Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview of The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor. Like the Chalk Man, Tudor has a way to mix up the supernatural, mystery, suspense, and a current vibe that gets you biting your nails as you turn each page.
A young priest, Jack Brooks, is moved to a new parrish - Jack's a woman on top of everything, a mom of a teenage girl, and lots of secrets. She goes to this new church because of a recent incident which is revealed slowly.
Upon arriving, Jack starts to feel like something is off - there's the story of two missing girls, strange visions, and an aura of unrest - and she starts to realize that something is wrong at this parrish.
This is written in several POV's and that gets into your head - and you can't help but feel something is gonna happen.....
Worlds converge and secrets revealed in this startling new novel by Tudo.
5 stars.

There she goes, C.J. Tudor, proving once again while she’s one of the best (and personal favorite) genre writers working today. It takes a lot to stand out in the ubiquitous and often all too homogenous sea of sameness that is the female driven female authored thriller genre. And time and time again Tudor does just that. From her terrific writing to her liberal infusions of horrific elements into the traditional thriller scenarios, her books never disappoint. This one, in fact, is almost free of the supernatural, but it’s spooky all the same, making it a choice read for October, among other things. The basic set up here is very much along the lines of a proper scary story…Reverend Jack Brooks gets assigned a vicarage position in a small village of Chapel Croft, a place made sleepy by tradition and creepy by design. Or maybe it’s the other way around, At any rate, Chapel Croft is exactly one of those fictional locations where the outside quaintness hides the inner ugliness and dark secrets of the past bind the locals together too tightly with convention and ritual. That’s what the title’s all about, actually, Burning Girls is a local ritual, creepy witchy twig dollies made yearly to honor the villagers who were burned by Queen Mary in her brief but dedicated purge of Protestants and subsequently martyred reverentially by the locals. Two of the local girls burned then. And two of the local girls disappeared 30 years ago. Connected or not, it’s disturbing. But Jack won’t let it stand in the way of trying this new life and Jack’s teenage daughter is determined to give it a go too. Because for one thing, Jack isn’t your typical vicar, Jack isn’t even a he. Aha, gender reveal to throw you for a loop, right there, chapter one material. Not the first and not the craziest of the plot twists throughout this novel. So while we the readers get to know Jack, a woman of dark past and many secrets, Jack does her best to get to know what’s going on around her. Especially, once the bodies start turning up. Old buried bodies that nevertheless require explanations. Local mysteries hushed up for generations are up for solving and the solutions are a doozy. Seriously. I read so many thriller and so many of them are entirely too obvious or just obvious enough to be frustrating at the waste of potential. It is such a delight to read a thriller and not know what’s going on until the very end. I mean, in retrospect, Tudor hints at it once in the book, but it’s so awesomely not obvious, that the reveal completely retains it’s wow/wtf factor. So all in all, it’s just a great book, with terrific characters, intricate plotting, excellent memorable lead and absolutely delicious plot twists. Dark psychological thriller at its finest. Loved it. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Exorcisms, missing girls, questionable suicides, martyrs burned at the stake, literal skeletons showing up at every turn and a smoking-cursing-badass-female-priest--SIGN ME UP. The Burning Girls had nearly all of my favorite elements in a book, along with an extremely tight and well written plot. I devoured this book in two days and couldn't put it down until I finished. Having read and loved two of C.J. Tudor's previous novels (The Chalk Man and The Other People) I had really high expectations, all of which were far exceeded. One thing that Tudor absolutely excels at is simultaneously telling multiple storylines, bringing them all together beautifully at the end. I did NOT see that final twist coming. I also really loved the subtle social commentary that Tudor interwove into Reverend Jack Brooks' priesthood. Jack gave (much needed during these current times) a fresh perspective on so-called controversial Christian lifestyle views including homosexuality, pre-marital sex, domestic violence, and blasphemy. At one point she talks about the Old Testament being "crap" and focusing instead on Jesus' message of love love love. Don't get me wrong this book is a far cry from Christian fiction (not my cup of tea anyway) but I appreciated the overarching themes of love and acceptance. It was a nice complement to the demons, blood, bodily fluids, and jackass men that flooded this book (in truly the best way possible!)
Excellent, heart racing, thriller. I can't wait for more from this author.

Many thanks to Random House Publishing, Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy of this title!

