I’m excited to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for Deity, latest installment of the incredible Six Stories series written by Matt Wesolowski. Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this outstanding book.
About the book:
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 rakes over old graves, some startling inconsistencies emerge. Was the fire at Crystal’s remote home really an accident? Why was he never officially charged? Are reports of a haunting really true?
Dark, chillingly topical and deeply thought-provoking, Deity is both an explosive, spine-chilling thriller and a startling look at how heroes can fall from grace and why we are willing to turn a blind eye to even the most heinous of crimes…
About the author:
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- and 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 the 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. A prequel, Hydra, was published in 2018 and became an international bestseller. Changeling, the third book in the series, was published in 2019 and was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. His fourth book, Beast, won the Amazon Publishing Readers’ Independent Voice Book of the Year award in 2020.
My Review:
Oh my goodness, where do I even begin?! Deity is a unique and original read that it is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. Matt Wesolowski has created a fascinating and gripping world that, just like the previous books in the Six Stories series, sucks you in from the very first page, taking you on a chilling and thought provoking journey that will leave you feeling breathless.
This time elusive online journalist Scott King is investigating accusations of sexual abuse and murder that were levelled at pop megastar Zach Crystal before his untimely death in a fire at his home in the Scottish Highlands. Zach Crystal’s story is a familiar one that brings to mind other real life high profile cases, which gives this dark tale an even more chilling edge as more details of the pop megastar’s mysterious death slowly emerge.
As before, Scott invites witnesses to come on to his podcast to talk about the case, giving them the opportunity to open up about their own experiences and to say what they think happened to Zach Crystal. But as Scott begins to ask questions he starts to uncover some startling inconsistencies. Was the fire really an accident? Why was Zach never officially charged for the crimes he was accused of? And are reports of a haunting really true? With each witness adding to the mystery behind Zach Crystal’s death, can anyone truly be believed? Or is the truth far more dark and complicated than even Scott could ever have imagined?
And so begins the latest episode of Scott King’s Six Stories…
From the opening paragraph right through to its chilling conclusion, Deity grabbed me by the throat and didn’t let go right up until the final page had been turned. Told in the style of a podcast, Matt Wesolowski’s ingenious writing instantly drew me in to the story as we begin to learn more about Zach Crystal’s life, from his humble beginnings to the height of his fame and then to the accusations of sexual abuse and murder. Scott King speaks to six witnesses, each one bringing a different perspective to the case and to the character of Zach Crystal himself, delving beneath the surface of what is a dark and often disturbing tale. What he uncovers is even more shocking than he could ever have expected.
There is an authenticity to Matt Wesolowski’s writing that brings the Six Stories series so vividly and realistically to life. Deity is an eye opening tale that is as thought provoking as it is thrilling, taking a look inside the obsessive culture of celebrity and how some people are prepared to disbelieve anything the object of their infatuation is accused of, whilst others would be willing to publicly hang, draw and quarter that same person at the merest whiff of a scandal.
A spine tingling thriller that moves along at a cracking pace, Deity is a compulsive read that shocked me to the core. I’m not even sure which element of the story had the most impact on me as the entire book completely blew me away! Superbly written as always, I love how the story is a perfect combination of both the real world and the fantastical, with a creepy supernatural element running beneath the surface that sends shivers up and down my spine, adding to the already thrilling intrigue and suspense that makes these books so addictive. Deity is a tense and atmospheric read with shocks, surprises, twists and turns that will keep you guessing as the story moves forward to its thrilling conclusion.
But the blistering and insightful social commentary is where Deity and Matt Wesolowski’s writing is at its most powerful. It shines a not so favourable spotlight on just how powerful and influencial the world of celebrity has become, often elevating ordinary, not always worthy, people to extraordinary heights that see them worshipped by millions who will forgive them literally anything, as we have seen all too often in recent times. A scary but very real side to the story that really does make you think.
Deity is a brilliantly written, superbly plotted tale that is yet another brilliant addition to the Six Stories series of books. With a story that kept me turning the pages long into the night, it is a gripping and unpredictable read that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. And even though this is the fifth book in the series it could still easily be read as a standalone, although why you would want to with a series as good as this one I don’t know!
Matt Wesolowski‘s writing is original, compelling, easy to read and has a uniqueness to it that will keep me coming back for more time and time again. Highly recommended.
Deity by Matt Wesolowski is available to purchase now: Amazon UK
Check out what these other wonderful bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 
Fab review! I’m glad you loved Deity as much as I did.
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Thanks so much for the blog tour support x
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