Orenda Books

LONGLISTED for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year

SHORTLISTED for Best Thriller at the Amazon Publishing Readers' Awards 2019

SHORTLISTED for Best Independent Voice at the Amazon Publishing Readers' Awards 2019

Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates another cold case - the disappearance of seven-year-old Alfie - in an intensely dark, deeply chilling and searingly thought-provoking thriller ... for fans of Serial

'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

'A creepy, chilling read that is ridiculously difficult to put down' Luca Veste

A missing child
A family in denial
Six witnesses
Six stories
Which one is true?

On Christmas Eve in 1988, seven-year-old Alfie Marsden vanished in the dark Wentshire Forest Pass, when his father, Sorrel, stopped the car to investigate a mysterious knocking sound. No trace of the child, nor his remains, have ever been found. Alfie Marsden was declared officially dead in 1995.

Elusive online journalist, Scott King, whose 'Six Stories' podcasts have become an internet sensation, investigates the disappearance, interviewing six witnesses, including Sorrel and his ex-partner, to try to find out what really happened that fateful night. Journeying through the trees of the Wentshire Forest - a place synonymous with strange sightings, and tales of hidden folk who dwell there, he talks to a company that tried and failed to build a development in the forest, and a psychic who claims to know what happened to the little boy...

Intensely dark, deeply chilling and searingly thought provoking, Changeling is an up-to-the-minute, startling thriller, taking you to places you will never, ever forget.

'Wonderfully horrifying ... the suspense crackles' James Oswald

'Original, inventive and dazzlingly clever' Fiona Cummins

'A complex and subtle mystery, unfolding like dark origami to reveal the black heart inside' Michael Marshall Smith

'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

'Haunting, horrifying, and heartrending. Fans of Arthur Machen, whose unsettling tale The White People provides an epigraph, will want to check this one out' Publishers Weekly

'For those who like the book they curl up with in their favourite slipper socks to generate a powerful sense of unease, and impel them to check all doors are locked and as many lights turned on as possible, Matt Wesolowski has just the formula to meet your self-scaring needs... ' Strong Words magazine

'A masterly piece of storytelling, very sinister, deliciously entertaining' New Books Magazine

'The ending packed a real punch. Changeling continues a series which just keeps on getting better and better, it surprises, thrills and enthrals in equal measure' LoveReading

'I found myself gripping the pages tightly as I read' Off-the-Shelf Books

'Ingenious' Espresso Coco

'A chilling read, a sinister story and the best Six Stories yet' The Tattooed Book Geek

Elusive online journalist Scott King investigates the murder of a teenager at an outward bound centre, in the first episode of the critically acclaimed, international bestselling Six Stories series...

For fans of Serial

'Bold, clever and genuinely chilling with a terrific twist that provides an explosive final punch' Sunday Mirror

'Haunting, horrifying, and heartrending. Fans of Arthur Machen, whose unsettling tale "The White People" provides an epigraph, will want to check this one out' Publishers Weekly

Daily Mail

'Wonderfully horrifying ... the suspense crackles' James Oswald

One body
Six stories
Which one is true?

1997. Scarclaw Fell. The body of teenager Tom Jeffries is found at an outward bound centre. Verdict? Misadventure. But not everyone is convinced. And the truth of what happened in the beautiful but eerie fell is locked in the memories of the tight-knit group of friends who embarked on that fateful trip, and the flimsy testimony of those living nearby.

2017. Enter elusive investigative journalist Scott King, whose podcast examinations of complicated cases have rivalled 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. And who's to blame...

As every interview unveils a new revelation, you'll be forced to work out for yourself how Tom Jeffries died, and who is telling the truth.

A chilling, unpredictable and startling thriller, Six Stories is also a classic murder mystery with a modern twist, and a devastating ending.

'Impeccably crafted and gripping from start to finish' The Big Issue

'With a unique structure, an ingenious plot and so much suspense you can't put it down, this is the very epitome of a must-read' Heat Magazine

'A complex and subtle mystery, unfolding like dark origami to reveal the black heart inside' Michael Marshall Smith

'Original, inventive and brilliantly clever' Fiona Cummins

'Read Six Stories this weekend & wow! It's a relentless & original work of modern rural noir which beguiles & unnerves in equal measure. Matt Wesolowski is a major talent' Eva Dolan

'Wonderfully atmospheric. Matt Wesolowski is a skilled storyteller with a unique voice. Definitely one to watch' Mari Hannah

'The literary equivalent of dark metal - gritty, dark, often shocking, and always exciting. A masterful debut' Kati Hiekkapelto

'Six Stories is chilling, beautiful, addictive, dark, haunting and utterly magical' Louise Beech

'A stunning piece of writing - chock full of atmosphere, human insight and beautiful writing. Take a note of this guy's name. He's going to be huge!' Michael J. Malone

'A remarkable debut from a fine new fictional voice ... this compelling narrative pulls you in from the start and keeps you in its grip to the bitter twisted end. A great book!' Shelley Day

'For fans of thrills, chills and an up-to-date take on the darker side of society' J.S. Collyer

'Wesolowski is especially skilled at utilizing the setting to enhance a naturally suspenseful story ... Six Stories offers a new style of mystery, one that encapsulates the twenty-first century, the Internet, and social media, even as its characters struggle to recall-or forget-a time before such things' Foreword Reviews