I’m sorry to say that this is the first D.I. Matilda Darke book that I have read, though I have read many good things about this series. Fortunately it is easy to read as a stand-alone book and I was caught up in the storyline from the opening, extremely grisly, chapter.

Serena Mercer is a neurologist and she and her husband Clive, an anaesthesiologist, have just celebrated the wedding of their daughter Leah with a massive wedding reception in the grounds of their plush house in Sheffield.

Hours later, in the dead of night, their son, Jeremy hears a noise and going to investigate, he and his parents are murdered; brutally hacked to death in a frenzied attack. Jeremy’s 7 year old daughter Rachel is the only survivor. She has been left, tied to a chair, traumatised but otherwise unhurt.

DCI Matilda Darke of the Sheffield Homicide and Major Enquiry Teams (HMET) and her team begin the investigation, but from the outset the sheer horror of the murders clouds the potential motivation. The Mercers were well-respected and frequent donators to charitable causes. Who could have harboured such animosity towards this family?

As Darke takes charge, she is puzzled by the forensics of this case. There are forensic clues which seem to point to a potential perpetrator, but Darke has her doubts. The crime scene, drenched in blood, seems to have given up its clues rather too easily.

Darke sets the team to looking into the background of the family, though the pressure is on from above to solve this crime quickly and cheaply. Resources are tight and Darke’s boss cannot understand why she is ignoring the obvious clues leading to a small time criminal on the run, having escaped from a local police station.

As the team look into the family it becomes clear that this family were harbouring secrets behind their perfect family façade. Even the bride, returning early from her Parisian honeymoon with her new husband, Oliver, comes under scrutiny.

One of the things that made me warm to this book straight away was the way in which Wood draws his characters. The HMET team are great characters, with strong back stories and realistic personalities which make the reader invest in them and in the outcome of their investigations.

A sub-plot is a now, almost cold, case involving the abduction of Carl, a young boy whose mother Sally is at her wits end. Darke, under severe pressure, with far too few staff hands over his case to retired DI Pat Campbell to look into. This case, it becomes clear, will carry over into the next book in the series.

Matilda herself is a great character. She has been through a lot and is questioning her own future but this makes her more inclined to take risks and to neglect those risks in favour of following her own instincts, even hiding things from her loyal team. I really enjoyed learning about this team and their personal lives. Matilda clearly cares about them and wants to make sure that the devastating nature of this case is not causing them emotional harm. Some of them are clearly taking the case to heart and not in a way that is good for their mental health

Matilda herself has suffered a terrible loss and she is finding it hard to cope with the trauma of past events, never mind this awful case.

Wood brings in elements of humour to leaven the bleakness of the case and of course, there is the team’s chocolate drawer which helps to sweeten the bleakest moments in the squad room.

Verdict: The Murder House has a great plot, some real tension and lots of seriously good twists to keep the reader guessing. But what makes this book work are the terrific characters and the very realistic pressures that are placed on them. I’m not entirely sure how Darke manages to stay in her role, but I for one am very good that she does, despite all the danger she is prepared to put herself in. In short, I will gladly read more of this terrifically engaging and suspenseful series.

This is the fifth in this series starring DCI Matilda Darke but only the second I have read having previous been lucky enough to read the first in the series "For Reasons Unknown" which introduced DCI Darke to the world. Having missed the books in-between and although I have likely missed out on a lot of back story, I didn't feel it detracted from my enjoyment of this book and I felt it worked well as a standalone.

This book starts with the gruesome and brutal murder of 3 family members on the night they were celebrating a family wedding. This is a seemingly motiveless crime against a perfect family ... but can there be such a thing? What follows is the complex investigation by DCI Darke and her Homicide and Major Investigation Team.

The characters are interesting, likeable (mostly) and believable and I quickly became invested in them and their lives. The plot is complex with multiple layers and lines of enquiry and with twists and turns and red herrings aplenty; it certainly kept me on my toes from start to finish and didn't disappoint.

