The Taking of Annie Thorne

By: C. J. Tudor

Narrated by: Richard Armitage

Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Taking of Annie Thorne by C. J. Tudor, read by Richard Armitage. 

Then.... 

One night, Annie went missing. Disappeared from her own bed. There were searches, appeals. Everyone thought the worst. And then, miraculously, after 48 hours, she came back. Though she couldn't, or wouldn't, say what had happened to her.

But something happened to my sister. I can't explain what. 

I just know that when she came back, she wasn't the same. 

She wasn't my Annie.

I didn't want to admit, even to myself, that sometimes I was scared to death of my own little sister.

Now....

The email arrived in my inbox nearly two months ago.

I almost deleted it straight away - but I clicked Open:

I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again....

©2018 C. J. Tudor (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Brilliant Thriller

The Taking of Annie Thorne is a brilliant thriller. It's difficult to write a review without giving anything away. There are plenty of twists and turns, and a few red herrings, too! The last third, where the whole plot is resolved, is brilliant. The beginning is intriguing as the story unfolds. The writing is compelling. I couldn't stop reading once I started. I started it on Friday evening and finished it on Saturday after lunch. The main character is flawed, but likeable. It's chilling and sinister, with some creepy and scary scenes, which aren't too gory. Overall a very satisfying and engaging thriller. By the way, Richard Armitage read it brilliantly.

Spooky!

Beautifully narrated, Richard Armitage was the perfect choice for a sarcastic, disillusioned man with so many demons in his past.
The book had lots of twists and kept surprising me to the very end.

Nice one!

A book for all the little Stephen King fans out there! Is it one of the best books I've ever read? No. Is it good? Yes! Would I read more books written by this author! Yes. Would I recommend? Hell yes!
I won't say more because I do not want to spoil it for you
Oh, yes, another thing. I've seen in some reviews that readers commented that the main character is not likable. I can't imagine why. I really liked the main character, his sarcasm and dark humor. He sure is no saint, but he is VERY likeable in my opinion.

Great narration

That's it. Brilliant narration by Armitage. Otherwise nothing to recommend the book. It's overly long, boring, cliched and the last chapter is overpopulated by every single deux ex machina that the author could cram in. It's like - suddenly - oh, I have several plot lines totally hanging in the air and only 2 pages left, let's move pronto, guys.

Dark Thriller

Dark thriller with some violence and horror elements, a lot of plot twists and some unanswered storylines. Despite the dense atmosphere a pretty high pace. You won't like the main character a lot, and the rest of the protagonists aren't really of the nice kind either. I would recommend this book to hardcore thriller fans. The excursion into the horror genre isn't really satisfying, a couple of answers remain open, the focus was clearly put on the thriller elements.
Richard Armitage delivered an excellent performance again.

Amazing!

My first listen and relisten and it got me hooked! The main character isn't flawless but that's kinda what makes you like him or feel sympathy. It makes you wonder where the story will go while it gets darker as Joe sinks deeper and deeper.

Loved the narration by Richard Armitage, he's amazing portraying the different characters through different voices and accents, even the little Annie has a voice of her own. Defenitely will listen to a narration by him again

Ok story but I wouldn’t recommend

The acid test of any book I read or listen to is ‘will I recommend to a friend’. This isn’t one.

Characters are one dimensional and plot isn’t very coherent. Many gaps and unanswered questions. Persevered to the end but it wasn’t worth it. Middle of the road book between supernatural and thriller but not committed to either. Makes for messy and frustrating listening.

Narrator was right for the book, made it as good as can be, but doesn’t salvage the wreck.

A Tudor King / Queen?

This is a devilishly good thriller from CJ Tudor making it a more than worthy follow-up to The Chalk Man. It's finely balanced with lots of creepy undertones as her latest lead is pitted against dark forces. It's twisty, sinister and well-paced with gradual reveals and it is brilliantly read by Richard Armitage. It keeps a good pace as the story and characters develop and the plot, which has several twists that certainly blindsided me, keeps its poise and quality all the way up towards the end. Whether you think it manages it all the way to Audible hoping you enjoyed this program will depend on whether you are willing to give the author a bit of leeway with some of her resolutions.

The whole thing once again has echoes of some of the Stephen King classics with IT being the most obvious reference. Split timelines, spooky events of the past coming back to haunt the future and the careful nurturing of characters who aren't perfect or necessarily noble but who get tested to their limits. Of course, it doesn't have the sheer depth of those King classics but indeed it is a story that has its own merits and individuality making it a very satisfying listen.

Brilliant

Richard Armitage narrated this book and he is superb. So good that I think he would make any book worth listening too. However, this book was excellent in any case. The characters pulled you in, the story was gripping and the supernatural element was fabulous. Really brilliant. I couldn’t stop listening to see what happened next and can’t wait to download another book by the same author, although I am hoping that it will also be narrated by Richard Armitage.... I would highly recommend this book

Dragged out story, bored narrator

After enjoying the chalk man I purchased this with high hopes. I found it dragged a bit and took a long time to get to point..i wasn’t keen on the narrator, he sounded bored and after a few hours listening to this book I was bored too.
There were some comparisons in chalk man to Stephen kings IT but I overlooked it, however I couldn’t overlook the blatant rip off of pet cemetery and there was even a full passage that was completely pulled out of Stephen kings misery. Very disappointing all round.

alright but not spectacular

It's not horrible but not outstanding in any way. Good enough that I wanted to finish it but the characters are a cliché making it hard to be invested or interested in them, no personalities with any realistic feel. The story is predictable in places. The mystery is the main focus which is fair enough but for that reason wouldn't recommend if you're looking for anything deep or thought provoking. It is alright for what it is. Richard Armitage does a great job narrating. All in all decent for a long drive, flight or the beach but not something I'll remember for a long time.

A great thriller!

Lots of twists I didn't see coming. Gets spookier as you go through. A few unanswered questions still, but can fill in the blanks with my imagination. Excellently read by Armitage once again!

Great read

My 1st audio book , its been on in bed at work in the car and our running with me , gripping read

Believe the first class rave reviews!

Prior to ordering a Headline caught my eye in the review section, "This is the best thing on Audible..." . I thought, ok, that is a statement you don't often read, it made me sit up and take notice. Having spent the last 24 hours binge listening to the wonderfully seductive Richard Armitage, I am in total agreement! It's just bloody brilliant. The comparisons with Stephen King are spot on, to draw too many will spoil the plot. But if you have a day to spare or a long car journey ahead, extend your mileage or downtime because you're in for a treat!!! C J Tudor, congratulations on an amazing accomplishment in a saturated genre. She is fearless in her pursuit of first class suspense, paired with a welcome dose of early 90's nostalgia, this is one you shouldn't pass on! I think we will see her work translated to the big screen before long! And Richard Armitage would be top pick for Joe Thorne too!!

What a rollercoaster

The story had me hooked from the first line
Almost like a Stephen king Novel for the newbies of thrillers
But C J Tudor had it spot on
Couldn’t see the twists and turns till they were on you
And made even more So by Richard Armitage one of the best narrators

So disappointing

I loved The Chalk Man and was really looking forward to this but, as other reviewers have said, it’s really a knock off Stephen King novel. Preposterous story and two dimensional characters, particularly the female hit woman. I struggled to finish it.