A modern day Gothic mystery that will literally unearth a treasure trove of secrets and lies.
Anticipate the presence of deserted and desolate buildings with the walls festooned with Leviathan crosses, goat-heads, and pentagrams. …. chapels in disrepair with rotting and broken flooring and surrounded by a graveyard inhabited by tilted headstones with illegible
markings and partially covered with overgrown grass and brambles. …. and hauntings and apparitions. This is only a small portion of what’s to come on this fascinating journey.

Chapel Croft is a small hamlet in East Sussex, England which is steeped in a bloody history of martyrdom, mutilation, murder, suicide and the unexplained disappearance of two teenage girls. All events shrouded in secrets, lies and half-truths. In the sixteenth century, during the Marian Persecutions that took place during the reign of Queen Mary, eight villagers were burnt at the stake, for failure to renounce their Protestant faith. This included two girls, Maggie and Abigail who hid in the chapel. They were betrayed, and they were mutilated before being burnt.
Maggie’s eyes were put out, while Abigail was dismembered and beheaded. The town has continued to commemorate this senseless event by yearly placement of “stick dolls” at the base of the tall grey obelisk memorial that resides in the church graveyard. The villagers fashion these small partially burned stick figures in recognition of the two “Burning Girls”
Legend has it, that the ghostly apparitions haunt the chapel grounds. They appear to those in trouble. If you see the burning girls, something bad will befall you. The villagers hope that this yearly tribute will ward off the girl’s vengeful spirits.
To continue the ever present dark cloud over this community, thirty years ago, in May of 1990 two teenaged girls disappeared without at trace. Merry Lane and Joy Harris, were both aged 15 and the best of friends. There was a brief community outcry but no frenetic police search or dredging of the local rivers and streams. Without fanfare, it was presumed that they ran away. And, just weeks ago the local vicar hanged himself in the nave of the church. The motivation for the suicide was unknown, but multiple parishioners commented on his obsession with researching the history of the village. The search for an interim vicar to replace the recently departed Reverend Fletcher was short lived. Reverend Jack (Jacqueline) Brooks is encouraged to transfer from Nottingham with her 14 year old daughter, Flo, to fill the void.
Bishop Durkin recommends the transfer due to the “situation” with Ruby . Jack is being hounded and vilified in the press. “The priest with blood on her hands “…. assuming she didn’t
do enough to stop the beating, torture and death of “little” Ruby.

Jack and Flo arrive at the chapel site. It is small and in disrepair with a surrounding graveyard overgrown with grasses and populated by tilted and illegible headstones. They enter the tiny musty adjacent cottage. …. their new home? On the kitchen table is a package with Jack’s name on it and an attached rather melodramatic Bible verse. Jack opens this ‘present” only to find a leather case, outfitted with a leather-bound Bible, a heavy cross, holy water, strips of muslim cloth, a scalpel, and a serrated knife with several rust brown stains on the blade. Flo queries her “mum” what is that? Jack states , rather simply, it is an exorcism kit.
C.J. Tudor, a masterful storyteller, unwinds a devilishly twisted narrative with elegant prose and characterization of the supporting cast. As Jack is pushed into her own investigation of the intricate events surrounding the history of Chapel Croft, multiple reveals and unexpected secrets and lies are divulged. I cannot avoid presenting a representative cinematic sequence
In the story, that nicely illustrates Tudor’s power and imagery. The following scene represents Jack’s initial presentation to her congregation …. “Welcome every one. The figures in the chapel start to raise their heads. I see my husband, Jonathan. He is smiling, Even now, when his head is caved in one one side, and matted with blood and brain matter. Next to him is Ruby - her face is bruised and swollen from where they beat her with their fists, boots, and even her own wooden toys. I feel something brushing the top of my head, I look up and Reverend Fletcher hangs from the balcony above me, feet twitching in a macabre death dance. I bite back a scream. Two figures rise from their pew and begin to shuffle down the center of the aisle toward me. Halfway down, they burst into flames. …. Mum, wake up!” ( Just a pleasant dream heralding the upcoming calamity of discovery ). Interspersed between the chapters narrated by Flo and Jack , are those relating events through the eyes of Merry and Joy and an unknown man. He has been released from prison and is making a pilgrimage to meet up with Jack … leaving in his wake a path of death and destruction.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House / Ballantine Books for supplying an Uncorrected Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review. Be prepared to be thoroughly entertained along this twisted and creepy tale, that is destined to be a modern classic.

As usual I was once again creeped out, scared, and thoroughly entertained by C.J. Tudor's newest book, The Burning Girls. My goodness, that girl sure knows how to keep the spookiness going and creating a story that has all the things I love in my thrillers.

