This book was sent to me for review by Netgalley. This book is too dark and has too much detail for me to read. Others may be able to get through it.

This series just keeps getting better and better! The Lost Children is set at the start of the pandemic and the first UK lockdown of March 2020. Matilda and her team are still traumatised and grieving after the events of the past 15 months. As they investigate the murder of a local businessman they begin to uncover his links to historical child abuse and murder at a Sheffield children's home. They discover abuse and corruption at the highest levels of society and that someone will do anything to silence the team and their investigation.
I love this series and the relationships between Matilda and her team. As with all of this series the plotting is excellent and I was completely gripped throughout. I love the way the author develops the characters and their stories over the course of the series but this never gets in the way of the story. This can be read as a standalone but I would definitely recommend starting at the beginning of the series to fully appreciate the characters histories.
The author does give a trigger warning at the beginning of the novel so do be aware of this. However he deals with the subject matter sensitively and appropriately and there are no gratuitous details. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

4 and 1 /2 stars

DCI Matilda Darke is still struggling with the murders of her loved ones and team members. She still doubts herself and her abilities.

The coronavirus has just hit the UK and the lockdowns have started.

When a retired priest named Peter tells Matilda that the mutilated body of the man they just discovered, that of a rich and influential businessman, is someone the priest knows has a history of sexually abusing young boys, it is explosive.

At the same time, Christian, a member of Matilda's team, is adamant about this man. He has been studying him for months, trying to verify the priest’s claims.

As more bodies fall, all mutilated in the same manner, the tension on the team ratchets up. The restrictions on the team caused by the lockdown doesn’t help their investigation.

Peter gives Matilda a list of 127 boys who were abused. The team starts looking into finding them. A number of them give the names of their abusers. They are the same men who are being killed.

How is Matilda going to solve this? Her team has been disbanded, her division is no more. She doesn’t have a job. Things are going horribly.

This is perhaps the most difficult case of Matilda’s career, but she and the team are determined to continue to work the case.

This is one of Mr. Wood’s best. Matilda is slowly getting better, the team members are coping with their losses as well. They all work so well together, it is more like a community than a workplace. The writing and plotting of this book are excellent. It is a smooth read. I cannot wait until the next book is available.

I want to thank NetGalley and Harper & Collins UK/One More Chapter/One More Chapter for forwarding to me a copy of this great book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

#TheLostChildren #NetGalley
Awesome.
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. When they find the body of a former staff member in a supermarket car park, Matilda realises her days on the force could be numbered.
Loved this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for giving me an advance copy.

Crimes of sexual and physical abuse of children in a care home have gone unpunished for over 20 years. The children who survived were too traumatised and afraid to speak out and the only person who did speak out was silenced when he reported it to the police, Twenty years on in March 2020 the country is in lockdown, Matilda and her team have no major cases to deal with, that is until they are called out to the gruesome, sadistic murder of a local businessman who is known for his charity work. Little do they realise the repercussion of the murder and what they uncover. Historical sexual abuse of children must be a hard subject to research and write about but Michael Wood is a brilliant author and he has got the balance spot on. It is a brilliant read, and I can't wait for the next in the series.

Thank you to the publisher for the invitation to read this eARC.

I thought this was a very gripping and compelling read. Matilda and her team investigate the murder of a man who had secrets that slowly come out as their investigation progresses. The story theme is historical child abuse, which the author does give a trigger warning for at the start of the book. I felt Michael al Wood tackled this issue with much sensitivity, great care and with no graphic detail that, in my opinion, would have made this a harder read. Matilda and her team find themselves thwarted during their investigation with orders from above not to follow certain lines of enquiry which only makes them more determined to find the truth and get justice for the victims. I really like Matilda and her team having followed this series from the start and thought that this is a very well written and engaging book which grabbed my attention from the first page and held it right to the end. It became a real pager turner where I became desperate to know what would happen next, and I could understand and empathise with the murderers thoughts, feelings and actions. Michael Wood has wrote a cracker of a book here which I read in just over a day. Really looking forward to the next one.

If only I could give more than 5 stars not only to The Lost Children but to the entire DCI Matilda Darke series.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC for The Lost Children so I immediately bumped it to the top of my pile

I am so glad I did.

It is the beginning of Lockdown and the world is changing.

Matilda and her team are back and facing a cases that is beyond disturbing and is far reaching.

There is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book but fear not Michael Wood has handled the subject of abuse very well and though you will cringe the pages will turn even faster.

Matilda still faces her own demons and so do her team after a rough few years.

Tempting though it is I wont say more so I dont give anything away

Michael Wood is a born storyteller that will reel you in from the first to the last page.

Clear your calendar and get ready to be totally absorbed in The Lost Children.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Uk, One More Chapter for a nail biting read.

I can’t believe this is the ninth book in the DCI Matilda Darke series by author Michael Wood. I really enjoy this series and for me the characters are more familiar than a lot of the other series I follow. Even the sub plots and character habits are endearing and interesting.

DCI Matilda Darke and her team investigate an apparent history of abuse at a local children’s home. The more the team dig the more it becomes clear that this is far bigger and more high profile than they first thought. There is more than a little pressure from Matilda’s seniors to realise that someone wants these secrets to remain hidden and buried.

Another riveting story that covers a delicate and emotional topic. Great storytelling with all the usual characters make this an excellent read.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

My thoughts about Michael Wood’s The Lost Children kept me on my toes. every twist got me thinking of numerous possibilities. Damn this book thrills from the very beginning to its climax so gripping and brilliant story everything about the book is on the top I have read so many thriller books but this one is totally different. Michael Wood yet again delivers another masterpiece that is unique and incredible and different. Michael Wood’s latest edition in the DCI Matilda Darke series The Lost Children is pure brilliance in accordance with the plot and the way each character carries out their part is mind-blowing. The story of Michael Wood’s The Lost Children begins in APRIL 2020: LOCKDOWN. DI Brady has been tracing victims of systemic abuse at a local children’s home after a high-profile accusation pitched it into the spotlight a case that couldn’t be more personal. As Matilda and her team piece together the disturbing picture of the history of the home, it soon becomes clear that this is much bigger than they ever suspected. But nothing prepares them for what they uncover next. The Lost Children is an utterly gripping crime thriller weaving a breakneck tale of a vast network of secrets and lies, a relentless detective determined to sabotage it, and a murder that shatters two decades of silence. All in all Michael Wood’s The Lost Children has a brilliantly written plot. no loope holes. Everything is clear and perfect. no lag. Always keeps the reader’s thrilled. A must read crime thriller. Without a doubt go for it, you won’t be disappointed. I would like to say a big thank you to author Michael Wood and Publishers One More Chapter for kindly gifting me a copy for me to read and review this spectacular thriller.

DCI Matilda Darke and the team are picking themselves up after the shock of the last case and the impact it had on the team. It’s late March 2020 and the covid lockdown is just beginning but a body has been found that turns the stomach of the attending officers. Secrets are uncovered that opens more and more wounds. This does have an opening with trigger warnings as it mentions abuse and as always is handled well in relation to the story as all the Matilda Darke books have a darkness in them but balanced with humour and one liners that make you howl laughing. I await book 10! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

In what is probably the most harrowing case of her career, DCI Matilda Darke has investigate the murder of a powerful man who has been linked to historic child sex abuse. I thought the author dealt with this horrendous crime with sensitivity and empathy. The reader could see how every member of Matilda's team was torn between searching for a killer and having sympathy for someone who had been so badly brutalized while still a young child. As they are met with interference at every turn the team realise that the abuse could go all the way to the top. This makes for an exciting read which I finished in one sitting. I can't wait for the next book in this great series.