#BookReview Pendle Fire by Paul Southern @psouthernauthor @Bloodhoundbook

Pendle Fire by Paul Southern
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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?

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I have to admit that I took one look at the cover, was intrigued, then read the blurb and thought "wow, I need to read this book". If there is something I like is it books that are slightly paranormal (or really heavy with the paranormal lol) that are not outright paranormal, more like "what's going on?" kind of moments, when characters in the story are faced with situations that are a bit, mystifying ... The Hobbledy Man, who is a legend that backs back to the Middle Age in Pendle Hill, well that's a fabulous myth that is interwoven with the story of grooming, racism, violence and the end of days...

Pendle Fire is the first book I have read by Paul Southern and I'm impressed with how he mixes what would be an interesting story in itself with the added myth of The Hobbledy Man. I actually had to google The Hobbledy Man to see if there are any historical facts concerning him, but alas lol, or perhaps thankfully he's just for this book.

This is a book with lots of tension right from the start. You just know that something will happen as the violence on the streets gets worse and the main characters are getting closer and closer to a confrontation at Pendle Hill. I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved the added myth of a mysterious figure that reappears through history and is said to bring the world to an end of not a sacrifice is made. It's such an engrossing tale!

I want to thank Bloodhoundbooks for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!