Gritty thriller ,not for the faint hearted. Lots of twists and turns and a great cast of characters. Matilda is back but still suffering mentally and physically . A good read.

This is my first novel in the Matilda Darke series, and while I may have missed a lot I did find that this story seems to be easy to follow for a newbie like me who is unfamiliar with the storyline and it’s characters. This story picks up with the the major crimes squad of Sheffield, 9 months after a terrorist on a rooftop with an assault rifle killed or maimed multiple members of the team. Lead DCI Matilda Darke was also seriously injured in the incident. Having suffered a bullet to the head, Matilda has crawled back from the brink of death to lead a fractured team not fully whole. As if the day to day isn’t enough, Matilda has a hot case with the discovery of a particularly vile serial killer who is targeting prostitutes. As soon as they start to track this murderer the deaths seem to become more violent and more brazen. With many people, including her own team questioning her ability to lead, Matilda must juggle the day to expectations of leading Sheffields most elite team while also chasing a modern day monster, while also juggling her ongoing recovery from a bullet to the brain. This story is always exciting and interesting, up to the last page, where we are left on a cliffhanger.I can’t wait to see what happens next with this team and it’s leader, Ms Matilda Darke. Review posted to Goodreads, Litsy, LibraryThing, Facebook, Instagram and Amazon.

What a great introduction for me to the Matilda Drake series. This is number 8 in the series, but my first foray. Any background to Drake is explained, so can be read as a standalone, but I definitely feel it would have enhanced by enjoyment if I had read the series from the start. I would definitely like to go back and read these, if this book is anything to go by!
I loved Matilda, she is a superb character to have a series around!
The plot was extremely gripping, making me gasp out loud several times, and I was hooked for the majority of the book. Even in the 'quieter' pages, it wasn't for long, and I was soon brought back in, until it didn't let up until the end.
Wood is a new author for me, but I can't wait to read his next book. He is a fantastic author and I highly recommend this one!

Also posted to my Instagram and Facebook accounts Curling Up with a Coffee and a Kindle

After the traumatic events of book 7 I wasn't sure whether I was going to continue with this series but curiosity and my love for the characters made me come crawling back. Was it worth it? I don't think so.

The author loves a shock ending with a huge reveal but this one just didn't make sense to me. It all just seemed to be for the shock value. Nothing had ever hinted it could be that person.

Then what was left of the team was just a mess and didn't work. Matilda seemed to be the only one still affected and definitely shouldn't have been back at work. She bullied her way through a case and cost people their lives or caused major injury and just glossed over it.

I did enjoy the actual murder case, getting an insight into the prostitutes world and who they are as actual people. Unfortunately poor Carl's case is still being dragged out and we have yet another threatening cliff hanger ending.

Will I come back for more? Probably purely because I loved the first 6 books so so much but if it stays with this kind of pattern then I'm going to have to say goodbye to one of my favourite teams.

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

Absolutely grear, twisting plot with no leads, imperfect characters and blinding conclusion. Well worth the time
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Another great book in this series
D.C.I Matilda Drake is back to work after the events of the brutal attack on her and her colleagues
But there murders to be solved
And I didn’t see that ending coming
Thanks NetGalley

I really enjoyed this book. Great characters, an intriguing storyline and a long standing backstory which adds to the tension. Looking forward to the next in the series.

After a gunshot wound to her head nine months ago, DCI Matilda Darke finally returns to work. Some of the team were lost in the same attack and everyone is still feeling their loss, herself included. Matilda is still suffering with flashbacks and insomnia, even though she has had time off to recover. Plus there is a big rift between her and Adele, her best friend.

A case that has been a thorn in her side has reared its head again but this time with a happy outcome, the Carl Meagan case. Phillip and Sally had their son kidnapped four years ago and Matilda mixed up the drop so Carl was lost to them but the couple never gave up hope and kept up the campaign to bring their son home. It worked and there was a call from another country where it turned out he had been kept, he was finally returned home with Matilda’s help.

Unfortunately, the body of a woman has been found. She has been murdered in a similar way to several cold cases involving prostitutes. Their strangulation wounds were a perfect match. Matilda decided to open a major inquiry into the cold cases but that meant there was a possible serial killer on their patch. She comes up with a plan but little does she know how the outcome will impact on everyone!

Wow, what a fantastic read this was.. This book nailed it for me in this series. It had everything: brilliant writing, it felt like you were there in the book, living the life of a survivor of a gunshot wound and a prostitute on the street. All written with compassion and empathy with a crime story to kick your senses into check. This is one hell of a series and one I love to follow. Michael Wood is such an excellent author, his books are truly worth reading. Looking forward to the next one already.