The Murder House is a dark, gripping, thrilling and well paced story which I have no hesitation in recommending to lovers of crime novels like myself and thank you to One More Chapter (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

I’d like to thank One More Chapter and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Murder House’, the fifth in the DCI Matilda Darke series written by Michael Wood, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Following the marriage of Clive and Serena Mercer’s daughter Leah, during the night their house is broken into and the Mercers together with their son Jeremy are brutally murdered, leaving Jeremy’s seven-year-old daughter Rachel alive and tied to a chair in her bedroom. This is the most disturbing and bloodthirsty case DCI Matilda Darke has ever had to investigate and despite evidence pointing to small-time burglar Keith Lumb, Matilda has a gut feeling that the killer has inside knowledge of how the police and forensics departments work and could be closer than they all think.

After reading the fourth in the DCI Matilda Darke series I didn’t think it could be improved on, but I was so wrong! ‘The Murder House’ is one of the most exciting thrillers I’ve had the pleasure to read and I was so involved with the plot and characters I was awake and reading at 5 o’clock this morning as I was unable to sleep for thinking about it. It has everything I want from a thriller, suspense, excitement, intrigue, heart-stopping action, not to mention the twists and turns as the climax is reached, and the final pages are unbelievable! I thoroughly recommend this book as regardless of whether the previous ones in the series have been read it’s a first-rate read and worthy of far more than five stars!

Sheffield, in the North of England is the location for the most horrific attack on a well liked and respected family, the day after their daughter’s wedding. DCI Matilda Darke and her team have never witnessed a crime scene as bad as this one. The bride’s mother, father, and brother are all dead, slaughtered in what can only be described as a crazed, and frenzied attack. Initial investigations can find no reason for this attack, all three deceased were doctors, pillars of the community, who regularly raised funds for various charities - the perfect family! Well, of course no one is perfect, but DCI Darke will certainly have her work cut out getting to the bottom of this one.

It was clear right from the start that I would find it difficult to put this one down. The plot was extremely clever, with expert use of misdirection, and I certainly never guessed who had carried out this horrific crime. The characters were terrific, each playing their part to perfection, and we were given a great insight into their personal lives, which gave a warm feeling of familiarity. The intrepid investigators are eventually rewarded for their tireless work, with a clue that was actually staring them right in the face all along, and which will blindside even the most jaded of crime readers. Unmissable!

I have one word to describe this book WOW!!!!!!
This is one hell of a book. Be warned not for the squeamish but OMG it certainly ticked all my boxes. Mystery and misdirection, gripping, chilling and heartbraking and no clue who the killer was until they were revealed. I started reading this book in the afternoon and finally turned the last page at 2.am it was very hard to put down. A real tour de force of a crime thriller and the best in the series so far. I LOVED IT!!!!!!
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

The book starts with a viciously gruesome crime scene the morning after a beautiful wedding where the relatives hosting the reception is found dead with the exception of a young girl who witnessed the carnage. What seems to be a burglary gone wrong (for sure) the team lead by DCI Matilda Darke follows the forensics and Matilda has a gut feeling that there is more to the story. Oh yes there is! Not quite the perfect family and pillars of the community they portray. This is my first outing with Matilda and this is actually number five in a series I seem to have missed. Matilda seems a wonderful character and I can’t wait to read the previous ones!

Wow, wow, wowsers. This is one heck of a story and no mistake. If you love this series then prepare yourself as Matilda and co are about to embark on their bloodiest and most harrowing case to date!

Your wedding day is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. And to all intents and purposes it is for new bride, Leah Mercer, it is. The whole thing goes off without a hitch and she is off and away with her new husband on her honeymoon when her whole world will be shattered. Because, in the aftermath of a beautiful wedding, comes awful, blood-soaked tragedy when the rest of her family are murdered in the very home that a few hours earlier had been hosting her reception.

It is a book that is possibly not for the squeamish. Although as readers we are not necessarily privy to all of the act of murder, the aftermath, the way it is described, the amount of detail, which is sparse and not unnecessarily gory, is just enough to convey the level of violence inflicted upon these victims. It is a messy scene, an atrocity the like of which most of the team have never seen and it takes its toll on all of them. It's not pretty - not gratuitous either, but it is one of those undoubted ewww moments, even if one of the things that happens a bit later as a result of the violence did make me chuckle just a little bit. Let's call it 'gallows humour ...'

