Title: The Five Things
Author: Beth Merwood
Genre: Mystery, Coming of Age
Book Blurb:
For nine-year-old Wendy, the summer of 1969 will never be forgotten.
Local kids have always told stories about the eerie wood on the outskirts of the village, and Wendy knows for sure that some of them are true. Now the school holidays have started and she's going to the wood again with Anna and Sam, but they soon become convinced that someone is trying to frighten them off.
When a terrible event rocks the coastal community, the young friends can't help thinking there must be a connection between the incident, the tales they’ve heard, and the strange happenings they’ve begun to witness. As glimpses of a darker world threaten their carefree existence, they feel compelled to search out the underlying truth.
Excerpt:
We took the bread and walked farther on round. The gulls were crying. Sometimes they sounded as if they were laughing, and sometimes they sounded as if they were crying; sometimes they sounded like cats meowing. They soon found us. We waited until a gull flew quite close and threw a piece of bread up toward it. We were up on the wall, and the birds were a few yards away, flying low over the sea, landing and floating, flying off again. After a couple of throws, one gull caught on and swooped to get the food. Within minutes, we had attracted a large flock that could expertly pluck the pieces out of the air.
“You know Tommy is always talking about the birds in the wood,” Sam said.
“I know, and I told you he dressed up as a bird at that fancy dress party I went to.”
“Do you know what he said to me?” Sam threw another piece of bread. “He said the birds were strung through the heart. I was sort of surprised when he said it like that. He never saw them, did he?”
“No, I’m sure he didn’t,” I said. “He’s just heard people talking about it.”
“Do you really think Bridges put them there?”
“He must have done.”
Then we talked about Bridges. He was always known as Bridges, and nothing else. I’d only ever seen him from a distance. He was stout and wore the same old long coat no matter what. If we spotted him in the fields, we didn’t go in. I’d never come across him at the shops or walking through the village. Sam said he was supposed to go to the inn sometimes, but we didn’t know if that was true.
“Do you think it was him that scared Judy and Susan?” Sam questioned.
“I expect so,” I said.
“Is he old?” Sam asked.
“I think so,” I said.
“Is there a Mrs. Bridges?” he asked.
“I don’t think so. He lives on his own.”
“Do you think he killed the birds, or were they dead already?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “But why would they be dead already?”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
www.amzn.com/B08ZMN5PC5
What makes your featured book a must-read?
The Five Things is a gently paced mystery with more than a touch of darkness. Set in the summer of ’69 on the English south coast in a rural community, the novel is the perfect read for the summer months.
Suspense, twists, turns, and a story that will stay with you.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $35 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card
Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.
Runs June 23 – July 3, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on July 4, 2022.
Author Biography:
Beth Merwood is a writer from the south of England. The Five Things is her debut novel. Her forthcoming second novel is due to be released in September.
Social Media Links:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/beth-merwood
https://www.tiktok.com/@bethmwriting