I quite enjoyed The Burning Girls and it was perfect timing for me to dig in- being near Halloween and all. I loved that C.J. Tudor went there, didn’t shy away from really describing the horror parts in this book. The creepy bits, the bullying, the gross stuff. It really enhances the fear factor and this world can be cruel, it felt plausible to me. The vicar didn’t feel overly priestly to me, which I liked, it made them seem more like a regular Joe (or Jack in this case) and not overly religious, I suppose. And I liked the setting. Small town with a tragic history, creepy chapel and graveyard, yes please! Bonus points for the twig dolls, ghostly sightings, and satanic symbols, really upped the spooky factor.
We’re told the story from both Jack and Flo’s pov, with a couple of bonuses thrown in, and they’re not defined, but I had no trouble knowing who’s head I was in from chapter to chapter. The story sucked me in, I wanted to keep going and not put it down. I was never bored. I love the way C.J. Tudor tells a story. It felt fast paced and I read it rather quickly.
This is the first story in a long, long time, I wrote notes for as I was going and that is because I was playing detective and I felt like I was on to something! Discloser- I never figure out what is going on in a mystery/thriller. Never. I never know who “done it”, try as I might. And I don’t try overly hard. I’m easily swept up with a story, as I was in this one, and don’t dwell on these things. But, I have to say I felt it was obvious and came together too easily. I can’t even say I’m terribly disappointed because I was so thrilled I got it right! Granted, I didn’t get every minuscule detail right on, but enough to not be shocked by the ending.
What I would’ve liked more of, was something to give this story more of a punch. I would’ve loved the history expanded on more, with the martyrs or the exorcisms, or even the paranormal happenings. Familial happenings, something. I just was missing something that would’ve given it the edge I was hoping for. Thanks to Netgalley and Random House publishing for an arc of this book.

When I was offered the chance to read this advanced copy I grabbed it, sight unseen, as quickly as I could. CJ Tudor has become one of my favorite authors and this book didn't disappoint. I found myself falling into this new read like sitting down with an old friend. It's easy and comfortable and her writing is casual and immediately familiar. As with all her books, I personally wouldn't shelve them as horror, for me they are always super creepy and this one comes complete with an old church, a graveyard, disturbing stories of historical events, and great thought-provoking ideas of good and evil.

Gobsmacked!! OK, I know I'm not British, but seriously, it's the absolute perfect word for the way I felt when I finished C. J. Tudor's latest thriller, The Burning Girls. Honestly, I just did not see the ending coming, and it hit me like a runaway train. This novel reinforces why I am a huge fan of Tudor. It started with The Chalk Man and hasn't let up since.

The Burning Girls will give you a delightful mystery, thrills, and a touch of horror. I like to keep my reviews simple, so here goes. The protagonists of this novel are Jack (as in Jacqueline) and her teenage daughter, Flo. Jack is a vicar who has been transferred (more accurately, demoted) to very small-town, remote Chapel Croft. Chapel Croft is the site of the burning at the stake of eight women 500 years ago. More recently,(30 years prior to Jack's arrival) two teenage girls went missing. Locals are known for making small twig dolls to leave at gravesites in honor of the martyred girls It's also local lore that ghosts of the burning girls will appear to warn people that something bad is going to happen. So it's a very bad sign when Flo and Jack start seeing those burning girl ghosts.

Tudor intersperses chapters from the two girls who went missing 30 years ago with current goings on in Chapel Croft, where some of the neighbors are welcoming while others are most definitely not. Flo pretty quickly makes a new friend in a loner boy named Wrigley but just as quickly meets up with two local bullies. Making their home in this new place isn't going to be easy for Jack and Flo, but they are two characters impossible not to love. Tudor paints them beautifully as fully fleshed, nuanced characters. I was sorry when my time with them came to an end.

I was thrilled to receive a digital ARC of The Burning Girls from NetGalley and Ballantine Books. The publication date will be in February 2021, and I am going to recommend it to all of my friends. If you enjoy page-turner suspense novels, The Burning Girls is for you.

C.J. Tudor keeps getting better and better with each novel! It has everything I like in a book to recommend to my customers,,,,great characters, lots of twists and turns in the plot, and the dark mystery factor is a plus. I read it during Halloween week (the perfect time)!

CJ Tudor is excellent as always. A recommended first purchase for collections where thrillers are popular.

The Burning Girls is about Rev. Jack Brooks and her daughter, Flo, who moved to the small hamlet of Chapel Croft. They faced a community of malice, a legend of burning girls and martyrs, and many dark moments including a few murders.

I did not enjoy the writing style. The constant switching of POVs was confusing. There were many storylines happening at once, and they all came together much too abruptly at the end. Abruptly to the point of preposterous.

