The Weekenders by David F Ross #TheWeekenders @dfr10 @OrendaBooks #BookReview

 

The deaths of a series of young Eastern European women in Glasgow leads to a stately home in the Scottish countryside, and back to the Second World War, where a group of young soldiers made their own, shocking rules… Saltire Prize shortlisted author David F. Ross returns with an extraordinary, dark mystery – first in a new series.

Glasgow, 1966: Stevie 'Minto' Milloy, former star footballer-turned-rookie reporter, finds himself trailing the story of a young Eastern European student whose body has been found on remote moorland outside the city. How did she get there from her hostel at the Sovereign Grace Mission, and why does Stevie find obstacles at every turn?

Italy, 1943: As the Allies fight Mussolini's troops, a group of young soldiers are separated from their platoon, and Glaswegian Jamesie Campbell, his newfound friend Michael McTavish at his side, finds himself free to make his own rules…

Glasgow, 1969: Courtroom sketch artist Donald 'Doodle' Malpas is shocked to discover that his new case involves the murder of a teenage Lithuanian girl he knows from the Sovereign Grace Mission. Why hasn't the girl's death been reported? And why is a young police constable suddenly so keen to join the mission?

No one seems willing to join the dots between the two cases, and how they link to Raskine House, the stately home in the Scottish countryside with a dark history and even darker present – the venue for the debauched parties held there by the rich and powerful of the city who call themselves 'The Weekenders'.

Painting a picture of a 1960s Glasgow in the throes of a permissive society, pulled apart by religion, corruption, and a murderous Bible John stalking the streets, The Weekenders is a snapshot of an era of turmoil – and a terrifying insight into the mind of a ruthless criminal…

The Weekenders by David F Ross was published by Orenda Books on 27 February 2025. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

One of my all time favourite novels is There's Only One Danny Garvey by David F Ross, published in 20202. Danny Garvey was told in four voices, during one era. Ross is so skilled at creating different and unique voices for his novel. In The Weekenders, we have two main narrators - Stevie 'Minto ' Molloy and Donald 'Doodle' Malpass, and the story is set in three, very separate, time scales.  There's Stevie's story from 1966, as he finds his way as a new sports journalist after his successful football playing career is cut tragically short. Doodle tells his story in 1969, again in Glasgow. Doodle is a courtroom sketch artist and is troubled by the news of the murder of a Lithuanian girl. 
The third part of the novel, and possibly the darkest and most graphic is set in during the war, in Italy in 1943, we are introduced to Jamsie Campbell and Michael McTavish, a couple of characters whose presence is felt throughout the story. 

This is raw and violent and dark and straight to the point. Ross does not protect his readers from the realities of the Glasgow that is depicted within the plot. Coarse, strong language, mixed up with corruption and murder and the despicable behaviours displayed by those in power are to be found on every page of this truth filled, captivating and shocking story. 

The characters are all flawed, yet there are some of them who the reader cannot fail to grow fond of, despite some of the things that they do, and say. 

As he always does. David F Ross has intricately explored community and relationships within. There's a poignancy about the story, despite the starkness and violence. These are real people, their issues have shaped them, and those around them. It's wonderfully written and highly recommended by me. 

David F. Ross was born in Glasgow in 1964 and has lived in Kilmarnock for over 30
years. 

He is a graduate of the Mackintosh School of Architecture at Glasgow School of Art, an architect by day, and a hilarious social-media commentator, author and enabler by night. 

His debut novel The Last Days of Disco was shortlisted for the Authors Club Best First Novel Award, and optioned for the stage by the Scottish National Theatre. 

All five of his novels have achieved notable critical acclaim and There’s Only One Danny Garvey, published in 2021 by Orenda Books, was shortlisted for the prestigious Saltire Society Prize for Scottish Fiction Book of the Year. 

David lives in Ayrshire. 

www.davidfross.co.uk

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The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani #TheMidnightKing @TariqAshkanani @ViperBooks #BookReview

 

'This is a work of fiction. This is not a confession.'