The story is full of mystery and misdirection and the backstory to the characters, the victims in this novel comes under some scrutiny. The author uses this to great effect, playing with readers emotions, especially when it comes down to the only witness left alive, the one victim's young daughter, Rachel. Could it be the killer has a conscience? Michael Wood has captured all the emotions in this novel perfectly, from the horror of the investigating team, the terror of poor Rachel or the up and down emotions of Leah when she returns from her honeymoon to her worst nightmare. It really got me hooked into the story and invested in the action and the outcome.

There are a lot of secrets being kept in this book, and not just where you would be expecting. This book marks a turning point for some of the main characters too. That's what I love about the series - the fact that you are as involved in the lives of the team every bit as much as the victims or suspects.I felt like I got to know them even better this time around and my love for them grows with each book. They are all unique, well fleshed out and likeable characters. And I have a major case of envy for Sian's snack draw. Mine at work is nowhere near as exciting, with herbal teas and low calorie cereal bars ...

Fast paced and full of tension, this book left me guessing until the end as to who really was responsible. Despite hints being dropped throughout the investigation, it is near on impossible to pinpoint the murderer, even if the motive becomes more apparent with each page turn. This is probably my favourite book to date, the ending providing an absolutely surprise turn that promises so much for the books to come. It is a part of the story that fans will be familiar with, one which came back to bite Matilda in the previous book and I can't wait to see how it all plays out moving forward.

Definitely recommended for Matilda fans everywhere, or even fans of a damned fine police thriller. Roll on October. I can barely wait for book six!!!

This is the fifth book in Michael Wood’s DCI Matilda Drake series and does not disappoint. While you could read it as a free standing story and enjoy an intriguing, tense crime twister, you are going to encounter so many plot spoilers that you should do yourself - and the author - a favour and begin at the beginning!

This time round, Matilda and colleagues are investigating multiple shootings that take place after a wedding. The apparently perfect family is not all it seems. The impact on the mental health of officers involved is repeatedly referenced but it’s not only the crime itself that is causing personal anxiety and an impact on team dynamics.

Four rather than five stars because the plot depends on a rather clunky and somewhat incredible discovery but hey ho.

I’m a fan of this series and if you like Peter James, Peter Robinson type novels, these are definitely for you. I’m already looking forward to the next in the series. Enjoy!

I have posted this review on Goodreads.

I absolutely love the Matilda Darke series, they just get better and better with each addition!

The Murder House has been described as DCI Darke's most disturbing case yet and I have to agree...it's extremely stabby and bloody. That opening chapter wouldn't go amiss in a horror novel. Luckily I'm from the North and made of strong stuff, I can imagine others would be quite disturbed. An entire family stabbed to death the day after a beautiful wedding...this is crying out for a film/TV series. I can picture it now!

As always the author had me on the edge of my seat and at times concerned about my favourite characters. I can't wait for the next in this series. Although this is book five in the series it could easily be read as a standalone but why would you do that!? Go and buy them all!

Highly recommend!

I received this book from Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
DCI Matilda Darke is still absorbing the recent loss of her husband James, the wrap up of a case that has her questioning her judgement and her teams cohesion; when she is called upon to solve the vicious murder of a family, on the night of their daughters wedding. The frenzied attack sickens the team and they struggle with the scope of humanities ability to cause such pain. This police procedural is a fine example of British thriller genre. Strong character development and likable subjects along with the aspects of forensics and procedure, move the plot along quickly. The pace picks up as the powers that be push for a conclusion, this putting the entire team at risk. Add to this the human factor of intertwined romantic interests and life circumstances and you have a great story. This was my first DCI Matilda Darke book but I hope to read the backstory in future. I think this series is a good one and wish I'd read the first books prior to this to understand the characters better. With genuine life situations, crimes that affect police job performance, the authenticity of the writer comes to the surface. Thoroughly enjoyable read.
Triggers: violent crime scene depiction, vicious assault on an officer, same sex intimacy, some language.

