The Other People by C J Tudor @cjtudor @MichaelJBooks @PenguinUKBooks #TheOtherPeople #BookReview

 

Driving home one night, Gabe sees the face of a little girl he knows in the rear window of the car in front.
She mouths one word - 'Daddy'.

He never sees his five-year-old daughter, Izzy, again.

The police believe she's dead. But three years later, Gabe still drives the roads, searching for the car that took Izzy, never giving up hope . . .

Fran and her daughter, Alice, aren't searching - but running. Always one step ahead of the people who want to hurt them.

Because Fran knows the truth about Gabe's daughter - and she knows what those chasing her and Alice will do if they ever catch them . . .

The Other People by CJ Tudor was published by Michael Joseph in hardback on 23 January 2020, and paperback on 20 August 2020. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

I'm really not sure what happened and why it took me so long to get to this book. I've had a copy for around twelve months .... foolish me!  However, I took my copy to Corfu and read it whilst there.

I'm a huge fan of CJ Tudor's writing. Her first two books are marvellous, I love the clever mix of crime and supernatural that she produces. That touch of almost horror interwoven into a mystery is so clever, and a refreshing change for the reader.

The Other People is another absolute belter.  The slightly surreal, spooky prologue is short but enticing. A small girl in a white room, asleep. The reader is treated to similar snippets throughout the book, about the same girl and the same room ... but who is the girl, and how is she connected to the main story?

The story is narrated by Gabe, Fran and Kate. Three seemingly unconnected characters, yet all so integral to the story. 

We meet Gabe as he's driving home on the M1. As he scans the bumper stickers of the cars in front of him, he sees the face of a small girl in the back window. She mouths the word 'Daddy' and it is with horror that he realises that it's his daughter Izzy. Despite his frantic best efforts he can't keep up with the car and it disappears, with Izzy inside.

Fast forward three years and Gabe is a broken man. Continually travelling up and down the motorway in search of Izzy; the daughter he knows he saw, but whose funeral he attended.  Izzy and her mother were murdered in their home, on that very day that Gabe saw her in that car.

Gabe will not believe that Izzy is dead. He doesn't believe it was her body in the coffin. He knows she is alive and is determined to find her.

Kate works in a motorway service station cafe and watches Gabe often. She sees a desperate man who seems to be fading away in front of her. She doesn't realise that she may have some answers for him.

Fran is on the run with her daughter Alice. The reader doesn't know why, but we do feel the absolute desperation of Fran, and her constant attempts to protect Alice .... but what is she running from?

This is edge of the seat stuff. It's a journey filled with twists and turns that never let up. Just when you think you may just have worked things out, this devishly clever author throws in another curve ball to put you off your stride. With characters who are intricately drawn and some who are such a mystery, there's something here to please everyone. 

Don't be fooled into thinking you will work it all out though! It's a clever and unexpected plot line, and I found it a totally satisfying and entertaining read. Great stuff, looking forward to book four. 

C. J. Tudor lives with her partner and young daughter. Her love of writing, especially the dark and 

macabre, started young. When her peers were reading Judy Blume, she was devouring Stephen King and James Herbert.

Over the years she has had a variety of jobs, including trainee reporter, radio scriptwriter, dog walker, voiceover artist, television presenter, copywriter and, now, author.

Her first novel, The Chalk Man, was a Sunday Times bestseller and sold in thirty-nine territories.

Author page on Facebook

Twitter @cjtudor