I think I found this book after rereading Rabbits and looking for more stories from podcasts. Or maybe stories like podcasts (especially since I really enjoyed Sadie!). I can’t remember where I heard of Six Stories but it sounded fascinating so I decided to try the first book. Spoiler: I was hooked!

Six Stories is a novel told in six podcast episodes. Scott King, the reclusive podcaster and investigator, interviews people about the disappearance and death of Tom Jeffries, with each episode revealing a new side to the story. In between episodes, we hear from Harry, one of the boys who found the body as he reacts to the phenomenon the podcast becomes.

I can’t really tell you why but I found this book so hard to put down. I think it’s because I generally like podcasts, I enjoy true crime (and this is pseudo-true crime, so I don’t even have to worry if it’s exploiting real people), and there’s a hint of the supernatural from the folklore of the area that’s slowly weaved into the story. It reminds me a bit of The Lovecraft Investigations podcast, now that I think about it.

As for the plot, I have to admit that I managed to guess who was responsible, though I didn’t manage to guess how or how the truth would be revealed. I did think that the last episode was a little bit lacking in explanations, but it did feel like how a podcast might end. I won’t say more about the story – this is one where I didn’t skip ahead to the end and I think it was worth suffering through the anticipation.

In terms of characters, the most memorable one was Haris Novak, the star of episode two. Haris has ASD and I felt that his voice was the most distinct of all the characters. His was also the most heartbreaking chapter, I felt very much for what he went through.

Now, I went ahead and read the synopsis for the rest of the Six Stories books and I like how all of them include some aspect of the supernatural. I’m also curious about the fact that Scott King seems to play a bigger and bigger role in the stories, so in order not to lose momentum, I’m going to go ahead and borrow the second book right away!