February 16

Deity – Matt Wesolowski

A shamed pop star
A devastating fire
Six witnesses
Six stories
Which one is true?

When pop megastar Zach Crystal dies in a fire at his remote mansion, his mysterious demise rips open the bitter divide between those who adored his music and his endless charity work, and those who viewed him as a despicable predator, who manipulated and abused young and vulnerable girls.

Online journalist, Scott King, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the accusations of sexual abuse and murder that were levelled at Crystal before he died. But as Scott begins to ask questions and rake over old graves, some startling inconsistencies emerge: Was the fire at Crystal’s remote home really an accident? Are reports of a haunting really true? Why was he never officially charged?

Dark, chillingly topical and deeply thought-provoking, Deity is both an explosive thriller and a startling look at how heroes can fall from grace and why we turn a blind eye to even the most heinous of crimes…

 

My thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy of Deity.  Thanks also to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the opportunity to join the Deity Blog tour.

 

Six Stories. A phenomonal concept and Matt Wesolowski just seems to deliver chills and tension every single time.  With Deity we are concentrating on Zach Crystal, a musician who reached the very top at a young age and lived a mysterious and controversial lifestyle before tragedy struck and he died in a fire at on his remote country estate in the Scottish Highlands.

Scott King is a podcast host who in each of the four previous Wesolowski novels has conducted interviews with six guests in a bid to cast light on mysteries, murders or strange phenomonon. The story telling is always wonderfully layered and the salient points to each story will not be immediately obvious to the reader until Scott King himself draws your attention back to they key revelations which can turn your understanding of a narrative on its head.

Deity is no different. Six interviews with six people to understand better the complex and controversial superstar Zach Crystal.  The first story makes it quite clear where the headline controvosy will be found.  King interviews a man who alleges Crystal was active in an internet chatroom trying to arrange a meet with a 12 year old girl (Crystal at this time was in his mid 40s).  Throughout his career Crystal has spent time with young girls from disadvantaged backgrounds at his remote Highland home.  “Entirely innocent” he always maintained and there was never any real traction behind the few stories which cast doubt on his assurances of innocence.

The reason the stories never amounted to anything, King’s first guest asserts, is that King employed a team of hostile investigators who would shut down any rumour or story before it could manifest itself into anything more substantiated.  No proof, no story.  But Crystal cannot hide from all bad press and when two young girls are found dead (it is alleged in mysterious circumstances) on the grounds of his Highland Estate it has to be acknowledged that his extensive security staff could not have done anything to prevent the unfortunate death in the inhospitable environment of the Cairngorms. It is also worth mentioning that Crystal has bought land and settled in a notoriously dangerous part of the mountains and local legend tells of dangers in the Whispering Woods and Crystal tells of seeing a cadaverous wild animal which stands tall and has flesh hanging from the skull under a wild antlered head.

Crystal himself chooses to wear antlers and often masks his face when performing so the link to the mysterious creature is a fascination for the reader. It also makes Crystal seem even more of an odd character.

The accusations against Crystal which were laid out by King’s first guest are firmly shut down by his second guest.  A YouTube star who is a devoted fan of Zach Crystal, has spent time in his company and on his Estate, and who believes all the stories of inappropriate behaviour with minors is just women seeking to cash in on the deceased star now that he cannot defend himself.  This guest turns the story of the the first guest on its head.  Although the reader may not like what they are hearing about Crystal (he does come across as a total bampot) it cannot be taken for granted he is guilty of the allegations which follow him around.

Through four more guests we strip back some of the mystery surrounding Crystal.  Did he deserve to die?  Was he a troubled individual – thrust into fame too young and with no social skills to survive in the entertainment industry? Why did he always have to take groups of vulnerable underage girls to his home?  It does make for uncomfortable reading and I never shook the feeling that Crystal was a dangerous individual, so why are his defenders so determined to protest his innocence?

One unexpected development was the return of a character from an earlier novel.  No spoilers but I found this a nice touch for returning readers but the appearance of this character will not leave new readers baffled as their involvement is very different.  One other surprise was that the story is set, in part, in Inverness and surrounding areas (one interview takes place in Aviemore).  I grew up in the Inverness area. When you live in London you probably don’t bat an eye if you pick up a book and find the story is set in your home town – if you live in Inverness this is much more of a novelty and it certainly brought a smile or two as I was reading.