Welcome to Chapel Croft and interesting little town where their claim to fame is the killing of eight Protestant martyrs five hundred years ago. To this denizen of volatile happenings, comes Reverend Jack Brooks and her daughter Flo, assigned to Chapel Croft to fill a gap left by the suicide of the former reverend. They have their work cut out for them for they are the newbies in town, who themselves bear some dark secrets. To add to the mixture, there is also a creepy stalker out to find them having been just sprung from prison.

Things get spookier when facts present themselves. Two young girls went missing some thirty years ago, an exorcism kit turns up plus bloody girl "welcomes" them to the community. Who can forget the very strange young man cozying up to Flo, or the creepy suspicious parishioners who round out a team of chilling participants in a story that keeps the heat on until the last page is turned?

Jack's life is turning to the evil side as she is seeing things, burning girls, and also experiences ominous nightmares. Flo seems also to be chased by the evil that seems to be prevalent in the town and the church. There are uncanny things afoot and though the theme is frightening, the actual cruelty of some of the young characters is what really is eerie.

There is a plethora for the reader to think about, and as usual Ms Tudor hits us with the one two punch, this reader has come to love. I was so looking forward to this book and happy to say, I was not disappointed in the presentation, the writing, and the aura that this author masterfully creates.

So grab this one when it comes out on February 9, 2021. You will not be disappointed.
Thank you to C.J.Tudor, (keep them coming girl), Random House Publishing, and Netgalley for a copy of this stay up all night until your eyes bug out) thriller.

The Burning Girls is Chilling, horrifying, tense, and twisted. This story goes way back to an event that happened many many years ago, about five hundred years ago. Where two girls were burned at the stake. The story is of a vicar and her daughter that relocated after a previous incident, a tragic accident, in her previous diocese. Neither one is happy but they are willing to try. When they hear what happened to the previous vicar the daughter starts to see visions of the burning girls. Is she in danger...
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

CJ Tudor has done it again! If you enjoy historical fiction and supernatural thrillers you will certainly enjoy this. Started a little slow at the beginning but picked up the pace and leaves you wanting more! Excellent book and if you have read her other books you will certainly enjoy this one!

The Reverend Jack turns parishioner expectations on their head by simply being a woman. She and her daughter are exiled in a small community following a tragedy in which Jack was involved. There are plenty of troubles in the new community, too. Twisty, dark, and suspenseful, this kept me guessing right up to the end.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Rev Jack Brooks is reassigned to a new a parish, supposedly haunted by the ghosts of martyrs burned at the stake over 500 years ago. The town is also the site where 2 local girls went missing many years ago. And the stage is set for the new thriller from CJ Tudor, and this is another slam dunk by the author. Creepy vibes, interesting characters, really sharp and witty dialogue (especially from teenage daughter Flo) and a great plot that will require a trip to the chiropractor to untangle all the twists. Absolutely 5 stars! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great little thriller with excellent twists. The characters are solid and feel very real, and the tensions supernatural belief and modern religion, parent-child love and romantic love, and secret-keeping and the duty to reveal truths are all compelling and create a welcome complexity to the story. If you like folklore, history, mystery, and/or coming of age stories, this is the book for you.

Awesome complex thriller. Big creepy vibes made the pages turn faster with the lights on. Another fantastic multi layered book!!

I just have to come right out and say that I loved this novel. C.J. Tudor's previous mysteries were fabulous, but The Burning Girls is on an entirely different level. Even the most seasoned reader of mysteries will not see the final twists coming. In fact, the final third of the novel kept me up until 1:30am. I really connected with Jack and Flo; the character development was spot on and all the various threads came together in unexpected, but very clever ways. I highly recommend The Burning Girls to anyone that loves a good mystery, enjoys a bit of English history, and is captivated by the exploration of quirky characters.

A bit predictable but still a good read. Twisted plot and engrossing story. Perfect for taking your mind off of current world events.

C.J. Tudor treads the line of thriller and horror in each and every book. This one involves a small village in which vicar Jack and her daughter Flo move to that houses the history of the burning girls. But that's not it's only secret. Jack is given an exorcism kit early on, but why? Flo becomes friends with an outcast boy who shows her some of the mysteries of the village and dangerous things happen every time they get together.
There were surprises in almost every chapter. CJ Tudor is a name I look for now in mysteries and thrillers and would recommend to patrons and friends looking for a scary thriller.

