The Seventh Victim by Michael Wood

5 Stars from me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

Within just a few pages I was immersed in this heart-breaking story. Even without the comforting familiarity of DCI Matilda Darke, Sian’s snack drawer and the grey back-drop of Sheffield; this was unmistakably the writing of Michael Wood. Beautifully descriptive, harrowing, sad, and undeniably real – this is yet another story that will stay under my skin.

Jonathan Egan-Walsh is the perfect disturbing killer. Ex-detective Turner, down on his luck reporter Alex and bereaved mother Diane make for a compelling team as they band together to try to find the body of Egan-Walsh’s 7th victim, Zachery Marshall.

As ever with Michael Wood’s books, I was utterly hooked and devoured this story across two days. He is a truly gifted author and has such a skillful way of making characters come to life on the page. The back stories of Turner, Diane and Alex were subtly woven into the main arc in such a way that they felt like solid established characters. This is not easy to achieve and yet it is something I simply expect from this author.

Yet another, absolutely brilliant read – can’t recommend it enough and if you are wondering what on earth I’m rabbiting on about in relation to Sian’s snack drawer then do yourself a favour and get reading the Matilda Darke series – you are in for a treat.

The Fallen
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

And out on audio book only: Vengeance Is Mine

Blurb: On a cold February afternoon in 1990, seven-year-old Danny Redpath disappeared from his home. Four months later, his body was found in the nearby forest, wrapped in a sheet and washed clean of all evidence.

Apprehended while attempting to abduct another child, Jonathan Egan-Walsh was charged with the murders of more than a dozen boys. Convicted on all counts, he received life in prison and went unrepentant, still refusing to reveal the whereabouts of one of his victims, Zachery Marshall.

Twenty-five years later, Zachery’s mother Diane is still searching for his body. When Jonathan dies in custody, she realises she will never know its location – until she receives a letter he left in his cell, in which he admits he was guilty of all the crimes of which he was accused, except the murder of her son…