Two words: Holy. Crap. Earlier in the year I read The Chalk Man, also by CJ Tudor, it was heavily touted as being so amazing, but I wasn’t as enthralled as most. Still, I decided to go on a limb and give Tudor another go. Am I ever glad that I did. This book is quite possibly the top book of 2020 I’ve read.

So mysterious and creepy, and keeps you guessing. It’s everything you want in a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

C.J. Tudor is one of my favorite authors so I was extremely excited when I got a chance to read this book before its release date. I love mystery/horror books that keep me guessing and this one did just that. Missing girls, exorcisms, priests, killer on the loose... this book had it all.
The background story of her brother was so good. I wish there was more on him but I think if there was, it would have taken away from the mystery surrounding him.
Overall, I was very impressed, as always, by this author and will continue to recommend his books.

Mysteries are my favorite genre but it’s the rare mystery that I award five stars. That’s because very few dive deep and have me thinking about more than the whodunit. So, kudos to CJ Tudor for achieving exactly that.

Some books start with a slow boil. And others start with a bang. This one is in the latter camp. Reverend Jack Brooks is forced to change her assignment after something goes wrong in her inner city parish. She’s sent to a small parish in the country, whose last minister committed suicide. The parish’s history also includes the burning of eight Protestants back during Queen Mary’s reign five hundred years ago.
Tudor writes an engaging, tension filled story. I appreciated her descriptive ability. “You can never leave your past behind you. It trails at your heels like a faithful old dog, refusing to leave you. And sometimes, it bites your arse.”
I really enjoyed Jack - her attitude, her philosophy about religion and motherhood. She’s got a dry sense of humor. Flo is an equally appealing character and I enjoyed the chapters alternating between the two. Tudor uses others, not just Jack, to express various thoughts on religion. There’s quite a bit of philosophy to this book and I found myself highlighting whole paragraphs.
There is a supernatural/horror subtheme to this book with ghosts making appearances. Normally, that would turn me off but not here. Jack’s backstory also factors into the current story. I didn't see any of the twists coming and was totally surprised by the ending.
My thanks to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

This is the third book I have read by C.J. Tudor, and she keeps getting better with every book. This book centers around a vicar named Jack (female) and her daughter Flo's placement in the remote countryside. The reader would think that the countryside would be peaceful and serene, but as the saying goes never judge a book by its cover. The village where Jack is placed is full of history (none of which is good) and secrets. Jack is welcomed to the village with an exorcism kit from someone anonymous. Thus begins the spook-filled ride that is The Burning Girls. Will Jack and Flo uncover all of the secrets and solve the long unresolved mystery of two missing girls? One must read to find out. C.J. Tudor has done a phenomenol job with The Burning Girls which is so much more than a psychological thriller, horror book. She brought in English History along with a touch of the "conventional" role of women in today's society. This book ends with a twist that even the most seasoned reader will not see coming. Strong 5/5 Stars!

I’m not big on any book where the occult or demonic type stuff is involved. So I was preparing myself to be okay with not finishing this one. Only reviews and chatter got me to pick it up in first place.

Nope, sucked me in from the start. AND aside from the fact that Jack is a vicar, the religious elements were nil.

The entire thing had great pacing. Never did I feel the urge to skim. I loved Jacks character, Flo was described perfectly as a moody teen, the town characters were great. I kept thinking, is the gonna go all Scooby Doo on me? “And I would’ve gotten away with it I too if it weren’t for you meddling kids”?

Luckily, the author didn’t go that route. I did NOT see that ending coming, so that was fun. One thing that did kind of irk me was the Jacob character a little too absent..til the last 1/4 of book. Tell me more about that guy.

And whoa...Jack. Complex character that one is.

Pleasantly surprised with this one!

Great quote:
“Or perhaps all adults feel like that at times. Like we’re just playing at being grown-up, but inside we’re still children, shuffling around in oversized clothes, wishing someone would tell us that monsters don’t exist.”

Bewitching, Spooky, and Suspenseful!

Jack Brooks is the new Vicar in Chapel Croft. She and her daughter Flo are new in town. Unfortunately for them, Chapel Croft has a history, and the community itself isn’t exactly welcoming.

What is the town known for, you ask? Exorcisms; Burning Girls; Martyrs; Missing Girls; and Murder.

Not exactly homey, if I do say so myself.

Upon moving into the cottage next to the Chapel, both Jack and Flo find themselves in danger, and neither is willing to admit it to the other.

Tsk tsk. Big Mistake! Huge, in Fact.

Ghosts of burning girls appear. Is it a trick of the eye? Most of the townsfolk act nice. Can they be trusted? Long kept secrets are discovered. What pray tell does it all mean?

The devil, my friends, is in the details.

Atmospheric, Dark, and Wholly Entertaining.

A brilliantly plotted, taut, character-driven suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. “The Burning Girls” is yet another winner by C.J. Tudor, who continues to impress me and give a nod to one of her (and my) favorite authors, Stephen King. 4.25 Stars

A huge thank you goes out to Kathleen Quinlan at Random House Publishing and NetGalley, for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 12.27.20.

