Nicki`s Life of Crime : Blog Tour, book review

Scott King returns in the latest instalment in the haunting Six Stories pod cast series. In 2018 whilst the Uk was caught in the freezing grip of the Beast From The East, the naked, beheaded body of Vlogger Elizabeth Barton was discoved in Tankerville Tower. A crumbling eye sore that stands on the cliff and overlooks the coastal town of Ergarth on the North - West coast of England. Scott had previously looked into the case before but because three young men had already been charged and convicted for Elizabeth's murder and nothing had stood out as worth looking into, he had decided that it was a simple open and shut case. Only, now with the mysterious appearance of graffiti on the wall outside the Barton family home, it looks like someone wasn't happy with the original investigation and wants the case reopened. Still struggling with the shocking discoveries that he made during his previous case, Scott cant resist taking a trip to Ergarth and trying to uncover 'Who locked Lizzie in the tower'

Six stories told from the perspectives of six people who knew the victim and the alleged killers. Ergarth was one of those towns where everyone knew each others business and all had an opinion on what happened. Unfortunately the three young men Solomon Meer, George Meldby and Martin Flynn who were convinced for Elizabeth's barbaric murder were all misfits and had troubled backgrounds so were badly judged even before the murder occurred. Sadly, wether they were innocent or not, they didn't really have a chance to make anything of their lives. Unlike the perfect Elizabeth's of this world. She had looks, was intelligent, the apple of her parents eye and her vlog posts had thousands of followers, she was the child who could do no wrong unlike her poor brother Jason. Interspersed throughout the book was Elizabeth's vlog posts recounting her activities during her six day challenge. At the start, i thought she was a likeable, fun character but appearances can be deceptive, was she as perfect as she appeared to be or was there a darkness hiding within her soul. I really loved the setting for this haunting story, the tower that all the residents hated and wanted demolished which stood like a rotten tooth on the hill. Spooky Ergarth Dene with its sinister atmosphere, hidden crossroads, vampire legend and alleged vampire grave.

The author has cleverly combined a mix of urban legend, folk lore and the modern obsession with social media to produce a totally enthralling, mesmerising mystery. Vivid, relatable characters some of whom were definitely not who they appeared to be, plot twists and turns and a truly chilling conclusion. I was captivated as his words gripped me with their icy fingers and sent shivers down my spine. This is the first book that i have read in this series and i can understand why the books are receiving so many rave reviews. Fortunately i own Six Stories, Hydra and The Changling and look forward to reading them in the not too distant future. I really really loved this brilliant book. Very very highly recommended

AUTHOR BIO

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. Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller. Follow Matt on Twitter @ConcreteKraken and on his website: mjwesolowskiauthor.wordpress.com

Publication date: 20 Dec 2019
Publisher: ORENDA BOOKS
Language: English
ASIN: B07X8STVWL