Member Reviews

A secret vigilante group on the dark web, a drunken mistake that ruined one family’s lives, retribution and a twisted cycle of pain continues each ring pulling strangers closer together until their lives converge in a resounding cacophony of chaos. Can there ever be an end to the need for vengeance? Is the price paid worth taking “an eye for an eye?”

C.J. Tudor’s THE OTHER PEOPLE proves that for some, vengeance is its own dark reward, but it will come at a soul-sucking price.

Dark, brittle and edgy, C.J. Tudor has created yet another tale that bleeds out into a kaleidoscope of hate, pain and loss and she has tied off the bloody stumps with a brilliant conclusion to a mad hatter’s tale.

Publisher: Ballantine Books (January 28, 2020)
Publication Date: January 28, 2020
Genre: Thriller
Print Length: 288 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

Was this review helpful?

Hunka Munka.........

I've walked around inside C.J. Tudor's head on many occasions through her novels. She keeps dark little things that scurry into corners and clickety clack sounds that beg you to deny where it's coming from. But this one.......

Gabe Forman is a man whose success rate as husband and father has always been on the skids. He continues to show up late or never at all. There's always an excuse to be had. But his wife, Jenny, has told him emphatically that he must come home for a family dinner with her and their daughter Izzy at least one night a week. His marriage seems to be hanging on the edge of the cliff as well.

So that's where we find Gabe on the highway heading home with a low battery phone and a mess of traffic. He follows behind a small, battered vehicle covered in stickers that don't seem to amuse a man without patience. As the traffic speeds up, Gabe swears that he sees his young daughter's face in the car's back window mouthing the word "Daddy". Gabe desperately follows behind until he loses the car. He pulls over at a service station to call home and finds out that the police are at his house. Bad, bad news.

C.J. Tudor takes us on a journey through the mind of a man completely convinced that his daughter is alive even though his father-in-law identified the bodies at the morgue. He's sold his house and bought a used van and drives endlessly on the highways looking for clues. But someone takes Gabe seriously and steps in. And this is when things get measured on the Creep-O-Meter.

Gabe has some heavy secrets lining his pockets for years. His life is not exactly what he presents to the world. Grief has taken its toll and hope doesn't seem like much of an option at this point. Tudor will see to it that there's a truck load of questionable characters who lightly tiptoe in while others cause catastrophic tremors with their actions. Is Gabe onto something or is he living within the existence of a cracked mind?

The Other People is a must read for C.J. Tudor fans or those just getting on the bus. Certainly step into this one and make sure that you've grabbed The Chalk Man as well (My absolute favorite). The Chalk Man is double Hunka Munka.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Ballantine Books (Random House) and to the talented C.J. Tudor for the opportunity.

Was this review helpful?

The Other People by C.J. Tudor
Pub Date 01/28/2020

There was some thriller, some mystery, and some paranormal to this book. A dark and Spooky read about a man searching for his missing daughter.
I couldn't put this book down, literally up til 3am last night.
Hands down this was Tudor's best book yet. It was fresh and original.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". You don't want to get mixed up with "The Other People".

Thank you #netgalley for the free copy of this book for an honest review. This was a solid 5 stars from me. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
If you love a great original thriller get your hands on this book on January 28th 2020!! #TheOtherPeople

Was this review helpful?

Last year, I fell in love with C.J. Tudor’s The Chalk Man and I was so delighted to get the opportunity to read her new book.

This story follows three people – Gabe, Katie, and Fran, all on different paths, that are all linked to each other in a truly wild ride.

Let’s start with Gabe – poor poor Gabe. My heart broke for this man so many times. He lost everything in one day, and no one believes him that his daughter is still alive somewhere. As horrible as it was, I loved reading his journey, his love for his daughter, and the mysteries of what he did on Mondays.

Then there’s Katie – the single mom just trying to hold her life together by working overnights and a service station and doing the most she can for her kids. She’s a genuinely good person, but unfortunately has not had the best life.

And finally there is Fran, the mother to Alice, the two of them seem to live their life entirely on the run. But who are they running from? And what will happen when they finally catch up?

