“FIVE PERFECT MURDERS

DCI Matilda Darke receives an anonymous email from someone claiming to have committed the perfect murder. Experience tells her this isn’t possible, but as she investigates, she discovers a killer questioning everything she’s ever known.

HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

Now, Matilda is on the trail of a murderer who targets the most vulnerable people in society. Apart from ‘With Sympathy…’ cards, hand delivered to the family of his victims, he leaves no trace of his crimes.

A KILLER’S DEADLY GAME

As the threat escalates, and those closest to Matilda are targeted, she finds herself isolated and alone in bringing down her opponent before it’s game over. After all, there can only be one winner in this game of cat-and-mouse, and the clock is ticking…”

Hello and a very Happy New Year to you! May 2026 be kind to us all and may the books be the best we’ve ever read! Welcome (for the first time this year!) to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Last One Left Alive by Michael Wood. Last One Left Alive was published by One More Chapter on 7th November 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats.

I love a police procedural and this series, featuring DCI Matilda Darke, is one of the best out there. I had, until recently, fallen behind with it, but that is no longer the case having read books twelve (this one!) and book thirteen in quick succession in the run-up to Christmas. Matilda Darke and the team are really up against it in this latest book. Matilda’s role in the HMCU has changed. She’s no longer leading the team but overseeing things from a different office, far removed from the action. When she receives an anonymous email from a killer who claims to have committed the perfect murder, Matilda doubts their far-fetched statement. But the killer hasn’t stopped at one victim; there are more bodies out there. Matilda just has to find them! Five perfect murders, one unhinged killer who revels in taunting DCI Matilda Darke. Just how far will they go….

I always say it after I’ve read a Matilda Darke novel, and I’m going to say it again: Michael Wood likes to put his characters through the wringer! The team are really up against it in this twelfth novel of the series. Whilst in the process of investigating the disappearance of a young, budding influencer, the team’s attention is diverted slightly by an anonymous email to their DCI. The email is met with disbelief. Of course it is. The perfect murder doesn’t exist, does it? But this killer is something else. They target the most vulnerable people. As the team look into past deaths, deaths that perhaps were labelled as suicides, natural causes, or just generally unfortunate occurrences, questions start to be asked. And then a link is found. A sympathy card, hand-delivered to the victim’s nearest and dearest. It was great to be reunited with the team again, although it felt a little strange to have Darke slightly removed from the hubbub of the main office and out of reach of Sian’s snack drawer! (IYKYK). I felt quite sorry for Matilda. More admin than action. The rest of the team is on top form with DI Christian Brady in charge. I wouldn’t get comfortable with any of these characters though, and I refer you to what I said at the start of this paragraph. Wood isn’t afraid of killing anyone off or pushing boundaries that other authors perhaps wouldn’t even consider. And that is why I love this series as much as I do!

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Last One Left Alive is a thoroughly engaging, intriguing and highly readable book. You *could* read this as a standalone. My recommendation though, is that you don’t. That you invest in the series and really get to know the characters and what has gone before. A lot happens over the twelve (now thirteen, number fourteen is set to be published later this year!) books of the series. A lot of shared trauma, camaraderie and heartbreak. More than most fictional police procedural teams, that’s for sure. But back to book twelve for a moment. Things really get quite personal for Matilda in Last One Left Alive. As more of the killer’s crimes are uncovered, they struggle to discover the killer’s identity and solve the perplexing case. Emotions run high, with Matilda vowing to get justice for the first victim’s mother. Striking up a friendship and making promises she probably shouldn’t make. Her focus is realigned when the personal taunts step up a level or ten. An absolutely devastating addition to one of the best detective series out there! All in all, gripping from the get-go, highly intriguing and tense throughout. The reveal of ‘whodunit’ was completely unexpected and I had to pause for a minute or two to absorb the information. I wasn’t 100% sold on how the book is left but that’s personal taste more than anything. I’m just an impatient soul. Recommended.

Last One Left Alive by Michael Wood was published in the UK by One More Chapter on 7th November 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (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 | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Michael Wood is a Sheffield-based thriller writer. HarperCollins have now published thirteen novels and a short story in his hugely successful DCI Matilda Darke series, with global sales of more than 500,000 copies, and two books in his new Olivia Winter series. Further books in both series will follow soon. Michael is also the author of four Audible Original thrillers including the bestselling Maybe Tomorrow, with a further three to come.