Demon – Matt Wesolowski
In 1995, the picture-perfect village of Ussalthwaite was the site of one of the most heinous crimes imaginable, in a case that shocked the world.
Twelve-year-old Sidney Parsons was savagely murdered by two boys his own age. No reason was ever given for this terrible crime, and the ‘Demonic Duo’ who killed him were imprisoned until their release in 2002, when they were given new identities and lifetime anonymity.
Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the lead-up and aftermath of the killing, uncovering dark stories of demonic possession, and encountering a village torn apart by this unspeakable act.
And, as episodes of his Six Stories podcast begin to air, and King himself becomes a target of media scrutiny and the public’s ire, it becomes clear that whatever drove those two boys to kill is still there, lurking, and the campaign of horror has just begun…
My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for the review copy I received and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Demon blog tour.
A new Six Stories book is cause for celebration. Matt Wesolowski’s superb chiller crime tales always skirt the supernatural but leave enough doubt in the reader’s mind that there may be a more “grounded” explanation for creepy incidents which arise in his stories.
A quick recap of the Six Stories format for new visitors. Podcast host Scott King will focus on an event which has a degree of notoriety. Over the course of six podcast episodes he interviews six different people with a connection to the focus of the series. He is not trying to convince his listeners he has “solved” or can explain a mystery, he presents these six stories and leaves listeners to form their own conclusions around what may have happened.
In Demon the subject of the new run of Six Stories is an extremely controversial event: two children murdered a school friend and were convicted for their crime. Both the boys were granted new identities and after a long period of rehabilitation were to be released back into society. It’s a highly emotive story and many feel the two killers should not be returned to society – there is even an online social media threat to leak their new identities and allow “justice” to be done.
Wesolowski tackles this controversial scenario with an astute narrative. Through one of the stories the guest explains how the child rehabilitation process works and how killers could possibly be considered for release. But this is done using the narrative from the story and readers may well find they agree there may be circumstances where young criminals could become mature rehabilitated citizens.
The murder of 12yo Sidney Parsons shocks the small Northern town but the two boys who ended his life had been terrorising the people in the village for weeks. However we learn through Kings podcast that the town has a history of dark incidents and more than one brush with witchcraft down the years.
How much of the events surrounding Sidney’s murder was down to the evil behaviour of two “Demon” children and how much relied upon external factors?
I had thought this story was clear cut but along the way there are revelations which changed my perception of the people involved and by the end of the final story my understanding of the whole episode had radically changed. It’s a terrific example of a slow reveal of information and hiding clues from the reader in plain sight.
I cannot recommend the Six Stories books more highly. Each new instalment has been a delight and Demon makes the series even stronger. Already looking forward to what comes next.
Demon is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format from all usual providers.