The morning after the wedding the brides family are brutally murdered. Forensics point to a burglar on the run but someone is messing with the evidence and Matilda is not convinced.

I love the Matilda Darke series. You are always guaranteed a gruesome murder with a great twist, a killer you did not see coming and some heartbreak. This series is made even better by the loveable recurring characters. I just love getting to know them all. As usual, this was a gripping read full of suspense and I spent the whole time trying to guess who it was.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

The Matilda darke series just gets better and better, if you have to be up in the morning you are going to need matchstick to keep your eyes open, read this from start to finish in one night, brilliant, always a bit of gore but the storyline is always top notch, loved it

Oh this book was so good!

Matilda Darke is a great character and her relationship with her team is brilliant.

The plot was gory, twisting and kept you guessing.

I read this book in one day as I was totally gripped from the first page.

Can't wait for the next one.

Wow ! Michael Wood's Matilda Drake books just keep getting better and better ; if thats possible.

Warning before you start this book, walk your dog because you wont want to put the book down.

Matilda Drake and her team are investigating a gruesome murder scene where several members of a family were butchered.

They appear to be the perfect family, but that can't be !

One more page, one more chapter was my mantra. I had to find out the ending and what an ending it was.

Can't wait for book 6 in the series ! First in line !!

Don't miss out on this series!

Thanks to Net Galley and One More Chapter for allowing me into Maltida Drake's world.

The wedding had been perfect, the weather as ordered and the menu chosen with care. By the time DCI Matilda Drake arrives at the beautiful house in the Sheffield suburbs the following morning it has been turned into the scene of a massacre none of her team will ever be able to forget.

The wealthy, apparently perfect, family has been decimated and there appears, at first glance, to be only one culprit, but Matilda knows nothing is as it seems and vows to dig deeper. Her team however, are traumatised by what they've seen, are rushed off their feet, with personal problems to face, a lack of resources they can do nothing about and are still expected to solve the case in double quick time.

This is my first time reading a Michael Wood book and I wish it wasn't. The storytelling is excellent, the characterisation first class, and even though the clues were there I didn't spot most of them. The only downside is there are spoilers to previous books, throughout although one of the secondary storylines is a continuation of a previous investigation so those details were necessary. There will, I imagine, be a book six because there is a huge cliffhanger at the end which gives a hint as to where things will go next.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the previous books or isn't put off by the spoilers because this is a first class read.

Note: Do not try eat your lunch while launching into this book, its not for the faint hearted or weak stomached!!!!

This is the fifth book in the DCI Matilda Darke series and probably one of the most gruesome in terms of what happened and the descriptive nature surrounding the scene…. In the early hours of the morning after their daughter’s wedding, Serena & Clive Mercer are murdered in the most horrific way possible along with their son, Jeremy… Jeremy’s 7 year old daughter Rachel is found tied to a chair, unharmed in her bedroom. The Detectives at the “Murder House” have never seen the likes of it and hope they never will again, there is blood everywhere…. One near decapitation, another whose face has been destroyed beyond recognition….

Darke is up against it, the only evidence leads somewhere she is inclined to disagree with, something is off with the scene and she needs to figure out what…. As the investigation begins, it appears that to everyone questioned, the Mercers are the perfect family, but does a “perfect family” exist, they weren’t murdered in such a frenzied manner for nothing!!!

As and aside, Darke is still battling with the ongoing case of the missing Carl Meagan, the case that has never left her, it has been three years now and their parents are falling apart, she enlists the help of a retired colleague to look into the case.

Again, Michael Wood has delivered another instalment of a fantastic series…. A gripping edge of your seat police detective thriller, this book will have you gripped from page one and not release until the end…. With so many twists and turns, lies, deceit, trust issues, personal demons…. Can’t rate it more highly and can say no more for fear of ruining anything for others but suffice to say, you will want to put this on your 2020 list!!!

I really enjoyed this book so much. It has a really great plot, superb main characters and I read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this book.

