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The Crying Boy: A Compelling Suspense Thriller Kindle Edition

by Jane E. James (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 258 ratings
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A grieving mother develops a dangerous bond with a haunted painting in this chilling thriller from the author of The Butcher’s Daughter.

Clayton and Avril Shaw have lost their little boy and are still mourning when they move into Swallow’s Nest on the Yorkshire moors.

In their new house Avril discovers a painting. When she learns that the boy in the painting was deaf, like her dead son, she starts to try to communicate with his ghost.

Meanwhile, Clayton finds himself entangled in an equally undesirable friendship with a retired fire chief who knows more about the painting than he is prepared to let on.

Is The Crying Boy painting cursed, and can numerous house fires be linked to it?

Struggling with their unstable marriage, the couple find themselves in further danger as an increasingly disturbing bond develops between Avril and The Crying Boy.

In a twist of events Avril’s irrational behavior is brought to a dramatic halt when she discovers she is pregnant. With her affections once again restored for Clayton, she decides to dispose of the sinister portrait. But the cast off painting wants revenge and its anger towards Avril’s unborn child might just prove immeasurable.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    407 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Bloodhound Books
  5. Publication date
    March 31, 2017
  6. File size
    2166 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08B88HC8F
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloodhound Books (March 31, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 31, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2166 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 407 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 258 ratings

About the author

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Jane E. James

Jane E. James

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Best selling author, Jane E James creates chilling reads that appeal to fans of psychological thrillers, mysteries and dark fiction. Jane loves to weave tense and haunting tales that stay in the reader's mind. All her books are standalone novels.

Jane started out as a scriptwriter but soon switched back to her love of writing novels and couldn't be happier. A life in the city just wasn't for her.

When she isn't writing (or reading) Jane enjoys living ‘the good life’ in the Rutland countryside, in a small village close to the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire in the UK; known for its quirky tea shops and cobbled streets.

An animal lover, who believes 'all life is precious' Jane is a vegan and an animal rights advocate. Jane lives with her flat-faced, big-bellied cat, Hero, who rescued her at a time when she needed it most.

Although born in Cambridgeshire, she is half Welsh and hopes, one day, to retire to the mountains of South Wales, where she feels closest to her late mother, whose maiden name 'James' is where Jane gets her pen name from. Once there, she plans to adopt and rescue all kinds of animals including donkeys, sheep, chickens and goats.

Rebecca, Carrie, The Woman in Black and Wuthering Heights are among some of Jane's favourite reads.

Visit her website www.janeejames.com or catch up with her on facebook and twitter. But bring Monster Munch and wine...

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
258 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Booklover Catlady
5.0 out of 5 stars Atmospheric, creepy and highly entertaining reading!
Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2017
As soon as I read the blurb for this book I had to get it straight away. Good call! It did not let me down in the slightest. The plot in this book is just brilliant - so intriguing and one to hold your interest all the way through. When I read that this book was based on a true story I was flabbergasted and somewhat even more disturbed. Meet on of the Crying Boys..

The Crying Boy is one of many paintings painted by the one artist where owners claim that they are indestructible in a fire and the cause of a curse upon any that owns one. When you read about how seriously the public took these paintings it's really very creepy stuff. So keep that in mind when reading this fiction story - because there could be a lot of fact weaved in there.

A young couple, grieving and at a loss start a new beginning in a brand new house in the country. It's a fresh start, a chance to heal, a place of peace - or so they thought. Let the spooky music commence! This is no ordinary house, with no ordinary occupants and nothing very ordinary is going to happen within it's four walls. We get taken on one hell of a journey page by page that is just riveting to read!

I feel the main characters were written very well, I connected with them all, I felt like I was right there in the story with them, there is plenty of light and shade to keep you on your toes with each character. Plenty of damage and flaws. This is not a happy, functional marriage and the new beginning is fraught with strange events that are disturbing to say the least. I would have been running from the house if it were me! Running, very fast, no looking back. But nobody runs. So let the games begin..

The Crying Boy WILL NOT be ignored..

The book just has so much going for it. It's thrilling, the characters suck you in, the plot weaves it's magic around you and the ending blew me away. I did NOT see that coming and was rendered rather speechless. Excellently executed ending! The book is creepy and spooky and being mindful of the true facts behind these paintings, even more so. 5 stars for The Crying Boy and I am now off to Google more about these paintings. Jane E James has written a highly entertaining, suitably atmospheric creepy tale that really does make you think. Don't miss this one!

P.S. I was so disturbed and creeped out when searching for these actual paintings online to put in this review that I had to wipe them off my hard-drive, I had genuine reactions to them.

