His father worked for a magazine as an artistic director while his mother was an executive secretary[1] Throughout his childhood Chattam would frequently visit the United States.
He completed his schooling at lycée Montesquieu à Herblay, continuing to Sorbonne Paris North University.
Over the course of this year, he would learn the basics of criminal psychology, police science and techniques, and medical jurisprudence.
L'Âme du mal (published in 2002, under the pen name « Chattam », inspired by a small town in Louisiana) recounts an investigation by Joshua Brolin, ex-FBI agent turned Portland Police officer, aided by a young psychology student.
In Maléfices (published in 2004), Brolin and O'Donnel face off against a serial killer who mummifies their victims in a spider web.