The Taking of Annie Thorne: 'Britain's female Stephen King' Daily Mail

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My problem isn't with the insertion of the supernatural into what is being billed as a traditional mystery/thriller, although I know this will be a dealbreaker for some readers. Arnhill, once a mining town and now little else but a cordoned off pit, doesn’t have much left to offer.

Both The Chalk Man and The Hiding Place have plots that are so close to Stephen King books and characters, that I just can’t rate this any higher. But he is really didn't have a choice, because of what happened to Ben Morton and also what happened years ago to Joe's sister is happening again. However, her writing is so strong that I am able to overlook those elements without hesitation and simply allow myself to get wrapped up in the characters circumstances. Gripping and dark, The Hiding Place descends like its very own mine shaft, getting creepier the further you go.In fact, none of the characters are likeable, except for Beth, one of Joe’s colleagues, and Marcus, a pupil.

Are these the actions of a mad woman or an unbalanced mind or is this something a lot more sinister?It is so thrilling and the book is unputdownable, but also it contains numerous beautiful (or just awesome) sentences. Tudor is brilliant at character development and she clearly has a knack for writing about the workings of small towns. I don't have a problem with this; I think it's important for stories to portray the psychological effects of bullying and how it can alter a person's moral dna. His old friends (who used to be just a bunch of bullies including our dearest Joe) aren't exactly pleased to have him back either and try almost everything (well not everything but still) to get rid of him which makes you wonder what exactly happened 25 years ago which tore the group apart. So the story is of a 40 year old guy Joe who comes back to his hometown after ages although he really really doesn't want to.