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Michael Wood

Two murders. Twenty years. Now the killer is back for more…
 
A darkly compelling debut crime novel. The start of a brilliant series, perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid, and James Oswald.
 
DCI Matilda Darke has returned to work after a nine month absence. A shadow of her former self, she is tasked with re-opening a cold case: the terrifyingly brutal murders of Miranda and Stefan Harkness. The only witness was their eleven-year-old son, Jonathan, who was too deeply traumatized to speak a word.

Then a dead body is discovered, and the investigation leads back to Matilda's case. Suddenly the past and present converge, and it seems a killer may have come back for more…

Stephanie Beattie

One More Chapter

DCI Matilda Darke

For Reasons Unknown

‘DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths
 

 The second book in Michael Wood’s darkly compelling new crime series featuring DCI Matilda Darke. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.
 

When elderly George Rainsford goes to investigate a suspicious noise one night, the last thing he expects to find is a bloodbath. A man has been killed and a woman brutally beaten, left for dead.

The victims are Lois Craven and Kevin Hardaker – both married, but not to each other. Their spouses swear they knew nothing of the affair and, besides, they both have alibis for the attack. With nothing else to link the victims, the investigation hits a dead end.

The pressure is on for investigating officer, DCI Matilda Darke: there’s a violent killer on the loose, and it looks like her team members are the new targets. With no leads and no suspects, it’s going to take all Matilda’s wits to catch him, before he strikes again.

Outside Looking In

‘DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths

The third book in Michael Wood’s darkly compelling crime series featuring DCI Matilda Darke. Perfect for fans of Peter James, Lee Child and Karin Slaughter.

 Eight killers. One house. And the almost perfect murder…
 

Starling House is home to some of the nation’s deadliest teenagers, still too young for prison.

When the latest arrival is found brutally murdered, DCI Matilda Darke and her team investigate, and discover a prison manager falling apart and a sabotaged security system. Neither the staff nor the inmates can be trusted.

The only person Matilda believes is innocent is facing prison for the rest of his life. With time running out, she must solve the unsolvable to save a young man from his fate, and find a murderer in a house full of killers…

A Room Full of Killers

Your life is in his hands.
 

In the gripping new serial killer thriller from Michael Wood, Matilda Darke faces a vicious killer pursuing his own brand of lethal justice. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons and Helen Fields.

There’s a killer in your house.
The Hangman waits in the darkness.

He knows your darkest secrets.
He’ll make you pay for all the crimes you have tried desperately to forget.

And he is closer than you think.
DCI Matilda Darke is running out of time. Fear is spreading throughout the city. As the body count rises, Matilda is targeted and her most trusted colleagues fall under suspicion. But can she keep those closest to her from harm? Or is it already too late?

The Hangman’s Hold

‘Gory, brutal, devastating, utterly addictive and yet so finely written. This deserves to be huge – and I think it will be. His best yet’ Louise Beech

 They were the perfect family. It was the perfect crime.
 

 The new gripping DCI Matilda Darke crime thriller about the dark secrets that lie within a perfect family. For fans of Patricia Gibney and Angela Marsons.
 

It’s the most disturbing crime scene DCI Matilda Darke has ever seen…
 
The morning after a wedding reception at a beautiful suburban home in Sheffield, the bride’s entire family are stabbed to death – in a frenzied attack more violent than anything DCI Matilda Darke could have imagined.
 
Forensics point to a burglar on the run across the country. But cracks are starting to appear in Matilda’s team, someone is playing games with the evidence – and the killer might be closer to home than they thought…
Praise for The Murder House:
‘Matilda Darke is Sheffield’s answer to Northumberland’s Vera and Wood’s stories are up there with the best. Fast-paced, crisp writing and a thoroughly enjoyable read’ David Young, bestselling author of Stasi Child

The Murder House

‘She is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths
 

The addictive new crime thriller featuring DCI Matilda Darke. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons.
‘DCI Matilda Darke is going places’ James Oswald
Some cases won’t die.
A young boy walks into a police station in France. He claims to be Carl Meagan – a missing child from Sheffield whose name is still whispered as a warning to kids who stay out after dark.
 
Some children won’t be found.
On her way home from the supermarket, nine-year-old Keeley Armitage vanishes without trace. Her family is overcome with shock and DCI Matilda Darke can’t help but focus on memories of the Carl Meagan case that almost ruined her career.
 
Some killers won’t be stopped.
As Matilda investigates, she peels back the layers of grief and sadness that surround Keeley’s family. Until she is left with an unimaginable choice: betray those closest to her or let a violent killer walk free…

Stolen Children

‘This is a total BOOM BOOM POW! of a book…Budge up Jed Mercurio when you are done working on Line of Duty I think it is time for you to meet Matilda’ LJ, Read and Rated Book Review Blog

 ‘Excellent plotting. The twists keep on coming making this an irresistible read’ Michael J. Malone, author of A Song of Isolation
 

 You’re a survivor, aren’t you, Matilda? But what’s the point in surviving when everyone around you is dead?
 

