Written in the same hypnotic style as Reservoir 13, this set of short prequel stories is a companion piece which offers some further insights into the lives of those affected by the disappearance of Becky, including some glimpses of Becky herself. The stories are also available as a BBC podcast after their broadcast on Radio 4.

Prequel to Reservoir 13 this radio broadcast brings together the stories of a community devasted by tragedy. They link events that happened before and after the disappearance of 13-year old Becky while she was walking on the moors with her family. Each tale has its own uniqueness but together they give an in-depth portrait of individuals affected by Becky's absence and consequent hunt. Extremely well written, each portrayal offers a nugget of information and possible solution to what might have taken place.

A short but perfectly formed accompaniment to my favourite book of the last 12 months, The short stories provide context and fleshing out of characters and events prior to the Reservoir 13, and dipping back into this world was a treat.

I can’t imagine it would stand so effectively in isolation, so that’s a warning rather than a criticism!

Reservoir 13 was one of the best books I read this year. Intimate and gossipy, yet somehow keeping its distance, it poked its nose into a community and watched its reactions to the disappearance of a young girl.

The Reservoir Tapes is a series of short stories, or vignettes, that takes us into the lives of the various characters from Reservoir 13 before the girl went missing. Becky was no innocent, it seems, and was determined to go her own way. The Tapes (which were read out on Radio 4) show us how some of the village's residents reacted to her, and hint at some of the possible ways she could have gone missing.

Just as compelling as the novel but best to read Reservoir 13 first.

I really enjoyed Reservoir 13 and this was an ideal companion. Each story was very spare but McGregor's genius is in making each word count and in giving the reader an almost voyeuristic glimpse into the character's lives - good and bad.

Jon McGregor’s Reservoir 13 stepped out life in a small town, year by year, over the 13 years since a teenage visitor, Becky Shaw, went missing. One of the most powerful aspects of the novel was the lack of sensationalism about the disappearance; it was mentioned in the first year or two, but faded into the backstory. Occasionally a piece of clothing would turn up or a memory would be stirred, but it was merely incidental.

So the Reservoir Tapes is a companion piece. In that first year, we have 15 narratives from 15 different people regarding Becky’s disappearance. Bookended by the two parents, there is puzzlement, sadness and a great deal of indifference demonstrated by the town’s residents.

I believe this was first conceived as a series of short radio broadcasts, so each narrative is roughly the same length and self-contained in terms of telling a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Each narrator has a quite different voice, each has an agenda…

Just like Reservoir 13, the pitch is gentle, subtle and beguiling. There is as much told through reading between the lines, spotting what is not being said, as by the words themselves. This is a perfect companion piece that adds significantly to Reservoir 13 without taking anything away.

Jon McGregor’s Reservoir 13 was longlisted for the Booker, and is appearing on several “end of year” lists as one of “the books of 2017”. It deals with the disappearance of a teenager holidaying in a fictional village in the Peak District and its chapters spread over the 13 years following the incident. Following the novel’s success, BBC Radio 4 commissioned a set of fifteen short stories which are currently being broadcast and will be published in one volume. “The Reservoir Tapes” has been desribed as a “prequel” to the novel since it is set in the same community, with each of the chapters introducing us to a particular character with some link to the events described in the main novel.

Most of the reviews I read seem to be written by readers who enjoyed Reservoir 13 and were eager to revisit the world of the novel. Generally, the comments seem to be positive but raise doubts as to whether this collection of stories can be fully appreciated as a free-standing work. In my case, I have yet to read the novel but, in the meantime, I have greatly enjoyed this collection. Perhaps, rather than short stories, the pieces within The Reservoir Tapes are best considered as character vignettes – significantly, each chapter title gives us the name of the its protagonist. McGregor deftly differentiates between the characters through subtle changes in narrative voice and approach and yet, the more we read, the more we become aware of a web of connections between these disparate (and some desperate) characters.

Most of the chapters evoke a sense of danger and menace, and yet there is often also an underlying streak of dark humour. The stories are also minimalist in the best sense of the word – one gets the sense that no word is out of place, and no incident, however minor it may seem, is mere padding. In other words, this volume might be slim, but hardly slight.