First, I want to talk about the magical aspect of this book because I’m still a little confused by it. Alice has some form of narcolepsy, but when she wakes up she’s always holding a pebble. These pebbles, and the mysterious girl in her dreams tie into the story in a HUGE way, but I still don’t completely understand some of it.

Next, we have The Other People. The mysterious organization that ties our different characters together, only found on the deepest depths of the internet, their motto is an eye for an eye. They trade in favors, seeking justice for those who have been wronged – but you never know what they will ask of you in return.


We also have the mysterious girl who lives in a vegetative state – who is she? and who is her mysterious visitor?, and the Samaritan, a “friend” of Gabe’s, who honestly, gave me the heebie jeebies from the start. If you call yourself a one word title and say things like “I have many names” you’re probably a scary ass person.

This is one where I can’t talk too much about the plot – there’s a lot going on and even the smallest revelations could be major spoilers – but I will say how much I enjoyed it.

A few of the twists I saw coming, but a lot of them still surprised me. The identities of a few of the characters are surprising, but I loved how every single character was connected in some strange way, whether it was a good thing or not.

This story is creepy, thought provoking, twisty, and everything I love in a thriller. I loved the way all the pieces came together (even the one’s that were a little bit cliche), and how truly terrifying The Other People were. The very idea that they could be anyone – and they’re always watching, is more than enough to make this my favorite thriller of the year.

Was this review helpful?

I thought the story itself was really interesting. The pacing was good, and for the most part, the characters were compelling. However, I feel the plot was overly ambitious. There were too many holes and/or loose ends for my liking. Too many coincidences. I just don’t think this was up to par with the author’s previous books, but still worth reading.

Was this review helpful?

A solid smart thriller that hits all the right notes. Everyone believes Gabe's wife and young daughter was murdered. Everyone but Gabe who knows he saw his daughter in a car after she was supposedly killed. He has spent three years looking for her, and slowly unravels the truth in this page-turner. Thank you Netgalley and publishers for providing an advanced digital copy for review. Highly recommend this one!

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the concept of this book a lot. I enjoyed ther supernatural element but the way that was ended was a little disappointing and confusing. I didn’t really see a relevance to the plot. I would recommend to thriller fans.

Was this review helpful?

Gripping is a great word used by others and I totally agree. The supernatural element was a bit much but I did enjoy it nevertheless.! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Was this review helpful?

The Other People is a gripping thriller with strong, atmospheric writing and a fast-pace. The plot is original and filled with plenty of twists and turns. This was a book unlike anything I've read before. There is a slight supernatural element, but it's easy enough to overlook. Highly recommended to readers who enjoy mysteries/thrillers.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this, this is a very different kind of thriller to me and a couple different twists in it. It has like an almost Mr. Robot spin to it and really makes you think.

Was this review helpful?

What I Loved: The first 90% of this book. I loved how the pieces slowly came together. I loved the premise of The Other People (referring to what this means in the book). I really enjoyed the connection of our two main characters. The writing was well done and I enjoy Tudor's pace.
-
What I did not: The supernatural aspect was extremely unnecessary. I know Tudor does this in all the books, but here it just was not needed. It added creepiness to the last book, but this one it was like a puzzle piece that you cannot figure out where it fits. It made the conclusion a bit disappointing.
-
For those: who want a good suspense/thriller and can overlook the supernatural aspect since it is small

Was this review helpful?

C.J. Tudor is another author to keep watch for. Her books are excellent and full of suspense. If you haven’t read The Chalk Man, do it now. I read it a while ago and greatly enjoyed that story.

The Other People is another thriller that will keep you reading for hours as you get sucked into the story! Once I got into the book, I didn’t want to put it down. Clear your schedule and make sure you have nothing going on when you begin this book because you’ll want to read the entire thing at once.

Synopsis:

Driving home one night, Gabe is stuck behind a rusty old car. He sees a little girl’s face appear in its 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 traveling up and down the highway, searching for the car that took his daughter, refusing to give up hope, even though most people believe she’s dead.

