very first page

Gripping and dark, The Taking of Annie Thorne descends like its very own mine shaft, getting creepier the further you go. You'll race to the finish

With shades of Pet Sematary and an all-round aura of creepiness, The Taking of Annie Thorne cements C. J. Tudor's position as a major new talent at the dark heart of crime writing. Her characters are compelling, the village of Arnhill as atmospheric as its abandoned pit, and she possesses that rare ability to keep the reader turning the pages, desperate to discover what happens next. Brilliant

If you found your pulse racing as you read Tudor's previous book, you won't be disappointed in The Taking of Annie Thorne, another spooky, sinister slice of tension

Delicious in every way. A deliciously creepy story, deliciously told. Storytelling like a siren's song: your hair will prickle and stand on end but you won't be able to tear your eyes from the page. If you like Tana French, you will love, love, love C. J. Tudor

Razor-sharp writing and masterful plotting drive this dark story about a small town, buried secrets, and ghosts from the past. Witty and compelling all at once, The Taking of Annie Thorne is a must read page-turner

WOW WOW WOW! C. J. Tudor's follow-up to her impressive debut is superbly chilling and delightfully creepy. Smartly written and brilliantly plotted, here is a book that crawls under your skin and hooks on until you reach that jaw-dropping ending

C. J. Tudor has proven that she is the 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, in a gathering sense of dread, and taken on an addictive, thrilling ride to the very last page

C. J. Tudor nails it again with this clever, disturbing novel where the scars of an old mining community are opened by a slash of cold murder. From the shocking opening to the explosive finale, The Taking of Annie Thorne is a chilling page-turner that will leave you checking the locks at night. Brilliant

I loved it. The quality of her writing meant it was an absolute pleasure to read, as well as being genuinely terrifying. It made my hair stand on end! Genius

C. J. Tudor writes evil with aplomb - The Taking of Annie Thorne reveals how evil casts its resonance through places, people and our shared past. This book lingers with you long after the lights go out

What an absolute treat of a novel this was. Such an assured, distinct voice and an absolute belter of a plot

I rattled through The Taking of Annie Thorne by C. J. Tudor - it reads like a Stephen King novel, and I can't think of a higher compliment than that!

Deliciously creepy, and written with such skill and fluency it's hard to believe this is only her second book. Indeed I think it gives King a run for his money

C. J. Tudor is a writer of real creepiness. The Taking of Annie Thorne is no exception - a dark, chilling mystery that had me reading until the early hours

I read this novel with a sense of creeping dread. It was an achingly good, well-plotted, dark, disturbing piece of pure brilliance! C J Tudor is my new favourite author.

Loved this. Funny, frightening, goes out with a BANG. Believe the hype!

A brilliantly sharp and distinctive voice and super-creepy plot. Fab

Finished this creepy corker last night. Utterly compelling with a host of intriguing characters and brilliant writing. Fans of The Chalk Man will definitely not be disappointed

I loved The Chalk Man, but The Taking of Annie Thorne is even better, creepier and more addictive! I was so creeped out I had to stop reading until my husband came home one night! Brilliant stuff - well done, C. J. Tudor!

The Hot List

Following on from C J Tudor's successful debut, comes a novel about bullying, cruelty and deceit. . . Tudor keeps the novel moving at a fast pace

A Stephen King style thriller that will have you transfixed and submerged in the entanglement of the twisting plot. This book kept me intrigued all the way to the very end

Crime meets psychological suspense meets out-and-out horror. From the stomach-churning first chapter to the grand guignol ending that is as shocking as it is surprising, Tudor racks up the nastiness . . . Another hit.

Matches Stephen King for creepiness. A must-read for horror fans

Creepy beyond words. Just like Stephen King, the fact that Tudor's characters are so believable makes the events even creepier

The Chestnut Man is an intensely gripping first novel that feels anything but debut-like. Seasoned crime fans with feel as though they're in very safe hands ... [Sveistrup] throws his hat into the ring with extreme professionalism and a talent for deploying his special tricks in precisely calibrated doses.

Praise for The Killing

Excellent . . . A shrewd mix of police procedural, political thriller and domestic drama

TV of the absolute finest quality . . . the writing shines

A gripping psychological thriller.

This is without a doubt one of my favourite reads of the year.

Featuring two entangled families and a house with the darkest of secrets, this is a compulsive new thriller from Lisa Jewell.

From the first page we were hooked. If you’ve got a lazy day planned over the Christmas break, this is the type of novel you could read in a day…It makes us shiver just sharing the plot and we guarantee you’ll be on the edge of your seats throughout.

Of the crop of great thrillers out this year, this is my pick [...] Lisa Jewell is brilliant at creating a menacing atmosphereand this is almost unbearably tense at times, with a knock-the-wind-out-of-you ending.

An enthralling tale rich in psychological suspense that mixes family saga with domestic noir.

Part family saga and part-psychological thriller, this is an exceptional read.

Breathtaking thriller

Perfect book to inhale by the fire. Had no idea how creepy and nuanced it would be but couldn’t put it down and stayed up half the night reading it. Highly recommend.