The Lost Children cover art

The Lost Children

DCI Matilda Darke, Book 9

Preview
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free
Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Just £0.99/mo for your first 3 months of Audible.
1 bestseller or new release per month—yours to keep.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, podcasts, and Originals.
Auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

The Lost Children

By: Michael Wood
Narrated by: Stephanie Beattie
Get this deal Try Premium Plus free

£8.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly. Offer ends 29 January 2026 at 11:59PM GMT.

£8.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

Matilda Darke is back…

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.

©2022 Michael Wood (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
Crime Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedural Thriller Thriller & Suspense Fiction Scary Cold Case

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Fallen: A DCI Matilda Darke short story cover art
The Murderer's Son cover art
Vengeance Is Mine cover art
Chapter One cover art
The Seventh Victim cover art
First Blood cover art
A Litter of Bones: A Scottish Crime Thriller cover art
A Walk Into Darkness cover art
Ransomed cover art
The Missing Ones cover art
The Turning of Our Bones cover art
A Long Time Dead cover art
Silent Tide cover art
The Bonnie Dead cover art
Grimm Up North cover art
The Body in the Marsh cover art

Critic reviews

Praise for Michael Wood:

‘A tense, nail-biting story with a truly twisted ending’ Katerina Diamond

“An established master of the serial killer novel takes us on another dangerous journey through the streets of Sheffield. Watch out for those twists – you won't see them coming!” Stephen Booth

‘A gritty and atmospheric thriller with more twists and turns than a hangman's knot. I loved it’ Matt Hilton

‘Solid storytelling and great unravelling of plot. Michael Wood ups the pace as the noose tightens’ Rachel Sargeant

‘Taut, twisting and sharp as a blade, The Hangman’s Hold wrong-footed me at every, devious turn’ Chris Whitaker

'Wood hit the ground running with For Reasons Unknown, first in the DCI Matilda Darke series. In the fourth instalment, The Hangman's Hold, he picks up the pace again with a twisting plot that races to a nail-biting finish’ Chris Simms

‘Bites into you like the rough twine of a hangman’s noose and refuses to let go. Tautly plotted, brilliantly realised, this is further proof that Michael Wood is only going to get better and better. The Hangman’s Hold is going to be big…’ Neil Broadfoot

Praise for Michael Wood:

‘You can count on Michael Wood to deliver a deliciously twisted and intriguing plot, leading to a surprise ending by a likeable and very real protagonist, Matilda Darke’ Yrsa Sigurdardottir

‘She is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths

‘A pitch-black concept, tightly delivered and played at exhilarating pace’ Paul Finch

‘Crackling dialogue, dark wit and an exciting ending. Recommended if you liked Happy Valley’ Mark Edwards

‘DCI Matilda Darke is going places’ James Oswald

‘A compelling, addictive read, it’s hard to put down. I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Matilda Darke. She's strong character with real depth’ Robert Bryndza, bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE ICE

‘A beautifully written book with a dark heart and a secret that impacts on generations’ Sarah Ward

All stars
Most relevant
I have listened to all the books in this series, pre ordered the next one.
I love the characters, the story lines, at times it’s gruesome but that adds to it, it’s so well written and I love the narrator Stephanie Beattie.

Fantastic series

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

One of the best in the series so far.The storyline,the red herrings,the brilliant touches of humour that come out of nowhere ,some quotes of which I use myself now.
The book was written sensitively considering the storyline ,which we know sadly happens all over the world even as we speak.
The narrator as always excellent ,which is so important cos they are the ones that give the book or any book
Oh and those cliffhangers Mr. Wood…………..on to the next one in the series right now!!!!

Magnificent once again!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

certainly better than the last 2, good story and characters looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Better than last 2

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I enjoyed the pace of this audio book and the determination of Matilda Dark. The narrator cleverly brings the characters to life and the various villians take their turn as pri.e suspect.

Great Story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The only thing I dislike (in this entire series), is the fact that what happened in the previous books gets explained so often, often more than once in a new book.
And people getting asked: “are you all right?” (Especially if it is clear that they are not all right!) Would be interesting to know how many times.

Brilliant storyline but repeating the previous books?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews