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Crime by the Book

A girl investigates crime fiction from around the world, by the book.
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the cbtb blog

One girl's ongoing investigation of the crime fiction genre.

Blog Tour/Book Review: SIX STORIES by Matt Wesolowski

March 25, 2017

SIX STORIES by Matt Wesolowski
CBTB Rating: 5/5
The Verdict: fiercely original, innovative storytelling

There’s no other way to say it: SIX STORIES must be the best debut I’ve read in ages. It’s inventive, bold, and unapologetically different—in a crowded field, SIX STORIES stands out for its fierce originality. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it, neither in its structure nor in its content. SIX STORIES is based around a true crime podcast, and the author has structured it to mirror such a show: its plot is divided into six separate “interviews” with individuals with knowledge of the story’s central crime. If you love podcasts like Serial or Sword & Scale, you’ll feel right at home in the world of SIX STORIES—but really, this is a book for every crime fiction reader looking to be swept up in a story that’s as addictive as it is unsettling. 

Plot Synopsis: 1997. Scarclaw Fell. The body of teenager Tom Jeffries is found at an outward bound center. Verdict? Misadventure. But not everyone is convinced. 

2017. Enter elusive investigative journalist Scott King, whose podcast examinations of complicated cases have rivaled the success of Serial, with his concealed identity making him a cult internet figure. In a series of six interviews, King attempts to work out how the dynamics of a group of idle teenagers conspired with the sinister legends surrounding the fell to result in Jeffries’ mysterious death.

There’s one word I keep repeating when I talk about this book: original. It’s been a long time since I've read a book that’s as much in a category of its own as is SIX STORIES. Every element of this book seems to radiate with originality, from its plot structure to its content to the voices of its characters. I truly wouldn’t know what other book to compare this one to—and I consider that a testament to the author’s vision for his debut novel. 

I’m a huge fan of true crime podcasts, and I was instantly impressed with how authentically Wesolowski captures the tone and language used by true crime podcasters. If you’re a fan of Serial, Sword & Scale, or Criminal, you will feel immediately at home in SIX STORIES. But don’t let that lull you into thinking you know what the author has in store for you. SIX STORIES uses the formula of true crime podcasting as a springboard, from which the author launches the reader into a dark, compelling maze that slowly but surely reveals the shocking truth at its core. 

Out of all the impressive elements of this debut, the one that stuck with me most has to be the author’s incredible talent for crafting vivid, believable characters in such a short space. This is a relatively brief novel - only 225 pages - but within this space, the author develops six unique characters. And boy, does he develop them well. In the six interviews that make up the book’s “six stories,” Wesolowski has created distinct, three-dimensional people, each with totally individual and lifelike voices. Reading their “interviews,” I found myself forgetting that this was a work of fiction, that’s how truly authentic these characters felt. It's almost hard to imagine that one author could come up with all these unique voices, and manage to make each as strong as the next, but Wesolowski has done it in spades. Readers get to know this group of interviewees - both their individual personalities and their group dynamic - through Wesolowski’s engaging and immersive writing. 

This book’s ending completely blew me away. I won’t say much about this, as I would never want to spoil anything. But I’ll just say that I was stunned by the intricate puzzle Wesolowski has laid out in SIX STORIES, and deeply impressed by the sensitivity and insight that lace his writing. After reading this book, I wanted to know so much more about his background—I have so many questions I’d like to ask him. 

I do want to make one note: it did take me until I was through the first "interview" to get into the groove of this book. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, and it took me a little while to make sense of who was who, and understand how they all relate to one another. Once I did, though, I found myself utterly addicted to this book. And “addicted” really is the right word—when I wasn’t reading SIX STORIES, I was thinking about it or talking about it to anyone who would listen to me. 

SIX STORIES is simply a stunning debut crime novel. Its plotting, pacing, and unique content make it one of the most impressive books I’ve read recently. Wesolowski is a major new talent in crime fiction, and I cannot wait to see what he does next.

I have only one piece of advice for you: buy this book. 


BOOK DETAILS: 

SIX STORIES by Matt Wesolowski
Orenda Books
US Publication date: 6/1/17

Buy Links:

Purchase on Amazon

Purchase on BookDepository

NOTE: I’m not an audiobook listener, but I’ve heard absolutely fantastic things about the SIX STORIES audiobook. I can imagine that, with its podcast-based plot, this would be an absolute winner in that format! Find it on Audible here. 


Make sure to check in with the rest of the SIX STORIES blog tour, too! 

