I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for The Burning Girls, I absolutely love C.J. Tudor's novels, especially The Chalk Man, so when I saw this blog tour I knew I just had to be involved.
SYNOPSIS:
500 years ago: eight martyrs were burnt to death.
30 years ago: two teenagers vanished without trace
Two months ago: the vicar committed suicide Welcome to Chapel Croft. For Rev Jack Brooks and teenage daughter Flo it's supposed to be a fresh start. New job, new home. But, as Jack knows, the past isn't easily forgotten. And in a close-knit community where the residents seem as proud as they are haunted by Chapel Croft's history, Jack must tread carefully. Ancient superstitions as well as a mistrust of outsiders will be hard to overcome. Yet right away Jack has more frightening concerns. Why is Flo plagued by visions of burning girls? Who's sending them sinister, threatening messages? And why did no one mention that the last vicar killed himself? Chapel Croft's secrets lie deep and dark as the tomb. Jack wouldn't touch them if not for Flo - anything to protect Flo. But the past is catching up with Chapel Croft - and with Jack. For old ghosts with scores to settle will never rest . . .
MY THOUGHTS:
This book!!! I loved every minute of it. C.J. Tudor has a knack of drawing you in with her opening sentence and once she has you hooked, you cannot escape! Enthralling and heart thumping this novel makes for one hell of a read.
Reverend Jack Brooks is transferred to a new parish after a traumatic event that leaves the local community angry and the press crawling all over the church. Having no choice in the matter, Jack and daughter Flo arrive in a small Sussex village to find a rundown chapel and a lot of hidden secrets. What was really interesting was the tradition of the Burning Girls that featured throughout the novel; twig dolls to represent the villagers who were burnt to death during Queen Mary's purge of the Protestants, the Sussex Martyrs. This historic event along with the supernatural sightings of two girls who seemingly are haunting the chapel give this novel such a thrilling Gothic feel.
Jack isn't your typical 'Reverend' and I loved this about Jack; not afraid to stir up the past, ballsy and foul mouthed. I immediately connected with Jack and Flo and were routing for them from the outset. Flo a fifteen year old, forced to leave her friends and school was a remarkable individual who didn't kick up too much of a fuss all things considering. The village of Chapel Croft housed a host of colourful characters, from the creepy warden of the church to the wealthy farmer who controlled the village.
The complexity of the plot with the different story lines was well written and made The Burning Girls quite the page-turner. The hauntings of the two girls, the mystery surrounding the two teenagers who went missing thirty years ago, as well as Jack's own past and the situation Flo finds herself in makes this a standout book that just kept giving. Just when you think you know where the novel is heading it completely turns on its head, leaving you with more questions than answers. Tudor beautifully balances the amount of action, mystery, crime and gruesomeness into this novel and leaves you with a WOW ending, one that I didn't anticipate.
An atmospheric, spooky, chilling mystery which I couldn't read fast enough. Many thanks to Gaby Young and Michael Joseph, Penguin for inviting me to join the blog tour and to C.J. Tudor for another corker of a novel.
AUTHOR:
C. J. Tudor is the author of The Burning Girls, The Other People, The Hiding Place, and The Chalk Man, which won the International Thriller Writers award for Best First Novel and the Strand Magazine Award for Best Debut Novel. Over the years she has worked as a copywriter, television presenter, voice-over artist, 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. She lives in England with her partner and daughter.