Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? Review
Author: Blake Myers
Rating: 9.5 AMAZING
What’s it about?
When Dr Emma Lloyd relocates to the quaint English parish of Hagley, she hopes to leave her painful past behind and reinvent herself as a forensic investigator. But her fresh start takes a sinister twist when she’s drawn into the parish’s most infamous cold case: the mysterious 80-year-old murder of a Jane Doe found discarded in a tree’s hollow. A woman the locals have come to know as Bella. As Emma digs deeper and secrets come to light, she faces unexpected resistance—from her superiors to Bella herself. Haunted by Bella’s vengeful ghost, Emma begins to suspect the case is far more dangerous—and personal—than she ever imagined.
To uncover the truth, Emma must navigate a tangle of lies and confront the dark secrets buried in Hagley’s past. But some mysteries refuse to be answered, and as Bella’s restless spirit grows increasingly violent, Emma will have to decide how far she’s willing to go to lay her and the town’s ghosts to rest.
The Review
Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? That’s not just the title, it’s also based on a true story with a haunting question that plagued my mind throughout the entirety of this scary, engaging, and brilliant book. With a compelling protagonist, a well-paced narrative, and an undeniably intriguing question at the center of it all, Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? by Blake Myers is the best book I’ve read all year.
“She stared into its abyss as clouded thoughts billowed in her mind. Indiscernible whispers resounded with familiarity but eluded her.”
Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? Is what you get when an author does their research and composes a tight narrative that never lets up or loses focus. The intro to Bella gave me chills. You could cut the tension with a knife and it set a high standard for the book that continued throughout. Blake Myers is so skilled at creating a tension that feels unforced and natural. He then pulls that tension tighter and tighter until it’s so taut that I literally squirmed out of my chair. The main protagonist, Emma, is personable and relatable. You’re slowly piecing this macabre investigation together along with her. Her backstory also developed her character very well. It not only made her more compelling but also served a function that pushed the narrative in interesting ways. The author gave her a few quirks that I immediately latched onto and made her feel very grounded. As the tension ratchets up, I felt like I was not only along for the ride but also fearful for her safety, which is always a good sign. Emma is new to this particular police parish, and with that came a great feeling of discovery with each new revelation throughout her investigation. Myers does a great job of making Emma feel like a bit of a fish-out-of-water. Also, the side characters weren’t ignored and complemented Emma well. I got the feeling like the other officers surrounding Emma have been dealing with this nagging question well before Emma arrived at Hagley. It’s very effective and made it feel like Emma never fully had control of any situation. Overall, all characters are well-written, believable, and grounded true to the setting.
One thing that struck me about Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? Is that the story is consistently firing on all cylinders in the best possible ways. It’s multifaceted and hits all the right notes. There’s a tight detective procedural investigation that never gets in the way of the scares and vise versa. There’s a sick and twisted dance to Myers’ writing that captivated me. He never results to cheap jump scares that we’ve all seen or read a thousand times. Instead, he opts to slowly break you down, piece by piece. Then, when the timings right, scare the ever-loving shit out of you. The horror elements of the book were so well done. At several points I physically looked over my shoulder because I thought I heard something. Goosebumps graced my arms on multiple occasions and my dog whining in his sleep almost sent me through my window. This is some of the best physiological horror I’ve ever read. There definitely seems to be some horror movie influence here. I kept coming back to Stir of Echoes and The Ring for influences. I could be way off on this, it’s just what kept popping into my mind the more I read. Myers knows what’s scary and he keeps tightening that noose a little tighter throughout the narrative. It’s brilliant. Additionally, rest assured, that even if you don’t find the book as scary as I did, there’s still a phenomenal procedural investigative story here for you.
The pacing is perfect. All of the twists and turns always seem to be in the right place, leading to a very engaging and satisfying investigation. I think the term “page turner” is thrown around a little too often. But this book is a sterling example of one. With each chapter read, I felt compelled to brew another cup of tea and continue late into the night. As glowing of a review as this is, there were a few things I didn’t like. A few times, the author deliberately held back obvious questions Emma would have posed. She was a bit too dense at times. It’s nothing egregious but it was noticeable and I felt that some earlier narrative beats could have been handled better. Additionally, there was one chapter I really disliked. It required me to suspend disbelief a bit too much. It felt out of place and thrown in for dramatic effect. With that being said, this book gave me exactly what I wanted in a horror book and then some.
Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? by Blake Myers Is a monumental triumph for a horror debut. It absolutely deserves every bit of praise it’s getting. I was floored when I found out this was a debut novel. Not only do I highly recommend this book but I also recommend picking this one up physically as the cover art is gorgeous. The indie horror community has been killing it lately. (pun intended) Who Put Bella in the Wych Elm? raises the bar for The Tome Tavern in regards to future horror reviews. Buy this book!