Worse Than Murder (DCI Matilda Darke Thriller, Book 13) cover art

Worse Than Murder (DCI Matilda Darke Thriller, Book 13)

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Worse Than Murder (DCI Matilda Darke Thriller, Book 13)

By: Michael Wood
Narrated by: Stephanie Beattie
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About this listen

As DCI Matilda Darke unravels a chilling cold case, she discovers some truths are deadly – and someone will stop at nothing to keep the past buried…

‘Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths

RUNNING FROM HER PAST

Leaving behind Sheffield, her friends and her job, a grieving DCI Matilda Darke finds solace in the wild, untamed beauty of the Lake District. But she can’t outrun her reputation.

A COLD CASE

PC Alison Pemberton is living in the shadow of her twin sisters, who were abducted thirty years ago. As the only witness, Alison has spent her life trying to remember the details of that fateful summer day and discover the truth about what happened to her sisters and why, a few months later, her father also disappeared.

A TRUTH THAT SHOULD HAVE STAYED BURIED

Matilda finds herself agreeing to try and unearth the truth about the Pemberton twins. With nothing left to lose, Matilda throws herself into the cold case, but someone doesn’t want her digging up the past and will do anything to keep the truth hidden…

Praise for Michael Wood

‘A master of horror and suspense’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'One of the best books ever, in one of the best series ever! It is THAT good!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow what a book… I adore this series and every book is better and better’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book sets off at a hundred miles an hour and never lets off… this is my favourite detective series’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Exciting, tense and compelling… shocking and brilliant’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow! Wow! Wow! The twists keep on coming to the last page’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I don’t have words! Wow just wow! This blew me away. DCI Matilda Darke and her team are my favourite detectives’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This book had a bit of everything… some crazy twists and turns’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Another cracking, nail-biting read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

©2025 Michael Wood (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers
Crime Thrillers Modern Detectives Mystery Police Procedurals Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Emotionally Gripping Exciting Scary Crime Cold Case

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All stars
Most relevant
After the rather upsetting last few books this was a far more pleasant read whilst remaining gripping and staying true to the main character story.

Matilda Dark without too much darkness

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I have read all of the authors books and love this Matilda series! Fantastic storylines twists and love the characters! Cannot wait for the next one next year!

Loved it!

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Different to the other outings and much better for it. If like me you wondered what Michael Wood could do to keep the series fresh, you won’t be disappointed.

There are none of the convenient plot developments/killer reveals of a few other books in the series. The character development is so well done that new characters feel as well layered as the familiar ones.

It’s genuinely gripping but also really emotional - one scene in particular had my heart in my throat and was almost as compelling as the mass shooting in one of the very early books.

The only disappointment is that we have to wait until Autumn 2026 for the follow up.

One of the best Matilda Darke books yet

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Did not disappoint. Matilda is still incredible, brought to life by the brilliant Michael Wood. It’ll be a long wait for the next instalment.
May need to real the series again before next Autumn…

Fabulous

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Another great listen in the Matilda Darke series from Michael Wood. Can’t wait for the next instalment!

This series gets better and better!

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