Six Stories: A Thriller: 1

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Now, I’m aware that this can seem a bit cliché... A person being buried alive is not something new, some think it is overplayed and out of date—I am one of those people, at least I was. The difference between all of the other stories about being buried alive and this one is, well to put it simply, humor. Dark humor, but humor none the less. A relentless and original work of modern rural noir which beguiles and unnerves in equal measure. Matt Wesolowski is a major talent’ Eva Dolan

A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! *** A chilling, unpredictable and startling thriller, Six Stories is also a classic murder mystery with a modern twist, and a devastating ending. But this is definitely a read I think any mystery lover will enjoy and highly recommend you give this a read! (or listen!)There’s a tense, almost claustrophobic feel to the podcast chapters & it’s really tempting to race to the finish. Don’t. The devil is in the details & each of the people interviewed has a secret they’ve been keeping. Our walks with Harry are richly atmospheric & the fell itself becomes an ominous character that’s been looming over their lives for 20 years. I mention all this because Changeling was always going to be a very tough act to follow, and it definitely affected the way I read and reacted to Beast. This fourth book is enjoyable but, in contrast to its predecessor, does not present a complete narrative or a revelatory conclusion. Instead, it's a very different take on the perspective 'six stories' can provide. 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... 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. Elizabeth Barton and Lizzie B. The frozen girl. Who froze? Elizabeth or Lizzie? Vampires and beasts. The Beast from the East. Who was the vampire? Gothic fantasy or flesh and blood? Tankerville Tower. Haunted? Or the space where fear is perpetuated and used for our own means. Some stories are inherently more tragic. “People say Henry was stone-hearted. Uncaring,” Jane Seymour (Abby Mueller) says. “And I’m not sure he was.”Six arrives on Broadway via stints at the Edinburgh Fringe, in the West End and aboard the Norwegian Cruise Line. More than a concert and less than a musical, it has a thin, peppy conceit: these queens have gathered posthumously, with relevant heads intact, to each sing a song detailing her mistreatment at the meaty hands of Henry. As the ladies explain in an opening number, this is a contest. The most miserable woman wins: I'm still not 100 percent sure how everything tied together, or what really happened in the end, but I enjoyed the ride Wesolowski took me on. Definitely one of those books that grabs you and doesn't really let you go.

Yeah actually come to think of it, there was this one really cute time where I had a daughter and he chopped my head off,” Anne Boleyn says sharply. 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. years ago, in the quaint, picturesque village of Ussalthwaite, Yorkshire (fictional location), twelve-year-old Sydney Parsons was heinously murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this crime, and the boys who killed him, known as the ‘Demonic Duo,’ were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were each given new identities and lifetime anonymity. Again, not a fast-paced book but one that slowly creeps up on you, gets under your skin and sends shivers down your spine. Definitely 4.5 stars for this one because I read it all the way through in one sitting, though I was in the car and didn't have much else to do, regardless it kept my attention all the way to the end. I have seen Serial and though I don't listen to podcasts on my own much my boyfriend loves them so I have listened to a variety of them. I personally like podcasts and how they kind of play into the oral story telling tradition, though I do tend to forget I'm listening and miss chunks of what is being said. The book really captured my favorite parts of listening to podcasts though, especially ones that have a story line that they build up on through out the episodes. I think the book did an excellent job building up the suspense and I was basically dying of anticipation to know what had happened to Tom.This was my least favourite of the Six Stories series. The story was not engaging, nor was it convincing.