“Some cases won’t die.
A young boy walks into a police station in France. He claims to be Carl Meagan – a missing child from Sheffield whose name is still whispered as a warning to kids who stay out after dark.

Some children won’t be found.
On her way home from the supermarket, nine-year-old Keeley Armitage vanishes without trace. Her family is overcome with shock and DCI Matilda Darke can’t help but focus on memories of the Carl Meagan case that almost ruined her career.

Some killers won’t be stopped.
As Matilda investigates, she peels back the layers of grief and sadness that surround Keeley’s family. Until she is left with an unimaginable choice: betray those closest to her or let a violent killer walk free…”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles on this fabulous Friday! Today I am delighted to share my review of the latest DCI Matilda Darke novel with you — Stolen Children. Stolen Children by Michael Wood is published by One More Chapter in digital format today (that’s 2nd October 2020) with the paperback to follow in December. I chose to read and review a free eARC of Stolen Children but that has in no way influenced my review.

Stolen Children is the sixth book in the DCI Matilda Darke series and it’s an absolute cracker! I love this series and always look forward to the next book (although, confession time, I haven’t read the first book yet! 🤦). Wood is an accomplished writer, his stories are always gripping and engaging and I’m a little bit in love with Matilda.

DCI Matilda Darke and her team are called to investigate the case of a missing child. Nine-year-old Keeley Armitage vanished from outside the local shop and hasn’t been seen since. Her mother is frantic with worry. Then the call comes demanding £50,000 for Keeley’s safe return. The thought of another missing child case sends chills down Matilda’s spine, following the Carl Meagan case several years before, which nearly destroyed Matilda and her career. Keeley even looks a little like Carl with her blonde hair and blue eyes. Can the two kidnappings be connected? The more the team dig, the more secrets they discover. Can Matilda keep a clear head and find Keeley before it’s too late…?

If you’re already a fan of this series the prologue will have your jaw hitting the floor. I won’t go into detail – it’s already in the blurb – but what a great way to start the book. The thread of that particular storyline has been running through all of the books in this series and it just goes to show how fallible Darke is. Will she ever escape the hold that particular case has over her?

There are two storylines running through Stolen Children. The one I was trying to be vague about up there ⬆️ and the investigation into Keeley Armitage’s disappearance, which creates the bones of the book. It’s another thrilling, shock-filled investigation which kept me turning the pages from start to finish. I adore these characters and feel as though I could meet them all down the pub for an orange juice and a catch-up. They’re all so brilliantly human and stand tall from the page. Even the lesser characters are well written and wonderful examples of how to create engaging, believable characters. I feel very invested in them and their futures. And I love the way the author isn’t scared to put them through the wringer. More than other authors, I believe. He pushes them further and harder, sometimes with no return…

This is a terrific book and I will be awarding it five stars but I do want to add that I struggled a little with the storyline at times. This is the first book in a long time that really got to me. It affected me quite deeply and some of the scenes and descriptions made me feel uncomfortable (as scenes and descriptions of that nature should). I think I’m just feeling a little oversensitive at the moment because I love my fiction dark and I feel really strange adding this to the review, but I wanted to share my honest thoughts with you. You may not feel the same, of course. Any book involving bad things happening to kids (particularly kids the same age as mine) has always been and will always be an uncomfortable read for me.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I would recommend the entire series. I think it’s worth starting at the beginning though with book one as you’ll get the whole picture and see the team develop and grow. As I mentioned, I haven’t read the first book which I believe laid the building blocks for the rest of the series but I’ve been able to piece together what I think I need to know from that first investigation. I hope there are many, many more Matilda Darke books to come.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Stolen Children. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Stolen Children by Michael Wood was published in the UK by One More Chapter on 2nd October 2020 and is available in digital format (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | Book Depository | Goodreads |

Michael Wood is a freelance journalist and proofreader living in Sheffield. As a journalist he has covered many crime stories throughout Sheffield, gaining first-hand knowledge of police procedure. He also reviews books for CrimeSquad, a website dedicated to crime fiction.

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