Off the Charts and On the Horizon – the other people (C.J. Tudor) – unpopular opinion time!!

Ahoy there me mateys!  Though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes. So occasionally I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were. I received this thriller eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

the other people (C.J. Tudor)

Title: the chalk man

Author: C.J. Tudor

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine

Publication Date: TODAY!! (hardback/ebook)

ISBN: 978-1984824998

Source: NetGalley

I read the chalk man by this author and really enjoyed it so was looking forward to reading this.  While I read this in one sitting and it was sometimes gripping, I ultimately felt it was just okay and didn’t have the same punch as the author’s other book.

The story follows Gabe who is driving home from work on day only to see his daughter Izzy in the car in front of him.  He tries to convince himself that he was mistaken and calls home only to be told that his wife and daughter have been brutally murdered.  But he saw Izzy and so knows she is alive.  He is determined to find her.  Even if no one else believes him.

The book has three subplots that tie together and that is where the problem lies.  One follows Gabe, one follows Fran who is on the run with a girl named Alice, and one follows a waitress named Kate.  There is also a three year jump after the murder reveal and a seemingly supernatural bent.  Together all these elements were muddled and stretched belief.  Though I liked Kate, that subplot could have been removed altogether and I think it would have strengthened the story.  I also did not Gabe’s secret past subplot either.

But ultimately the main dissatisfaction was with the other people themselves and how it all worked.  They weren’t scary or even very interesting.  There are no real answers and the resolution of both the three subplots and the other people themselves didn’t do it for me.  There were just too many threads in this book and I would have preferred something more streamlined and realistic.  I did have fun reading this book but have to admit that overall it be rather forgettable.  Arrr!

So lastly . . .

Thank you Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

Driving home one night, stuck behind a rusty old car, Gabe sees a little girl’s face appear in the rear window. She mouths one word: ‘Daddy.’ It’s his five-year-old daughter, Izzy.

He never sees her again.

Three years later, Gabe spends his days and nights travelling up and down the motorway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe that Izzy is dead.

Fran and her daughter, Alice, also put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter.

Then, the car that Gabe saw driving away that night is found, in a lake, with a body inside and Gabe is forced to confront events, not just from the night his daughter disappeared, but from far deeper in his past.

His search leads him to a group called The Other People.

If you have lost a loved one, The Other People want to help. Because they know what loss is like. They know what pain is like. They know what death is like.

There’s just one problem . . . they want other people to know it too.

To visit the author’s website go to:

C.J. Tudor – Author

To buy the novel go to:

the other people – Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Previous Log Entries for this Author

the chalk man (Off the Charts and on the Horizon – Thriller eArc)