Hard to review without spoilers but suffice to say this is a masterful chrome thriller with an excellent twist,

The two aspects of the story, the crimes and how the team is dealing with what has happened, intertwine nicely and the book is well written.

Absolutely engrossing, riveting, gripping and a must-read thriller of the year!

A killer is on prowl. A young woman's body is found in the woods. The M.O matches that of the previous few murders. The killings happened from 2016 to 2018 and for thirteen months, the killer stopped... until now. Why the pause? Was he arrested for a petty crime and recently let off from prison? Also, there is a slight change in the M.O., are the police looking for one or two serial killers?

A tad gory but DCI Matilda Darke series is slowing making its way to my list of favorite police procedurals. I absolutely love Michael Wood's storytelling. The story kept me guessing till the end and the identity of the killer was .. GOSH! I was like, What The... when Matilda announced the name of the killer. It's been nine months since the shooting and we get a glimpse of how the recurring characters are slowing adjusting to their new lives. They have moved to a different suite at work - the old one reminds them of their lost colleagues. Matilda is fighting the demons that give her nightmares. And those colleagues who lost their loved ones aren't finding it easier to move on.

If you love police procedurals that keep you guessing till the end, do not miss to read this mind-blowing, marvelous installment of the DCI Matilda Darke series!

Matilda Darke is finally back after surviving an attack that killed friends & colleagues, but is she up to it? Especially as it now seems there could be someone locally killing women.

This is a really tense, well written thriller, with a totally unexpected ending. Part way through I was convinced I knew who it was, but boy was I wrong. The survivors guilt of the title is really well handled, after such a devastating incident, but I don’t think that Matilda would have been allowed back in charge of the team quite so easily. She also does a few things that no DCI would do. I know this was part of her story but those bits weren’t believable for me. That said, thoroughly good read and I can’t wait for the next in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

What another fantastic book from this author which is just brilliantly addictive and I couldn't stop reading from the beginning until the end.

I just love the Matilda Darke series and reading about her and her colleagues I cannot speak highly enough about them. Just three more words to say ......... "What a brilliant ending", I never saw that one coming.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins (OMC) for giving me the opportunity to read this book which I can thoroughly recommend but you need to start with Book 1 in my opinion.

EXCERPT: It was a chilly morning. The clocks were put back at the weekend. Winter was on its way. She hated the dark mornings and the early dark evenings, and she didn't relish coming to the woods alone to exercise Buttons. He wasn't even a year old yet, so he wouldn't be able to tackle someone if she was attacked.

'Buttons?' she called again. 'You want your ball?'

She heard a yap and followed the noise. There was no denying having a dog was good exercise for her, too, but right now, all she wanted was to go to bed and wrap that big duvet around her.

Up ahead, she found the spaniel lying down in a clearing. He never did that. It was almost as if he'd had enough running around and playing and wanted to rest. She hoped he wasn't injured or had eaten something he shouldn't have. It was only a few years ago she read about some sick bastard putting meat laced with broken glass in Meersbrook Park to injure cats and dogs.

'Buttons, are you all right?' She ran towards him and stopped before she reached him.

He wasn't injured at all. He was lying at the side of a woman who, judging by her appearance, was dead, and had clearly been dead for some time.

ABOUT 'SURVIVOR'S GUILT': 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.

MY THOUGHTS: Michael Wood knows how to write a book that has your heart almost constantly pounding while it is leaping into your mouth. Survivor's Guilt is the best book yet in this series.

Before we go any further, this is a series that needs to be read as a series as past events and relationships are often referred to. It would be possible to read Survivor's Guilt as a stand-alone, but for the full impact I recommend that you begin at the beginning.

Matilda (Mat) has been off work on extended rehabilitation leave after having been shot in the head in book #7. Seven police were killed in the mass shooting that left Mat fighting for her life, some of them members of her team, hence the very apt title 'Survivor's Guilt'. Now Mat is back but, of course, nothing is the same. Not only is the old camaraderie affected, but Mat's behaviour is somewhat erratic. She doesn't seem to trust her remaining team members like she used to and consequently isn't sharing information with everyone. This leads to a lot of tension within the team.

There is also a new team member, Zofia Nowak, who has wanted to be a detective from a very young age. Zofia is dedicated, ambitious and eager to impress; so eager that she puts herself in danger to do so.

