Another top class read in this thrilling detective series. This one left me breathless at times with all that was happening . A brilliant read .

Solid thriller in an accomplished and enjoyable series. Well plotted and bravo to the author for not shying away from the reality of the pandemic in 2020. I already have the next in the series lined up.

This is part of a series. The series has been addictive and gripping. The characters are well developed. There is great storytelling. Possibly the best in the series

A brilliant, compelling, pulse-pounding ,heart wrenching crime-thriller. Love this series and cannot wait to read the next one

I would like to thank Harper Collins UK , One More Chapter & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
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** WARNING** If you plan on reading the series in order and are not yet at this stage in the series please do not read the review as it will inevitably contain spoliers

I have been binge reading and enjoying the Matilda Darke series and although this book was no different, in one respect I feel like the disbelief is just getting worse. This team has been to hell and back and it seems like they are continuing to be the unluckiest people in Sheffield.

The storyline does feature historical sexual abuse of children but I think it was handled as best as it could be. The writing was, as ever, extremely good and the story flowed well. However, for me I just want the team to get their teeth into a juicy case and work the case as they normally do without somebody within the team either being killed off or being the victim of something horrific. Like I said I am really enjoying the books and the series but I feel like it either needs to be wrapped up and ended or continued in the most normal way and let the team work a case without being on the receiving end.

Gripping narrative that uncovers layers of chilling secrets. Doesn’t give you time to breathe, loved it and devoured it in a day, can’t wait for more from the author!!!

Another great book in the Detective Matilda Darke series
This is the ninth in the series
And it’s just as good as the first
If you want a new series to start this is one of them
Thanks NetGalley

A very ,gritty and heartbreaking story in the DCI Matilda Darke series. A cold case involving child abuse hits very close to home for one of Matildas colleagues. An enthralling read.

I have run out of superlatives to say how good this series is so I will just say ... wow, Mr Wood you have done it again and written an absolute corker.

At the very start of the book, Mr Wood gives a clear warning that this novel deals with child abuse and historical child abuse. I went into it wondering whether it was going to be too much to read about such abhorrent behaviour but whilst it was difficult, I feel Mr Wood did it with honesty but without over-doing it.

DCI Matilda Darke and her team are called to the truly horrific murder of a prominent property developer in his home. It, quite literally, sickens many of those attending the scene but this appears to be personal rather than your run-of-the-mill murder and as the Team start to investigate and delve deeper into the life of the victim, it becomes clear that someone doesn't want them to but what transpires, no one saw coming.

This is a fast paced, gripping, tense and quite emotional book. Yes, it's dark, gritty and, at times, a difficult read but it is done with care and compassion and that same care and compassion drives the determination from DCI Darke and her team to bring those responsible for heinous crimes against children to justice regardless of who the perpetrators are and the consequences to their own careers and futures.

Mr Wood has created the characters of DCI Darke and her team with such strength that you really get attached to them and the more books in the series you read, the stronger that attachment gets. I know they aren't real people but the strength of their development makes them feel like they are.

What this books reminds us of is that child abuse has happened and continues to happen; unfortunately, all too often those disgusting people who do this get away with it but we must remember that the perpetrators are just as likely to be "respectable" people in power as they are to be the 'dirty old men' we are warned about as children as this book highlights.

I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending this book and the rest of the series to others who enjoy cracking good crime novels that don't shy away from difficult subjects and I must thank HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Lost Children.

I can't wait to read number 10!

I love Michael Wood and all the DCI Matilda series I have read in the past. This one was no different, another great story! So many twists and turns, the story gripped me right from the start. I love reading series like this, because you really get a chance to get to know the main character and their team. Already excited for the next one!

This neatly ties in recent events with the continuing series. I don't think that you need to have read the series but it would help. The exploration into child see abuse is very well written and handled sensitively whilst still ensuring that there is crime tension.

All in all gripping read.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own

When DCI Matilda Darke is called out to a particularly grisly murder of local businessman & philanthropist it is obvious that this is a very personal murder. When her team, (still reeling from previous events & in a state of flux) begin to investigate they are annoyed & suspicious as to why 'high ups' in the force seem very insistent that the investigation should avoid going in a certain direction after they meet retired priest Peter Ogilvy. The Covid 19 lockdown gives them a chance to take things in the direction it should be taking, especially when more bodies are found. They are looking at child abuse stretching back over twenty years & it looks like some very influential people are involved.

