The hiding place: a novel

Joe Thorne hasn't returned to Arnhill, the gritty mining town where he grew up, since his father and sister died, but when he learns of the apparent murder-suicide of an Arnhill teacher and her son, Joe is gripped by the similarities to his family's story. Like Joe's sister, Annie, the supposedly murdered boy disappeared for 24 hours, returning drastically changed and unable to say where he'd been. Whatever forces took Annie appear to be back, and Joe resolves to confront them. He easily secures a teaching position at Arnhill's high school and agrees to rent the deceased teacher's home, made affordable by its barely dry crime scene. Once in Arnhill, however, things get complicated: his bullying childhood friend, Steve, is gunning for him; his bookie's sadistic enforcer is a constant threat; and he's finally forced to face his own role in Annie's disappearance. Joe's wisecracking is well-timed comic relief from Arnhill's pervasive darkness; Tudor has crafted another fantastic horror-tinged thriller (after The Chalk Man, 2018) in the vein of John Connolly and Brendan Duffy.--Christine Tran Copyright 2018 Booklist

Forty-year-old teacher Joseph Thorne, the narrator of this devastating thriller from British author Tudor (The Chalk Man), moves home to Arnhill, takes a job at his old school, and rents the cottage where a woman recently murdered her 11-year-old son before committing suicide. Joe claims that he wants to give back to the community, but he actually returned to the former mining village because of an anonymous email: "I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again." Joe is determined to avenge his eight-year-old sister, Annie, who went missing decades ago, but there are forces conspiring against him. Further complicating matters are a vicious loan shark and the apparent haunting of Joe's new house. Flashbacks to 1992 gradually reveal what tragedy befell Annie, while sharply drawn characters illustrate the cyclical natures of violence and victimhood. Joe's dark humor may balance the grim plot, but the epilogue is the stuff of nightmares. Tudor casts a searing light on the long-term damage wrought by grief, guilt, and regret. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary (U.K.). (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Something isn't right in Arnhill, a former mining town in England. Following the gruesome murder of a young boy by his mother, and her suicide by shotgun, the only clue left behind was "Not My Son," written in blood. English teacher Joe Thorne, who turned his back on Arnhill 25 years earlier, receives an anonymous email: "I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again." Joe returns reluctantly, intrigued by the email but also because he owes someone big money and needs a place to hide. He rents the cottage where the murder occurred, and shortly after moving in strange occurrences begin that stir memories of the disappearance and reappearance of his eight-year-old sister years ago. The house is telling him something, but the town and its inhabitants are determined to see him leave once again. One old friend in particular has his own reasons for wanting Joe gone. VERDICT Fasten your seat belts, for this book takes off in the first chapter and never lets go. Tudor (The Chalk Man) has written what begins as a mystery and ends up as something akin to a Stephen King thriller.-Susan Santa, Shelter Rock P.L., Albertson, NY © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When Joe Thorne takes a teaching job in the small English village of his youth, he soon realizes the darkness he's tried to forget certainly hasn't forgotten him.Returning to the tiny mining village of Arnhill wasn't English teacher Joe Thorne's first choice, and teaching at Arnhill Academy, which he attended as a boy, is the furthest thing from a dream job. But his choices are limited. A gambling problem has put him in debt to a man who will break his kneecaps, or worse, if he doesn't get his money. Well, actually, he has a frightening woman named Gloria on hand to do that for him, and she's got her eye on Joe. But Joe has a plan. He moves into a cottage where an Arnhill teacher recently killed her young son and then herself, writing "NOT MY SON" in blood on the wall. But beggars can't be choosers, and Joe tries to settle in at Arnhill, where it's soon obvious that his old foes never left, and they don't want him in their village. Stephen Hurst, a bully Joe ran with as a kid, has a hold on the town, and his son Jeremy, an Arnhill student, is a chip off the old block. Unfortunately, Stephen shares a secret with Joe that involves Joe's beloved sister, Annie, who disappeared when she was 8 and was very different when she returned. The events leading up to her death soon after were very strange indeed, and everything leads back to a mine shaft that is the source of ghost stories and rumors that have persisted for hundreds of years. The past and present are about to collide in chilling fashion. With Joe, Tudor avoids going the way of the unreliable narrator: He doesn't lie to readers, even if he lies to others, and he has a snarky sense of humor that adds levity. Tudor maintains a tone of creeping dread throughout the book, of something lingering always in the background, coyly hiding its face while whispering promises of very bad things to come. In the last quarter, however, she goes for broke with outright horror, giving readers an effective jolt of adrenaline that will carry them all the way to the terrifying conclusion. Readers won't know what hit them.Tudor came out swinging with Chalk Man (2018), but this one puts her firmly on the map. Not to be missed. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Joe Thorne hasn't returned to Arnhill, the gritty mining town where he grew up, since his father and sister died, but when he learns of the apparent murder-suicide of an Arnhill teacher and her son, Joe is gripped by the similarities to his family's story. Like Joe's sister, Annie, the supposedly murdered boy disappeared for 24 hours, returning drastically changed and unable to say where he'd been. Whatever forces took Annie appear to be back, and Joe resolves to confront them. He easily secures a teaching position at Arnhill's high school and agrees to rent the deceased teacher's home, made affordable by its barely dry crime scene. Once in Arnhill, however, things get complicated: his bullying childhood friend, Steve, is gunning for him; his bookie's sadistic enforcer is a constant threat; and he's finally forced to face his own role in Annie's disappearance. Joe's wisecracking is well-timed comic relief from Arnhill's pervasive darkness; Tudor has crafted another fantastic horror-tinged thriller (after The Chalk Man, 2018) in the vein of John Connolly and Brendan Duffy. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

Something isn't right in Arnhill, a former mining town in England. Following the gruesome murder of a young boy by his mother, and her suicide by shotgun, the only clue left behind was "Not My Son," written in blood. English teacher Joe Thorne, who turned his back on Arnhill 25 years earlier, receives an anonymous email: "I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again." Joe returns reluctantly, intrigued by the email but also because he owes someone big money and needs a place to hide. He rents the cottage where the murder occurred, and shortly after moving in strange occurrences begin that stir memories of the disappearance and reappearance of his eight-year-old sister years ago. The house is telling him something, but the town and its inhabitants are determined to see him leave once again. One old friend in particular has his own reasons for wanting Joe gone. VERDICT Fasten your seat belts, for this book takes off in the first chapter and never lets go. Tudor (The Chalk Man) has written what begins as a mystery and ends up as something akin to a Stephen King thriller.—Susan Santa, Shelter Rock P.L., Albertson, NY

Forty-year-old teacher Joseph Thorne, the narrator of this devastating thriller from British author Tudor (The Chalk Man), moves home to Arnhill, takes a job at his old school, and rents the cottage where a woman recently murdered her 11-year-old son before committing suicide. Joe claims that he wants to give back to the community, but he actually returned to the former mining village because of an anonymous email: "I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again." Joe is determined to avenge his eight-year-old sister, Annie, who went missing decades ago, but there are forces conspiring against him. Further complicating matters are a vicious loan shark and the apparent haunting of Joe's new house. Flashbacks to 1992 gradually reveal what tragedy befell Annie, while sharply drawn characters illustrate the cyclical natures of violence and victimhood. Joe's dark humor may balance the grim plot, but the epilogue is the stuff of nightmares. Tudor casts a searing light on the long-term damage wrought by grief, guilt, and regret. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary (U.K.). (Feb.)