Lucas Cole is a bestselling writer. He is also a father, a widower, and a beloved celebrity in his small town. He is an unassuming man ­- tall, thin and quietly friendly. Lucas Cole is also a serial killer.

Nathan Cole has known the truth about his father since he was ten years old. Too terrified to go to the police, he ran away from home as soon as he was able, carrying the guilt of leaving his sister behind. But when Lucas is found dead in a dingy motel room, Nathan returns to his childhood home for the first time in seventeen years. It's there he finds The Midnight King, his father's final unpublished manuscript, a fictionalised account of his hideous crimes, hidden in a box of trinkets taken from his victims. Trinkets that include a ribbon belonging to a missing eight-year-old girl who disappeared only days before his father's death.

Now, Nathan must deal with the consequences of keeping his father's secret. But it may not be as simple as finding a lost child. For The Midnight King holds Nathan's secrets as well as Lucas's, and he is not the only one searching for the truth...

Full of unexpected twists and heartrending turns, The Midnight King is a gripping thriller perfect for fans of Chris Whitaker, S.A. Cosby and Ian Rankin.

The Midnight King by Tariq Ashkanani is published on 10 April 2025 by Viper. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Very very dark, quite shocking and really intelligently written. This is how I like my crime fiction, and Tariq Ashkanani certainly delivers with The Midnight King. It's the sort of book that hooks the reader from the opening scenes, and then doesn't let go until the final pages. A twisted serial killer story that is up there alongside the best. 

This is a two pronged story line, with two main narrators, but one evil, devilish killer at the heart of it. Nathan Cole ran away from home many years ago. He was escaping the deeds of his father. Nathan knew exactly what Lucas Cole was. To outsiders, Lucas appeared to be quite the local celebrity- a quiet man, but a friendly man who also happened to be a best selling author of crime fiction. Nathan knows that Lucas is a serial killer. 

Nathan has returned for the first time in many years. His father has been found dead in a motel room, and Nathan has discovered a box in his father's home. This box contains unimaginable horrors; souvenirs from Lucas' crimes and also, a manuscript.  This manuscript is nothing like Lucas' other work, it is claimed that it's fiction, but Nathan knows that it details everything terrible that his father did before he died. 

Isaac Holloway is a private investigator. He's been hired by the parents of missing girl Chloe. Nathan and Isaae were childhood friends but have not had any contact for many years. Both Isaac and Nathan are sure that Chloe is the final victim of Lucas, but she hasn't been found yet. Both of them are desperate to find her, desperate to know that she is still alive. 

The Midnight King is a complex and multi layered story that is beautifully written, with the Nashville setting becoming such an integral part of the plot line that I don't think it would work anywhere else.

Shocks, twists and totally unexpected reveals all go towards making this one a totally gripping read. Highly recommended by me. 

Tariq Ashkanani is a solicitor and co-host of the writing podcast Page One. 

His debut novel, Welcome to Cooper, won the Bloody Scotland Debut Award 2022, as well as being shortlisted for both the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and Capital Crime Fingerprint Award. 

His second novel, Follow Me to the Edge, was published in 2022. 

His upcoming novel, The Midnight King, will be published by Viper in 2025. 

He lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two sons.

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The Antique Hunter's ; Death on the Red Sea by C L Miller #AntiqueHunters #DeathontheRedSea @CLMillerAuthor @panmacmillan @RandomTTours #BookReview

 

Join Freya and Aunt Carole for more sleuthing in the highly anticipated second instalment in your new favourite crime series, The Antique Hunters. The Antique Hunter's: Death on the Red Sea is a cosy crime read for fans of the Antiques Roadshow.

When a painting vanishes from a maritime museum – and a dead body is found nearby – the newly established Lockwood Antique Hunter’s Agency, Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carole, are called to investigate.

Following a lead that takes them aboard a glamorous antiques cruise sailing toward the Red Sea in Jordan, they quickly discover that the ship's art gallery is filled with stolen antiquities. Each and every one of them is also listed in Freya’s late mentor’s journals detailing unsolved cases. In chasing a murderer with a stolen painting, they may have found something more sinister than they could’ve imagined . . .