Mat and Adele, friends and confidants for many years, are still estranged following the mass shooting in which Adele's son was also killed. This is another loss that Mat feels keenly.

A case from four years previously, one that has haunted Mat, is finally resolved, but continues to have ripple effects. And the new case, that of a murdered prostitute, escalates quickly as more bodies are found. I loved Wood's sensitive and compassionate take on the prostitutes, while still providing an honest look at their lives. It's a good reminder that none of us know what's ahead of us, and that everyone has a story to tell. Bev and Sarah are just two of the wonderful characters that abound in this book. The much maligned Dermot is another.

The earth tilted for me when the case was solved. I never saw that coming; never entertained the idea . . . I was gob-smacked!

Even though that case is solved, Michael Wood doesn't like to leave things nicely tidied up. He drops another couple of depth charges into the plot that left me wanting #9 in this series RIGHT NOW!

Survivor's Guilt is dark, gritty and full of unexpected twists and turns, none of which I saw coming. Totally deserving of the full five stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#SurvivorsGuilt #NetGalley

I: @michaelwoodbooks @onemorechapter

T: @MichaelHWood @OneMoreChapter

#fivestarread #contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #serialkillerthriller #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Michael Wood is a freelance journalist and proofreader living in Sheffield. As a journalist he has covered many crime stories throughout Sheffield, gaining first-hand knowledge of police procedure. He also reviews books for CrimeSquad, a website dedicated to crime fiction.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Survivor's Guilt by Michael Wood for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

5 Stars 

I always have such a dilemma with each new Michael Wood book - do I delay reading it, do I dive straight in, do I pace myself or do I devour it?

(In case you are interested, I tend to delay reading it and then devour it.)

Things didn't look great for Matilda at the end of the last book but she isn't one to shy away from difficult situations and she is soon battling her demons again in order to find a killer.

Although this book does well to recap a little on the past, I really must insist (yes, insist) that you go back and read the series in order - start with For Reasons Unknown and work your way through them.

In Survivor's Guilt, Matilda is struggling with so much and seems to be on her own with it, her usual goto support networks aren't all available to her and she finds herself counting presidents again... The remaining team are left a little rudderless and things look to be in jeopardy.

It's wonderful to have Carl back, I've mentioned before that in my mind he is one of the 'real' unsolved missing children that will haunt this generation, the parts of the story relating to him are brutally fascinating.

As are the main serial killer parts of this book - these seemed especially real to me as I lived quite near to the location of the Suffolk prostitute murders at the time and had driven past Levington Woodland the day before one of the poor ladies was discovered. I remember being horrified by the statistics of how many prostitues are the victims of serial killers. 

Overall, I find that Michael writes so well that the lines between truth and story always seem to blur and I am so deeply invested in the 'people' that he creates. 

And as for that ending...

This series is undeniably brilliant and I remain convinced it will soon become televised. I for one can't wait to watch and am already looking forward to Michael's next book.

Note – this is book 8 in a series, please read the others first:

For Reasons Unknown
Outside Looking In
A Room Full of Killers
The Hangman’s Hold
The Murder House
Stolen Children
Time is Running Out
and a short story Victim of Innocence

I don’t think there has ever been a book that has left me as conflicted as this one has. As a stand-alone, it would have worked incredibly well. As the eighth book in a series I’ve loved, most of it just made me sad.

After the carnage of the previous instalment in this series, I told myself that was it for me and Matilda Darke. Too many changes and none sat well with me. But I didn’t count on this ugly little thing called curiosity and so here we are.

Straight away, I found myself feeling rather annoyed and disappointed. Nine months have gone by since the devastating events that killed so many beloved characters and so the reader isn’t even given the opportunity to grieve them along with the remaining characters. Characters, who on the whole, seem to be doing just fine. Except for Matilda, who shouldn’t even be at work. I’ve always admired her, now I felt like throttling her.

Then, in what felt like a desperate attempt and somewhat of a cheap trick, the case of the missing Carl Megan comes to an end. Kind of. I honestly couldn’t help but feel this was done to distract the reader from the fact that about 90% of the characters was missing. If so, it didn’t work.

The investigation into the missing prostitutes was hugely compelling, however. I liked that we were told some of their background stories, that the author made the effort to have them across as actual human beings. With clients all over the place, it was impossible to figure out who was responsible. I couldn’t even begin to guess at it. The ultimate reveal was definitely shocking. For me it was also the last nail in the coffin and the moment where I decided this is the end of the road for me.

