Review of 'The Taking of Annie Thorne'

The Taking of Annie Thorne by C.J. Tudor

the_taking_of_annie_thorne.jpg When he was a child, Joe Thorne's little sister Annie went missing in their town of Arnhill. When she returned, she never told anyone where she was and she was not the same. Many years later, Joe returns to Arnhill taking a teaching job at the school he attended as a child. Another child who disappeared and reappeared mentally changed just like Annie has been murdered by her mother with the words “Not My Son” written in big letters above the body. Could the same thing be happening again? Where do the children disappear to and what happened to cause them such trauma?

This is a slow burner of a book that reveals it's secrets gradually, jumping between the past and present day as events unfold. It is never entirely clear where the story is going as we learn that nothing is as it seems in the small town of Arnhill where political corruption, deception, murder and violence are rife. This is not a book to shun away from any of these with the violence particularly visceral, so not really for the faint of heart. Ultimately this is a story of man coming to terms with the troubles of his youth to solve the mystery of the disappearances with the two deeply entwined.

Like her previous novel, The Chawk Man, Tudor keeps us guessing up until the final few pages with a riveting mystery story. Very easy to read if only a bit troubling with some of the vivid violence.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2021-04-10


Genre: Crime/Mystery

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 2019

ISBN: 9781405930970


Other reviewed books by C.J. Tudor: