Black Chalk

By: Christopher J. Yates

Narrated by: Peter Brooke

Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

"This is the smart summer thriller you've been waiting for."--NPR's All Things Considered

Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR in 2015, Black Chalk finally makes its American audiobook debut.

A breathless psychological thriller set in New York and at Oxford University in which a group of six students play an elaborate game of dares and consequences with tragic results.

It was only ever meant to be a game played by six best friends in their first year at Oxford University; a game of consequences, silly forfeits, and childish dares. But then the game changed: The stakes grew higher and the dares more personal and more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results. Now, fourteen years later, the remaining players must meet again for the final round. Who knows better than your best friends what would break you?

A gripping psychological thriller partly inspired by the author's own time at Oxford University, Black Chalk is perfect for fans of the high tension and expert pacing. Christopher J. Yates' background in puzzle writing and setting is clearly felt in the plotting of this clever, tricky audiobook that will keep listeners guessing till the very last track.

*This program includes a bonus chapter from Christopher J. Yates' upcoming book, Grist Mill Road, set to publish in 2018*

©2013 Christopher J. Yates (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“One of the greatest surprise reveals I've witnessed. A twist that's like screwing your head on backwards. And when you see the tricky switch Yates has pulled, you just want to kiss him, because dammit if there isn't something sweet and satisfying about a plot twist pulled off with aplomb.” —NPR.org

“A circle of bright college friends who feed on one another's cleverness and trump one another's insults until the steady diet of cynicism ends in tragedy-this is the stuff of two fine first novels: Donna Tartt's The Secret History (1992) and, now, Christopher J. Yates's Black Chalk. Yates's characters are even wittier than Tartt's....Yates is a master of college-student psychology....[He] has achieved something new and impressive. Pick up Black Chalk.” —The Washington Post

“Christopher J. Yates' debut novel is a psychological thriller about the consequences of friendship gone awry.... The result is a story littered with twists that will keep you guessing until the final page.” —Paste Magazine

Premise interesting but....

It meandered, and I began to dislike almost all the characters. There seemed to be a lot of “mystery” hinted at that never came through to the very end, the “great reveal” that nearly every book tries for. It was an okay book, I guess, just not as good as I had hoped. The narrator’s American accent was grating and that detracted from my enjoyment.

bizarre, but i coyldnt stop listening

It had the promise of a big payoff at the end, but I was disappointed.

Clever, however completely heartless and cruel

I am not a sentimental human being at all, nor am I a goody two shoes. However, after reading his book I felt somewhat tainted. Very clever book, but utterly clinical and cruel. Read at you own peril.

Wow!!

I wasted 13 hours of my life!! This story is way too slow and hard to follow.

Great story with underdeveloped characters

I really liked the overall story in this book and it definitely held my attention. I went out of my way to listen to it because I'd been told it had similarities with The Secret History (one of my favorites). I appreciated the way the author subtly provided clues along the way and I found the present day/past day story approach fun to follow.

What was a bit hard to swallow was the behavior of the main characters. Two of the main characters' behaviors seems to point to some sort of personality disorders, but the reader isn't given enough background or understanding to determine if their behaviors/choices really make sense or are believable. This issue didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story, but I think to really make the story believable, the author needs to provide better character development.

Overall, I would recommend this to someone who enjoys a suspense with many twists.

Well begun is half done

If you invested hours in watching the TV show “Lost” and then were pissed off when the train went nowhere, you understand what it’s like to have made it all the way through this book.

Built some real suspense only to fizzle-out with no resolution and nothing artistic about the lack of resolution either.

Nice character development; but after all those pages ... come on man ... land the plane the right way.

A little predictable

The book had some mesmerizing moments and good style. But the story itself was not very satisfying and the ending was disappointing.

A bit slow and redundant

This book sets you up to believe it will be Very suspenseful and thrilling, but it ended up...not so much. It wasn't bad- just not incredibly thrilling, and a bit redundant.

last 2 chapters were incomplete, would not play

Story was ok but the last 2 minutes of the second to last chapter stopped playing and the whole book just shut off

It needs a lot of help.....

Too long and drawn out at the beginning. Not enough information about the game so I gave up listening. Boring and too drawn out.