Spotlight on: Six Mile Store by A. M. Belsey

What it’s about:

A new rural noir crime thriller from literary agent and editorial director turned author, A.M. Belsey: Six Mile Store (Deixis Press, 9th April, £6.99) is a stunning debut. Tense, atmospheric and skillfully plotted, this dark, twisty novella will hold a relentless grip over you until its final, unpredictable conclusion… 

from the publisher

SOMETHING UGLY’S WAITIN’ FOR YOU

Honey’s working weekends down at the Six Mile, trying to figure her life out. Her boyfriend’s about to leave the country, her college advisor hates her guts, her momma ain’t listening, and she’s got this cop breathing down her neck just about all the time.

She finds a friend in her new colleague Lisa, but when one of their regular customers turns up dead, everything goes sideways faster than a greased hog at the county fair . . .

The author:

A. M. Belsey was born in Arkansas but moved to the United Kingdom at age 21. She ain’t never looked back.

My thoughts:

I don’t usually read noir titles but, as I was invited to read this, I decided to give it a go. It was interesting.

This short (120 page) novella packs a big punch. The author places the reader in rural Arkansas. Right away, the book’s atmosphere becomes clear-there is a rural store along a desolate stretch of road. It is perhaps not the kind of store with which some of Belsky’s readers are familiar. It is perfectly evoked.

This is a book that oozes a sense of menace. Readers meet Honey and observe as a lot hits her. There are murder, drugs, and sexual assault. How will Honey manage? Read this one to find out.

I still was not a fan of noir when I finished this but I do admire what the author did in these pages.

Many thanks to Hannah Hargrave for inviting me to read this book.