Diane Marshall’s life has been haunted by the disappearance of her son, Zachery, twenty-five years ago. He vanished without a trace, and the man responsible for killing thirteen boys, including Zachery, is Jonathan Egan-Walsh. Sentenced to life imprisonment, Egan-Walsh never revealed the location of Zachery’s body.

In 2017, after Egan-Walsh’s death, Diane receives a letter that shakes her world once again. It’s from the man who had been convicted of her son’s murder, but he denies killing Zachery. Diane, desperate for answers, teams up with Caroline Turner, the former detective inspector who worked on the case, and journalist Alex Frost. Together, they embark on a quest to uncover the truth.

As they delve into the past, secrets emerge, and the terrible truth buried for a quarter of a century inches closer to the surface. The reckoning draws nearer, and Diane is determined to find her son’s killer—even if it means trusting the man in prison for other crimes.

Michael Wood skillfully portrays the pain of a mother who has lived with uncertainty for decades. The setting in and around Skegness adds to the atmosphere, and the novel becomes increasingly ominous as the investigation intensifies. With red herrings, plot twists, and a sense of urgency, “The Seventh Victim” kept me feverishly turning the pages.

Well I’m a little bit speechless. What an absolutely brilliant book from the beginning, right up to the end!

I was really hoping to LOVE this novel. Michael Wood is the author of the Matilda Darke series. Anything he writes is an auto- buy but this one wasnt for me.

Another great read
A stand alone book
It will keep you guessing right up to the last page
Thanks NetGalley

Michael Wood is one of my favourite authors.

His Matilda Darke series is one of the best police procedural series around and this standalone is on par with the brilliance of those books.

This book is a story of a mother’s desire for the truth as to what happened to Zachary, her son who went missing twenty five years ago. Diane has been unable to live her life as she blames herself for his disappearance. Her marriage has collapsed and her younger son is living with his father. In 1996 Jonathan Egan-Walsh was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for the abduction and murder of thirteen boys but has always denied that Zachary was one of them. She has regularly written toJonathan asking him to reveal the location of Zachary’s body but he has never replied. Things change when Jonathan dies in prison. Diane thinks that all her hopes are dashed forever but then she receives a letter that was found in his cell. But instead of it being a confession he denies that he was responsible for Zachary’s disappearance. Diane then enlists the help of former DI Caroline Turner who was responsible for convicting Jonathan but who had to retire as the case was affecting her personal life and her sanity. Journalist Alex Frost agrees to help as he had interviewed and written a book on the murderer, I found this a powerful, emotional and gripping read full of tension, twists and turns and a bombshell of an ending. A highly recommended read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Compelling, dark, and chilling this book was so twisty and kept me guessing all the way through, I couldn't put it down

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. It’s well written and had me hooked from the beginning.

This book brings many emotions to the surface for the main character Diane and the author writes those emotions brilliantly. The plot was good with some twists and turns and was captivating.
Many thanks to Harpercollins UK and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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.

I really enjoy this author, his DCI Matilda Darke series is one of my fabouriet series. I was excited to see a stand alone thriller and it was almost as good as the Matilda Darke series. Convicted serial killer, Jonathan Egan is sick and dying, he has never revealed the resting place of one of his victims, Zachary. Zachary's mother, Diane needs to know where her son is and seeks and answer from Jonathan before he passes, he refuses her an audience. After her death, she receives a letter from the killer, who finally confesses to all of the deaths he is accused of, except one, her son, Zachary. He swears he did not kill him.

Diane gets assistance from the original officer, Caroline Turner, on the Jonathan Egan case, who has since retired, in part to an instance with Egan and Alex Frost, author of a tell all book on the killer. These three agree to stop at nothing to find Zachary. Is Zachary really one of Egan's victims or is the killer someone she knows, someone closer to home. What secrets are being hidden and is someone stalking our fearless trio.

This was a great book. The main characters were so interesting and I loved the dynamic between them. I definitely recommend this book.

I love his other series and I was excited to try this one. It did not disappoint. The plot was well written, the characters had depth, and there was enough surprise woven into it. I often read murder books and either the characters are bland, the plot is too predictable or it is too non graphic, but every book by this author masters all the elements.

The Seventh Victim, Michael Wood

This is the first time I’ve read any of Michael Wood’s books. I found the storyline quite harrowing from the point of view that the abductor showed psychopathic tendencies and no remorse.

Jonathan Egan-Walsh is in prison for abducting and killing young boys. He places their bodies, wrapped in a sheet, so that they may be easily found. But one boy has not been found and Egan-Walsh is silent about his murder. Until his death: a letter to Diane, the child’s mother is found in his prison cell stating that he did not kill the boy, nor does he know of his whereabouts.

An ex-detective and a journalist/author collaborate to uncover the clues, working with Diane to find her son.

I guessed who was responsible for the child’s death. And whilst I really enjoyed the book, I felt that the ending was rushed and just felt weak. Despite this, I would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Colllins for a copy of this book, I rate it 4 stars.

I enjoyed this book and the story plot but it was just lacking in tension and was a bit slow going. I liked the characters of Alex and Caroline but couldn't get on with Diane and hated Nick. I guessed who had killed Zachary before the end and found the ending a bit too coincidental.

Intriguing tale of a missing child presumed murdered by a convicted serial killer but the bodies of all the victims bar his were found. After the killers death in prison he claimed in a letter to the child’s mother that he was innocent of her son’s death. Thus follows an investigation by the original detective, now retired, and a journalist who had written a book on the killings. All set in the Lincolnshire seaside around Skegness the truth is eventually revealed with a shock twist in the tale.

A well-written whodunnit, dealing with a hard-hitting subject. At times difficult to read because of the gruesome subject of child abduction and murder, but the writing carried me along. A complex tale with a twist at the end.

This is an okay read. I struggled to engage with the characters and it was a bit slow going. However, I was sucked into the mystery and finding new clues 25 years later. I had no idea who the potential killer was and I wanted to know. That being said I’m not sure how I feel about the ending. This is by no means a bad read and it keeps you guessing until the end. It just fell a bit flat for me.

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

There are some very difficult sections to read in this book and often I would have entered ‘ did not finish’ for that reason but I found myself sticking with this one. Perhaps because the characters really draw you to them and I did have to know how it all ended up.
I’m giving four stars but it did actually score four and a half just a little niggle of irritation at how it ended. The explanation relied heavily one thing (spoiler if I give any more details) and it seemed a bit unlikely. However it’s a darned good read.

Your son goes missing. His presumed killer is caught, but unlike many of his other victims, your son's body is never found. 25 years later he dies in prison and his attorney sends you a note confessing many of his crimes, yet stating he did NOT murder your son.
For Diane, it's been years of torment looking for Zachary. Other boys' bodies are found, but never his. After the convicted murderer of more than a dozen boys, Jonathan Egan-Walsh, dies in prison and sends her a letter that he didn't kill Zachary, she beings her own search for answers to what happened to Zachary. Could there be a chance he's still alive? If not, if Jonathan didn't kill him.....who did?

Wow! What a thrilling page turner. It sucks you in from the very beginning and takes you for a wild ride. I love how the author makes you think one thing then has you second guessing. The ending was a little rushed but I like how it played out! Karma at its finest! I highly enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend!

I enjoyed but did not love this book, unfortunately I can't explain why.

The premise of not knowing if your missing child is alive or dead is every parents nightmare and the torment felt by Diane reflects this. I struggled to engage with some of the characters and I think that was my issue. There was plenty of twists that kept me reading but in the end I didn't really care.