Six Stories: A Thriller: 1

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To begin with I was really loving this. It’s formatted as though you are listening to a podcast, which is something I’ve never seen done in a book before and I enjoyed how it read. The writing was definitely my favourite aspect of this book. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss – who have also written for Australia’s pre-eminent singing drag queen Courtney Act – Six takes the proto-feminism of Hamilton’s women along with the populist feminism of the 2010s, and folds them into a bright, short and snappy musical revue that sees the Queens go from competing with to supporting one another. This happens via often funny and occasionally moving musical numbers that are drenched with a love for pure pop, royal history, and giving women their due.

What happens next is somewhat disturbing to me. I’d like to think that when I die people will let me rest in peace. Unfortunately for the protagonist, a few of the doctors in charge of performing his autopsy aren’t so respectful to the dead. One doctor in particular, Rusty, who thinks Howard has an uncanny resemblance to Michael Bolton, finds it amusing to move Howards mouth in sync with his singing. Thankfully, Dr. Arlen doesn’t find this display very amusing and removes Rusty from the room. Scarclaw, where even in the daylight there is darkness; where monsters and sprites may be lurking in the marshes; where some ghosts never die; where In 1996, fifteen year old Tom Jeffries went missing; where his body was found a year later in the nearby marshland. Each new chapter is as though it’s a new podcast episode and so a new person being interviewed. The first couple were interesting to follow but because there are six of them (Six Stories... get it?), it began to get pretty repetitive as it was covering old ground each time. And I’m Uh? What was that again? For a start there’s only one single dead teenager. That’s not very many. I prefer more than one dead teenager – three is usually when the fun really begins. But that’s just me. Secondly, there were a lot of characters interviewed about the events leading up to the murder. Now, isn’t that what Hercule Poirot does, or Miss Marples? Sure, they didn’t do it for a podcast, but I thought, same thing really. Again, not a fast-paced book but one that slowly creeps up on you, gets under your skin and sends shivers down your spine.

Each Six Stories book is a single self-contained case told over the featured Six Stories series in each individual book and can easily be read as a standalone. I will say that there are certain events that have happened to Scott King throughout the series that, in Beast, he does allude to and mention but, it doesn’t impact the case and it isn’t necessary to have read the other books in the series. 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. Six wives” junkies, especially Anne Boleyn fans, tend to discount Jane Seymour and declare her the most boring and the least feminist of all the wives. So Six seems to have set itself the laudable goal of pulling an Eliza Hamilton on Jane Seymour, of making the case that Jane Seymour’s status as the most traditionally feminine of Henry’s six wives does not make her deserving of our contempt. If you haven’t tried any of the Six Stories series before then it’s fine to start here. There are a few references to the previous investigation but you don’t need to know what went before to become uncomfortably mesmerised by what happens here. A popular young woman, a rising star among social media influencers, is lured to her death in an old ruin during a crippling winter storm which blew in from Siberia.

I bow to the podcast thriller master and I will be counting the days until we find out what case Scott King will decide to investigate next... In the mean time, I will just fill my time pestering everyone who hasn't read this series yet. And yes, that includes YOU if you haven't! Because the sheer brilliance of each experience with this series is something that nobody should miss out on. They are Fifth Harmony, sure – singing together with tight sounds and tighter choreography – but all six are also that group’s breakout star Normani: when each get their moment to take the spotlight and go solo, the audience just about loses their minds. And like Hamilton’s deep cut homages to R&B artists (and Normani’s, for that matter), they do it by remixing, referencing and shouting out the women of pop. Come for the Spice Girls easter eggs, stay for the Geensleeves ones. Told in the format of six podcasts covering Tom’s disappearance, small details begin to emerge. Once again, Tom’s story has captivated a nation. Now told through the eyes of those who experienced the Fell. As each story is shared, more and more is revealed about Tom, the myths that surround Scarclaw Fell, and the group of teens who were Tom’s “friends.” Who or what was behind Tom’s disappearance? There's occasionally some clumsy phrasing, but the plot's so gripping, the different perspectives so tantalising, that it barely matters. Like Serial and Making a Murderer, Six Stories is structured to manipulate your emotions, and once the story takes hold, you'll be dying to know how it ends (no pun intended). Some details ring true: the 'weird loner' vilified by the press; the teenagers' reluctance to admit to resentment, lust and bullying within their group; adults' hysteria about silly things like their tastes in music. Others are a little harder to swallow (all I will say here is: the mask thing).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.

