Synopses & Reviews
A compulsively readable 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 One game. Six students. Five survivors. 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, 14 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, this is perfect for fans of The Secret History and The Bellwether Revivals. The author's background in puzzle writing and setting can clearly be seen in the plotting of this clever, tricky book that will keep readers guessing to the very end.
Review
"Psychological thrillers don't get much more complex or twisted than Yates's promising debut. . .Yates deftly interweaves past and present as he doles out the backstory in pieces without sacrificing plausible character development." —Publishers Weekly starred review
Review
"For both fans of "Gone Girl" and those who read it and saw all the twists coming, check out "Black Chalk" for a new level of unexpected twists and turns." —The Morningside Muckraker "Dark, twisty fun." —NY Daily News online "...labyrinth and complex." —Book Reviews
Review
"With this dark, sometimes disturbing tale, we may have found a new Stephen King, albeit with a British accent." —New York Post
Review
"Yates' moody, smart noir is a literary mystery that explores the limits of friendship, romance, and truth. Black Chalk is written with dark poetry; and though driven by dangerous desires, its characters are human, fresh, and alive." —Interview
Review
"...Yates, a crossword puzzle editor, plots with tantalizing skill." —People
Review
"Full of cunning twists and turns, this intense page-turner practically demands a second reading." —Booklist
Review
"...a psychological thriller with more twists and turns than a modern roller coaster." —The New York Journal of Books
Review
"...the story reminds me of a Hitchcock film: multiple twists and reveals, the suspenseful IV drip of information Yates doles out to the reader with a master hand, the shadowy yet intense secrets locked inside the characters while they struggle to maintain composure, the ominous atmospheres of Oxford and New York..." —The Huffington Post
Review
"Critics are raving over Black Chalk..." —New York Post
Synopsis
Who knows better than your best friends what will break you? One game. Six students. Five survivors.
In the intimidating surroundings of Oxford University a group of six friends begin to play a game -- an elaborate variant on truth or dare, in which the loser of each round has to perform an embarrassing challenge. The eventual winner stood to walk away with a sizable prize, not simply the money that each had contributed to the pot from their student grants, but a substantial sum staked to them by a mysterious campus organisation known as the Game Society, provided that the students agreed to keep both the Game and its sponsorship secret.
But the game quickly assumes a life of its own: the stakes grow higher and the dares more personal, more humiliating, finally evolving into a vicious struggle with unpredictable and tragic results. Now, years later, one player, who believed he had fled the Game long ago, discovers that it is far from over.
Synopsis
GB
About the Author
Christopher J. Yates initially pursued a career in law before he began working in puzzles, representing the UK at the World Puzzle Championships. Since then he has worked as a freelance journalist, sub-editor, and puzzles editor/compiler. In 2007 he moved to New York City, where he lives in the East Village.
Christopher J. Yates on PowellsBooks.Blog
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