In Blog Tour, Book Review Tags Blog Tour, Book Review, Book Recommendation
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⚡️ FLASH INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY! ⚡️
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It’s Friday & I feel like we could use a pick me up. 😉 SO I want to give one of you a copy of one of these awesome crime reads!! 🕵🏻‍♀️ I’ve been feeling so lucky lately with how stellar my 2019 reads have been so far, so this giveaway will help spread the love 😍 One lucky winner will receive a copy of one of these reads - winner gets to choose the book! 🤓❤️ •
A quick summary of these books: 🔎 THE STRANGER DIARIES: A modern take on Gothic suspense, with a “book within a book” component! 🤓
🔎 THE HIDING PLACE: spine-tingling suspense with horror touches (think Stephen King) 😱
🔎 THE BONE KEEPER: a procedural-meets-serial killer novel with some horror inspired elements 🕵🏻‍♀️
🔎 HUNTING GAME: a mystery that reads like a classic crime novel, set in rural Sweden. 🙌🏻
•
GIVEAWAY RULES: 🔎 International entrants! Just make sure BookDepository ships to your country, please! 🔎 Giveaway closes Monday, 2/25
TO ENTER: 🔎 Follow @crimebythebook 🔎 Tag 2 friends in the comments
🔎 For one extra entry, share in the comments! 🔎 Reminder: Giveaway not affiliated with or sponsored by Instagram. 
GOOD LUCK! 🕵🏻‍♀️
These NYC views never get old. ♡ Snapped this photo in Madison Square Park! 📸 •
Now, I realize this is a VERY good problem to have: but does anyone else ever feel like there are just *too* many great books coming out to keep up with?! 😳 I’m normally SUCH a mood reader, but I’ve got so many books on my to-read list that I’ve had to get a bit more organized to make time for all of them. 😂 A great problem, to be sure - but something I’m trying to stay very much on top of. 🤓
•
SO to that end... I’m so excited bc next on my TBR is the newest read from a CBTB favorite!!!🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 Sara Blaedel has the 2nd book in her Family Secrets trilogy releasing in March - it’s called HER FATHER’S SECRET, and it releases March 5th! Blaedel first came on my radar years & years ago with her Louise Rick procedurals, and I’ve been a fan of hers ever since. 🙌🏻 While the Family Secrets Trilogy is VERY different from the Louise Rick series, both have endearing characters who I just love spending time with. 👌🏻 The Family Secrets books are definitely a lighter brand of suspense than Blaedel’s Louise Rick books: if you love gritty police procedurals, the Louise Rick books will be more your speed. BUT I’m currently in the mood for something a bit gentler & more cozy - and that’s exactly the kind of read the Family Secrets books deliver. 🤓 I’ll share more info on the plot for HER FATHER’S SECRET - plus my early reading thoughts - soon!!🖤 •
Do you have a set TBR that you read from? Or are you a mood reader?!
No bookish lunch break for me today, but I’m daydreaming that I’m back in this perfect reading spot 👆🏻 with that gorgeous latte 😍☕️
•
I realized (thanks to Facebook 😂) that today is my 1 year anniversary at my job!!!😱 Time flies. It feels like just yesterday I was sharing with you guys all about my new opportunity, & now here we are. It’s been an incredible 1 year at Knopf, working with some of the best crime writers in the world, and I cannot wait to see what year 2 has in store. 🕵🏻‍♀️❤️ Even though CBTB is totally separate from my job in book publishing, I’ve loved getting to share little bits of my work life with you guys over this past year - thank you so much for going on this adventure with me!!😍❤️ In honor of the 1 year anniversary, I’ll be opening up a little bit about my “work life” in the comments - please feel free to ask any questions you have!!! (Background info for those of you new to CBTB: I work in book publicity!) I’ll be answering questions tonight! 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤
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In reading news, I’ve picked out my next read & it’s one I’m SO excited about bc it’s from an author I’ve been reading for years & years now!!! I’ll be sharing more about my next read tomorrow or maybe in my IG stories tonight if I can tear myself away from blogging in time to get some stories up. 😉 Stay tuned!!🤓❤️
May this cute little bear latte art brighten your day as much as it brightened mine. 🥰🙌🏻 •
So... guess who finished her latest read in just about 2 sittings...?! 🤔 It’s been just about forever since I binge-read a book quite as quickly as I did HUNTING GAME by Helene Tursten. And the greatest irony of all? I thought this was going to be a really slow-burning read that would take me a little while to get through. 😂 Here’s the thing: HUNTING GAME *is* a slow-burner of a story, but it’s also delightfully readable. This is a quiet sort of mystery; it’s grounded in reality and focused more on atmosphere-building & character development than flashy twists or gory violence. It’s got a fantastic premise that feels inspired by the “locked room mystery”: a group of hunters in rural Sweden are struck by tragedy when two of their own go missing, and suspicion falls on the group. 🔎 Tursten does a fantastic job crafting an immersive mystery that will keep you engaged with steady pacing, spare prose, and compact chapters. If you’re a fan of classic detective novels, it will be RIGHT up your alley. 👌🏻 •