A female vicar finds herself moved to a small town that has a bunch of secrets. Jack has uprooted her daughter, Flo, to the small town of Chapel Croft, where the only claim to fame was protestant martyrs burned at the stake. Stories of hauntings of the "Burning Girls" have been told, and Flo, a bit of a goth, is drawn to the cemetery near their home, eventually meeting a teen boy who also is a bit of a goth and two of the local students who start bullying her. And then Flo sees the Burning Girls, who as legend has it, show up when someone is in danger. Why would Flo be in danger? Meanwhile, Jack is learning how insular small towns are, and how far some will go to protect family secrets.

There are so many twists and turns in this book that once the reader thinks they have it figured out, they are wrong. It will keep you on your toes and up all night to finish the last page!

Single mom Rev. Jack Brooks and her teenage daughter Flo move to a small village in the English countryside, where Jack will be the new Vicar. But it soon becomes clear Chapel Croft is far from the idyllic peaceful village they were expecting. The town’s inhabitants are a quirky bunch and don’t give them the warmest of welcomes.

The village has a dark history involving the Sussex martyrs who were burned at the stake, the unsolved disappearance of two young girls 30 years ago, and the unexpected death of the previous Vicar. The spooky church and an exorcism kit complete with a dire warning complete the picture. Things turn even more ominous when Jack begins to experience strange dreams and Flo sees visions of the burning girls, said to be a harbinger of bad things to come. When the story takes off, the twists and revelations come fast and furious.

But what I loved the most about this story were the characters. Jack is a bit of an unconventional vicar, with a unique viewpoint for a woman of the cloth and lends out practical advice and wisdom to the villagers, along with acceptance and understanding. But not in a ‘holier-than-thou’ way, more of a ‘aren’t you a cool vicar’ way.

Tudor also nails the mother-daughter relationship. Flo is a good kid, an amateur photographer, but also a normal teenager, meaning she sometimes makes stupid decisions, and Jack handles it with love & skill.

If I have any complaints it’s that I would have preferred fewer points of view and chapter headings to indicate whose POV I was reading. The ending required a bit of suspension of disbelief but I expect that with this genre, and the journey to that point was so engaging I was able to look beyond it.

C.J. Tudor is a master storyteller who weaves a delicious tale with subtle humor and wisdom, and the usual nod to Stephen King. I highlighted. A lot. Kudos to the author for completely surprising me with her ending – I didn’t see it coming. But looking back through my highlights I realized the breadcrumbs were there all along. Well-done!

Reverend Jack Brooks is uses to the reactions she gets when meeting someone for the first time and they realize that their new vicar is a woman. After an incident at her church leads to unwanted media attention, she and her daughter, Flo move to a run down church in the tiny village of Chapel Croft. When they first arrive they are met with a series of events that does not bode well for their new home, small straw figures the locals call “Burning Girls” left on their porch, a blood soaked child, an exorcism kit delivered and the new that the previous bicarbonate had hung himself in her new church. Both Jack and Flo try to reach out to people in the village but are met suspicion, hostility and a mystery in which two young girls disappeared. They also begin seeing eerie apparitions of girls burning and are told that they only appear as a warning. This small town is hiding more than one secret and they do not know who to trust.
As Jack tries to keep them both safe there is a recently released prisoner making his way towards her.
C.J. Tudor is an author that continues to improve. While I enjoyed “ The Other People”
I feel this is even better. Jack and her daughter are both great characters. While I felt there were several clues dropped that gave away a villain, there was also a surprising twist that o did not anticipate. This author has firmly planted herself in the realms of must reads.
Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhousepublishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.
This will be released on February 9, 2021 but would be a great gift if you pre-order it now.

Great book! So many good twists and turns. All the different moving pieces required quite a bit of focus but everything was very satisfyingly resolved. In my opinion this is Tudor’s best book yet! Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for granting access to this book in exchange for an honest review. I will post this review tomorrow to my Bookstagram and companion Facebook page @thatreadingrealtor.

I was so excited to see that CJ Tudor had a new book out as I loved the previous 3 books I read of hers. This one left me feeling uneasy. Reverend Jack Brooks and his 15 year old daughter moved to Chapel Croft where he finds lots of secrets over the last 500 years. For me, I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters and I had a hard time following the storyline. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

You would think this would be a nice safe position to be placed in for a young priest, a vicar in a small hamlet outside of Nottingham but this turns out to not be the case. Jack (Jacqueline) Brooks has been sent to Castle Croft to replace a former priest.

Once a year, the hamlet celebrates a special day to honor the memory of eight missing women burned at the stake during Queen Mary’s purge of Protestants from 1553 to 1558. The martyrs are represented by twig figures which are set ablaze during the celebration.

May 24, 1990 (two) fifteen year-old girls disappear from the area. Half-hearted searches turn up nothing and the community considers them runaways. The mystery continues but the search ceases. Tough place to become the new Vicar, particularly for a female priest.

