This is the first book I have read in this series, and I don't know why I haven't read one before. It didn't spoil my enjoyment of this one though, I thought it was great. I loved the team, the writing really brought them alive, and I loved the plot. The pace of the book was good, and kept me happily page tapping ,I couldn't read it fast enough. Really enjoyed reading this book,5 stars from me and now I can't wait for the next one.

Having read this excellent series and the jaw dropping Time is running out I was eager to read what happens next and I was not disappointed. This book was excellent and dealt with the repercussions of the previous story really well, as well as a strong plot that has been alluded to in previous books. Definitely a wow moment later in the book which I didn't see coming but believable. The British crime novel series is flooded with detective series and having read quite a few this is up there at the very top. Strong plots, characters to root for who are believable, humour and the Sheffield location makes this series fantastic.
I cannot recommend this novel (and series) enough!!!

Thankyou to netgalley for inviting me to read and review survivors guilt in the new DCI matilda dark series.. matilda had lost her husband previously in the 9 months before she took a bullet to the head, she had to rebuild her life with physical and cognitive therapy and had to learn to walk again . Her sister harriet moved in to matildas house to help care for her after the shooting. The gunman had also shot her father, her best friends son and colleagues. Matilda has returned to work, is it too soon?, is she up to the job?, her attitude has also changed, she has lost her confidence in her ability to lead her team.. can she start to heal and find out who has been killing prostitutes? This is dark and gritty, highley recommend a I DIDNT SEE THAT COMING BOOK.... FAB

After spending the last few months catching up with this series on audio, I am little behind with my reviews and I thought I’d write this one while it is fresh in my mind.

First of all I have to say that I loved the fact that I read this one. Dont get me wrong I loved the audios but you cant beat sitting down and chilling with a book. Or in my case my kindle! I actually read this book while lazing on the beach on my holiday in Wales recently. This is NOT your typical beach read haha.

With an OMG opening I was well and truly hooked. The book pretty much starts where we where left with the previous one. Each book in this series gets better and better. Keeping you on the edge of your seat all the way through.

It is jam packed with shock horror moments, has we follow a fast pasted action packed story, on the hunt for a serial killer. Not only do we have a strong plot we also have a team of characters who I absolutely love. The author weaves their personal life into the plot. Giving the story, brilliant character development which has built up throughout the series.

Each time I read a Matilda Darke book I say OMG this is the authors best one yet. But it really is! Michael Wood has gone from strength to strength. So much so that this series seriously needs to be on television. I cannot praise it enough.

I love that the cases have got darker and gruesome. Making each one more terrifying. And I always feel like I am catching up with old friends. Survivor’s Guilt is brutal, twisted and seriously addicted. I cannot recommend it enough. And not I am left waiting for the next book!

Do you see what I mean by its not your typical beach read? lol

Quite simply, I loved this book. We’re back on South Yorkshire with DCI Matilda Darke and her team. After the explosive ending of the last book, I couldn’t wait to get stuck into this.

Nine months after surviving a bullet to the head, Matilda is returning to work. However straightaway a new terror awaits. A woman’s body is found and her injuries look similar to several cold cases. With the body count increasing, Matilda and her team race again time to find the serial killer. Gripping, gritty and thrilling, o found this book impossible to put down. A fantastic plot like that will entertain with each turn of the page.

Thank you to NetGalley, One More Chapter and the author for the chance to review.

This is only the second book I’ve read by Michael Wood but I loved it, they are so easy to get into I can’t put the book down once I’ve started. Matilda is a character with a lot going off in her life and I do wish she wouldn’t slam doors quite so much, apart from that I like her. I enjoy that there is a long term story line going on in the back ground and then a main story to each book. The only problem is I’ll now have to start from book one and read them all, which isn’t a bad problem to have. I would say it’s a 4.5 out of 5.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and One more chapter for my advanced reading copy.

Michael Wood can do no wrong. A bold statement I know but considering every book of his I’ve devoured have been five solid shiny star reads I’m saying it.

Survivors Guilt is incredible. The story has been quietly bubbling away in the background of previous books and this one sees Matilda and her team launching a big investigation into the murdered and missing prostitutes in Sheffield. It’s Matilda’s first case back after being shot and not everyone thinks she’s ready. It creates a tense dynamic with her colleagues which we’ve not seen before. There are many emotional parts and having got to know these characters so well they had a big impact, especially the moments that followed Carl and his family. The ending blew my mind. It was so shocking and unexpected I stared at the page in disbelief for over a minute. Another outstanding book from one of my favourite writers.

