Review: The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor

After Reverend Jack Brooks leaves Nottingham following an unfortunate incident among her congregation, she is transferred to the small town of Chapel Croft. With a teenage daughter in tow, Jack worries how they will adjust to the village, which is steeped in superstitious history and myth. However, from their first day in Chapel Croft, both Jack and her daughter Flo can’t shake the feeling that the odd occurrences in Chapel Croft are more than just superstition – someone has to be behind it. Not only is Jack receiving threatening notes, but Flo has been having strange vision of burning girls, and her growing paranoia is spoiling the only friendship she’s yet to make.

Soon, Jack finds herself delving into the village’s past to come to terms with its history, and the strange events set into motion by her arrival. More than anything, she wants to keep Flo safe and away from harm, no matter the cost. But how much can a reverend do when faced with a possible murderer?

The Burning Girls hits all the right notes to be a great book. An excellent and twisted narrative is enhanced by well-written prose and just a sprinkling of horror and the supernatural. CJ Tudor has a talent for showing us the dark side of humanity, and making us enjoy it. This book will have your adrenalin kicking up a notch a few times, and it’s the best feeling in the world. Not since the likes of Stephen King have thrillers been so nuanced and edgy, and it is marvelous. I cannot wait for my next hit, so I really hope Tudor is holed up somewhere in an office hunched over her keyboard, because the world needs more of what she has to offer.

The Burning Girls by CJ Tudor is published by Michael Joseph, a Penguin Random House company, and is available in South Africa from Penguin Random House South Africa.