A wonderfully distinctive, intense, and piercing read. In 2014 a young woman Arla Macleod kills her family, later, as investigative journalist Scott King begins to unravel the story with podcasts on the internet, danger steps into view and stalks ever closer. The second in this fresh and different series takes a short step back in time from the first, while you can certainly read this as a standalone, I do recommend beginning with Six Stories. Matt Wesolowski excels in creating individual voices, each podcast sounded as clearly as a bell tone in my mind. I could hear each character speak, see them gesturing, I looked into their eyes and beyond, and they demanded my attention. A featherlight connection to Arla is created, which strengthens with each podcast. As the countdown to answers continued, my thoughts writhed on a jagged cliff edge, and there was only one way down. Hydra provokes thoughts and rattles feelings, creating an original and enthralling read, highly recommended. ~ Liz Robinson
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
| Recommendations: |
Win an Escape Challenge and a copy of The Spy and the Snake by M J Robotham
Closing date: 02/08/2026
One cold November night in 2014, in a small town in the north west of England, 26-year-old Arla Macleod bludgeoned her mother, father and younger sister to death with a hammer, in an unprovoked attack known as the 'Macleod Massacre'. Now incarcerated at a medium-security mental-health institution, Arla will speak to no one but Scott King, an investigative journalist, whose Six Stories podcasts have become an internet sensation. King finds himself immersed in an increasingly complex case, interviewing five witnesses and Arla herself, as he questions whether Arla's responsibility for the massacre was a diminished as her legal team made out. As he unpicks the stories, he finds himself thrust into a world of deadly forbidden `games', online trolls, and the mysterious Black-eyed Children, whose presence extends far beyond the delusions of a murderess...
Hydra features in the following genres: Thriller and Suspense, Book Club Recommendations, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Hydra is available in Paperback, Ebook
Hydra was written by Matt Wesolowski and published by Orenda Books
Hydra has 320 pages
£8.09