Their hunt soon turns deadly when they learn that the enigmatic and dangerous art trafficker named The Collector could be on board. But on a ship full of antiques enthusiasts – plus some unexpected familiar faces – will Freya and Carole be able to discover The Collector’s identity and stop his murderous plans before the ship docks?

Or will the killer strike again?

The Antique Hunter's : Death on the Red Sea by C L Miller was published in hardback on 13 February 2025 by Pan Macmillan. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour. 

I read and reviewed the first in this series: The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder back in March 2024, and whilst cosy crime is never my first choice when choosing a crime book to read, I really did enjoy it and have been looking forward to this second in the series for a while. 

This is another gloriously entertaining read from Miller featuring two of the best drawn female lead characters about. Freya Lockwood and her Aunt Carol have officially created their 'Lockwood Antique Hunter's Agency' and who would have guessed that there would be quite so much business for them? The antiques business is certainly not dry and boring, it's filled to the brim with suspicious characters and crimes that need to be investigated. 

The prologue takes the reader back to before Freya's uncle Arthur died. He passing on information to Phil, from the FBI Art Crime Team - it seems 'The Collector' is taking retirement and is stepping down from his role as antique thief extraordinaire! 

When Freya and Carol are called out to investigate the theft of a painting from a nearby Maritime Museum, they discover that Arthur was heavily involved with the museum and the painting, and before long they find themselves on a art themed cruise, with Freya posing as one of the experts on board. It soon becomes clear to Freya that there's a lot of dodgy stuff going on and the appearance of a familiar face on board just proves this to her. 

This is a great series, I love the unusual premise - the crime solvers set in the world of the antiques business!  The author has used her own personal experience to ensure that the details appear so authentic whilst also creating mysteries that are complex and compelling.  Recommended by me. 

C. L. Miller started her working life in publishing as an editorial assistant for her mother, Judith Miller, on the Miller’s Antique Price Guide and as a researcher for the Antique Hunter’s Guide to Europe, and then went into hospitality and events. 

After she had children, she decided to follow her long-held dream of becoming an author and began writing full time. 

She was an Undiscovered Voices winner in 2022 and was showcased in the UV 2022 anthology.

C. L. Miller lives in a medieval cottage in Dedham Vale, Suffolk, with her family.

www.clmillerauthor.com

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Luminous by Silvia Park #Luminous @silviajpark @OneworldNews #BookReview

 

Three siblings. Two human, one robot. The spectacular new debut about what it means to be alive. 

In a recently reunified Korea, robots have integrated seamlessly into society. They are our teachers, our bus drivers and policemen. They are our lovers. They are even our children. 

Eleven-year-old Ruijie sifts through scrap metal in a Seoul junkyard, searching for anything that might repair her failing body. There amongst the piles of junk she happens across a robot boy: lifelike, strange and unlike anything she's seen before. 

Across the city, estranged siblings Jun and Morgan Cho haven't spoken since the abrupt disappearance of their robot brother Yoyo, which shattered their childhoods and left a gaping hole in their lives. But Ruijie's discovery is about to bring the lives of brother and sister hurtling back together, forcing them to confront the reality of Yoyo's true nature, and the dark purpose their father never revealed. 

At once a dazzling work of speculative fiction and a poignant family drama, Luminous is a timely, unforgettable story about what it really means to be human. 

Luminous by Silvia Park is published on 20 March 2025 by Magpie/Oneworld. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Speculative fiction is one of my favourite genres, yet I shy away from traditional science-fiction. I always imagine aliens and space ships when I think of Sci-Fi, maybe it's my age, having grown up in the Star Trek era!  However, sell me something that you describe as speculative and I will snap it up immediately.  Luminous is most certainly speculative fiction, it is also beautifully written literary fiction with world-building and character creation that is breathtakingly precise. 