This started off as slow burn but ended at a frenetic pace. Tudor varies the length in chapters to correspond with the pace of the plot (i.e. long chapters at the beginning and short chapters at the end.) I had a little trouble keeping track of all the characters, especially all the different religious characters. I also felt like there was a bit too much going on at the end. There were several shocking twists but I think that there actually could’ve been less and it would’ve been more impactful. I’ll admit that I was a little confused at the end and I was getting characters mixed up. With that said, this was an excellent thriller and I was completely blown away by the twists.

(Hmm, still mulling over this one. I have to preface this with the caveat that I don’t tend to read many mysteries/thrillers, let alone enjoy them. I like branching out into other genres beyond my comfort zone, though, and this was a solid thriller-y read.)

Reverend Jack Brooks and her teenage daughter Flo arrive in a small village in Sussex that has long been haunted by deaths and disappearances. They both become embroiled in the local lore, which involves 500 year old martyrs reappearing as ghosts, the previous vicar’s suspicious death, and the decades-old unsolved case of missing teenage girls. Jack’s relationship with Flo is at the center of this story, which fuels much of the action. The two get along well, but sometimes struggle with truth and honesty. I enjoyed their dynamic, especially as we get to see events unfold from both of their perspectives as the book carries on. Some of the other village residents are intriguing — the local journalists were my personal favorites.

This was a twist-filled story, which may have had a stronger impact on me if I hadn’t guessed many of them along the way. But even after solving some of the mysteries, I kept reading, as I was interested and invested in the story and (especially) the characters. However, I wanted to know how the pieces I thought I had figured out fit together, and yet the resolution wasn’t entirely satisfying to me.

2.5/5: A small-town English mystery with some intense religious (Anglican) themes and an interesting cast of characters. Mystery fans should enjoy this one; it didn’t connect to me as much as I wanted it to, but I can see this being a popular pick. If nothing else, it is compulsively readable!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The greatest gift the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." - The Usual Suspects

This book started slowly for me, and I found myself wondering what all the hype was about, but as I kept reading, I quickly realized what all the hype was about. This book will slowly creep up on you, tap you on the shoulder, and grab your attention and give you the creeps all at the same time. So, what I am saying is, if this book begins slowly for you, hang in there because the proverbial you-know-what is about to hit the fan.

Five hundred years ago in Chapel Croft, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake. Thirty years ago, in Chapel Croft, two teenage girls vanished without a trace. Two months ago, the local vicar killed himself.

Vicar Jack Brooks, a single mother of a fourteen-year-old daughter arrives in Chapel Croft hoping to make a fresh start. She is welcomed by an old exorcism kit and an interesting bunch of parishioners. Some welcoming, some guarded, some are downright hostile. Soon Jack's daughter Flo begins to have sightings...

If you think you know where this book is heading, think again. I love that I couldn't quite figure this book out but looking back there were several red herrings that upon finishing, I thought "of course" but hindsight is 20/20 as they say.

I really enjoyed how this book unfolded. She slowly built her story which was multilayered and then when the end was near, she had me on a roller coaster ride of twists, turns, and revelations. Notice I said revelations as there was more than one big reveal. Whew! C.J. Tudor has done it again and proved that she is a master storyteller.

Well written, well thought out, creepy with mounting tension and suspense. The Burning Girls does not disappoint.

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

C.J. Tudor has been on my auto-read list since The Chalk Man, so I was delighted to read this new novel early. Tudor knows how to write a fantastic thriller and this book is no different. If you liked Tudor with The Chalk Man, you'll definitely love this one.

Well, now.......

The Burning Girls is like a leather sack filled with crinkled, numbered envelopes. You follow along tearing into each one, number by number, only to have your head spinning in a completely different direction than the previous envelope's reveal. Maddening mayhem of the best kind.

C.J. Tudor introduces us to Reverend Jack Brooks, a vicar currently residing in a Nottingham parish with her teenage daughter Flo. (Flo is gonna steal your heart away in this one.) Bishop Durkin calls Jack in and informs her that she will serve as the interim vicar at Chapel Croft in Sussex. Juast as she begins to object, the bishop reminds her of some unfortunate business in Jack's former parish at St. Anne's. She concedes quickly to the move. Hmmm.......(I can hear that first envelop ripping open.)

Chapel Croft is in deplorable condition and Jack and Flo's cottage is seedy beyond words. We meet Reverend Rushton who fills them in on the history of the parish. It seems that Queen Mary in 1556 had a penchant for purging the land of Protestants by having them burned at the stake. There were six martyrs burned on the church grounds with two being young girls. The parish built a monument to them and continues to leave strange little twig figures in commemoration. If you see the girls, you may be in danger. Shuffling another envelope.

