‘The Five Things’ by Beth Merwood is her debut novel. Another new author for me and another great discovery.
A historical thriller set in the 1960s.
We are introduced to nine-year-old Wendy, she has heard spooky stories about the woods that are on the edge of the village. The Summer arrives and Wendy and her friends Anna and Sam make it their business to try to discover the truth of the stories. They make a few trips to the woods and it becomes quite apparent that someone is attempting to scare them off, but why and what’s in the woods?! A tragedy hits the village and everyone is shocked. Wendy is convinced that it is all connected to the woods. She is determined to find out exactly what is going on and doesn’t plan on stopping until she does find out. Will Wendy, Anna and Sam actually find out what badness is in there, or are they going too deep to save themselves?
Beth Merwood has created a story wi characters that are so lifelike and well developed that they gave the book a fully rounded feel. The plot is great, I could just imagine being nine years old and wondering what was so bad about a group of trees. These three children are really mature, as well as curious, brave and intelligent too.
They really fired my imagination as I read the book. Beth’s writing gave me the goosebumps at times and these children are still ploughing on!
A gripping, clever and original story full of suspense that I found captivating from the start. Beth Merwood has placed the twists to full effect. I was intrigued along with the children. I found I couldn’t put it down for any length of time as I wanted to know as much as the children did. A debut novel for those who enjoy thrillers and mysteries.
Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and The Wild Rose Press Inc
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