The previous book in this series (Time is Running Out) was literally a shock to the bone, as numerous team members were taken out in a massive ambush. Even if you haven't read the previous book, there are enough flashbacks and talks about it, so you understand just how horrific it was, and how it drastically affected the remaining members, and still does. As they each suffer their own PTSD, they now have to deal with another killer, and clues that seem to be red herrings, and the questioning of whether Matilda should have come back or gone out on disability. It's an interesting look at how a horrible situation that wasn't your fault, can cause long ripples of guilt and self-doubt, and make you question all the relationships around you. As Matilda works the case, her confidence starts to come back, but relationships still suffer. a roller coaster read, this one will make you want to go back and read the previous 7 books in the series!

Another fraught episode in the Matilda Darke series with a serial killer on the loose in Sheffield. Running alongside is the return of young Carl Meagan kidnapped in an earlier episode whose progress or lack of keeps cropping up as the story advances. Having lost so many characters in the previous horrific episode and our heroine only just recovered from her injuries she seems intent on driving a wedge between herself and her much reduced crew. The actual murders are graphically described and the hunt eventually reaches a shock conclusion. At times over emotional but still a good yarn with young Carl being set up for the next episode!

If you have read book seven in this series, Time Is Running Out, then you will know what a completely shocking, tense, pulse-pounding and game changing read it was. I think I was left shell shocked. Still am a touch to be honest. And with that in mind I'd say that if you haven't read it, don't read this book. Not yet. It is one very much rooted in the after effects of that very disturbing set of events and as such is better read not as an introduction to the series but as a continuation. And it is a continuation, seeing perhaps not a closure of that storyline, or even one other very key part of Matilda's backstory, but certainly a very big change, one that will potentially leave readers both delighted and perhaps just a touch maudlin. And I mean that in a good way, if that's possible.

This was always going to be a tough story to handle, for readers just as much as the characters. The title sums things up perfectly and the preceding events have taken their toll, physically and emotionally, something which the author has explored very carefully in this book. They don't take over, don't entirely dominate, but it is impossible to ignore the impact that the progression of the story has on the characters and subsequent events. There is a melancholic and reflective undertone to the story, perhaps some challenge to the previous unity of this wonderful team, and understandably so. It adds a kind of conflict and tension to an already on edge team and loyalties are well and truly tested. It's almost impossible as a fan of the series not to be affected by what happens, but if you think this is going to be a 'safe' story, you really don't know this author. Seems he has a really sadistic streak when it comes to his characters because he's really not finished with them yet.

Aside from the obvious emotional side to the tale there are two threads to this story. First up is the ongoing story of Carl Meagan, the case which has haunted Matilda Darke throughout the course of this series. One of the great regrets of her career, and one which she has always sought to put right. This is another layer of distraction and guilt to add to Matilda's ever growing burden but something that informs the character she has become. Alongside of this is the team's investigation into a series of murders of sex workers. Although not initially linked, Matilda is convinced they are the work of one person and vows to get to the truth. Rather a large and high profile case for her first one back in the hot seat and one which really does keep the tension and the tempo of the book high. Surprises, jaw dropping revelations and moments of real peril are littered throughout, scenes that get the heart rate rising in the way that Michael Wood excels in.

The conclusion to this particular case - well got to admit I did not see that one coming. At all. I'm still not sure what I think. Shock I suppose. The author kept that well hidden. And as for the books ending ... Gah. So much threat, so much uncertainty and such unease left by a seemingly very simple and, compared to the rest of the book, seemingly innocent interaction. It brought out the dread but also the intrigue and a little bit of excitement. This book could easily have signified an end, of sorts. I'm hoping the conclusion means that the story of Matilda Darke and her team is far from over.

Tense, emotional, and completely compelling. If you love the series, you will really want to read this. With a box of tissues to hand maybe. And some comfort food. Recommended.

I wasn't aware of Michael Wood's work before this novel. I most certainly am now.
I love a good police procedural thriller and this has all the right ingredients, with the usual twists and turns and at an exciting pace.
Throw in an excellent, if somewhat damaged, CIO and you have the makings of an allnighter.
Will certainly look for others from this author and will recommend.
Many thanks.

Having just finished Time is Running Out, the 7th in this series, and being absolutely blown away by it, I couldn't wait to get my grubby little mitts on this, the 8th in the brilliant Matilda Darke series and I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. What I will say is that I think it would be preferable to have read the 7th book before reading this one as this one picks the story up 9 months later and will provide an explanation as to why Matilda and other characters are acting as they are.