Now Reverend Jack is not your typical vicar bursting into Bible verses and sacred hymns. She's down-to-earth, painfully human, made a lot of mistakes kind of clergywoman. She exists in the uncertain world of raising a fifteen year old who is strong-willed and filled with wanderlust. But as we shuffle those envelopes, we will slowly come to realize that Jack has some deeply held secrets that she wills not to come to the surface.

And Chapel Croft is infused with its own secrets held for centuries and some more in line with the present. There were two young girls who disappeared in 1990 from the village never to be found. And the vicar who preceded Jack met with an awful fate. Jack is now caught between a rock and a hard place. Not much wiggle room here for her as we squirm while the storyline will take on quite a macabre tone leaning in on some darkly painted horror.

C.J. Tudor's style is changing more into a Stephen Kingish (Is that a word?) flavor than her original books. Her talent allows her to dip a toe into different genres. She's really hit a high note with her mother/daughter relationship in The Burning Girls. The dialogue is genuine and filled with snappy comebacks and humor. C.J. Tudor is a pro when it comes to her characterizations. As we've come to learn in general, if a storyline is not peopled with the right people, it goes nowhere. Never a problem in the hands of the superb C.J. Tudor.

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

What happens when the new priest takes over a parish that might be haunted? This was a good one. Anything by CJ Tudor is something I want to read. This one was creepy and twisty with a true surprise ending. Completely didn't see it coming.

Tudor's best yet!

The Burning Girls holds a hint of historical fiction while blending in some horror, thriller, and even paranormal elements. I loved it.

There were plenty of unexpected twists in the story. Though I picked up on one of the major mysteries pretty early on, it was interesting enough to see how the discovery would play out with the other characters.

It the most wonderful time of the year! CJ Tudor and her amazing publishers have begun to bless this hellish world with none other than ARCs for a 2021 release. And I am one lucky DOB (SOB but with daughter) because these publishers offer me Read Now rights since I’ve been hooked on this beautiful broad since her debut. While I absolutely am taken with her writing and storytelling, I can admit that not all have been as top tier as The Chalk Man. Yet I’ve never finished one of her stories disappointed or outright guessed the storyline. For that, I have to give all the praise because thrillers can be down right predictable. But my girl keeps it fresh with her twists and a pinch of super natural.

First, I don’t even bother reading synopsis for Tudor’s books because why? If this woman is producing words, I am reading them. Therefore, if you chumps want a rundown of this story, read it by the best woman for the job: CJ Tudor.

So let’s now get into the good and the bad of this story.

The Good. Lately, I’ve not been jiving well with my narrators and or protagonists. I was happy to find that I could easily connect with Jack (Mom) and Flo (teenage daughter). They are both likable. Jack being a vicar gives a fresh perspective to the career with a side of sass. But she is a Godly woman so she keeps the sarcasm to herself. Which was incredibly relatable. Flo on the other hand is a teenager which I find can be hit and miss when it comes to my level of patience with the age range. But Flo was incredibly likable. She was written well without the extra angst and whine that go along with the teenage stereotypes readers encounter.

Tudor also did readers a service by including a variety of characters. One of the greatest mistakes thriller writers can make is not including a range wide enough to keep readers guessing as to “whodunit?” This is something that I really appreciate simply because knowing the culprit takes away the fun of the twist. Speaking of twist. I truly enjoyed the ending. I saw parts of the first big omission coming but the further unload was quite a treat.

The Meh. I am going to shoot you straight right now. This story was never boring to me. I felt entertained and invested. But I also could say I felt a bit meh about it until the end. It was hard to tell a bit where the focus was heading initially. We get a true thriller taste with our third narrator and other little tidbits. But the super natural element was included pretty early on in numerous ways. But that just sort of faded with a brief explanation in the end.

I also feel like CJ Tudor brushed off some other explanations. We very briefly figure out our third narrator at the end. But I will admit that I wasn’t completely satisfied with the explanation. It felt breezed through and incomplete to me. I would call it a half-ass explanation. I know more than I did but it feels like some huge chunks are still missing and I desperately need to understand. Additionally, I’ve felt like Tudor did this in her last novel The Other People. She is telling these stories with small stories on the side. While it is entertaining, I feel as if I wanted that smaller story more than the story told. Does that make sense?

Overall, I am going to give this story a 3.5 star rating rounded down to 3 stars.

I am straight up going to admit that I felt so strongly about her debut that I secretly feel as if I’ll never get that high again. But I am here for her mind and writing. She is a talent that is here to stay and made a name for herself from the get. My kind of gal.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the read!