#BlogTour: Hydra by Matt Wesolowski @OrendaBooks @ConcreteKraken #Hydra #SixStories

Published in February 2018 my thanks to the Author and the Publisher for the review copy and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me on the blog tour.

A family massacre. A deluded murderess. Five witnesses. Six Stories. Which one is true? 

One cold November night in 2014, in a small town in the northwest of England, 21-year-old Arla Macleod bludgeoned her mother, stepfather and younger sister to death with a hammer, in an unprovoked attack known as the Macleod Massacre. Now incarcerated at a medium-security mental-health institution, Arla will speak to no one but Scott King, an investigative journalist, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation. 

King finds himself immersed in an increasingly complex case, interviewing five key witnesses and Arla herself, as he questions whether Arla’s responsibility for the massacre was as diminished as her legal team made out. As he unpicks the stories, he finds himself thrust into a world of deadly forbidden ‘games’, online trolls, and the mysterious black-eyed kids, whose presence seems to extend far beyond the delusions of a murderess… 

Dark, chilling and gripping, Hydra is both a classic murder mystery and an up-to-the-minute, startling thriller that shines light in places you may never, ever want to see again.

My Thoughts:

Oh my, how pleased was I when I heard that there was more to read by Matt Wesolowski. Six Stories was one of the most interesting, intriguing and clever books I read last year. I am now sure that Hydra will make it to my favourite reads this year. 

Hydra again is written in a series of six podcasts and this format works so well as a vessel for bringing the story out and the different versions of events. Hydra has a dark feel to it from the outset. Arla Macleod is in a secure mental institution because she violently murdered her family. This event is known as the Macleod Massacre. 

Scott King, investigative journalist returns to interview five witnesses of the crime and then Arla herself. I really don't want to go too much into the plot here because this really is a book that needs to be read to be appreciated and understood. 

There is so much to admire between these pages, Scott King presents the facts and the reader has to form their own opinion. This book has no boundaries, we have horror here, we have mental illness, we have the supernatural. A reminder or even a warning that real horror though is always lurking. This is a book not to be pigeon holed. 

Dark and chilling, my heart was racing and my mind went cold. What a talent Matt Wesolowki is. The skill with which he writes is as breathtaking as his plots. 

Hydra is honestly phenomenal, a writing masterclass and an absolute pleasure to read. On very rare occasions I come to the end of a book, read that last sentence and just say Wow. Hydra did that to me. 

Compelling and utterly compulsive, I can't recommend this enough to everyone. I was utterly consumed by this one. 

About the Author:

Matt Wesolowski is 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- and US-based anthologies such as Midnight Movie Creature Feature, 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..

You can find the Author on Twitter: @ConcreteKraken

Please do have a look at the other stops on the blog tour.