This book follows 3 themes; the aftermath of the massacre that occurred in the previous book, the murder of prostitutes in Sheffield and the long-running theme of the kidnapping of Carl Meagan.

Once again, Michael writes a gripping story that moves at pace. There is violence and edge-of-the-seat moments; I took at sharp intake of breath when the murderer was revealed - I am usually quite good at figuring out who it is but this one absolutely blind-sided me and I actually gasped and said a few choice words that are not repeatable here as I try to avoid profanity in my reviews!

There is also compassion and tenderness and an authentic-feeling description of how grief and tragedy can affect people differently; it can bring you together or completely tear you apart and destroy you and those around you. Everyone is struggling to manage their grief but can they work together to catch the killer or are they too broken?

The characters are just brilliant and I particularly liked how Michael portrayed the prostitutes as "people" rather than the usual stereotypes which made a nice change; I absolutely loved Bev and Sarah. Matilda is, I admit, a difficult person to like in this book but given what she has endured, she is forgiven ... just this once!

Full of tension, suspense and emotion, this book and the series, is one that shouldn't be missed ... roll on number 9!

I am grateful to HarperCollins UK / One More Chapter via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

This series is one of the best in contemporary crime fiction. Great plots, excellent characters and superb plot lines. I thought Michael Wood would find it difficult to match the drama of his previous Matilda Darke novel but this is just as gripping but with a slightly lower body count! As Matilda continues to recover from THAT shooting, she finds it difficult to give herself over fully to her work and relations with colleagues are stretched to the limit. And the denouement....!

Although I hadn't read any books in this series it was easy to pick up and I really enjoyed it. This was a real page turner and a book that I needed to complete in one session which I did. Off to read more in the series now

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Michael Wood you have outdone yourself once again in this beyond excellent DCI Matilda Darke Series.

Book 7 took my breath away after a mass shooting and not knowing who on Matilda's team would survive. Many didn't.

Its nine months later and Matilda is back working with a team that has been devastated and they are facing a serial killer.

I cried with the team, I cheered them and on and even smiled with them at times.

It's a horrific case and the tension can be felt at team briefings and beyond.

The ending is jaw dropping and one I would never have seen coming.

Matilda is back !

I can't wait for book 9 in the series though I am nervous as to what Michael Wood will have Matilda and her team face next.

Don't miss this series; not one book of it !

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, One More Chapter for a heart pounding roller coaster of a read.

Although technically this book could be read on its own I would advise readers new to this author to read the series in order.
I love a book with a great twist at the end and really enjoy trying to work out what it will be. But I defy anyone to guess the ending here. I couldn't have been more shocked if it had been Matilda herself who was killing the prostitutes..I will be waiting with baited breath for Michael Wood's next book.

Gripping, breathtaking, brilliant !!. I thoroughly enjoyed this book which was up to Michael Wood's excellent standard. His ability as a wordsmith gives his characters depth and makes the story-line totally absorbing.
I love Michael Wood's work and am eagerly awaiting his next book.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

The latest in the Matilda Darke series set in Sheffield. These books have been an addictive series of fast paced detective stories and I couldn’t wait for the next instalment yet I have struggled through this one. I hesitate to say anything negative, being so invested in the characters but on this occasion there was SO MUCH back story relative to the plot itself - I’d humbly suggest the balance is wrong for readers who know so much of this already and I doubt many if any would start with this book.

Anyway, Matilda is suffering the after effects of having the back of her head blown off and a serial killer of prostitutes is on the loose. The revelation of who this is plus the toings and froings of young Carl and his family make for an enjoyable development in the lives of the surviving characters we have come to know but normally I finish these books in 48 hours max and that wasn’t the case this time round.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for a fair review

This is the 8th instalment of DCI Matilda Darke series. It’s nearly a year since the devastating event that killed servers of her team and close friends. Darke is returning back to duties as the long on going Carl Meghan case comes to an end and a woman is found killed which resembles several cold cases. Her team have doubts she is for for duty and she’s goes off on a tangent with selected team members.
An amazing read, full of emotions for all the characters. This can be read out of order but would be beneficial to have the full background story. It was hard to see how Darke could return, but she has with bells on. Can’t wait for the next book.

It's good to see the return of most of this well established cast of characters following the traumatic conclusion of the last book. Unfortunately this instalment turns out to be just as traumatic but for very different reasons. This must be the most unlucky police team in British crime fiction today