This is the ninth in this excellent series. Although events in previous books are important I think you could still enjoy this as a stand-alone. I am always left wanting, although it would be nice if Matilda & her team didn't have to have quite so much personal angst for a change! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This is the ninth book in the DCI Matilda Darke series. This could easily be read as a standalone book but as it carries on a story from the last book it would be best read in order.

This book although dealing with a very sensitive subject, was a fantastic book. It had me on the edge of my seat trying to solve the crime faster than Matilda, I almost never figure out the killer in these books. There’s lots of action, interpersonal stories, and everything you can want for a good thriller.

Due to the sensitive subject of some of the book, I will not post a specific review, but I really did enjoy this book. I cannot wait for the next book in the series because this book gives you a teaser of something more to come.

Matilda Darke is back for the ninth time in The Lost Children, and Michael Wood’s portrayal of her shows her as a woman who is coming back from her own tragedy stronger and better than ever. Her own heartbreak and loss enable her to show compassion to others, as she shows patience and understanding to both victims and perpetrators in this shocking novel.

Having just finished a book dealing with sexual abuse of women, I wasn’t sure that I was prepared for one that focused on pedophilia. However, the author introduces his novel with a cautionary note. As one of Matilda’s team members proves to be a childhood victim of sexual abuse and is greatly traumatized by this fictional case, so any reader with a similar traumatic past may have intense reactions as well.

I wish to thank NetGalley, One More Chapter, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel as an ARC in return for my honest review.

Details of the murder are shocking. I won’t put them on the page because they are brutal. The victim is a respected businessman, but it turns out that he has deep, dark secrets. He funded an orphanage for boys. You can guess the rest. Early on, it is suspected that his killer is someone with a personal motive, not a business one. It’s hard to disagree, given the murder scene.

Things get mighty sticky when DCI Darke leads her team in the direction of the former boys’ home, where a boy died, the body was never recovered, and the police did nothing to follow up on his death. Matilda’s higher-ups order her to cease and desist in her efforts to uncover anything to do with the adult victim’s shady past. But regular readers of the series know that Mat and her team will not let this rest.

We have the usual team of fabulous characters: Adele - Matilda’s best friend, who is the pathologist; DI Christian Brady; Sian Mills, who has given her notice due to circumstances in the previous book; and DS Scott Andrews, who the previous year suffered a tragedy. Aside from the police contingent, we have a lovely older gentleman named Peter Olgilvy, who ran the boys’ home and was blackmailed to keep silent about the abuse. Christian befriends a man who was one of the victims in the home and slowly gains his confidence. But is he the killer?

And will this killer stop at one? The author handles the story with sensitivity and care. There is more going on behind the scenes with the police and DCI Darke’s team – it will make for an interesting Book 10!

I was quite stunned and disappointed when Amazon rejected my review. This was the first time this had happened in the numerous times I had submitted NetGalley reviews. I made a few revisions and resubmitted my review; however, they still have not published it. I will post my review on Facebook and Twitter.

5 Stars from me

I was going to start by saying 'this is a gritty one' but OF COURSE it is, it's written by Michael Wood. I suspect even his Christmas cards are a bit dark and frankly I live for the day that he writes a children's book...

Anyway, somewhat bruised and battle scarred, Matilda and the team are back in action and ready to fight another day.

In The Lost Children there are references, alongside the haunting tale of historic child abuse, of the coronavirus which is about to strike. This is the first book I have read which has referenced the pandemic in this way and it added an extra layer of suspense to the book for me, knowing what was coming before the characters did.

In book 9 of the series, Matilda and the team are challenged as they face a historic child abuse case. Christian Brady steps up to chase down leads while Matilda finds herself drawn to the aged Reverend Peter Ogilvy who has been trying since 1997 to get someone at the police to take him seriously about what happened to the boys at Magnolia House. My heart went out to the Reverend whose motives were pure and who had only intended to build a safe and nurturing environment for the boys. Matilda's attempts to shield him from as much as possible were really quite touching. The world needs more Peter Ogilvys.