Who here loves a good classic detective story?! 🕵🏻‍♀️ What are some of your favorites?
Wintry Nordic mystery with a strong female protagonist? Sign me up. 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤 Many thanks to Soho Press for my review copy of Helene Tursten’s HUNTING GAME, on sale February 26th! 🔎
•
One of the questions I get most often is “don’t you ever get tired of reading crime novels?!” And the answer is, invariably, no - because the crime genre encompasses SO much. 🙌🏻 My personal trick that helps keep things fresh for me as a reader = I mix up the sub-genres I’m reading back to back. SO because my last read (THE WOMAN IN THE DARK) was a fast-paced psychological suspense novel, I’m opting to make my next read something more atmospheric & slow-burning - and Helene Tursten’s HUNTING GAME looks just the thing to suit my mood. 👌🏻🖤
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A little backstory: Helene Tursten is best known for her Irene Huss series, which has been translated into 18 languages (!) *and* adapted into a television series. BUT with her new book, HUNTING GAME, she launches a brand-new series featuring a totally new protagonist: Detective Inspector Embla Nyström. 🕵🏻‍♀️
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Embla Nyström is a 28-year old detective working for the police in Gothenburg, Sweden. Plagued by chronic nightmares and anxiety for as long as she can remember, Embla has learned to channel her emotions and anxious energy into her work, and into sports - she is both a talented hunter and a prize-winning welterweight boxer. 💪🏻 When readers meet her in HUNTING GAME, Embla is taking a vacation from her high-stress job, traveling to her uncle’s cabin in the countryside with a group of fellow hunters. But when a string of unsettling incidents occur, culminating in the disappearance of two of the group, Embla takes charge, delving into the dark past of her traveling companions in search of a killer. 🔎
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I’ve been loving the resurgence of “locked room” style mysteries we’ve been seeing lately - and HUNTING GAME sounds like it might have some similar structures to it!! 👌🏻 I’m excited to give this one a read. 🤓 What do you think: does this sound up your alley?! 🔎
🕵🏻‍♀️ FRIDAY GIVEAWAY 🕵🏻‍♀️ I’m so excited to team up with @Minotaur_Books to give away 5 hardcover copies of THE RECKONING, the brilliant new book by Yrsa Sigurdardottir! 🔎
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Yrsa Sigurdardottir (aka Iceland’s Queen of Crime 🇮🇸) is one of my favorite authors. 👌🏻 If you’re a fan of Nordic Noir, her books belong on your TBR! 🤓 This week, Yrsa’s newest book THE RECKONING went on sale in the US, & today on the blog I’m sharing a Q&A with Yrsa giving you a behind-the-scenes peek into the read! 🔎 In our Q&A, you can learn about the characters central to this story, the inspiration behind the book, how dangerous Iceland *really* is, & a whole lot more!! Direct link in my IG profile 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤
•
SO to celebrate this book’s release, I’m teaming up with Minotaur to give 5 lucky readers a copy! 🤓 Enter below! •
GIVEAWAY RULES: 🔎 Giveaway closes 2/22
🔎 US entrants only 
TO ENTER:
🔎 Follow @minotaur_books & @crimebythebook 🔎 Like this photo & tag 2 friends in the comments 🔎 For one extra entry, share in your stories! 🔎 Reminder: giveaway not affiliated with or sponsored by Instagram. 
GOOD LUCK! 🕵🏻‍♀️🖤
PSA to my future Valentine: I really only want books for Valentine’s Day. 😉❤️ (Or a trip back to Iceland to visit this gorgeous bookstore would work, too! 😂) •
If you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day today, I hope you’re having a wonderful day!! If, like me, you’re celebrating another Thriller Thursday filled with good books, I hope you’re having a great day too 😉🤓 BUT speaking of things to love: today on my blog I’m sharing a full review of THE STRANGER DIARIES by Elly Griffiths, available in the US on March 5th! I absolutely adored this bookish mystery & its Gothic touches, and can’t wait for you guys to get your hands on it. 👌🏻🙌🏻 Direct link to my review in my IG profile! 🕵🏻‍♀️
•
My plans tonight will involve making progress in my current read (THE WOMAN IN THE DARK by Vanessa Savage) annnd probably watching a horror movie with my roomie. 😂 I’m just about done with THE WOMAN IN THE DARK, and I’m definitely enjoying a good deal about it... but I’m still just not 100% sold. 🤔 I will say, though, that this book has improved quite significantly the more it’s progressed - it’s definitely becoming creepier & creepier, which I’m loving. 👌🏻 Full review to come on this one soon! •