The characters are well developed and believable. Jack has been blessed with a fifteen year old daughter named Flo. Mother and daughter have a tumultuous relationship as so many do. Flo is a fairly free spirit and is not the least bit happy with coming to this hamlet from Nottingham and leaving all of her friends.

There is no part of this book that moves slow! I am reminded of the young girls who go into the barn in the “Chainsaw Massacre.” You would think they would learn from some of the gruesome stories and tales of killings in those places. And the grave yard outside of the chapel at Chapel Croft adds the macabre to the setting. A rational person would avoid the location like a plague. The locals guard all of the towns’ secrets jealously. A dark and chilling suspense thriller nee horror. Can the vicar solve the mystery of the disappearance of the girls? 5 stars – CE Williams

C.J. Tudor is an extremely talented female author, as she has shown us in her previously published novels already. In the same manner, The Burning Girls certainly does not disappoint. It is a literal page turner, that has more twists than a roller coaster. I often find myself already knowing what will happen in mystery books, but in this case I was absolutely clueless all the way to the end.

I was a bit hesitant about the main character being a reverend at first. I’m not a religious person, and I don’t enjoy overly religious books either. But in this case Tudor did a superb job keeping it subtle, and when religious points arose, she handled it amazingly well. She actually handled it so well that she has now become an auto-read author for me!

Thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the review copy.

A story that follows a vicar and her daughter who move to a new town with a creepy history - missing girls, martyrs, and the "burning girls" which is a creepy back story similar to witch trials. This book started off with so many different story lines, all creepy and suspicious. The author was able to connect them perfectly and the ending was great. A creepy read that had me reading under a blanket late into the night. I always enjoy this author. Check out "The Burning Girls" on sale February 9, 2021.

Thank you Netgalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I finished this last night right before bed and literally had a nightmare very clearly inspired by this book. Thanks, CJ Tudor.

This one is quite the page turner, the build up is amazing. I was nervous going in because I don't really like religious-heavy reads, but it was definitely not what I thought it was going to be. Tons of suspense, plenty of interesting characters, and a rich history to uncover.

CJ Tudor does an excellent job of alternating points of view to give you different bits and pieces of the story until it all comes together in a climactic ending. Tudor's books will always be put on my to-be-read list.

If you're into mystery/thriller/whodunnit, I think you would like this book. This is a tiny bit scarier than previous CJ Tudor novels I've read. There are elements of horror that I didn't expect, but very much enjoyed.

Happy reading!

"A vicar with blood on her hands"..

After a scandal arises at her church, Reverend Jack Brooks is sent to the small town of Chapel Croft to serve, and to say the least, her and her teenage daughter Flo are not warmly welcomed. The house is crumbling, the chapel is decrepit, and soon after their arrival Jack receives an eerie exorcism kit and a scripted warning.

That's not all that's wrong with Chapel Croft though. The town has a sordid history revolving around a tradition of the Burning Girls, and martyrs burnt at the stake, oh, and teenage girls going missing..

As if this one couldn't get any creepier, there are subsidiary chapters about a man recently released from prison whom Jack would prefer never to see again.

CJ Tudor never disappoints me! This is a totally creepy, nail-biting, and twisty read! I loved the big finale in this one, so even if you happen to find yourself struggling thought it, (although I don't think you will), it's worth it for the big reveal.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for this ARC! Set to come out in February 2021!

I was given a copy of this novel by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of C.J. Tudor. I've read everything the author has published. I was eager to get a copy of this arc when I saw it. I had no clue what the novel was about and I jumped straight in.

Tudor has a writing style that I just love. Her chapters are short and you just keep wanting more. I read this very quickly. I loved the topic. Burning girls, exorcisms, moving to a tiny English village with a past that was clouded in mystery. All good stuff. At times this book kind of reminded me a little be of watching Grantchester with vicars and mysteries. I enjoyed all of the povs.

I should have loved everything about this book. My only issue is that I figured out almost every twist early.on. I don't know if that is because it was obvious or if I've read the author so much I just pick up on things. So I'm stuck somewhere between a 3 and 4. I'd still recommend the book to fans of thrillers with horror elements (my favorite) but not Tudors best work. But that being said much better than a lot of other authors out there. I'll still continue to read everything Tudor comes out with.

3.5

C.J. Tudor is one of my favorite authors! Ever since I read her debut I've been anxiously awaiting her next release and this one (like the rest) did not disappoint! This is a nail biting, pull out your hair kind of read. One that you'll be anxiously flipping the pages but wanting to slow down reading so you don't finish it too soon! I loved it so much!

It's not often that I read a mystery/thriller where I'm so caught off guard by the ending, that after finishing, I immediately feel the need to reread the novel to see if I could have possibly predicted where it was going.

Instead of doing that, I will be picking up other C.J. Tudor novels.

A chilling gothic noir that has a deep rooted flair for the paranormal and the darker arts. The storyline plunges readers into the sinister and downright gruesome past of a village while intertwining mysteries of the present. A fantastic, creepy read with formidable characters. #keepthelightson


Thank you to #NetGalley and #BallantineBooks for the ARC of #BurningGirls. Reviews posted by Wayward Readers Book Blog are from publications read voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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