It's the near future and Korea has recently been reunified. Officially, it was a peaceful process, but it becomes clear that may not be the case and there is a definite sense of superiority from those who originally lived in the South. 

Robots are a totally accepted and indeed, a really important part of day to to day life. Not only do they carry out important functions in society, they can also become family members, sometimes even lovers. 

Park's story revolves around a small cast of characters, each one of them finely and perfectly crafted, regardless of whether they are human or robot. Jun and Morgan are brother and sister, but they are very different, they've not been in touch with each other for years, but the re-appearance of their 'brother', Yoyo - a full robot has brought them together. Park does not give her characters easy lives. Jun works in the police, he's a trans man, who sustained multiple injuries in an accident. He has been repaired using robotic parts, he's also transgender, and he also needs to track down missing Eli; a 'girl next door' type robot who is missing. 

Morgan is a robot designer, working for Imagine Friends. She is just about to launch Boy X, her design as part of the new Future X children. She also has her own personal robot - Stephen, he's also her lover. 

Yoyo was their brother, completely robot and created by their highly intelligent, if often eccentric father. When Yoyo disappeared, they were distraught, he was a robot, but they loved him like the brother he was. 

I find it incredibly difficult to write a review about this book. It's so special and quite unlike anything else that I've written. It is about robots, yet is it life affirming, emotional and full of heart. We are not just learning about advances in science and technology, we are discovering that despite advances in these areas, we still remain human, with all of the drama and heartache that goes along with that.  Unearthing family mysteries that have long been hidden, allowing characters to look differently at each other, and themselves. 

An outstanding look at human relationships, how they develop, how they change, how they can be altered.  Vivid and engrossing, recommended by me. 

Silvia Park grew up in Seoul and has spent most of her life in Korea. 

She received her BA from Columbia and her MFA from NYU, in addition to completing the Clarion Workshop in 2018 on the George R.R. Martin “Sense of Wonder” Fellowship. 

Her short fiction has been published in Black Warrior Review, Joyland and Tor.com, nominated for a Pushcart and reprinted in the 2019 Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy.

www.silviapark.com

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IG @park_silvia

Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson #SameTimeNextWeek @millyjohnson @simonschusterUK @TeamBATC #BookReview @ed_pr

 

Welcome to Spring Hill, home to a square of independent shops and cafes, a thriving local community and nearby the newest venture, Ray’s Diner. Here a group of women meet once a week over a cup of something warming.

 Amanda is primary carer to her elderly mother and one of the only women in a male-dominated company. Used to being second-best all her life, is this her time to finally break ranks and shine?

 Sky works at the repair shop, patching up old teddy bears, and their owners’ hearts. But her heart beats for the one man who is strictly off-limits.

 Mel has been a loyal and loving wife to Steve for thirty years. Then when he goes to his old school reunion, life as she knows it will never be the same again.

 Erin is trying to get over a traumatic loss where her guilt weighs more than her grief. Can she find the first step to healing lies in sharing an hour with strangers once a week? 

 Astrid is feeling in need of a change and a challenge. But when a fantastic opportunity presents itself, who is around to convince her she is worthy enough to take the risk?

 Can these women find the answers to their worries, acceptance, courage, support here? Join them at the same time next week to find out…

Same Time Next Week by Milly Johnson is published on 27 February 2025 by Simon & Schuster. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I am a huge fan of Milly Johnson, it's hard to believe that her first novel: The Yorkshire Pudding Club was published in 2007 - almost twenty years ago!  Over those years, Milly has been good enough to produce a book a year for those of us who need a fix, with a couple of novellas thrown in here and there. 

I think what Milly Johnson does especially well is to look at life challenges that women face. We are all growing older and with that, we find ourselves faced with different situations. Whether it is dealing with elderly parents; mopping up after children that are making their own mistakes; realising that our relationships may not be exactly what we always thought, all with the damn menopause on top! We live in a changing and different world to that of our own mothers, and I find it an absolute joy to be able to speak openly about the menopause, and peri menopause and post menopause.  Our mothers had to keep quiet, to suffer in silence, not realising that they were not alone. 