I expected to like this one more than I did because I so enjoyed Ms. Tudor’s previous books. It was a bit disappointing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

After an unfortunate incident at her local parish, Reverend Jack Brooks and her teenage daughter, Flo, are sent to Chapel Croft to fill in as the temporary vicar. Jack hopes that her interim position will allow her to find some peace until things return to normal back home. Upon her arrival, Jack receives an unwelcome gift comprised of an old exorcism kit along with a threatening scripture. The village residents hold deep-rooted superstitions, leaving "burning girls" as offerings around the parish in which eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake 500 years prior. The disappearance of two teen girls and the apparent suicide of the previous vicar appear to play a role in the town's dark history. Jack will have to expose the truth and face her past before she and Flo become the next victims.

The Burning Girls is the brilliantly sinister new novel by C.J. Tudor...one of my all-time favorite authors. The novel begins with our main protagonist, Reverend Jack Brooks, whose sexually ambiguous name plays a role not only in her character development but also as a main plot twist of the novel. Jack's daughter Flo reminds me a bit of Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice) as a bit of a social outcast with a love of photography who is drawn to the darker history of the village. Although this novel does contain aspects of the horror genre (ghosts, witch trials, etc.) it could easily be classified as a dark mystery/thriller. The novel has several underlying plot points that eventually come together making one heck of a surprise ending. The Burning Girls was the perfect fall read for me with its chilling atmosphere and occult theme...a must read for fans of C.J. Tudor.

Thanks Ballantine books and Netgalley for an ARC.
C.J Tudor at her best. Creepy good full of twists and turns and lots of surprises. Set in a small village known for its burning of martyrs during the reign of Catholic Mary in the sixteenth century. A vicar and her daughter are sent to this parish and mysteries unfold. The last few chapters unfold so fast that you are left gut punched.

An unconventional vicar moves to a remote corner of the English countryside, only to discover a community haunted by death and disappearances both past and present--and intent on keeping its dark secrets--in this explosive, unsettling thriller from acclaimed author C. J. Tudor.
I have been following this author since the very first book and I've yet to read one that doesn't deliver a big punch in a subtle and unnerving way. While this story veers more towards full supernatural than the prior books, it's still a believable and compelling, not to mention chilling, read. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Single parent, Reverend Jack Brooks, moves to Chapel Croft with daughter, Flo, in tow after a horrific incident at St. Anne's in Nottingham hoping for a new start for them both. Unfortunately, some secrets don't stay buried, and the past can be a dark and dangerous place.

I have described CJ Tudor's writing as delightfully creepy, and she doesn't disappoint with this new book, The Burning Girls. The stories of three pasts entwine peppered liberally with movie references, some of which just might be clues for the reader. How do the stories of the Sussex Martyrs, the 30 year disappearance of two teen girls, and Jack's own story relate to one another? Do they at all?

The past comes back to haunt everyone in this new novel by CJ Tudor.

A mother also a vicar, and her teenage daughter are sent packing to a new parish in rural UK. When they arrive they slowly are realizing there are some strange activities and a folklore of the Burning Girls. As always Tudor relates another fun u ravel the mystery with a lot of suspense. Well done.

What a great read! C.J. Tudor is fantastic. This could be her best yet.
Creepy, supernatural mystery with little cliffhangers ending each chapter.
Absolutely loved it! Read this, and all of her books. A definite must read author.

Oh this is a difficult review for me to write. I really enjoyed “The Chalkman” and “The Other People” but with this new book I think that Ms.Tudor has crossed that line between thriller and horror.

This was a bit of a shock to me. I’m fine with ghosts and supernatural elements. The burning girls I knew were trying to warn them of bad things that were going to happen. The descriptions and stories of the Sussex Martyrs’ from the 16th century were appalling but those were different times.

What felt so very evil and stomach churning to me were the descriptions of teenage bullying, to the point of harm. Physical violence with a “satanic feel” made the book uncomfortable for me to read.

So those are some of the thoughts I wanted to share. As for a synopsis, this is a novel about a single priest, Jack, raising a 15 year old daughter, Flo. After an incident at her parish, involving an exorcism gone very wrong, she is assigned a position in a small town, Chapel Cross, where the 16th century burning of martyrs occurred. Jack is not really happy with the placement but she goes along with it. Her daughter would have preferred a larger city.

The congregation is a small one. Upon arriving, Jack finds out some things about her predecessor that are very disturbing. She’s also been left a box from him which includes an exorcism kit.

Aside from the dark history of the Sussex Martyrs’, there is also the mystery of two teenage girls missing for 30 years. The longer Jack and Flo are in the town the more secrets and lies they discover.

