The Burning Girls

A Novel

By: C. J. Tudor

Narrated by: Gemma Whelan, Richard Armitage

Length: 10 hrs

Publisher's Summary

An unconventional vicar must exorcise the dark past of a remote village haunted by death and disappearances in this explosive and unsettling thriller from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man.

Named One of the Best Books of the Year by The New York Public Library and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Hypnotic and horrifying.... Without doubt Tudor’s best yet, The Burning Girls left me sleeping with the lights on.” (Chris Whitaker, New York Times best-selling author of We Begin at the End)

A dark history lingers in Chapel Croft. Five hundred years ago, local Protestant martyrs were betrayed - then burned. Thirty years ago, two teenage girls disappeared without a trace. And a few weeks ago, the vicar of the local parish hanged himself in the nave of the church.

Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent with a fourteen-year-old daughter and a heavy conscience, arrives in the village hoping for a fresh start. Instead, Jack finds a town rife with conspiracies and secrets, and is greeted with a strange welcome package: an exorcism kit and a note that warns, “But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed and hidden that will not be known.”

The more Jack and daughter, Flo, explore the town and get to know its strange denizens, the deeper they are drawn into the age-old rifts, mysteries, and suspicions. And when Flo begins to see specters of girls ablaze, it becomes apparent there are ghosts here that refuse to be laid to rest.

Uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village with a bloody past, where everyone has something to hide and no one trusts an outsider.

©2021 C. J. Tudor (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

“Fans of Gillian Flynn, Tana French, and Jess Lourey will leap at the chance to read [C. J. Tudor’s] new psychological thriller.... Gruesome and haunting, The Burning Girls is worth every page turn.” (Booklist, starred review)

“The kind of novel that’s so creepy, it might just seep into your dreams.” (PopSugar) 

“Tudor’s uncanny twisty plot is populated with intriguing, damaged characters and the slow-burning suspense leads to a crackling ending.” (Minneapolis Star Tribune) 

Implausible and gory thriller by CJ Tudor

Narrators Gemma Whelan and Richard Armitage use all their skills to save this gratuitously gruesome tale, but I found it disappointing. The characters are well drawn but the story is overly contrived and unlikely, when others by Tudor have a more organic feel. For those lovers of horror who love wild plot twists, repetitive situations and gobs of gore.

Very slow and predictable.

I wanted to like this book. I just couldn't. Story went meandering on and plot line was poor.

An Intense Thriller

CJ Tudor has done it again. A brilliant story that is a mystery, a thriller, and a paranormal experience all rolled into one mesmerizing and riveting ride. There are so many twists, that you will be on the edge of your seat until the surprising end. Gemma Whelan and Richard Armitage were extraordinary in their performances.

OMG What a great story! Worth the credit!

I've been waiting for this and it deserves ALL the hype! I challenge anyone to guess at the ending! Guess all the way up to the very end when you THINK you know what's going on. It will blow your mind!

Mystery + History with a Soupcon of Terror

C.J. Tudor has certainly carved out an interesting niche for herself, and this novel is a prime example. Blending old stories about Protestant Martyrs who were burned at the stake during "Bloody" Queen Mary's reign in the 16th century, with contemporary murders and mysterious disappearances from 30 years ago, she certainly keeps the reader on their toes. Aside from the main plot concerning a rather unusual female vicar named Jack (for Jacqueline) who is "banished" to a small Sussex village with her teenage daughter, Flo, there's plenty of other sub-plots to keep readers guessing: What happened to BFF teenagers Merry and Jo 30 years ago? Is Jack right to worry about Flo's new relationship with a strange young man aptly called Wrigley who has a neurological disorder that causes him to twich the whole time? What really happened to Mike Suddeth's little girl, who died in mysterious circumstances when left alone with a neighbour's two children? Who are the burning girls and are they malevolent? What's with the Harper family bullies and why are they picking on Flo?

I very much enjoyed this book, even if it did require me to suspend disbelief rather more than I like. For example, Jack does not seem very Christian, let alone a vicar, and this only becomes more obvious as the story progresses. Indeed, the way most of the clergy are portrayed in this novel makes you wonder about the quality of individuals attracted to the church in C.J. Tudor's world. And one psychopath in a village that size is one thing...but two (or more)?

There are some stunning twists which Tudor deftly maneuvres us through, one of which had me thinking: "Whaaaat?" until I had a chance to reflect on the few cryptic clues she's laid down for us earlier in the book. The key one being a line from the film The Usual Suspects! The only thing I found less than satisfying was the "horror" element. It's obvious the burning girls exist since both Jack and Flo see them at different times and in different circumstances. But although they lay claim to the title of this book, their impact on the story overall is minimal. There's a haunted house with a deep well in the garden, creepy twig dolls laid at the base of the Sussex Martyr memorial, the hint of earier exorcisms etc. etc. You certainly won't be bored reading this...maybe just a little confused from time to time as to which storyline is the most important. Nevertheless, I admire Tudor's talent and would happily read more of her novels.

Gemma Whelan and the wonderful Richard Armitage are perfect narrators!

Spooky and suspenseful!

The best book I’ve listened to in awhile, kept me intrigued from start to finish. Do not recommend listening to this in the dark.

Darkly & Sinister

Book Review

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔
𝑩𝒚: C.J. Tudor (@cjtudor )
𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
𝑮𝑹 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: 4.09
𝑷𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝑼𝒔𝒆𝒅: Audiobook
𝑴𝒚 𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

"Darkness is exciting
Darkness is fun
Darkness is beautiful
Darkness is kind"
─ 𝑪.𝑱 𝑻𝒖𝒅𝒐𝒓, 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔

𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆

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 and now present day two months ago, the vicar of the local parish killed himself.
Reverend Jack Brooks, a single parent arrives in the village with her fourteen-year-old daughter Flo, 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 and a note.
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. And even more so uncovering the truth can be deadly in a village where everyone has something to protect, everyone has links with the village's bloody past, and no one trusts an outsider.
𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔

This was definitely a creepy religious type of story, and by far my first one. Reading about vicar's, martyrs and mean priests that do ungodly things. "𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔" sure had me listening non-stop. Twig dolls being burned by fire, Bible verses about evil demons - strange things we definitely happening in this village for sure. But the things you don't see coming are at the end where it becomes twist after twist.

C.J Tudor blew me away with the timeline and understanding all these characters. That was one thing I was not fond of with this story, was the amount of character names in the village and names from the village the Reverend moved from. There might have been a few things I found unbelievable but however the story itself was fun, entertaining and had me listening everyday till I finished. This was my first book from C.J Tudor and it won't be my last.

Great Book!

This was a who done it right until the end.

This story is full of secrets and has lots of action.

The characters are so well developed you will think you know them.

Gemma Whelan and Richard Armitage brought this to life!

CJ Tudor best yet

This is a wonderfully crafted tale. Great characters with some surprising plot twists. CJ Tudor is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. Her works have improved each time and nice her first novel Chalk Man. Give any of her books a try and you will not be disappointed, though I feel The Burning Girls is her best yet!

This is a pretty great book for free!

I really enjoyed this book, at first I was indecisive... only for a bit though, I quickly got very interested in it. It has twists and turns, but you will not guess the ending. It’s really good! I have the overall 4 stars only because at times I felt that things could get a bit confusing, but it does all equal itself out in the end.