Today it is my absolute pleasure to take part in the BlogTour Beast by Matt Wesolowski. It is the fourth book or episode in the brilliant Six Stories series. If you haven't read a book in this series then I can only suggest you do so, because it is a fascinating premise.
Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for young people in care. Matt started his writing career in horror, and his short horror fiction has been published in numerous UK- an US-based anthologies such as Midnight Movie Creature, Selfies from the End of the World, Cold Iron and many more.
His novella, The Black Land, a horror set on the Northumberland coast, was published in 2013. Matt was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival in 2015. His debut thriller, Six Stories, was an Amazon bestseller in the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, and a WHSmith Fresh Talent pick, and film rights were sold to a major Hollywood studio. A prequel, Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller
Follow @ConcreteKraken or @Orendabooks on Matt-Wesolowski on Facebook , on Goodreads, on Amazon or visit him at mjwesolowskiauthor.wordpress.com, Buy Beast
About the book
Continuing the unique, explosive Six Stories series, based around six podcasts comes a compulsive, taut and terrifying thriller, and a bleak and distressing look at modern society’s desperation for attention. Beast will unveil a darkness from which you may never return…
In the wake of the ‘Beast from the East ’ cold snap that ravaged the UK in 2018, a grisly discovery was made in a ruin on the Northumbrian coast. Twenty-four-year-old vlogger, Elizabeth Barton, had been barricaded inside what locals refer to as ‘ The Vampire Tower ’, where she was later found frozen to death. Three young men, part of an alleged cult, were convicted of this terrible crime, which they described as a ‘prank gone wrong’.
However, in the small town of Ergarth, questions have been raised about the nature of Elizabeth Barton’s death and whether the three convicted youths were even responsible.
Elusive online journalist Scott King speaks to six witnesses – people who knew both the victim and the three killers – to peer beneath the surface of the case. He uncovers whispers of a shocking online craze that held the young of Ergarth in its thrall and drove them to escalate a series of pranks in the name of internet fame. He hears of an abattoir on the edge of town, which held more than simple slaughter behind its walls, and the tragic and chilling legend of the Ergarth Vampire…
Aside from the premise, which even four stories in hasn't lost the capacity to captivate me, the author writes with such detail to authenticity when it comes to the characters - it's remarkable. It also has me googling places, people and events, because he absolutely convinces me that everything is real. It's a testament to Wesolowski's talent as a writer.
Wesolowski uses darkness and the depth of inhumanity to create this almost imperceptible layer on top of his stories. No matter which character, scene or atmosphere - it's always there lurking. You can feel it sift into your very being. Each word is saturated with the expectation of evil, fear and the inevitability of human failure.
In this fourth part or episode of the Six Stories series our narrator Scott King has taken a step into the limelight. After revealing his own story in Changeling (part three) he no longer hides his identity. In a strange way it creates a sense of equality between himself and the people he interviews. They are somehow all in the same boat, right?
This time we are on the hunt for vampires. We have a victim and her three killers, but do we really know the why? Was she really the lovable influencer with a penchant for having a bit of cheeky fun and saving the world at the same time? Or is there something more nefarious behind the way she tried to garner as many likes, shares as possible, and become famous? Scott King tries to find the truth in the midst of the rumours, half-truths and omissions.
It's urban noir soaked in folklore, myth and imperfection of humankind.
It's a riveting read. This author never fails to draw me in and keep me enthralled. I know people throw this out there all the time, but this would make a fascinating visual experience. Either way Wesolowksi is always a read I would recommend. He creates the kind of read that stays with you, which isn't an easy feat at all.
Buy Beast (Six Stories #4) at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Orenda Books; Publication Date: 6 February 2020 | Paperback | £8.99. Buy at Amazon com. Buy at Orenda Books.
Read my review of Six Stories (Six Stories #1) - Buy Six Stories
Read my review of Hydra (Six Stories #2) - Buy Hydra
Read my review of Changeling (Six Stories #3) - Buy Changeling
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