When the car that he saw escape with his little girl is found abandoned with a body inside, Gabe must confront not just the day Izzy disappeared but the painful events from his past now dredged to the surface.

This is a completely wild ride! There’s a bit of a supernatural element that I typically don’t love in books but it worked here. Its dark, its twisty, its thrilling, what’s not to love?

Coming to you on January 28, 2020.

Was this review helpful?

"There are many things you don’t consider about death. Especially bloody, violent death. For a start, you don’t consider that it will ever happen. Not to you. Not to someone you know. Not to someone you love."

Gabe is late but on his way home one evening when he thinks he sees his daughter Izzy in the back of an unknown car. He tried to follow the vehicle but it evades his pursuit. Shortly after he looses the vehicle he gets a phone call that will change his life. It’s the police and they have devastating news…his wife and daughter have been found dead at their house.

The Other People is told through different experiences and viewpoints a few years in the future. Gabe isn’t convinced his daughter is dead and is still seek for clues about her survival. Fran is on the run with her daughter Alice from unknown individuals. There is also a third point of view that is unknown. How do they all tie together? Who are the Other People? All those questions are answered as you progress through this confusing mystery novel.

I must be transparent that I didn’t care for C.J. Tudor’s debut novel, The Chalk Man. My expectations were high for that novel and I found myself overwhelmed. With The Other People I found myself asking WTF quite a few times. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on. I like that for a mystery novel but at times the novel just got too confusing. It has some big points it’s trying to make, especially at the end, and it fell a little flat for me. I did enjoy the ride Tudor took me on throughout the novel overall. I had a hard time putting it down. Once I got into the story it was hard to turn away. I kept wondering, what was going to happen next?

If you’re looking for a winter mystery to curl up with by the fire, consider getting a copy of The Other People. Thank you to Random House, Ballantine Books and Netgalley for an electronic copy of this book. Publishing date: January 28, 2020.

Was this review helpful?

I was thrilled to receive this ARC via Netgalley. C.J. Tudor is one of my go-to author's when I want a thriller that grabs me and draws me in from page one. As always, this was the case with The Other People as well. This author is one of the ones that I know I can depend on when I want to sit down for a few hours and blow through a highly engaging book. So not only do I urge you to check out this book upon it's release, make sure that you grab the previous novels as well.
This could be a cluster mess with the different voices and timelines weaved together with multiple POV, but it strung together in so many moving parts that all connect and draw you in. I wasn't lost or confused once, as can be the case with this type of writing.
It is super difficult to touch too much on the plot without giving it away but it is spooky and creepy with a heart wrenching family storyline that is absolutely a thriller waiting to be read
Gabe's daughter was stolen right before his very eyes and he watched her disappear. He will spend the rest of his days searching for her. Katie knows him and his daughter, more than he realizes. But Faye, she really knows the horrible truth. Follow these three as their stories weave together and will leave you shocked.

Was this review helpful?

what an amazing ride this book was! I read The Chalk Man before and was super excited that there was another book by the author. This book didn't disappoint. I hope more follow.

Was this review helpful?

So this one has a completely riveting opening. Man stuck in traffic sees his young daughter in the back of the car in front of him. She mouths "Daddy!" and then the car exits. He can't catch her, but when he gets home, finds out his daughter and his wife have been brutally murdered in their house. He simply can't believe his daughter is dead, and spends the next three years looking for the car. Gabe's story is the biggest piece of the plot. He meets a dubious character who offers to help him find the car, and you do really want to find out who this guy is and what he wants. Unfortunately the other two storylines that bob and weave through Gabe's narrative are just all over the place and a little confusing. I kept going because I really had faith that it was all going to come together at the end, but ultimately the ending felt rushed, with WAAAAY too many loose ends. I wanted more about the other people. For the title characters I thought they sort of got ignored. I do like how this author weaves realism with the supernatural, though, and I like her writing style. Overall, not bad, but not amazing, either.

Was this review helpful?

If only! Dang, as I drove the streets the Gabe, I kept thinking, if only…… It seemed that Gabe’s mind was finally concentrated on what should have been important many years ago but now, it seemed it was too late. If only he had done this or that, he might not be behind the wheel of the only thing that he feels he has left in this world, searching for an answer.