I’ve been with this series since the very beginning. The first six books were outstanding, one after the other. Then it stopped working for me. I don’t mind changes. I completely understand they are important to keep a long running series fresh. Yet, I still feel this was overkill. And with yet another change in this instalment, it almost feels as if this author hates the characters he’s spent so long creating. It’s been a most thrilling ride but I’m getting off now.

Excellent police procedural with a tortured DCI Darke back at the helm 😌

The previous book in this series (Time is Running Out) was so dark I wondered if the series would or could continue. I am glad that Survivor's Guilt, though filled with major characters attempting to cope with their grief and guilt, is not so hopelessly dark. It's a fascinating story, in a good part thanks to the bloodbath in Time Is Running Out.

Loved the serial killer investigation through all its twists and surprises and the continuation of young Carl's story. The murder case is new to the series and centers in the red light district of Sheffield where prostitutes are being targeted whereas Carl's abduction and the continued search for him has been a thread weaving through the series. Just when we thought he and his parents had achieved their happy reunification, Wood throws in some new issues that keep Matilda involved.

This story is filled with survivors who have suffered the deaths of their nearest and dearest in a senseless rampage nine months previous. Some are coping much better than others. The emotional heart of this story is not as much related to the serial killer's victims as it is to Matilda's colleagues and decimated team. I typically prefer police procedurals that concentrate on the cases and less on the personal lives of the investigators but, in this instance, it was riveting and appropriate after the carnage they personally faced in the previous book.

Thanks to Harper Collins UK/One More Chapter and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Survivor's Guilt but that has in no way influenced my review.

I could not wait to get my mitts on this book. After the devastating events of the previous book, Time is Running Out, I was keen to see where the author would take Darke and her team next. I will say at this point that I feel you need to have read the last couple of books to get a feel for what the characters have been through in the lead up to this new investigation, and where they all are emotionally. Going in blind, reading this book without prior knowledge will leave you asking questions. However, I will also say that this is a series worth investing in. Wood is a courageous writer who has his readers on the edge of their seat from start to finish. And there's always a breath-taking twist to the tale.

DCI Matilda Darke has returned to work after being shot in the head nine months earlier. The dynamic within her team has changed noticeably in her absence but there's not a lot of time to dwell on that as a body has been found and it's down to the Homicide and Major Crime Unit to find the killer. The victim is a local prostitute and on closer inspection, she bears similar wounds to another cold-case murder victim, also a prostitute. Could a serial killer be targeting Sheffield prostitutes? And can Darke and her team find the killer before it's too late...?

Oh, how things have changed. After the devastation of the last book it's clear the team is still hurting. Matilda's return, instead of bringing the HMCU back together, seems to fracture it even further. She is, after all, a changed woman, dealing with her own trauma and suffering silently from survivor's guilt. Her support network is not as strong as it once was and perhaps, as a result, she feels she has something to prove. Which inevitably ends up frustrating the other members of the team, particularly her longstanding supporters DI Brady and DS Mills. The author has moved the Carl Meagan storyline on in this book which also distracts Matilda from the new investigation. It's clear that our once driven, focussed and ambitious DCI is struggling to cope.

But whether - or not - Matilda is fit for the job, there is still a killer stalking the streets of Sheffield and it's down to the HMCU to stop them. The author knows how to keep his readers on the edge of their seats and as a result, I was drawn immediately into the investigation. With a long running series you often meet characters who aren't necessarily a part of the main cast but help move things along. Prostitutes Bev and Sarah are two such characters. The team often turn to them for their knowledge of the streets, popping up here and there but not contributing a lot. However, they both played an important part in Survivor's Guilt and I enjoyed getting to know them better. The other characters - the more well known members of the team who feature regularly - continue to be very well written.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Survivor's Guilt is another fantastic, thrilling read and a terrific addition to a strong series. However, I don't think this book will work as well if you're reading it as a standalone. I strongly recommend you read a couple of the earlier books in the series first, in particular Time is Running Out. You have been warned! That's the last I'm going to say on the matter, lol. The ending was a complete and utter shock to me. My detective skills failed me once again and I wasn't able to work out whodunit so when the reveal happened...O.M.G.!!! Bloody marvellous. With great character development and a writer who isn't afraid to mix things up a little, I'm excited to see what happens to Matilda & Co. next. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Survivor's Guilt. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Nine months ago DCI Matilda Darke survived a horrific shooting incident that claimed the lives of numerous people. Many of them were her friends and colleagues at the police station she works in. Matilda was shot in the head, and was in a coma, and had to undertake a grueling recovery process. Physically she is nearly fully recovered. Mentally, she is plagued by nightmares and guilt - why did she survive when so many others didn’t?

