I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Deity by Matt Wesolowski Published by Orenda Books on December 18, 2020
ISBN: 9781913193492
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Supernatural, Crime
Pages: 320
Format: eBook
Source: Publisher
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
DIVOnline 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.
‘A captivating, genre-defying book with hypnotic storytelling' Rosamund Lupton
‘A chilling, wholly original and quite brilliant story. Deity is utterly compelling, and Matt Wesolowski is a wonderful writer' Chris Whitaker
‘Matt Wesolowski taking the crime novel to places it's never been before. Filled with dread, in the best possible way' Joseph Knox
_______________
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…
_______________
Praise for the Six Stories series
‘A gripping exposure of the underbelly of celebrity and obsessive fandom with lashings of supernatural horror – Daisy Jones and the Six gone to the dark side. I couldn't put it down' Harriet Tyce
‘Matt Wesolowski is boldly carving his own uniquely dark niche in fiction' Benjamin Myers
‘Dark, twisty and incredibly clever ... an author to watch!' C L Taylor
‘A dark, twisting rabbit hole of a novel. You won't be able to put it down' Francine Toon
‘First-class plotting' S Magazine
‘A dazzling fictional mystery' Foreword Reviews
‘Readers of Kathleen Barber's Are You Sleeping and fans of Ruth Ware will enjoy this slim but compelling novel' Booklist
‘An exceptional storyteller' Andrew Michael Hurley
‘Beautifully written, smart, compassionate – and scary as hell. Matt Wesolowski is one of the most exciting and original voices in crime fiction' Alex North
‘Insidiously terrifying, with possibly the creepiest woods since The Blair Witch Project … a genuine chiller with a whammy of an ending' C J Tudor
‘Frighteningly wonderful … one of the best books I've read in years' Khurrum Rahman
‘Disturbing, compelling and atmospheric, it will terrify and enthral you in equal measure' M W Craven
‘Bold, clever and genuinely chilling with a terrific' Sunday Mirror
‘A genuine genre-bending debut' Daily Mail
'Impeccably crafted and gripping
Make sure you are sitting down, and you have your seatbelt properly connected. Deity is a frank and brutal look at the evil within. It’s shocking and it is an investigation on how celebrities are put upon a pedestal, they become godlike, a deity. They rely upon fans to be their shield; their security fence and money and infamy makes them untouchable. Their depravity goes under the radar and accusations can easily disappear behind the wall of yes men, the best lawyers that money can buy and loyal fans that will attack anyone that says anything discriminatory against their idols. It’s a twisted and intelligent story that makes Matt Wesolowski one of my favourite authors.
It only takes a split second to realise the skill and the suffocating tension Wesolowski can manipulate in his narrative. He has proven time and time again just why he’s so damn good at grabbing his reader with his original style highly combustible plots. He’s tapped into the popularity of podcasts and what attracts listeners to them. True crime has become a very popular genre and he has the fundamentals oozing with addictiveness. Interviews, fear, and the popularity of a dead popstar feed into the guests panic about speaking up. I was hooked.
Like the previous books in the Six Stories series, Deity can be read as a standalone, but I recommend for that full immersive experience that you pick up the others in the series as soon as you are able. The story is emotionally gripping and extremely relevant with the breakthrough movement of #metoo. Like the other books we follow online journalist, Scott King, owner and producer of the true crime podcast, Six Stories. He investigates a story and interviews six people directly related to the events. In this case it’s the story of dead pop star, Zach Crystal. He aims to tear open the old wounds of allegations of abuse that surrounded his aura. He doesn’t judge until he has the full facts and even then, it’s the reader how gets to make up their own mind.
Zach Crystal was a mega superstar. Think about celebrities who have hit that kind of heights, Curt Cobain, Ed Sheeran, and Britney Spears. He was thrown into the spotlight early on when he was a child star with his sister, Naomi, performing as the Crystal Twins. A rag to riches story, abuse at the hands of their parents, was brought up in an almost fanatical religious household in a rough housing estate. This rise to fame continued through-out their teens until going solo at around the age of nineteen. It then went stratospheric. He was an enigma, never showing his face and it only meant the world wanted more of him. His reclusiveness accumulated in the purchasing of Crystal Forest, a 500-acre woodland near Aviemore. It comprised of a sprawling mansion, a luxurious treehouse and recording studio.
The horrific element of this story is just how this happens with celebrities that hit that Deity status time and time again. Why do we the fans catapult them to that level? Why do we feel we deserve a part of them? Why do they think they are above morality and the law? Why? When all they are just a man at the end of the day.
Deity is hauntingly enigmatic and powerfully obtrusive. It slides into your mind and takes root. This story has a heartbeat and unleashes horrors that linger way longer than just the duration of the story.
ABOUT MATT WESOLOWSKI
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- an 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 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, book three in the series, was published in 2019 and was longlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and shortlisted for Capital Crime’s Amazon Publishing Reader Awards in two categories: Best Thriller and Best Independent Voice.
Follow Matt on Twitter @ConcreteKraken and on his website: mjwesolowskiauthor.wordpress.com
annecater
Huge thanks for this amazing blog tour support xx