It soon becomes clear that there were lots of men, some of whom are now in very senior and influential positions, involved in the abuse of innocent children at Magnolia House. Men who are now using their power to silence anyone who dares to speak out.

Those of us who have read the previous books know that this will not deter Matilda! She - and the team - want justice for the boys and justice for Reverend Ogilvy.

Can't wait for the next one.

There are a few sensational crime thriller series out there right now and Michael Wood's Matilda Darke series is right up there - I know that I will see these books televised. I know it. A series this good, this brutal, this exciting, must surely come alive, Matilda can't hide in the pages of a book forever...

Please do yourself a favour, read the DCI Matilda Darke books in order:

For Reasons Unknown
Outside Looking In
A Room Full of Killers
The Hangman's Hold
Stolen Children
The Murder House
Time Is Running Out
Survivor's Guilt
The Lost Children

Annoyingly, the author has also written and shared some books directly to audible... So I haven't 'read' them, but I suspect they might be ok too.

This addition to Michael Wood's brilliant Sheffield-based crime series, featuring DCI Matilda Darke and her Homicide and Major Crimes Unit (HMCU) was a magnificent read. The Lost Children is the ninth instalment and my fifth in the series so far, having previously only read book one, For Reasons Unknown and books five, six and seven. Having missed the books in between, I'm sure to have lost out on some back story, though I didn't feel it detracted from my enjoyment of this book, as for me, it worked well as an individual read.

In The Lost Children, DCI Matilda Darke and her team investigate the suggested history of abuse at a local children’s home, Magnolia House. Matilda makes a great fictional detective and I love that she’s feisty and determined and has a strong sense of justice, yet she has an air of vulnerability. A major highlight of this crime series has been the focus on the HMCU police team, their relationships, and their support for each other, although they bring along their fair share of problems too. This is a stellar crime series and the plot in The Lost Children isn't anything other than dark and makes for grim reading at times, but it is still unputdownable, certainly holding my devoted attention from the first page to the finish. A truly terrific read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from One More Chapter via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is a contemporary horror story regarding childhood experiences and pain that lasts. The situations are very possible as are the characters. The subplots are believable. In other words this whole book could happen today, and no-one would be surprised. Immediately upon beginning the book, the reader is drawn into the story and he wants more! Outstanding and scary novel!

EXCERPT: A figure stepped forward. He had a dirty white cloth in his hand, no bigger than a handkerchief, that he wrapped around Peter's mouth, tying it tightly at the the back of his head. Peter choked and struggled, but he was no match against his restraints. He could taste dirt and oil. The cloth was putrid.

A second figure stepped forward. He held up a heavy petrol can and slowly unscrewed the cap. He waved it under Peter's nose so he could smell what was inside. Peter turned away. The figure tipped the contents over Peter's head, soaking him, drenching him in the fuel. The liquid was cold. The shock of his plunging body temperature made him want to scream out, but it was hopeless. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and struggled against the ropes that held him to the chair. He tried to scream but the gag was too tight, his cries were muffled. He choked on the smell and taste of the rancid petrol.

Once the can was empty and the jeers had died down, he dared to open his eyes. All he saw in front of him was blackness.

A third figure by the door flicked a lighter. The face was lit up, but behind the balaclava, all Peter could make out were two wide brown eyes.

'This is a warning, Peter. Your first and your last. One more word to the police, and we'll tie you to a chair again. Only next time, it won't be you we pour petrol over, it will be every single boy living here in Magnolia House. We'll line them up, douse them in petrol and set them alight right in front of you.'

ABOUT 'THE LOST CHILDREN': Matilda Darke is back…

APRIL 2020: LOCKDOWN

With street crime at an all-time low, Matilda and her team finally find the time to dig into their backlog of cold cases.

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.

Nothing could have prepared them for what they uncover next…

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

MY THOUGHTS: A Content Notice at the front of this book includes the following warning: The Lost Children explores many themes, the main one being child abuse and historical sexual abuse. Kudos to author Michael Wood for being up front about the content of his novel.