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day... Who are some of your favorite “book boyfriends” and/or “book girlfriends”?! My fave book boyfriend is (obviously😂) Harry Hole, from Jo Nesbø’s series!🕵🏻‍♀️
Halfway through the week & halfway through my current read 🕵🏻‍♀️, both thanks to coffee. 😉☕️
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In case you missed it: yesterday on the blog I shared a Q&A with Lucy Foley, author of THE HUNTING PARTY - which went on sale in the US yesterday!! 🎉 I absolutely *loved* learning more about this fantastic atmospheric locked room mystery from its very talented author ♡ head to my website via the link in my IG profile to read the Q&A! 🤓
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In reading news... I’m happy to report my experience with my current read (THE WOMAN IN THE DARK by Vanessa Savage, on sale in March) has improved quite a bit!! 👌🏻 This story definitely got off to a rocky start, with rushed pacing & abrupt character introductions. But the more time I spend reading it, the more I’m getting into the flow of the story. It has a VERY creepy atmosphere, which I’m loving: a house known as the “Murder House”, aka a home where a terrible crime was committed. 😳 It’s definitely quite chilling, which I’m enjoying!! So far, I’m leaning towards making this one a book I’d recommend you borrow from your library, rather than spend $$ buying - but I’ll keep you guys posted as I reach the book’s conclusion! 👍🏻
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It’s the middle of the week, so let’s do some cheerleading for ourselves! What’s one thing you’ve accomplished so far this week that you’re particularly excited about?! For me, I’m excited because I *finally* feel on top of my content plans for my website - which was no small task. 😂
Wishing I could be at this pretty little coffee shop this afternoon with my current read ♡ •
I’m about 70-ish pages into THE WOMAN IN THE DARK by Vanessa Savage, and so far I’m having some mixed feelings. I love the concept behind this book: it’s totally creepy & chilling, and reminds me of a scary movie, which I love. 😉👌🏻 It’s also got a nice gloomy, chilling sense of place in the seaside town where the “Murder House” is - not to mention I love stories that center around buildings with dark histories! BUT so far my experience has been that it’s a bit abrupt somehow. 🤔 As in, I felt like I was dropped into the story without much introduction, and then the story has pretty quickly forward without enough time spent setting the scene/establishing the personalities and stories of each character. I’m definitely going to continue reading with an open mind - I’m just hoping I get a bit more backstory & depth of character development as the book progresses! I’ll keep you guys posted! •
What kind of settings do you find most compelling in a crime story?! Personally, I’m always drawn to stories that center around creepy houses with bizarre histories, psychiatric institutions, and/or Scandinavian cities/towns!! 😉🖤
Headed back to NYC & ready to dig into my next read, courtesy of @GrandCentralPub 🕵🏻‍♀️ THE WOMAN IN THE DARK by Vanessa Savage is available March 12th, & sounds all kinds of creepy 👌🏻 sign me up! •
Who here loves all things horror?! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I’m a HUGE horror movie fan, and I love crime novels that incorporate horror-inspired touches. 👌🏻 (E.g. FINAL GIRLS by Riley Sager, THE WEIGHT OF LIES by Emily Carpenter, & THE HIDING PLACE by C.J. Tudor, to name a few!) If this describes you, too, then my next read is one to keep your eye on. 🤓 The plot of this book makes me think of Season 1 of American Horror Story - anyone else?! (Read on for plot info!)
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THE WOMAN IN THE DARK follows a married couple whose life is shattered by the passing of wife Sarah’s mother. Mired in grief and depression at the loss of her mother, Sarah begins to lose a grip on her life. Her husband, Patrick, is desperate to help his wife process her grief and find her footing again. To give the family a fresh start, he moves them to the idyllic beachside home where he grew up. The only problem? The house has stood empty for 15 years, ever since the previous occupants were murdered within its walls. Patrick has faith this can be their dream home... but with the locals whispering that the house is haunted, Sarah can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right. Not with the house, not with the town, and not even with her beloved husband, whose stories of his childhood aren’t adding up... can Sarah uncover the secrets of the Murder House before another family is destroyed? 😳
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I’m totally here for thrillers that have horror touches to them, and this book sure sounds like it does!! I’m hoping this will be a creepy & spine-tingling read - I’ll keep you guys posted. 🕵🏻‍♀️ What do you think: does this sound up your alley?!

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