In Same Time Next Week we are introduced to a varied group of women of different ages with different histories and circumstances, but they are all women and they all have their own issues to deal with. Amanda is thinking about early retirement, she enjoys her job and is currently working on how her employer can ensure that women are cared for properly in the workplace. Amanda's elderly mother lives near by and needs a lot of care. Sadly, it is Amanda's step-brother Bradley that gets the praise and thanks from their mother whilst she quietly continues to ensure the old woman is fed and cared for.

It is Amanda's idea to hold a regular 'friends group' meeting, at Ray's Diner in Spring Hill. She's not sure if people will come but she knows that extending the arm of friendship cannot hurt. 

Despite the disappointment of the first meeting, the group becomes very popular and it is not long before the regulars find true friendship. Sharing their innermost secrets, helping each other, giving advice and sharing the amazing cookies supplied by Ray. 

So, I could details all of the issues faced by the group, but I'm not going to. Milly does that really well, with insight and touches of her fabulous Northern humour. Her writing is wise and inspirational and also realistic and true. This is another absolute classic from one of the best authors we have in the UK. 

You will love these characters, you will cheer them on. You will boo their enemies and you will truly wish that you too had a friendship group that met every week at Ray's Diner. 

Wonderful. Highly recommended 

Milly Johnson was born, raised and still lives in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. 

A Sunday Times bestseller, she is one of the Top 10 Female Fiction authors in the UK, and has sold millions of copies of her books sold across the world. 

Milly's writing highlights the importance of community spirit and the magic of kindness. 

Her books inspire and uplift but she packs a punch and never shies away from the hard realities of life and the complexities of relationships in her stories. 

Her books champion women, their strength and resilience, and celebrate love, friendship and the possibility and joy of second chances and renaissances. 

She writes stories about ordinary women and the extraordinary things that happen in their ordinary lives.

www.millyjohnson.co.uk

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Ask Not by Maureen Callahan #AskNot @DM_Maureen_ @mudlarkbooks @HarperNonFic @Kara_Ella #TheKennedys #BookReview

 

From New York Times bestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven exposé of the real Kennedy Curse―the family's generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem―and the women who have paid the price for our obsession with Camelot.

For decades, the Kennedy name has been synonymous with wealth, power, and―above all else―integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the Kennedy men's legacy of physical and psychological abuse of women, part of a tradition of toxic masculinity that spans generations and has ruined untold lives. Through scandal after scandal, the family and their defenders have managed to keep this shameful story out of the spotlight. Now, in Ask Not, bestselling journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys' hidden history of abuse and exploitation, laying bare their rampant misogyny and restoring women to the center of the dynasty's story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Mary Richardson, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren't nearly as well known – but rightfully should be.

Drawing on years of fierce reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled American family, showing how the Kennedy myth and their raw political power has enabled the clan's many predators while also silencing generations of traumatized women and girls. At long last, Callahan also redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys' orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves―and giving voice to the countless others who could not do the same.

Ask Not - The Kennedys and the Women they Destroyed by Maureen Callahan was published by Mudlark / Harper NonFiction on 4 July 2024. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

I grew up in the 1970s. The Kennedy family were probably at the height of their fame around that time. My Mum; a sensible Irish Catholic woman who didn't stand for fools easily adored the Kennedys and I was brought up listening to the glamour and high fashion filled tales of their lives. We lived in England but spent every summer in County Donegal, Ireland. Every house that I visited had three pictures on the wall ; the Sacred Heart, the Pope and JFK.  John F Kennedy had a saint-like status in Catholic Ireland, and it was many many years before I learnt the real truth about him and his family. 

If 'Ask Not' was a novel, a work of fiction, I can imagine readers being really critical. There could be cries about how one family could not be as toxic as the Kennedys. We would ask if the author was adding sensation to sell her story. However, sadly, this is not fiction. This is an anger inducing book filled with facts, carefully researched by the author and powerfully written down.

