Description
Scott King's podcast investigates the 1995 cold case of a demon possession in a rural Yorkshire village, where a 12-year-old boy was murdered in cold blood by two children. Book six in the chilling, award-winning Six Stories series. 'A taut and gripping tale that deftly skewers the perfect balance of crime, thriller and horror.
Intriguing, disturbing and impeccably crafted - I was riveted from the first page' Lucie McKnight Hardy 'Matt's books are fantastic' Ian Rankin 'A stunning new episode of the powerful Six Stories series. A masterful storyteller, Matt Wesolowski is my go-to writer for literary horror' C J Cooke _______________________ In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world. Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age.
No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the 'Demonic Duo' who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given new identities and lifetime anonymity. Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the lead-up and aftermath of the killing, uncovering dark stories of demonic possession, and encountering a village torn apart by this unspeakable act. And, as episodes of his Six Stories podcast begin to air, and King himself becomes a target of media scrutiny and the public's ire, it becomes clear that whatever drove those two boys to kill is still there, lurking, and the campaign of horror has just begun...
I couldn't put it down' Harriet Tyce 'Bold, clever and genuinely chilling with a terrific' Sunday Mirror 'Insidiously terrifying, with possibly the creepiest woods since The Blair Witch Project' C J Tudor 'Frighteningly wonderful ... one of the best books I've read in years' Khurrum Rahman 'Disturbing, compelling and atmospheric, it will terrify and enthral you in equal measure' M W Craven 'A dark, twisting rabbit hole of a novel. You won't be able to put it down' Francine Toon 'First-class plotting' S Magazine 'A dazzling fictional mystery' Foreword Reviews 'Readers of Kathleen Barber's Are You Sleeping and fans of Ruth Ware will enjoy this slim but compelling novel' Booklist 'Original, inventive and dazzlingly clever' Fiona Cummins 'A complex and subtle mystery' Michael Marshall Smith
- sourced from Gardners
Review
Powerful, current and thought provoking.
When starting this book I was confronted with a very different novel style, one that I hadn't come across before. There are no chapters as such, the author writes the book as if it is a podcast and combines it with letters written by one of the characters, emails to the podcast host and online news bulletins. It took me a while to get my head around this very different presentation but after a while I got used to it and was immersed in the plot.
By the end I realised just how clever the author was being presenting it in this style, it all made sense and it was wrapped up brilliantly.
When starting this book I was confronted with a very different novel style, one that I hadn't come across before. There are no chapters as such, the author writes the book as if it is a podcast and combines it with letters written by one of the characters, emails to the podcast host and online news bulletins. It took me a while to get my head around this very different presentation but after a while I got used to it and was immersed in the plot.
By the end I realised just how clever the author was being presenting it in this style, it all made sense and it was wrapped up brilliantly.
When researching the book, to buy it for the shop, it was listed as being in the horror genre but to be honest I didn't really get that vibe for quite some time instead getting the crime / mystery and folklore vibe that it was also listed under; until pages 108 - 109 they were brilliant, properly chilling and from there the hints of horror and mysteriousness made me understand why it was listed in the different genres it was. It really is a book that so many people are going to love for so many different reasons. It is hard to explain without giving anything away and I don't want to, you need to read and experience this book for yourself to appreciate the pure brilliance.
The book is very up to date and current with mentions of 'lockdown' and 'Tiger King' which give it a real current times feel. Very clever to drop in current popular topics.
It is also really thought provoking and powerful, I really connected with some of the things in this book and it really got me thinking. I even got my highlighter out and tabbed and highlighted powerful sentences that hit me hard, I rarely do that anymore but there writing is really powerful.
"The witches of old have become the music and social media of today"
- I especially loved this.
The ending, pure brilliance. It was so clever and so well done. I'll be recommending this book to so many customers and friends.
This was the first book I have read by Matt Wesolowski but I'm going to be looking to get my hands on his others now!
Rating
Rating
5 stars - Absolutely brilliant.