The Six by Luca Veste
Published by Simon & Schuster
Publication Date 31st October 2019 paperback/ebook
Book Description:
Six friends trapped by one dark secret. It was supposed to be our last weekend away as friends, before marriage and respectability beckoned. But what happened that Saturday changed everything.
In the middle of the night, someone died. The six of us promised each other we would not tell anyone about the body we buried. But now the pact has been broken. And the killing has started again …
Who knows what we did? And what price will we pay?
In the middle of the night, someone died. The six of us promised each other we would not tell anyone about the body we buried. But now the pact has been broken. And the killing has started again …
Who knows what we did? And what price will we pay?
My Review:
From the introductory couple of pages you know this is going to be a dark, sinister novel. Without those you would think it was going to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane of 1990's music for a group of friends who met at school and university. Matt and Alexandra have just bought their first home together, the reality of hitting adulthood proper making their friend's suggestion of "one last blast before they settle down for real" seem all the more attractive.
The group of friends make their way to Somerset, sharing two cars and a 90's soundtrack to get them in the mood for the next 3 days of living out of tents with minimal facilities. The weekend is just what the group needs to mark the end of their carefree years - until events in the woodland backing on to the festival camping ground on the last night change their lives forever. The confusion and chaos of what happened amid the darkness and the trees that night will haunt them during both their waking hours and the long dark nights which follow, making them all question whether they were right in their decision to not tell a soul what they did.
Then a year on things start happening which suggest that the six are not the only people to know what happened that night. Someone knows who they are and what they did, and this only serves to mess with the heads of the group even more. The pressure on them all steps up, and I found myself on the edge of my seat as their paranoia ramps up. Would they work out who is pursuing them before another victim is claimed? Should they go to the police and confess their involvement in the woods that night? Who is the man who posts his theories on the internet forums, who seems to know more than anyone else about "the Candle Man"? How much danger are they actually in?
I have followed Luca Veste's writing from the start, through the excellent Murphy & Rossi series and on to the standalone chiller The Bone Keeper and for me The Six has been his best writing yet. I found myself so spooked I could only read this book in daylight, it was just too creepy to read in the dim lamplight of my lounge! The conclusion of the book wasn't what I expected but on looking back over the whole book it made sense and was very believable. The final drip of information was a great sting in the tail which I felt completed the book perfectly - and possibly leaves a loose end for Luca to take us on another adventure.
A top read for lovers of a good spooky tale.
From the introductory couple of pages you know this is going to be a dark, sinister novel. Without those you would think it was going to be a nostalgic trip down memory lane of 1990's music for a group of friends who met at school and university. Matt and Alexandra have just bought their first home together, the reality of hitting adulthood proper making their friend's suggestion of "one last blast before they settle down for real" seem all the more attractive.
The group of friends make their way to Somerset, sharing two cars and a 90's soundtrack to get them in the mood for the next 3 days of living out of tents with minimal facilities. The weekend is just what the group needs to mark the end of their carefree years - until events in the woodland backing on to the festival camping ground on the last night change their lives forever. The confusion and chaos of what happened amid the darkness and the trees that night will haunt them during both their waking hours and the long dark nights which follow, making them all question whether they were right in their decision to not tell a soul what they did.
Then a year on things start happening which suggest that the six are not the only people to know what happened that night. Someone knows who they are and what they did, and this only serves to mess with the heads of the group even more. The pressure on them all steps up, and I found myself on the edge of my seat as their paranoia ramps up. Would they work out who is pursuing them before another victim is claimed? Should they go to the police and confess their involvement in the woods that night? Who is the man who posts his theories on the internet forums, who seems to know more than anyone else about "the Candle Man"? How much danger are they actually in?
I have followed Luca Veste's writing from the start, through the excellent Murphy & Rossi series and on to the standalone chiller The Bone Keeper and for me The Six has been his best writing yet. I found myself so spooked I could only read this book in daylight, it was just too creepy to read in the dim lamplight of my lounge! The conclusion of the book wasn't what I expected but on looking back over the whole book it made sense and was very believable. The final drip of information was a great sting in the tail which I felt completed the book perfectly - and possibly leaves a loose end for Luca to take us on another adventure.
A top read for lovers of a good spooky tale.
About the Author:
Luca Veste is a writer of Italian and Liverpudlian heritage, married with two young daughters, and one of nine children. He studied psychology and criminology at university in Liverpool. He is the author of the Murphy and Rossi series, which includes DEAD GONE, THE DYING PLACE, BLOODSTREAM, and THEN SHE WAS GONE.
Part psychological thriller, part police procedural, his books follow the detective pairing of DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi. The novels are set in Liverpool, bringing the city to life in a dark and terrifying manner...with just a splash of Scouse humour.
Part psychological thriller, part police procedural, his books follow the detective pairing of DI David Murphy and DS Laura Rossi. The novels are set in Liverpool, bringing the city to life in a dark and terrifying manner...with just a splash of Scouse humour.
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