The Murder House by Michael Wood is 5th in the DCI Matilda Darke series. The book begins with the wedding of Leah Mercer, daughter of affluent and well know doctors, Clive an anesthesiologist and Serena a neurologist. Such a happy occasion for the family, which also includes Libby’s brother Jeremey and young niece Rachel. The reception is held in the sprawling backyard on the family estate in Sheffield. The next day, one of the wedding guest returns to the estate looking for something she left at the reception, unfortunately she walks into one of the most horrific crime scenes even seasoned police detectives have ever seen. The bride’s entire family is stabbed to death in one of the most violent attacks DCI Matilda Darke of the Sheffield Homicide and Major Enquiry Teams (HMET) has ever seen.

As DCI Darke and her team start the gruesome investigation process, there are questions as to whether or not the scene is legitimate, or has it been compromised to set up a suspect? There seems to be too much obvious evidence pointing to one suspect, however the forensics do not match the personal hatred and malevolence against the victims in this horrific crime scene. The victims are known as the “perfect family” who donate to many charities and everyone looks up to, but there must be at least one person who had a vendetta against one or all the victims in this case.

As DCI Darke and her team begin to unravel the layers of this crime and the relationships of the victims, the team finds many people who could have committed this crime and found reasons to want to vilify the family. As pieces begin to fit in Matilda’s mind as to who could have committed such a frenzied crime, she decides to go rogue and confront the murderer herself. Can her team get to her before it’s too late?

This book dragged me in from the first page. It is the first book in the series I have read, so it can be read as a stand alone, but I have every intention of going back to read each book in order to find out all the background stories. The author’s writing style is gripping and intense, you will be kept in suspense until the absolute final page. I honestly did not see the ending coming at all. The HMET characters are each dealing with their own issues while trying to do their job, but it is so well incorporated you never feel distracted, you only feel a deep appreciation for each character. They are all very likeable!

I would like to thank Netgalley and One More Chapter for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I can’t wait to read the rest of the DCI Matilda Darke series!

This is the first time I’m reading a book by Michael Woods and I have to say I completely surrender to this well written, page turner and gripping book. The Murder house is raw and emotional - a bit gory but manageable - and I struggled to stop reading it, even for the smallest amount of time! I’m glad this was the first book I’ve read in 2020! Although I failed to read the previous books from DCI Darke, the book can be read on its own. The only issue is that by the end of one, you will want to read all the others! I was completely hooked and literally only stopped reading when it was absolutely necessary until I finished it. Although I would like to know even more about the main character, Michael Woods has given us enough background to keep my curiosity tamed. DCI Darke and her colleagues are relatable characters which makes the book even more credible and difficult to put down. The plot has been magnificently imagined and it develops fantastically and is unravelled beautifully! The end is credible and not far fetched in my opinion. This book has left me wanting for more and my only disappointment is that I don’t have the 6th book ready to be devoured! I hope DCI Darke’s stories have continuation, hopefully following the subplot that was developed in this book! In the meantime, I will get to reading the previous books. Michael Woods has a new fan and so does DCI Darke. I would highly recommend this book and truly believe this will be on my top favourites by the end of the year. I would like to thank Netgalley, Mr Michael Woods and One More Chapter for the opportunity to read this book before its publishing date in exchange of an honest review.

The most beautiful house. A picture-perfect family. And a nightmarish crime.

The morning after a wedding, the bride's parents and brother are found brutally murdered. The house is soaked in the victims' blood. But the strangest part of this horrible situation? The little girl of the family is found unharmed.

Meanwhile, a petty thief is on the run from the police. Having escaped from a jail cell, he's now trying to flee from the country. Soon enough, DCI Matilda Darke and her team will discover a link between evidence from the murder and the strange man on the run. Could he be the one that committed the horrible crime? Or is a conspiracy hidden behind all this?

DCI Matilda Darke is back with yet another gripping crime thriller. This time. DCI Darke will come across her most horrible case yet. Will she be able to pull through?

The Murder House is a thriller constructed in a very clever fashion. For this story, the devil is definitely in the details. It's not as fast-paced as most crime stories. But it doesn't really matter, because the plot involves so many characters and details, it's only natural to slow down every once in a while. All in all the story is interesting and quite unpredictable. A recommended read for fans of crime fiction.