#BookReview ‘Deity’ by Matt Wesolowski

About the book…

Online investigative journalist Scott King investigates the death of a pop megastar, the subject of multiple accusations of sexual abuse and murder before his untimely demise in a fire … another episode of the startlingly original, award-winning Six Stories series.

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? Whose remains – still unidentified – were found in the ashes? 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…

Published in ebook format on the 18th December, my warmest thanks to myself for pre-ordering the latest in the Six Stories series, ‘Deity’. What finer Christmas gift could one give than the shiver down the spine , the raising of hair on the forearms or the sharp intake of breath on a cold, winter’s night?

Much like MR James ghost stories, Matt’s Six Stories series has become a firm feature of the midwinter publishing schedule.

His format of a podcast host interviewing 6 people involved in a notorious,and unsolved populat culture story, has his protagonist Scott King ‘raking over old graves’.

The problem is what is raked to the surface may not be entirely dead after all…

In this episode,Scott interviews those close to the case of Zach Crystal,enigmatic singer beloved of millions who died in a house fire under a cloud of suspicion.

His habit of inviting young teen fans to his forest hideaway is generally thought of as ill advised as worst, yet accusations of a cultosh worship going on in his tree house mansion have been fuelled by the death of two fans found in the star’s acres of forest.

Added to this, the unexplained death of his best friend and his disappearance from the public eye for a year prior to his death, and you have a perfect Six Stories subject.

Again,through the watchful eyes of Scott King,the podcast provides a discrimination free platform for those with a story to tell-which one,if any id telling the truth is up to the viewer/listener.

It is a like an ever decreasing circle of intrigue,suspicion and revelation which,due to the distance in time from the alleged crimes allows reflection,realisation and truth telling to come to the fore.

A messianic figure head like Zach is reflected in his name-Crystal is see through and reflects back at the viewer the shades and perceptions of the individual. This leaves Zach’s essential self unique,unspoiled and unplundered.

Was Zach a victim of his own success and a society which creates pedestals for adored subjects,only to destroy them? Is he a product if his environment or something infinitely more sinister? Whose responsibility is it when someone’s raised to such heights that they become untouchable?

The figure of Zach comes across as a bizarre yet totally believable combination of an unmentionable tv presenter, Michael Jackson and Justin Beiber where the price of fame is the ability to corrupt, rewrite and fantasize about events which are far from innocent.

But ultimately,who is to blame? The system that allows people to present themselves as blame free and who will fight to uphold their perceptions of a much loved public figure ir those who create the system in which people become unstoppable?

Folk horror and portents of death intertwine in this terrifying tale of woods,cults and the new religion-celebrity-as Zach’s mysterious life and death are exposed to the Scott King treatment.

Even though Scott says himself thay he remains neutral to the tale and allows those involved to tell it, he naturally ends up not only adding to the .mythology of his own podcast and pop culture status,he ,for the first time,revisits a previous Six Stories episode and brings in a person whose name is recognisable to Matt’s constant readers.

‘Deity’ is absolutely superb,shot through with stand out scenes of seriously bone chilling horror,the ache of lost and abandoned youths thrown into the machine of popular culture and an insightful take on the ‘Me Too’ pushback. I cannot praise Orenda’s willingness to push boundaries by pubslishing authors who are so out there, original and unique enough. When you read a book from certain publishers you know the house it came from. If Orenda’s house was a sprawling mansion then Matt’s stories are the ones that live in the attic and shape shift in the shadows to become your worst fears….and yet,somehow,no one has ever hired an exorcist because a deep dark part of us loves to be frightened and reminded of our own immortality.

As long as Matt keeps writing,I will keep reading,he has become a must buy author and I cannot wait for the inevitable audiobook which in my humble opinion,adds that third dimension to the Six Stories experience.

About the author….

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. He is an English tutor for children in care and leads creative writing workshops for young people in association with New Writing North.

Wesolowski started his writing career in horror and was a winner of the Pitch Perfect competition at ‘Bloody Scotland’; Crime Writing Festival 2015. His subsequent debut crime novel ‘Six Stories’ was published by Orenda Books in the spring of 2016 with follow-up ‘Hydra’ published in the winter of 2017.

‘Six Stories’ has been optioned by a major Hollywood studio and the third book in the series, ‘Changeling’ is available now.

Links-http://orendabooks.co.uk/

Twitter @ConcreteKraken @OrendaBooks