For too long, it has been the men of the Kennedy family who have taken centre stage, and at the moment we are subjected to so many pictures of RFK Jr since he teamed up with Trump and is now in charge of health care in the most powerful nation on earth.  Maureen Callahan has put the women who married them, loved them, had relationships with them and also suffered the most at their hands, at the heart of his book. We learn about women whose names have been forgotten over the years, whose own stories were not felt as important as those of the powerful corrupt Kennedy men. 

Compelling, searing and very timely. This is a grim, sordid read that will induce anger and rage in any decent reader. 

Maureen Callahan is an award-winning investigative journalist and the author of the New York Times bestseller American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century. 

Her writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, Spin, the New York Post (where she was a longtime columnist), and the Daily Mail, where she currently has a column. 

She lives in New York.

X @DM_Maureen_

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha BLOG TOUR #TheInheritance #TrishaSakhlecha @centurybooksuk @Tr4cyF3nt0n #BookReview

 

On a private island off the west coast of Scotland, the Agarwals gather for a much-awaited family reunion.

Raj, the patriarch and business tycoon, who has six weeks to decide how to split his petrochemicals empire between his three children.

Shalini, the fragile mother, who longs to see her family healed.

Myra, the eldest daughter and golden child, who, unbeknownst to the family, is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Aseem, the son and supposed heir, who must choose between his wife and his family.

Aisha, the fun-loving youngest daughter, who is tired of being treated like a child.

And Zoe, the outsider whose #Instaperfect life is built on a foundation of lies.

Most family reunions end in tears. This one will end in murder.

The Inheritance by Trisha Sakhlecha was published by Century on 13 February 2025. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour organised by Compulsive Readers. 

The Inheritance is Trisha Sakhlecha's third novel. I have to admit that I haven't come across her books before and was intrigued when I opened the parcel from the publisher containing this one. When Tracy from Compulsive Reads announced the blog tour, I knew that I had to sign up.

I am really pleased that I did. I have been totally gripped by this novel and am certainly going to look out for the author's previous two novels.

There does seem to have been a glut of 'isolated island' thriller stories recently, I guess it's the perfect setting for a crime novel, and an island set off the coast of Scotland that is totally private really adds to the atmosphere of this one. 

This is not just a straightforward crime thriller, although the reader is perfectly aware that there's a murder, right from the beginning. It is also a clever examination of a close-knit family. The Agarwal family are of Indian heritage; they are wealthy, with fortunes made in the petro industry, and just like most families, they have their issues. Myra is the eldest, she owns the island and is hosting her family for this reunion. Despite appearing to be a clever business woman, owner of what will probably become the holiday place of the rich and famous, Myra is hiding a lot. A broken relationship and deep grief along with the desperation of knowing that she could be bankrupt in weeks. 

Aseem, the son and heir of the family, and his influencer wife Zoe. Zoe is not of Indian heritage and whilst she has been part of the family now for quite a few years, she always feels like an outsider. Her life is one big grid - full of 'likes' and ' follows'. 

Aisha is the baby of the family. Indulged and usually allowed to get away with anything. She's shocked everyone by bringing along a guest to the family party. Trouble seems to follow Aisha around. 

It's a fairly complex plot in places, as the tension mounts and the reader becomes aware of the underlying menace between some characters and the threat of exposure of long hidden secrets. 

A novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with characters who will raise many questions. It's dark and twisty with an ending to shock the reader. 

Trisha Sakhlecha grew up in New Delhi and now shuttles between Berlin and London. 

She is a diplomat, currently posted as Director, The Tagore Centre at the Embassy of India, Berlin. 

In the past, Trisha has worked in the fashion industry as a business consultant, designer and trend forecaster. 

She is the author of Your Truth or Mine? and Can You See Me Now? 

The Inheritance is her third novel.

Learn more about Trisha on trishasakhlecha.com or on Instagram @trishasakhlecha

(Don't) Call Mum by Matt Wesolowski #DontCallMum @ConcreteKraken @wildhuntbooks #NorthernWeirdProject #BookReview

 

PART OF THE NORTHERN WEIRD PROJECT

HE ALWAYS COMES FOR YOU...

