In 'The Shadows', Alex North weaves a chilling narrative around the myth-enshrouded figure of Charlie Crabtree, a teenager with a dark aura who became notorious for a heinous murder that captured the grim interest of internet subcultures. The story unfolds through the eyes of Paul Adams, who has never forgotten his morbid ties to Crabtree and the victim—both once his friends. Now, a quarter-century since the crime that ripped their lives apart, Paul returns to his ailing mother's side, only to find himself ensnared in a fresh reign of terror, as another crime echoing Crabtree's springs to dreadful life. Mystery shrouds the original incident, not least because Charlie vanished without a trace—his absence a haunting void in the fabric of the town's history. As Detective Amanda Beck tangles with the new copycat case, Paul's return home spells a descent into a darkness where the distinction between past and present horrors blurs, and the specter of Charlie Crabtree looms large.