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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates + a Giveaway

Morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the TLC book tour for Christopher J. Yates's Black Chalk. Plus, there's a giveaway open internationally!

I know I mentioned this one a while back, around the time Donna Tartt's Goldfinch was hitting shelves in fact. The reason being I came across this title on a readers who like this will also like... post on BN. And of course, as I also mentioned, it immediately got added to my wish list. And oh, I'm such a FANGIRL for this book!

Chad, Jolyon, Jack, Mark, Emilia, and Dee were just freshmen when they met at Pitt. Together they devised a game, one involving tasks of increasing humiliation. According to the rules, they would fall one by one leaving just one winner to take home the prize. But then the game became something different and one of them died.

Fourteen years later it's time for them to reunite.

I really, really don't want to give anything away but I will say that there were many points in this book where I got those tingly goosebumps that tell you this is something really special. (PAGE 114!!!)

The story plays out in an interesting way, with a narrator intersperced between the characters' Oxford days. This narrator is writing the story and the reader isn't quite sure who it is until around 60 or so pages in. This was the first one that threw me for a loop because it really was not who I expected it to be. And the narrator has some pretty big issues that of course make you wonder how far you can really trust them and the story they're telling.

Agh! I want everyone to read this so I can talk about it!

Anyway, if you like truly clever thrillers and unreliable narrators (and Donna Tartt apparently) you should most definitely check out Christopher J. Yates's debut! If you're curious but not sold, do head here to read an excerpt.

And now for the giveaway! The publisher has allowed us each to offer up a copy to one of our readers and (and this is a big AND) the giveaway is open WORLDWIDE!!! To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, April 28.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


To see more stops on the tour be sure to visit the official TLC tour page here. And for more on Yates and his work you can find him on the web here. You can also follow him on Twitter.

Do note apparently there have been some issues with the paperback and American retailers have been struggling to keep it in stock - we've been told the publisher will update us once the pb stock issues have been resolved.


7 comments:

traveler said...

A most fascinating and intriguing giveaway. Thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

Becky, enormous thanks for such a generous mention. And it gives me goosebumps too when I hear that someone has thoroughly enjoyed Black Chalk. (And page 114 especially!) Thank you, again.

April @ My Shelf Confessions said...

I LOVEDDDD this one too - with a PASSION! If you loved this one you MUST read Dominance by Will Lavender! It fascinates me that Donna Tartt's new book was mentioned along with this one.. because one of my fav books of all time is Tartt's The Secret History (which also has the same type of feel of this one)! So even though Goldfinch was already on my radar - it's even more so now!
And wasn't it ridiculously hard to write a review to explain the AWESOMENESS and why EVERYONE MUST READ THIS without giving it all away!?? I had the hardest time! I want to blab to everyone about it! :D

Becky LeJeune said...

Oh, April! You're so right! Explaining it without giving it away and trying to convince everyone to read it! And I'll have to put together a second one for Bookbitch.com too!

I haven't actually read any Donna Tartt yet. Shame, shame on me! I think the list was actually for SECRET HISTORY but it was put up just before GOLDFINCH was released sort of a things to read while you wait kind of thing. The entire list was great - I have five of the seven titles suggested now. (And SECRET HISTORY of course.)

And yes, I definitely need to read DOMINANCE. I don't know why I haven't. I read and loved OBEDIENCE but somehow just haven't gotten to DOMINANCE just yet. I'll have to fix that very soon.

Unknown said...

I'm SO excited to read this! It sounds sooo good!

KAS said...

This was definitely on my to-read list already, but this review definitely at least tripled or quadrupled my level of interest. It made an epic leap up my neverending to-read list. Thanks for letting us know how/why this is a special read, and for the giveaway of course. --Kara

Heather J @ TLC Book Tours said...

Thanks for being a part of the tour!