by C. J. Tudor
First published 2018
Eddie thought he had left his childhood behind. At twelve, he and his friends followed mysterious chalk figures that led them to discover the body of a teenage girl. The traumatic event marked them forever, connected to an enigmatic figure they called the Chalk Man. Thirty years later, Eddie believes the past is buried. Then a letter arrives containing only two items: a piece of chalk and a drawing made with rigid lines. The same symbols that once guided him and his friends to horror have returned. As similar events begin repeating, Eddie realizes the deadly game from his youth never truly ended. The Chalk Man has come back to finish what he started. Eddie must confront the dysfunctional family influences and social circumstances that shaped his childhood imagination, while racing to understand why the past refuses to stay dead. This debut thriller moves between 1986 and the present day, building suspense as Eddie discovers that some mysteries demand a reckoning decades in the making.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: past-coming-back-to-haunt, unreliable-narrator
Period: 1986, Present Day
320 pages · Paperback · Planeta
Content warnings: child-death, murder, violence