When DCI Matilda Darke receives a mysterious telephone call, she immediately dismisses the threat. Afterall the Homicide and Major Enquiries team are a regular target for prank calls.

But ignoring this warning might soon be the biggest regret of Matilda Darke’s life.

A lone gunman is on a deadly rampage around Sheffield, leaving a bloody trail in his wake. Taking his shots with a sickening precision, he’s about to leave his mark on the world and change Matilda and her team’s lives forever.

 The next chilling instalment in the DCI Matilda Darke thriller series, perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney and Angela Marsons.

Time Is Running Out

‘Tense, twisty, emotional and gripping. Will definitely be reading more from Matilda Darke and this gets a huge 5 stars from me!’ Angela Marsons
 

 ‘Matilda Darke is an excellent character’ BA Paris
 

A TEAM TORN APART
 
Nine months ago DCI Matilda Darke survived a bullet to the head. The brutal attack claimed dozens of lives, including those she loved most, and the nightmares still plague her every waking thought.
 
A MEMORY SHE’D RATHER FORGET
 
Now, she’s ready to get back on the job. But a new terror awaits. A woman is found murdered and her wounds look eerily similar to several cold cases. Desperate to find a lead, DCI Darke and her team must face a terrifying truth: a serial killer is on the loose in Sheffield.
 
A THREAT CLOSE TO HOME
 
 Matilda has led countless murder investigations before but the lingering emotional scars from her ordeal and the uneasiness within her once-tight team have left tensions high. As the body count rises, Matilda realises that this might just be where it all ends.
 
The brand new instalment in the DCI Matilda Darke series will leave you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Kathy Reichs and Peter James. 

 ‘Had me in tears at one point. Brilliant, non-stop stuff. Feel like I’ve been through some sort of psychological bombardment. Exhausted. Terrific’ John Barlow, author of Right to Kill

Survivor’s Guilt

Matilda Darke is back…

 APRIL 2020: LOCKDOWN
 

DI Brady has been tracing victims of systemic abuse at a local children’s home after a high-profile accusation pitched it into the spotlight – a case that couldn’t be more personal.

As Matilda and her team piece together the disturbing picture of the history of the home, it soon becomes clear that this is much bigger than they ever suspected.

But nothing prepares them for what they uncover next…

 The Lost Children is an utterly gripping crime thriller weaving a breakneck tale of a vast network of secrets and lies, a relentless detective determined to sabotage it, and a murder that shatters two decades of silence.
 
Praise for the DCI Matilda Darke Series:
‘Tense, twisty, emotional and gripping. Will definitely be reading more from Matilda Darke and this gets a huge 5 stars from me!’ Angela Marsons

‘Matilda Darke is an excellent character’ BA Paris

‘This explosive novel is already making a bang – with reviewers comparing Michael’s work to that of his heroes Val McDermid and James Oswald’ Sheffield Star

‘DCI Matilda Darke is going places’ James Oswald

‘Crackling dialogue, dark wit and an exciting ending. Recommended if you liked Happy Valley’ Mark Edwards

‘Budge up Jed Mercurio … when you are done working on Line of Duty I think it is time for you to meet Matilda’ LJ, Read and Rated Book Review Blog

‘Excellent plotting. The twists keep on coming making this an irresistible read’ Michael J. Malone

‘I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Matilda Darke’ Robert Bryndza

‘DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths

The Lost Children

He took her voice
 

 She took it back
 

 Don’t miss the next nerve-shredding instalment in the DCI Matilda Darke Thriller series…
 

A CENSURED DETECTIVE WITH NO LEADS

DCI Matilda Darke and her team have been restricted under special measures after a series of calamitous scandals nearly brought down the South Yorkshire police force.

A BRUTAL ATTACK WITH NO WITNESSES

Now Matilda is on the trail of another murderer, an expert in avoiding detection with no obvious motive but one obvious method.

A DEPRAVED KILLER WHO LEAVES NO TRACES

When his latest victim survives the attack despite her vocal cords being severed, Matilda is more convinced than ever of the guilt of her key suspect. If only she had a way to prove it…

 Silent Victim is an unputdownable crime thriller with twists that will make your jaw drop – perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Ann Cleeves.
 
Praise for the DCI Matilda Darke Series:
‘Tense, twisty, emotional and gripping. Will definitely be reading more from Matilda Darke and this gets a huge 5 stars from me!’ Angela Marsons

‘Matilda Darke is an excellent character’ BA Paris

‘This explosive novel is already making a bang – with reviewers comparing Michael’s work to that of his heroes Val McDermid and James Oswald’ Sheffield Star

‘DCI Matilda Darke is going places’ James Oswald

‘Crackling dialogue, dark wit and an exciting ending. Recommended if you liked Happy Valley’ Mark Edwards

‘Budge up Jed Mercurio … when you are done working on Line of Duty I think it is time for you to meet Matilda’ LJ, Read and Rated Book Review Blog

‘Excellent plotting. The twists keep on coming making this an irresistible read’ Michael J. Malone

‘I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Matilda Darke’ Robert Bryndza

‘DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths