"You can still feel the echoes of bad things. They imprint on the fabric of our reality, like a footprint in concrete. Whatever made the impression is long gone, but you can never erase the mark it left."

Joe Thorne finds himself pulled back to his childhood hometown. A place filled with tragedy, regret and mystery. He walked away from Arnhill years ago, vowing never to look back. With his life in shambles, Joe finds himself back at the place where it all started to go wrong. Summoned by an anonymous email that he couldn't ignore Joe goes home to finally get answers to the mystery that has plagued his life - what really happened to Annie?

"I know what happened to your sister. It's happening again.

Tudor has a brilliant mind for bringing small town life and its characters to life. I devoured the creepy backstory of this little town. A tiny dot on a map that outsiders may never have heard from. Yet, those who dwell there are shrouded in the town's eerie, unexplained mystical mystery.

Every town, village and city has a history. There's the official history. The bone-dry version collated in textbooks and census reports, related verbatim in the classroom. Then there's the history that is passed down through generations... The secret history."

It's been said this book has an early Stephen King vibe and it is definitely true. From the moment you open the book you are pulled in by a horrific opening scene and Tudor never loosens her grip on you. The entire story has that creepy, check under your bed, look behind your shower curtain and peer under the toilet lid vibe. I LOVED it! I could not stop turning the pages. I was drawn in by Joe's flawed but definitely likable character. This was a man marked by his past, living with demons and struggling daily. I enjoyed his witty, inner dialogue. I felt the tension and suspense build as he worked to uncover the truth. And the truth he was searching for - the ending - left me agape for a moment.

I must read The Chalk Man which has been on my TBR pile for too long. I have no doubt that I have been firmly made a fan of Tudor's writing. Bring on the creepy and horrific - I excitedly welcome it. I'll simply be sure to read all her books with the lights on.

Thank you to C.J Tudor, Crown Publishing and NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.