THE BURNING GIRLS by C.J. Tudor ( Ballantine Books, February 2021) Hardcover, 333 pages. Awards: Ladies of Horror Fiction Award Nominee for 2021 Novel. ISBN # 9781984825025 / 198482502X
An unconventional vicar moves to a remote corner of the English countryside, only to discover a community haunted by death and disappearances both past and present--and intent on keeping its dark secrets--in this explosive, unsettling thriller from acclaimed author C. J. Tudor.
Welcome to Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake here. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself.
Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping to make a fresh start and find some peace. Instead, Jack finds a town mired in secrecy and a strange welcome package: an old exorcism kit and a note quoting scripture. "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known."
The more Jack and her daughter Flo get acquainted with the town and its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into their rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo is troubled by strange sightings in the old chapel, it becomes apparent that there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.
But uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village where everyone has something to protect, everyone has links with the village's bloody past, and no one trusts an outsider.
My Four Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .
THE BURNING GIRLS was a hard book to put down. The short faux Wikipedia entry and prologue that open this up really provide a hook. Who wouldn't want to read on and learn more? I was engaged after just a few pages. Things move forward at a great pace. The chapters are short. The first person narration by vicar Jack caused me to like this character and worry about her and her daughter Flo.While I recognize their flaws, I like both characters. The other chapters written in third person with various points of view are also executed well.
While there are some supernatural elements to the story and some creepy settings, this is primarily a mystery/thriller and it excels at that. There are new surprises every few chapters, so many that readers may struggle to get a true feel for where the story is heading, as well as fully understanding all aspects of the many characters.
Talk about peeling an onion, one layer at a time! I wonder if Tudor is enjoying messing with readers by ending each chapter with either a surprise/twist or another reason to worry about Jack and Flo. It's like riding a challenging roller coaster for the first time. Will the next hill take your breath away?
I enjoyed this so much more than Tudor's debut novel - The Chalk Man. Now I think I will check out her other books. If you like twists, surprises and characters that don't show all the cards in their hands you'll enjoy this. That final surprise/reveal was a whopper!
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