This series has been addictive and gripping from the start, but Michael Wood has dialed it up a notch with The Lost Children and written the best book in the series yet. This is the tensest, twistyest and most emotional read of the series. I was awake most of the night last night, unable to put this down until I had turned the last page.

And then I still couldn't sleep. The last page is explosive. It stole my breath. And I want #10 in this series NOW!

Although it is hard to read about the abuse that is inflicted upon these children, it is necessary to make us, the readers, aware that it still happens. We need to know that paedophiles are not necessarily grubby men in raincoats lurking in parks and playgrounds. They can just as easily be well respected men in positions of power.

Michael Wood portrays both the mental and physical pain and suffering sensitively and with great empathy. He is a master at this.

Set at the beginning of the Covid pandemic in the UK, the lockdown is just one more challenge for Matilda and her team to face. In some ways it works for them, in some, against.

DI Christian Brady features prominently in The Lost Children, the case becoming very personal for him. And Sian's life is in a maelstrom of change. Matilda's team has seen been through many changes in the past, but this may prove to be the most major yet.

I really can't recommend this series highly enough. Michael Wood has created a cast of characters that have become as familiar to me as my own family. While he may write his plots with a brutal honesty, he obviously cares for his characters, and makes us care for them too.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#TheLostChildren #NetGalley

I: @michaelwoodbooks @onemorechapter

T: @MichaelHWood @OneMoreChapter

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #mystery #policeprocedural #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 The Lost Children 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

It was heart-wrenching to read about the abuse the young boys go through at the Children's Home. These boys lost their parents for no fault of their own. Instead of being given another chance to trust and be safe, they were abused. There were scenes which I just couldn't read. It was so horrific and sad. Why are some human beings worse? Why do they snatch innocence from children and scar them for life? These are exactly the questions that the killer is trying to find answers to.

As the story is set during the first lockdown, we are given glimpses of the situation. Empty aisles at supermarkets, hoarding food and toilet paper, masking and risk of infecting those with compromised immunity, and closure of non-essential shops (including pubs and cafes).

The investigation into the abuse and murders is very impressive. We have Matilda and her team - Christian, Scott and Sian, and ME Adele doing their best to bring the perps to justice. As the body count increases, so does the calls (from killer) to Matilda. But the higher ups would do anything to stop the investigation using pandemic as an excuse to make decisions that might affect the whole team.

I have read the previous two books of this series. Michael Woods is a master storyteller. The stories are a tad gory and violent but the mysteries and the suspense are sure to keep one hooked until the end. Excellent character development and we also get to see a bit of recurring characters' personal lives. They did have a setback in Survivor’s Guilt when half of Matilda's team was massacred by a serial killer outside the police station. Matilda too was injured badly - she survived a bullet through her skull.

If you like gritty and dark police procedurals, I recommend you to give The Lost Children by Michael Woods a try.

My thanks to One More Chapter for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Lost Children’ by Michael Wood.

This is Book 9 in Wood’s DCI Matilda Darke series of police procedurals set in Sheffield.

It opens in late March 2020, four months after the conclusion of Book 8, ‘Survivor’s Guilt’. While Wood provides background for readers new to the series, the earlier books do provide a deeper appreciation of the characters’ development over time with the previous two books detailing the traumatic events that has led to Matilda’s current vulnerable state.

Wood opens the book with a Content Warning. It’s something I rarely see in crime fiction though given the nature of the central crime, it may have been considered prudent.

The country is in lockdown and Matilda is about to encounter one of the most shocking cases of her career. A body is found, the mutilated victim had been linked to high-profile accusations of systematic abuse at a local children’s home.

As the team pieces together the disturbing history of the home, it becomes increasingly clear that the case is much bigger than they ever suspected. This is all played out against the backdrop of the country dealing with the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I will leave it there with respect to the plot to avoid spoilers, though suffice to say that the content warning proved well warranted.

As usual with this series, ‘The Lost Children’ was the kind of police procedural that once I started reading proved impossible to put down.

I love this gritty series and will continue to read of DCI Matilda Darke’s cases as long as Michael Wood writes them.