As soon as she is cleared to return to work she throws herself back into it. But there is no easing back in slowly. A woman found dead in the forest sends off alarm bells. There seems to be connections to other cold case murders. Could it be a serial killer? The investigation quickly grows, with the body count quickly rising. But sadly, so are tensions rising on what used to be a tight knit team. As the investigation stalls, the team begins to fall apart. If they can’t trust one another and work together, how can they save lives? Should Matilda really be back at work?

I had not read the precursor to this book, so I felt I was missing out on a lot of backstory. But Wood skillfully brings enough of the narrative in from the previous history so that you don’t feel completely lost as a reader, which you appreciate. You feel like you can keep up, and still enjoy the investigation that is unfolding before you. This book ends in a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more. I shall be sourcing a copy of the book previous to this one first, so that I feel like a fully fledged member of the team first however! A very enjoyable read, gritty, atmospheric, and a real page turner. You won’t want to stop until you finish it.

&I received this book from Netgalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

Not going to lie…it was with some trepidation that I picked up the 8th book in this brilliant series. Michael Wood had left his characters and me, traumatised by the events of Book 7. Now we are back, picking up the pieces and looking around to see what’s left.

Lives have been ended. Mental and physical wounds are in some cases beginning to heal; in others there’s a long way to go yet. Friendships have been fractured, and D.CI. Matilda Darke is full of grief, guilt and is unable to express how she is feeling to anyone.

Her team are in sore need of uniting under her leadership and yet as she returns to work, in many ways she is as absent as when she was on recuperative leave. The reader needs that sense of things getting back to normal, too, but Michael Wood isn’t one the kind of author who sees it as his job to make the reader feel better.

Matilda may be back at work, but she’s not herself. Nowhere near it, in fact. Her brain injury may be healing, but she’s not cleared to drive yet and things are about as far from normal as they could be. Matilda’s sister and her children are staying with her for the moment and her mother is close by, but she can’t speak to either of them about what’s she’s going through.

An old case, one that has haunted Matilda for years, looks to be resolved, but Matilda is still beating herself up for a lapse that occurred on the day her husband died and she’s not getting much joy from that resolution. Not only that but the annoying local journalist, Danny is still on her case, hounding her for that elusive interview; wanting to poke and pry into her innermost grief.

When it seems that the team have a serial killer on their hands, there’s concern that Matilda may not be up to the stress and challenges that such a big case brings. The team feels unsettled, missing their former colleagues, still haunted by the shootings they witnessed and not anywhere near ready to move on. They need leadership, but can Matilda provide it?

Verdict: Michael Wood reflects the restlessness and unsettled nature of this team so well. Refusing to reassure our anxious hearts, he creates more tension and strife within the team as we watch, heartbroken to see the fault lines that have developed between them. The tensions of this case are brittle and for the reader there is the sense that something might snap really soon. When it comes, the crisis point is sharp and brutal. Wood gives no quarter to his characters and the shocks keep coming, thick and fast. It seems that this team have a lot to go through before they can expect to have earned some respite.

As a reader that makes for a tense, exciting novel, full of danger and ratcheted up with edge of the seat tension and heightened emotion. It seems we’re in for a bumpy ride. But I would not have it any other way.

‘What’s the point in surviving if everyone you care about is dead?’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to One More Chapter for an invitation via NetGalley to read and review ‘Survivor’s Guilt’ by Michael Wood in exchange for an honest review.

This is Book 8 in his DCI Matilda Darke series of police procedurals set in Sheffield. Unfortunately although I had read earlier books in the series, I had missed Book 7, ‘Time is Running Out’ published in February. It became quickly obvious that the outcome of that novel was relevant to this one, including Matilda only now returning to work with a reduced team.

To his credit, Wood does provide enough background that I was able to understand the progression of events as well as more details about the botched kidnapping case from 2015 that has been haunting DCI Darke.

This takes place nine months after the events of ‘Time is Running Out’. The body of a woman is found with wounds that look eerily similar to several cold cases. Could a stealthy serial killer be preying on the street workers of Sheffield?

This was quite a ride! A very fast-paced twisty plot that had me completely hooked. I am planning to fill in the missing book before the next case for DCI Darke and her team.

Definitely one of my favourite series of police procedurals.