An unusual approach in a mystery book ALWAYS gets my attention! This one is presented in a podcast-style format. OH YES. YES. I do love me a crime podcast. By the way, this book keeps referencing SERIAL, but SERIAL is kind of old news by now. Can we talk about ATLANTA MONSTER? MY FAVORITE MURDER? CRIMINAL? SWORD & SCALE? A chilling, unpredictable and startling thriller, Six Stories is also a classic murder mystery with a modern twist, and a devastating ending. Number three is called "Lt's Theory of Pets" which was just ok. It is about a man whose wife leaves him partly due to her dislike of his cat and his dislike of her dog. Meh. 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.There's a strong focus on how government cuts have affected the downtrodden community of Ergarth, and may even have had a direct hand in the murder. As always, some intriguing little threads are worked into the plot, like Jason's animal activism, and Amirah's rant about middle-class vs. working-class use of the term 'chav' (with which I wholeheartedly agree, and I'm so happy to see this perspective make it into a book, however briefly!). However, I also found some elements a bit far-fetched – that widely known and gossiped-about connections between the victim and accused wouldn't have come out in court, for example. I struggled to believe in some of the events in the climactic chapter, and was confused and troubled by the final transcript. All of which is more or less true. Yet after making this critique of itself, Six then proceeds to do nothing with it. Throughout this book I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop: When was I finally going to become invested in these characters, these six eponymous stories? When was the thrill part of “thriller” going to make an appearance? Musicals aren’t always kind to women (some classics are downright misogynist), but Six is a joyous celebration of sisterhood. It’s the kind of show that makes you want to be a teenager again; if you’d found Six when you were sixteen, you’d be obsessed too. No wonder it’s getting 60,000 streams per day.

There were many twists and turns and the whole thing is a MUST SEE. All fans of Six Stories will surely love it. And it’s all true. Disturbing, compelling and atmospheric, it will terrify and enthral you in equal measure’ M W Craven This is a dark study in characterization like no other. Wesolowski almost forces you to walk around inside the heads of these people who hold onto their secrets like the sap adhering to those well-worn trees. But it is in the telling that Wesolowski reveals just enough with each podcast to have you perplexed.....perplexed with the inability to fit the puzzle pieces together.....and the fear that they just might. It’s a relentless & original work of modern rural noir which beguiles & unnerves in equal measure. Matt Wesolowski is a major talent’ Eva Dolan As the series continues, it becomes extremely popular & reignites media attention. Everyone is on edge waiting for the final instalment & Harry begins to wonder if he made a terrible mistake. In alternate chapters, we walk with him as he visits the fell for the first time in years & reexamines everything that happened the night they found Tom’s body.This book examines how so many of our young people rely on the validation of internet strangers. Willing to do anything to get the most "likes" and how often the way we present ourselves online is far different than the person we actually are. It's very easy to curate a beautiful life through photos and filters but what are we truly like when the camera is off. When each take the spotlight and go solo, the audience just about loses their minds’: Chloé Zuel as Catherine of Aragon. Photograph: James D Morgan Six Stories is a series that just keeps getting better and better. This arrived just before Christmas and I immediately wanted to dive in. Vampires and legends in Northumberland? Yes please? A vlogger found in a pele tower? A youngsters prank gone wrong? The blurb says the book will look at our obsession with needing attention on social media so there's the modern angle. Old folklore mixed with modern day life? Bring it on.