Starred review from December 7, 2020
Rarely have the secrets of an English village been used to greater effect than in this tautly suspenseful mystery from Thriller Award–winner Tudor (The Other People). When the Rev. Jack Brooks, a widow with a 14-year-old daughter, Flo, is ordered to fill a sudden vacancy in Chapel Croft, Jack learns that the Sussex village is famous for the burning of its martyrs in the reign of Mary I, two of the victims having been young girls. But it’s not so clear what happened to two teenage girls who disappeared from Chapel Croft 30 years earlier, in 1990, never to be heard from again. Once Jack discovers that her predecessor killed himself, the menace stalking the village becomes a palpable threat. Shifting points of view bring into play a secret from Jack’s past—and when that threat is added to the escalating dangers in Chapel Croft, the tension become nearly unbearable. Tudor expertly doles out the plot twists, some of them small, some sizable, and one so shocking that it turns the entire story inside out. Jack, Flo, and the other fully realized characters and their eventual fates won’t be easily forgotten by any reader. Agent: Madeleine Milburn, Madeleine Milburn Literary (U.K.).
December 1, 2020
A fresh start for a vicar and her daughter proves to be anything but. When vicar Jack Brooks' boss asks her to leave St. Anne's in Nottingham for a more rural placement in the small Sussex village of Chapel Croft, it's more an order than a favor. She'll serve as interim vicar until a suitable replacement for the former vicar can be found. Jack's 15-year-old daughter, Flo, isn't thrilled to leave the city, but she knows that her mother could use some distance from a horrific tragedy at St. Anne's that Jack feels largely responsible for. Soon after they arrive at Chapel Croft, however, they learn that their new village has more than its share of weirdness and tragedy. The vicar that preceded Jack allegedly hung himself in the chapel; Merry and Joy, two teen girls, disappeared without a trace 30 years ago; and the village is known for the Burning Girls, aka the Sussex Martyrs, who were burned at the stake in the 16th century. Additionally, Jack keeps finding strange twig dolls on the church grounds and disturbing accounts of exorcisms in her cottage's cellar. Meanwhile, Flo glimpses strange figures in the graveyard and befriends Lucas Wrigley, a troubled boy with a shady past. Then there are the bodies that keep turning up while dark secrets emerge about a local (and very powerful) family. The author steadily cranks up the scares and the suspense while smoothly toggling between multiple narratives, including one that indicates Jack's past may be about to catch up with her. Jack is immensely appealing: She curses and smokes, and her faith, which she explores throughout, is complicated. Luckily, Jack and Flo share a strong bond, one they'll need in order to face what's coming, and readers will savor the final, breathless twists. Top-notch and deliciously creepy storytelling.
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January 1, 2021
When he's reassigned to the tiny Sussex hamlet of Chapel Croft, Reverend Jack Brooks and his 14-year-old daughter Flo reluctantly leave bustling Nottingham. Chapel Croft is no haven for them; instead it's a town steeped in mystery, tragedy, and secrets. Eight Protestant martyrs, two of them young girls, were burned at the stake 500 years ago; 30 years ago, two teenage girls disappeared. The previous vicar hanged himself two months ago. Local lore says that if you see the ghosts of the two burning girls, something bad is going to happen. The burning girls show up and Jack and Flo have been warned. They're moving into their dilapidated cottage when a child, Poppy Harper, turns up mute and covered in blood. Her father, the biggest financial supporter of the chapel, arrives to explain it all away, but Jack is not convinced and will not let it go. Flo finds comfort in photographing her surroundings and meets Wriggly, a teen with dystonia who's bullied by the others. The two teens find comfort in each other, but even friends have secrets. VERDICT Tudor (The Other People) strikes again with another thriller filled with twists and turns right up to the mind-bending ending.--Susan Santa, North Merrick Lib., NY
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February 1, 2021
Fans of Gillian Flynn, Tana French, and Jess Lourey will leap at the chance to read Tudor's new psychological thriller. Reverend Jack Brooks and her teenage daughter, Flo, move from their big-city life in Nottingham to the remote hamlet of Chapel Croft, hoping for a new beginning and some down time. The more Jack and Flo get to know their new neighbors, however, the more they realize a peaceful life is far from their reality. Chapel Croft's mysterious history involving the sixteenth-century burning of Protestant martyrs is just a drop in the bucket of chaos that awaits. Burning apparitions, the disappearance of two teenage girls, and the cryptic arrival of the former vicar's exorcism kit force Jack right into the middle of Chapel Croft's horrific present. Tudor is undeniably talented at producing a slow burn, weaving each piece of the story together to form a creepy yet satisfying conclusion. Jack is a relatable protagonist, stepping away from the stereotypical personality of a vicar by projecting a raw, yet still empathetic, exterior. Gruesome and haunting, The Burning Girls is worth every page turn. Readers will surely be eager for more.
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