I read a Kindle version of this novel which I purchased. All review opinions are my own and totally unbiased.
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Eva
4.0 out of 5 stars Creepy but brilliant
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
A dark and disturbing book, with the Yorkshire moors providing the perfect setting. Chilling, creepy, absolutely brilliant! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on Jane E. James!
One person found this helpful
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Monica Mac
3.0 out of 5 stars Creepy!
Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2017
This was a very interesting book indeed! It was creepy and chilling and the fact that it is based on a real painting gave me goosebumps.

Avril and Clayton move to the Yorkshire Moors after the death of their son. A new start sounds good, but is the setting the best idea, really? They move into a house that was built on the ashes from another one, one that had a portrait of "The Crying Boy" in it, a portrait that was unmarked by the fire. That is kind of the beginning of the rollercoaster ride that is their experience of living in their new house. Along the way, there is a mysterious man called The Chief who appears at odd times and a lady called Suzie who also has a connection to the goings-on. There are a lot of little threads to unravel.

There are lots of unexplained events that take place in the house and at various times I was sitting at the edge of my seat telling them to run!! As much as I enjoyed the supernatural aspect of this book, I found myself not liking either Avril nor Clayton all that much, I didn't feel emotionally connected and had less sympathy for Avril than I probably should have had. She was such an angsty woman that she started to get annoying..... Clayton just seemed a bit weak and clueless, to me.

All in all, this was a good book but there was a little something missing for me which means I would not quite be able to rate it as a four star book. I think the story could have done with a bit of tweaking, a bit of tightening up, it just didn't flow as well as it could have. I would like to give it a 3.5 star rating, sorry.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Thank you to Bloodhound Books.
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Joey
5.0 out of 5 stars It was AMAZING! The story starts with a couple moving into ...
Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2017
WOW! I've not read anything from this author before, but picked up this one on pre-order as it sounded very tantalising as far as darker books go. It was AMAZING! The story starts with a couple moving into a new home on the Yorkshire moors, but yet a strange painting that bears a resemblance to their recently deceased child hidden away in the attic is the centre of a scary curse. With Avril feeling the loss of her son and her husband, Clay drifted away from her the couple are thrown in at the deep end. I was addicted to turning the pages, wanting to make sure that I read as much of it as I could. It was dark, terrifying and so so very good! Brilliantly written and a masterpiece. This is one author I will be keeping a close eye on, because she writes amazing books!
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Jennifer Bradley
5.0 out of 5 stars A painting I'm thankful i don't have.
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2017
Supernatural thriller set in Swallow's Nest house on the Yorkshire Moors. A couple Mr and Mrs Shaw move in to a new house hoping this will be a fresh start for them. Strange thing's start happing and Mr Shaw begins to worry about his wife's frame of mind. I was engrossed in this story and learning more about the legend of The crying Boy seating up into the wee hour's of the morning reading this book has made thankful. I do not own or wish to receive a copy of the painting for myself. Bravery knows no bounds as the author of this book owns infact two copies. i highly recommend this book would think other reader's will enjoy this. Hopefully they make it into a film coming soon.
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Top reviews from other countries

Booklover Catlady
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliantly creepy! Could not put this down! Highly recommended reading.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
As soon as I read the blurb for this book I had to get it straight away. Good call! It did not let me down in the slightest. The plot in this book is just brilliant - so intriguing and one to hold your interest all the way through. When I read that this book was based on a true story I was flabbergasted and somewhat even more disturbed. Meet on of the Crying Boys..

The Crying Boy is one of many paintings painted by the one artist where owners claim that they are indestructible in a fire and the cause of a curse upon any that owns one. When you read about how seriously the public took these paintings it's really very creepy stuff. So keep that in mind when reading this fiction story - because there could be a lot of fact weaved in there.

A young couple, grieving and at a loss start a new beginning in a brand new house in the country. It's a fresh start, a chance to heal, a place of peace - or so they thought. Let the spooky music commence! This is no ordinary house, with no ordinary occupants and nothing very ordinary is going to happen within it's four walls. We get taken on one hell of a journey page by page that is just riveting to read!

I feel the main characters were written very well, I connected with them all, I felt like I was right there in the story with them, there is plenty of light and shade to keep you on your toes with each character. Plenty of damage and flaws. This is not a happy, functional marriage and the new beginning is fraught with strange events that are disturbing to say the least. I would have been running from the house if it were me! Running, very fast, no looking back. But nobody runs. So let the games begin..

The Crying Boy WILL NOT be ignored..

The book just has so much going for it. It's thrilling, the characters suck you in, the plot weaves it's magic around you and the ending blew me away. I did NOT see that coming and was rendered rather speechless. Excellently executed ending! The book is creepy and spooky and being mindful of the true facts behind these paintings, even more so. 5 stars for The Crying Boy and I am now off to Google more about these paintings. Jane E James has written a highly entertaining, suitably atmospheric creepy tale that really does make you think. Don't miss this one!

P.S. I was so disturbed and creeped out when searching for these actual paintings online to put in this review that I had to wipe them off my hard-drive, I had genuine reactions to them.

