The Chalk Man
by C. J. Tudor

Well, the clocks have gone back, the nights are dark, Halloween is looming and none of us can do anything anyway because of lock down / tier 1 / tier 2 / tier what the fuck is going on, eat out to help out, stay in to freak out, can’t see your dad but you can still shop in Asda and I don’t know what else.

So kind of a perfect time to read a good book?


1. Yes that is Negan

2. Don’t let the high praise from Lee Child put you off (only kidding Lee Child fans, though actually there is a Stephen King quote on the back which maybe could have been better placed but I suppose I’m digressing). And whilst we’re speaking of Stephen King………..this book definitely has parallels with IT.

So flitting between 1986 and 2016 (yep 30 years between, see what I mean?) we follow narrator Eddie (not Spaghetti) as he recounts his childhood in the 80s and present day life as a sometimes sad man who maybe drinks slightly too much.

When Eddie was 12, his carefree bike-riding-with-his-mates life (when they weren’t being chased by bullies anyway) changed forever when scary things started happening to him, his friends and within the town where they lived. Chalk drawings of stick men, unexplained violent attacks and the super creepy presence of the town’s newcomer Mr Halloran. Suspicious much?

The chapters alternate between 1986 and 2016 and though at first I preferred the 1986 portions, by a third of the way through I was hooked on both.

The Chalk Man was a very, very enjoyable read. Really easy to get into and quick to finish (if you so choose). It’s set in England as well, which surprised me. Just presumed from the synopsis it would be set in a small American town. My best friend lent me the book and I’ve since lent it to my dad (fully following corona restrictions, of course). It’s one of those books that most readers would enjoy. And certainly horror readers. And certainly at Halloween.

Stay tuned for my next couple of scary Halloween posts as one of them will be including my ANNUAL SCARY PICTURE OF EMMA. Yay!