When I read books about a vicar solving crimes in the British countryside, I expect a book that falls more on the cozy side. Not this one! Check out my review of The Burning Girls!
What is the Burning Girls About?
The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor. Published on February 9, 2021 by Ballentine Books. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance review copy.
Synopsis: Welcome to Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, eight protestant martyrs were burned at the stake here. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace.Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter, arrives in the village hoping to make a fresh start and find some peace. Instead, Jack finds a town mired in secrecy and a strange welcome package: an old exorcism kit. The more Jack and daughter Flo get acquainted with the town and its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into their rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo is troubled by strange sightings in the old chapel, it becomes apparent that there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.
Review of the Burning Girls
Okay then. Maybe the cover featuring the church engulfed in flames should have been a giveaway, but that was quite the crazy ride.
Chapel Croft has a long and interesting history, and when Reverend Jacqueline “Jack” Brooks arrives there with her teenage daughter to take over the parish after the unexpected death of the prior clergyman, she’s kind of amused. The locals still make little twig dolls to commemorate the martyrs who were burned at the stake in Chapel Croft centuries ago.
But Chapel Croft is definitely NOT a quaint and cozy place. More like The Village of the Damned. Not only does the town seemingly harbor the ghosts of those centuries-old martyrs, it also has a mysterious, decades-old case of two missing girls, a recent unexplained suicide, and a whole lot more.
This story has a bunch of secrets and just as many bodies. Also bullying, pedophilia, and stalkers. It was a lot. I came close to guessing the ending, but it still came as a bit of a surprise.
My favorite part of the book was the very realistic mother-daughter relationship between Jack and her snarky teen daughter Flo, who does not hold back when it comes to being dragged to a new town and a new house that has no internet, no shopping, and a high creep factor.
Will You Like The Burning Girls?
If you’re a little tired of domestic thrillers, this has a bit of a different spin. If you like twisty page turners and also enjoy books with a lot of historical detail and a quaint (though creepy) village setting, definitely give this a try! It’s an interesting hybrid. It’s not really a thriller, but it’s dark. I’d recommend it to fans of books like His & Hers by Alice Feeney.
If you’ve read other C.J. Tudor books (I haven’t) let me know in comments if this is typical for her, and which others I should read!
Martyrs, ghosts, missing girls, exorcism kits… this one sounds like a wild ride. 🙂 I’ll remember this one the next time I’m in the mood for a thriller.
Right? I was like, ok British cozy but NO buckle up that seat belt. If you try it, let me know!!
Oh, this sounds like a ton of fun — in a twisted fun kind of way. Something about the combination of religion and horror kinda amps the hair-raising factor.
Wow. the village sounds SUPER creepy in this one!
It is creepy and quaint all at once!
I’ve got the audiobook because that cover was a lot. And wow, there is a lot more than I was expecting given your review!
I’m so curious as to how the audiobook is and what you think!!