There is not a lot else to say – Six Stories is one of those books that just envelop you into its world, intelligent plotting, multi-layered characters, a little twist in the tale and a genuinely absorbing bit of storytelling. These are the books I read for. It seems as if Howard has found a savior in Dr. Arlen until she begins to prepare the materials needed to perform the autopsy. She’s only doing her job, but the reader can’t help but feel frustrated with her. Especially, when Howard begins to gain some control and produces a small hum in the hopes that someone will hear it, only to find that Dr. Arlen has turned on some music and drowns out any noises coming from Howard. Matt Wesolowski crafts his story with descriptors imbued with a deep physical sense. You seem to hear the crunch underfoot and experience the rawness of the swampy woodland that holds a death knell for the abandoned mine shafts hidden in the choke of winding growth.

First of all, it was delightful to read about the North East of England, where I grew up! It’s always a weirdly awesome feeling, reading about somewhere you know – or is that just me? Not only that but having lived through the ‘Beast from the East’, there was a great sense of reality to this book. It made me feel even more invested. This is a book that strives to bring something new to the suspense genre, riding on the coattails of the popular podcast Serial, urging readers to follow along and draw their own conclusions about the mysterious death at hand. If you haven’t experienced Serial ( seriously, what are you waiting for?!), the format of this book and the many times the podcast itself is mentioned, just might drive you to give it a listen. Believe me, you won’t regret it; both seasons have proven to be wholly addicting and beyond intriguing true crime. huge thank you goes to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for putting together the blog tour for Demon by Matt Wesolowski, as well as to Orenda Books and Matt Wesolowski for the gifted digital copy, which publishes in June 2022 in Canada. There are a lot of elements in play in Beast, all contributing to a plot that is both rich, complex and utterly fulfilling. We have the horror element with the vampire legend, which definitely adds the right dose of suspense and creepiness to the story. We have the social media angle, which is absolutely fascinating and definitely on point. In Elizabeth we see just how far the need for likes, comments and statistics can go and both her character and those surrounding her help show how social media really can take over and potentially destroy lives... We also have the bullying, abuse and manipulation, which is of course partially related to the whole social media element in the first place. And this story also talks about other elements including animal cruelty, mental illness and piromancy. This seems like a lot to juggle in just one story, but each element is incorporated flawlessly into what is an absolutely brilliant read.The story coursed the imaginary boundary between real and supernatural well, I was left in a swirling maze from where I knew not whom to believe in. A truly compelling read, giving the other side of social media and its fake world, the writing captivated me and brought out a weird craving that I need more of this author's books.

Plus IT'S 99 CENTS! I got it for free, but I would have happily spent a dollar on it. Matter of fact, I'll probably go for the sequel too. It’s split into six episodes/interviews from six people directly involved with the victim of the crime. You get their take on the crime and the victim and perpetrator, you get the whole spectrum, good and bad. Let me make this absolutely clear this is a podcast that yanks at your attention as you weigh up the different points of view. Beast will turn you into just that – a hungering beast clawing at every bit of evidence, every scrap that Scott King will throw at us. This sense of place is one of Beast's biggest strengths. Wesolowski really captures the bleakness of the rugged coastal village of Ergarth and it worked so perfectly for the story he was telling. I could visualise everything so clearly and could almost feel the biting cold of that snowstorm all over again. Holds on to breaches and rolls from heal to toes* Well, what do we have here? Another chilling Wesolowski rollercoaster, that's what we have. How does he do it? It's an unbelievable talent it is, through the use of his words Matt executes an unsettling read that entwines aspects of societal issues with the snowy covering of horrifying warpness! Through multi-narration, including that of Scott King and six individual's close to the victim in question - YouTube channel host, Elizabeth Barton, as well as segments of this channel, an eerie deathly journey has been created, a cold case has been drawn out of the shadows and investigated with the use of a podcast format. Personally, for me, the format in which Matt pens his novels is something uniquely special, it merges both my love for podcasts, crime and reading. Another reason why I absolutely love the creative format in which Matt writes, is that each 'episode' introduces a new character, that allows the story to unfold that little bit more with their own independent voices. This is a read that I also can't wait for in Audible - it'll be superb, I just know it! Well, so there is a lot of precedent for fictional investigation of crime through a patchwork quilt of interviews – this was also what Truman Capote did in In Cold Blood and Norman Mailer in The Executioner’s Song – both brilliantly.

Episodes

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. I totally agree with what many other reviewers and Blair in particular said: it's not winter without a new Six Stories book coming out! The story is an intriguing one. The beast of the East snow storm of 2018. A dead vlogger. A dangerous following. An old tale of Vampires. Three culprits. A foreboding tower. The darkness this story creates is threatening and ever lingering. It creeps up on you and you don’t notice until it’s too late. Supernatural or something far darker, something more human? Well I guess you’re just going to have to read the book/podcast. In fact, it was my love for the actual podcast that landed this work of fiction in my hands. Similar to Serial, this story is told over a series of weekly podcast episodes; six to be exact, hence the title. Sadly, I can’t say this book is anywhere near as gripping as the podcast it so willingly attached itself to. There’s nothing bold, noteworthy or even excitingly different about the plot itself, it’s simply the delivery that makes this feel shiny and new. Talking about Beast in particular, I thought the plot itself was spot on. It is a more recent case this time around, which means memories of those involved might be fresher and evidence might be easier to find. This is not just another murder case though and the small town of Ergarth has a lot to hide... Three men were convicted for the brutal murder of twenty-four-year-old vlogger Elizabeth, and while there was talk about cult related activities, a real motive for the crime has never been confirmed. Instead, there has been talk about a vampire legend which is part of Ergarth's history. Is there really something supernatural going on? And what about the Dead In Six Days challenge? And the victim? Oh yes, there is definitely a lot more going on that you can see on the surface...