Meanwhile Flo is spending the summer quite alone. She isn’t bothered by it at first because she loves to take photographs and developes them herself. She and her mom are trying to decide if the basement could be converted to a darkroom.

Finally she meets a boy about her age. They have some great conversations and things are going well. Flo may be having her first teenage crush.

As with most young girls in love, sometimes Flo dropped her defenses and did some dangerous things. There will be lessons to be learned. Rosie is another “friend” to watch, she’s a real charmer.

There are so many twists in this one it will make your head spin. Unfortunately for me parts of this novel moved in the horror genre or mood and I didn’t enjoy that feeling. Obviously her writing is incredible if it can make me feel the horror, but I was sort of blindsided by it.

There are many people who loved this book. Ms. Tudor is an amazing writer, this story just wasn’t one of my favorites. One thing I think it lacked was character development, and perhaps that was partly the intent (you’ll know what I mean when you read the book)

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.
The novel is set to publish on February 9, 2021

Will publish to Amazon upon publication

“The Burning Girls” is another great thriller by C.J. Tudor. Jack Brooks and her teen daughter move to the English countryside town of Chapel Croft where she has taken a job as the church rector.
The town has a dubious past of ghosts, exorcism, and missing girls. Jack and her daughter, Flo become entangled in the town’s murderous past.

I had a hard time putting down this book. It was extremely suspenseful and the writing and characters were quite good. The one negative criticism I gave is that there were too many plot lines happening and it made it a little unfocused.

Enthralling from the first drop of blood, and that appears quickly at the end of chapter two.
Gripping, twisting, turning, and intriguing.
Right up to the very last chapter... where the reader is blindsided. Totally not what I expected.
CJ Tudor has a true gift. She captures you, develops the characters, builds the scenery, paints the grotesque events, and masterminds the psychological game so well, you think you’re standing right there, witnessing it all.... can you smell the burn?

Phenomenal read. I’ve said this before, but I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you, CJ Tudor, Kathleen Quinlan, and Random House for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

4 fiery stars

This is my fourth book of C.J. Tudor’s and I was very excited to get the chance to read an early copy. It was also great timing for me to read this just a bit before Halloween as it is spooky!

Picture the setting in the UK – Chapel Croft – with a rich history of religious martyrs burned at the stake and disappearances of local girls all amidst a troubled parish. To commemorate this history, villagers burn stick dolls once a year in celebration.

The main character in this one is Reverend Jack Brooks. Jack is assigned to the village of Chapel Croft and arrives with Flo, 14-years-old. Strange events soon engulf the two including visions of burning girls, an exorcism set, and a mysterious crypt. If you see the burning girls, something bad is supposed to be coming. Flo seems to make some questionable choices, but then again, she is a teenager!

There’s a separate storyline of a man released from prison and it took awhile to figure out just who this was and the relevance to the story.

Will Jack and Flo get to the bottom of the mysterious happenings or will they become part of the troubled history? This one was a slow simmer for most of the book, but the ending packed a wallop and really made the book!

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

What a horrifying title, especially because it's referring to two young girls being burned, after being tortured, all in the name of religion. This happened 500 years ago, when eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake, in Chapel Croft. Now, Reverend Jack Brooks and her fifteen year old daughter are in Chapel Croft so that Jack can tend to the parish, after the last reverend hung himself. Although the location might have some slight resemblance to the TV show Midsomer Murders, as Jack will mention, things run much deeper and darker in Chapel Croft. Jack has her own murky path, covered in controversy, blood, and death and there is a violent stalker, who has just been released from prison. 

Things immediately go badly when Jack and Flo arrive at their new home, with a bloody child arriving at the chapel, stories of sightings of the two burning martyred girls, and secretive and unwelcoming parishioners. Flo becomes friends with a strange, awkward boy, Jack is having terrible nightmares of the past and present, and few people want to discuss what has happened in the past. There is also the parish history of two teenage girls disappearing thirty years ago. And Jack is left a box that contains an exorcism kit and a scriptural warning. Jack is leaving a bloody controversy behind but seems to have landed in even more trouble than she has left. 

I really enjoyed this story a lot although the teenage vicious bullying was more horrifying to me than the legends and sightings of the burning girls. But the bullying isn't just from teenagers, there are parishioners that are bullies, too. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree...parents need to beware of behavior that they may be passing on to their children. This is a complex tale with several timelines and with lots of characters to follow. After I finished the story, I had to think about what I'd read to figure out everything that had happened. It was less scary in a ghostly way but instead in real life "humans are cruel" way. 

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC.