The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor

It is 1986 and boys will be boys. Meet "the gang" Eddie, Fat Gav (Gavin)  Metal Mickey (Mickey), Hoppo (David) and the only girl in the group Nicky. Spending the summer like kids did in 1986 on  their bikes, poking around in the woods with typical youth competitiveness.

 All is fun and games until Eddie happens upon a dead body in the woods. He is the first on the scene and he happens to know the girl. The scene is pretty gruesome as the body has been dismembered and spread around the woods. The police found all the remains, except the head, her head is missing. Eddie is never quite the same after stumbling upon the murder scene.

 Anderbury is a sleepy little town, where everyone knows each other and is in everyone's business. So you can imagine how this murder of a young girl has shaken the town up. Everyone is a suspect but especially if you are new in town. Especially if your nickname is The Chalk Man.

Fast forward to 2016, our story is being told from the point of view of Eddie Adams who is now a teacher. Still living in Anderbury struggling to make sense of things in his life, dealing with his own demons. Things have been real quiet in town until the past starts to replay itself. Who is behind the mysterious chalk drawings showing up around town? Will the truth ever come out about the tragedies that have happened in this town?

This is a book that I ran out and bought right away when it came out. Then it sat on my shelf for months, pushed aside by blogging deadlines to meet. I felt like I died a little inside every time I saw a raving review, knowing that yet again I had not read this book. I am glad I finally got to see what The Chalk Man was all about. I read it with a group of Traveling Sisters and Friends and it has been fun to see what everyone's thoughts were. We all really enjoyed it.

A very easy and quick read, perfect right before Halloween. With a plot that kept me guessing  what was the truth right up until the last chapter. I am very impressed that this is a debut novel, C.J. Tudor has this "thriller thing" down to a science. I can't wait to get my hands on her next book. Looking forward to more!