Pendle Fire by Paul Southern #BlogBlitz

I am delighted to share my 4 star review for Pendle Fire by Paul Southern with you today on Blog Blitz

The Book

Social worker Johnny Malkin is battling a crippling workload and a hostile local community. That’s on a good day: things are about to get a whole lot worse.

Two fourteen-year-old girls are found wandering Aitken Wood on the slopes of Pendle Hill, claiming to have been raped by a gang of men. With no female social workers available, Johnny is assigned to their case. But what, at first, looks like yet another incident of child exploitation takes a sinister turn when the girls start speaking of a forthcoming apocalypse.

 When Johnny interviews one of the girls, Jenna Dunham, her story starts to unravel. His investigation draws him into a tight-knit village community in the shadow of Pendle Hill, where whispers of witchcraft and child abuse go back to the Middle Ages.

One name recurs: The Hobbledy Man. Is he responsible for the outbreaks of violence sweeping across the country?

Is he more than just myth?

My Thoughts

Set in Pendle Hill we follow the story of Social worker Johnny Malkin who is assigned to the case of two Fourteen year old girls claiming to be victims of a gang rape. has the story unfolds he learns the whispers of witchcraft and child abuse go back to the middle ages.

This is the second book by Paul Southern that I have read and boy is it different to his first one, but different in a good way. The author brings us a story that talks about pedophile rings, grooming cults and a touch of supernatural. 

Pendle Fire is one hell of a dark and twisted read which some readers may find disturbing due to the subject matter with some very uncomfortable scenes which will certainly make you cringe. 

Not only do we have a gritty thriller but this story has plenty of history. I have to say that I couldn't put this book down I was desperate to know what was going to happen next.  I take my hat off to the author for writing a story about  uncomfortable subject matters making this a weird and engrossing read with an element of horror.

I liked the fact that the main character is a social worker he is a character you cannot help but like.  The toughness of his job is portrayed throughout this story. what more can I say but if you are looking for something different this is the book for you. Which I highly recommend giving it 4 stars.

Thank you to Sarah Hardy for inviting me to take part in this fab blitz

Author Bio:

Paul Southern was born in the 1960s to itinerant parents who moved from city to city. He lived in Liverpool, Belfast, London and Leeds, then escaped to university, where he nearly died of a brain haemorrhage. After an unexpected recovery, he co-formed an underground indie group (Sexus). Made immediate plans to become rich and famous, but ended up in Manchester. Shared a house with mice, cockroaches, and slugs; shared the street with criminals. Five years later, hit the big time with a Warners record deal. Concerts at Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Melody Maker front cover, Smash Hits Single of the Week, Radio 1 and EastEnders. Mixed with the really rich and famous. Then mixed with lawyers. Ended up back in Manchester, broke. He got a PhD in English (he is the world's leading authority on Tennyson's stage plays!), then wrote his first novel, The Craze, based on his experiences of the Muslim community. He has three other published books and has written for ITV. He was shortlisted for a CWA Dagger award in 2002 and received positive reviews from national and international press, including The Guardian, Arena, Radio 4, Ladsmag, and Kirkus, amongst many others.

Links:

www.paulsouthern.org

https://www.facebook.com/paulsouthernauthor/

https://twitter.com/psouthernauthor