Survivor’s Guilt by Michael Wood

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 the 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

Blurb: 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.

The brand new instalment in the DCI Matilda Darke series will leave you on the edge of your seat. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Kathy Reichs and Peter James.