The Chalk Man

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I saw it on one of the choices for The Book of the Month club and after reading the synopsis I decided to give it a chance. It's fascinating to me how becoming a reader has truly broadened my horizons because in the past I would never have read much of anything that wasn't strictly romance based. And even though I still love to read epic romances and all that, I can appreciate other genres, especially if they are written well.

From the moment I opened this book, I was NOT able to put it down. Who would have thought that a book that centers around the friendship of a group of boys would be so enjoyable to read? I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and the whole plot was so unpredictable that I seriously had no idea what really happened and who did it until it was revealed to me.

To start of, the layout of this book makes for a very intriguing read that doesn't bore at all. It bounces between the main character, Eddie, as an adult and back when he was a kid, growing up with his circle of friends and how they come about to discovering a murder. I love that little bit is revealed here and there, important stuff that doesn't seem all that important at the moment but in the grand scheme of things really helps build the book up into something extraordinary. The author was really phenomenal at using small details to make the story that much more thrilling and to just help it all come alive. Honestly, I think they should make this book into a movie because that would be one awesome movie I'd love to see.

In addition, the writing style of this book was really top notch in my opinion. Not too complicated and yet not overly simplistic, the sentences flowed very smoothly and didn't take away from the very well thought out plot. Sometimes, with certain books, I find I have to re-read certain sentences in order to get the very essence of what they are trying to convey but with this book, I had to do no such thing. On the contrary, I found myself reading at a pace I am not used to reading with, all because everything was precise and well written and directly to the point.

Further more, the characters definitely left their marks on me. They came alive right before my eyes and there was something about each and every one of them that I could relate to, even though they seemingly had nothing to do with me whatsoever. It's just that all of them had little interesting insights all throughout the book and the main character, Eddie, he was really good at pondering and thinking all those very deep thoughts. You could see how mature and observant he was, even from a young age and it was also evident that the events of the book transformed him, shaped him into a very unique adult.

All in all, this book is one of a kind. If someone like me, who usually needs a good amount of romance in her books loved it this much and had a hard time putting it down, lots more will definitely enjoy it just as much. From the plot, writing style, characterization and everything else, this book is really top notch and masterfully created. I'd recommend it to anyone!