Deity is the fifth book in the Six Stories series.  I own all the earlier books in audiobook, paperback and in digital format – I am a bit of a fan.  It is a tough call but I think Deity may be my favourite of the five books.  I think the complexity of Crystal and the frustration King encounters in trying to find tangible proof around any of the rumours linked to the star make this the most complex of books in the series. Kings podcasts assert they are not to uncover the truth or reach a conclusion but to present more facts to allow listeners to make their own judgement – the reader is doing this here to a greater degree than other books.

If you are new to the series you can read the Six Stories books in any order – I envy you the hours of enjoyment they will bring you.  If you are a returning reader you can be assured Deity is a triumph.

 

Deity is published by Orenda Books and is currently available in paperback and digital version.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08D6J458T/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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November 12

One By One – Ruth Ware

Snow is falling in the exclusive alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine, as the shareholders and directors of Snoop, the hottest new music app, gather for a make or break corporate retreat to decide the future of the company. At stake is a billion-dollar dot com buyout that could make them all millionaires, or leave some of them out in the cold.

The clock is ticking on the offer, and with the group irrevocably split, tensions are running high. When an avalanche cuts the chalet off from help, and one board member goes missing in the snow, the group is forced to ask – would someone resort to murder, to get what they want?

 

My thanks to Graeme at Vintage for my review copy and the opportunity to join the Ruth Ware Readers Party

 

Ever had a book hangover?  It’s the grumbly sensation which arises when you put down a stonewall banger of a read and turn to your TBR pile with a feeling of dispair for the next book you choose to read (as you know whatever you pick will just not be as good as the story you just finished).  I mention this because One By One has given me a major book hangover and I have no idea what to read next.

The remote alpine ski resort of Saint Antoine has two staff members on site to cook for and to look after the guests – Erin and Danny. Erin is the host/cleaner and co-ordinator and Danny is the excellent chef who can prepare the fine food for the chalet residents as they come off the slopes at the end of a day’s skiing.

Erin and Danny are to be joined by the shareholders and staff of music tech firm Snoop.  Snoop operate an App which lets you snoop on the music library of other users.  If Ed Sheerin is online and listening to music then Snoop users can listen along with Ed to share the experience.  The app has been phenomonaly successful but Erin realises that the Snoop representatives are at Saint Antoine to discuss the future of the company – the company are at a critical stage and the decisions they make during their stay will determine the future of the firm. From what Erin can tell there are two factions and a vote on a corporate buy-out will need to be taken by the shareholders…tensions are high amongst the ten Snoop representatives.

Each of Ruth Ware’s previous books have been wonderful at scene setting and the development of the principle characters and One By One is no different.  We feel surrounded by the snowy peaks, chilled at the idea of stepping outside and, through Erin, we get a feel for the young friends and colleagues who make up Snoop.  The founder Topher and his former partner Eva (the principle shareholders and the heads of the two differnet factions for the future path of the firm).  Their tech nerd is there, the legal brain, PA’s and support colleagues – all one dynamic wee team with the confidence, charisma and the arrogance of youthful success.  Except there is one of their number that doesn’t fit in.  Liz.  She is shy, reserved and awkward.  When the Snoop staff make plans they forget to include Liz.  Erin can’t figure out how Liz came to be involved with Snoop and why she has been invited along to Saint Antoine. The awkwardness around Liz only compunds the problems Erin has to deal with while keeping the high manintenance guests pacified and helping cool tempers when opinions on the buy-out differ.

After a morning board meeting the guests head to the ski slopes to take a collective break and enjoy some of the challenges offered on the various ski slopes.  However the day is going to end with a shock as one of the party gets sepearated from the group and doesn’t return to the chalet.  Panic and confusion split the group furhter – conditions outside are worsening and the friends cannot go looking for their missing colleage.  As they hunker down and contemplate what happens next it becomes obvious the shareholder power has shifted and when the remaining shareholders realise how positions have changed they begin to wonder if someone has taken matters into their own hands.  Would someone resort to murder to ensure they get their own way?

Conditions worsen, tempers fray further and worry increases when a second death occurs.  Can Erin and Danny keep their calm and keep their guests safe or is there a killer in their midst?

One By One is a wonderfully tense mystery story. The remote location and the blizzard conditions outside the cabin gives the book the feel of a locked-room murder mystery.  Erin is our principle narrator and she guides us through most of the incidents as they occur, her anxiety and suspicions drive the whole book and it works perfectly.  I didn’t want to break from reading as it all seemed to be unfolding in real time and I felt I had to keep going.

When a book is as gripping as One By One you know you have invested your reading time wisely.  Ruth Ware consistently delivers high level thrillers and One By One only confirms her standing as a writer on the top of her game.

 

 

One By One is published today by Vintage and is available in hardback, digital and audiobook format.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084GKMG9L/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

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