I read a Kindle version of this novel which I purchased. All review opinions are my own and totally unbiased.
One person found this helpful
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Mark Wilson
4.0 out of 5 stars Seeped in intrigue and threatening presence. It’s a book I know that I’ll revisit several times
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
The Crying Boy is an excellent myth on which to base a novel and one that Jane James clearly has some in depth knowledge on. The opening section of the book – in first-person from the painting’s POV- really jolted me, hard. This was an excellent section, wholly immersive, tantalisingly creepy and pitch-perfect in the narrative choice. It also demonstrated a particular strong grasp and use of dialogue by James. All in, The Crying Boy has one of the strongest openings to any book I’ve read. Ever.
With such an accomplished opening, I had high expectations going into the rest of the book, which for the most part were met.
Utilising a third-person, present-tense throughout, Jane’s prose is accomplished and very descriptive, skilfully immersing the reader in the musty, opaque corridors of the world James exposes them to. I was slightly disappointed by the lack of dialogue present in parts of the book, mostly because the writer demonstrated a high degree of skill in writing the spoken word in the earliest scenes of the book, making me want more… a lot more. As a result of this reduction in dialogue, the prose felt a little exposition-heavy at times for my tastes, but perhaps, where dialogue is concerned, others will find that less is more in this case.
For me personally I’d like to have seen more interactions between the characters similar to those that took place in the prologue. Similarly, I’d have liked to have seen the painting’s ‘character’ pushed to the fore. This was a skilful use of characterisation, and an adept use of alternative viewpoint. For me, the novel would have benefited from a greater presence of this ‘character’. Perhaps even as the main protagonist throughout.
Despite a few minor quibbles, most of which are wholly subjective, I really enjoyed The Crying Boy. James’ novel is a fine example of an eerie, insular, tightly-cornered beast of a story; all threatening corners and complex emotions and characters. To read, it felt like watching an early John Carpenter movie, like The Thing. Seeped in intrigue and threatening presence. It’s a book I know that I’ll revisit several times, as it is one of those reads in which the reader finds something new to love or fear or recoil from on each visit.
A very accomplished story from a skilled author.
One person found this helpful
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Livia Sbarbaro
5.0 out of 5 stars Clever...a story that creeps up on you..Sssh don't turn around
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
Avril and Clayton move to a house on the moors for a fresh start after the loss of their child.Avril is not over the loss yet,when she finds a painting of the crying boy the resemblance of the painting to the child who died makes her put the painting up on the wall...and from here the story takes a sinister turn..A neighbour the retired fire chief makes friends with Clayton but Avril is not quite as keen on him ..there's something about the man that Avril feels is off.As they try to settle in to the new house a darkness seems to be pressing down on them and Avril getting thinner by the day is retreating into herself ,they love each other yet they are falling apart at the same time...Avril researchers the history of the painting ,learning the dark ,tragic tale of the lost crying boy...sinking under a dark cloud at the same time is she losing her mind?..Then Avril falls pregnant bringing this couple c!oser than ever before.As Avril tries to put the past behind her to build a future , there are dark forces at work here that send silent shivers up and down your spine..Just when you start to believe that the scars from the past will melt away...A dark and evil cloud is gathering..... This book is one of those that pulled me in from the cover...the story pulls the reader in..there's something in this story a darkness that gets under your skin ...all the while you want this couple to find peace and have a beautiful life....The Crying Boy will have you riveted to the spot ..as you turn the pages..Its mystical... dark ,scarey in parts the ending threw me completely... I wanted to reach into the pages ...instead there was a sharp intake of air...Omg ...when I was a child an old lady had one of these on her wall ...I haven't seen one in years ....but if I do I will always remember this Crying Boy.....
One person found this helpful
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Allanah M.
3.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected. Bit boring.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2017
Verified Purchase
Didn't really enjoy this book. Was too slow. Would be reluctant to buy from this author again. Not my favourite book
One person found this helpful
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Lou
5.0 out of 5 stars The Crying Boy is a creepy, chilling read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2020
Verified Purchase
I have had a few of this author's books on my Kindle for a while, and now I have eventually gotten around to reading The Crying Boy, I only wonder why I didn’t read it sooner!

The Crying Boy is a creepy, chilling read. It is packed full of intrigue and suspense with threads of horror entwined.

The author has put a lot of time and hard work into this book and that is clear to see in the detail included. It is these details that snared my attention and pulled me further into this book, I was hooked within the first few pages and devoured every single page as and when I could.

The characters are well written, and most are likeable. The Shaws have been through a lot before moving to Swallows Nest, and their struggles are far from over. But these two refused to quit and they keep fighting for themselves and for each other! I really enjoyed how these characters interact and they are easy to relate to.

The crying boy was a creepy, addictive and thoroughly enjoyable read from its very beginning.

I am so glad I finally made time to pick it up and read it.
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