Leo is just trying to catch his train back home to the village of Malacstone in North East England. But there's disorder at the station, and when a loud young man heading for London boards the train accidentally, a usually easy journey descends into darkness and chaos. The train soon breaks down in the middle of nowhere, and as night falls, something...or someone steps out of the distance. Is it a man or something far more sinister?

When one of the passengers goes missing, Leo fears that a folkloric tale whispered to him in childhood might be the culprit.

(Don't) Call Mum blends Matt Wesolowski's trademark voice of mystery, folklore and humour in this heart-racing tale.

(Don't) Call Mum by Matt Wesolowski is published by Wild Hunt Books on 8 May 2025 and is part of the Northern Weird Project. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review. 

Matt Wesolowski is best known for his very successful Six Stories series published by Orenda Books and currently being adapted for television. The Six Stories novels are a mix of crime, horror and folklore and (Don't) Tell Mum can most certainly be considered the same genre

With just 111 pages, this novella can easily be read in one sitting. In fact, it's probably best read that way as the reader is instantly pulled into this spine chilling, gripping story, with a small cast of characters who are cleverly created, if fairly flawed. 

Those of us who live in the North and are familiar with the terrible rail service up here will find much in Wesolowski's tale that is familiar to them. Whilst I do not live quite as far North as the setting of the novel, I am familiar with the old, old trains. The dubious smells, and stains. The empty, desolate station platforms. The tendency for the trains to just stop, with no indication of why. It's certainly an adventure. 

The author has taken this setting and created a masterful, tense and uneasy story with atmosphere and mystery that really is perfectly done. 

This is basically the story of Leo's journey home from University. He's looking forward to seeing his Mum and sharing a Chinese takeaway. He and fellow passenger Jodie have only just met, but feel as though they have much in common. Neither of them can abide the loud, obnoxious students that gathered at the station, bragging and telling stories.

Angus is another passenger and is is surely the most horrific travelling companion. Southern, loud, abrasive; Angus loves the sound of his own voice, although that voice really does grate on Leo and Jodie.  When it becomes clear that Angus is on the wrong train, Leo is happy to let him know. Angry and more than a little embarrassed, Angus gets off at the next station. That station is Underwood, not a place that Leo would choose to spend any time in. 

This is such an atmospheric story. As Leo and Jodie discuss folk lore tales that they've heard and grown up with, the darkness outside of the train window creeps in and all of the passengers begin to see things that they cannot explain. You can almost feel the creaks and groans of the train carriage, the slap of the branches on the side of the train, the dread that takes over the passengers. 

I finished this novella and thought 'what on earth??'. There's so much to unpick in this one but there is no doubt that it is written beautifully.

Matt Wesolowski is an author from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in the UK. 

He is a former English teacher for young people in the PRU and care systems.

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.

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 and was followed by Deity and then Demon in 2022. 

The Six Stories series is currently being adapted for television. 

Matt currently works as a tutor for Faber Academy. 

He lives in Newcastle with his partner and son, several tanks of rescued goldfish, a snake and a cat and an axolotl.

X @ConcreteKraken

Instagram @mattjwesolowski

Facebook @MattWesolowski

Throughout 2025, Wild Hunt Books will publish six fantastic pocket-sized novellas from authors based in the North of England and who are also engaging with the North as setting, subject and character.

The novellas incorporate eerie and uncanny incidents including a strange occurrence on a train, a young boy’s disappearance in a village, a grieving couple renovating a haunted house, a group of mysterious strangers by the beach, a sinister wellness retreat and the unearthed danger beneath an ancient peat bog.

Editor Ariell Cacciola said of the project, ‘Im so excited about this project. The novellas will transport readers into the strange and dangerous corners of the North, and it will be impossible not to read each book in one sitting.’

The Northern Weird Project

https://www.wildhuntbooks.co.uk/the-northern-weird-project