Alice grips the bag firmly as though it holds her life possessions. Never far from her side, Alice feels a deep connection to its contents. Fran is there for her, again. It’s Fran who helps Alice in her time of need yet I begin to question their story as something doesn’t feel right as the novel picks up speed.

It’s a job and it gives her money. Each shift that Katie works, is different. With the individuals who become frequent guests and those that are just passing through, they all make each day unique at the restaurant. Katie’s had her own share of problems over the year yet this frequent customer intrigues her. I wondered if Katie saw a part of herself in this man and that was why she became concerned with him. As he visits the establishment, Katie begins to wonders about this man and what has caused him to carry such a burden on his shoulder? Day-in and day-out, Katie notices how heartbroken this man is yet, she doesn’t reach out to him.
Leading their own lives, these individuals will merge eventually in this book. I liked how the three parts were laced together and how smoothly the book flowed. I kept thinking that I enjoyed one story over another one but I kept changing my mind on which story I enjoyed more. Each story was different and carried with it, different emotions.
I had a hard time putting this book down in different parts. You know it’s bad when you fall asleep and the iPad hits you in the face (I only wanted to finish the one section I was reading). There were a few parts that I raced to get through as events were building up.

These are the stories that get my adrenaline going. They put a smile on my face when I’m finished as I think about everything that transpired during the book and the ride that I took. It was a fun adventure and one that will stick in my mind for quite a while.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Was this review helpful?

Gabe is on his way home and stressed because he knows he's late (again) and he'll be walking into an argument when he gets home. His wife has asked him to promise to make it home on time at least once a week and he's failing miserably. His phone battery is just about dead and he's stuck in traffic. When he looks over at an old car covered in bumper stickers he notices a tiny face looking out the window at him. A face that looks exactly like like his daughter Izzy. Suddenly a hand appears from the front and pushes the little girl's face down. Gabe attempts to follow the car, but he loses it and can't catch sight of it again. When he arrives to his house he is met with the devastating news that both his wife and daughter have been murdered and he is the prime suspect. No one believes him when he says that he has just seen his daughter and he knows that she's alive.

Fast forward 3 years. Gabe had a solid alibi and was cleared of the murders, however he is the only one who still believes Izzy is alive. He has dedicated his life to finding her, searching day and night, carrying flyers, questioning people, driving up and down the same stretch of road where he last saw her. At one of his coffee stops he always has the same waitress, Katie, who has her own troubling family past.

Fran and her daughter Alice are on the run. Constantly looking over their shoulders and picking everything up in an instant and leaving when necessary. Fran won't tell Alice exactly what they're running from, but Alice has a plan in place in case everything falls apart.

I was so excited to see a new book by CJ Tudor coming out. I've read The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place and enjoyed both of them. This book was my least favorite of the three. I think the author had a lot of great ideas but they were too disjointed to hold my interest. Everything kind of came together at the end and there was a bit of a twist, but I was too confused as I was reading it. Tudor sprinkled in some supernatural aspects, but I think it took away from the story and probably confused me even more. I'm looking forward to her next book, but would probably steer clear of this one.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed C. J. Tudor's other books and expected THE OTHER PEOPLE to be a little more Horror-like even though they are marketing it as a Mystery/Thriller. Well, it's definitely a Mystery, by not really a Thriller.

The story is convoluted and switches narrators and points of view a lot, which took some getting used too. The Other People aren't mentioned until almost halfway through and then they are never full explained besides being a type of vigilante website on the dark web. The writing is still really good, but the missing child story just seems overdone and wasn't interesting to me. There are some really good lines and it's still worth a read, but the ending was too neatly tied up and I was kinda bored throughout the story.

3 stars.

Was this review helpful?

A man refuses to believe his daughter was murdered along with his wife because he saw her in a car moments before receiving the news. Years later he is still searching and finds out about The Other People website.

This was a pretty typical thriller--fast read and the plot comes together nicely.

Was this review helpful?