Stolen Children by Michael Wood @0neMoreChapter_ @MichaelHWood

Book Description:

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…

My Thoughts:

Even though I am writing my review the day after I finished this book, my heart is still racing.

Without a doubt this is a series that just gets better and better. How the author does it, I really do not know but I can not get enough of them. The pacing started off steady and then went off the scale. At least half of this book I was on the edge of my sit and I could not rest for one minute. The build up of tension and emotions was just phenomenal and it kept me awake most of the night trying to let everything sink in at what I had read. It’s a storyline that really grabs hold of you.

I love how we get the mix of the Carl Meagan case, which like Matilda, I won’t rest until I find out the truth and a new case of a missing girl. Keeley’s family members had me going through so many emotions and what they were having to deal with as well as already dealing with. I loved the character Ellen Devonport who is the family liaison officer for the family. It was great to get a better insight as to what their job entails and how they go about doing their job whilst offering support.

What I particularly enjoyed was that even though Matilda is very much the lead character, her team play such a pivotal role in the story and I enjoyed that they all had their part to play of which tied in nicely with the cases. Their is a strong bond between these team members and I like that we get to see a bigger cast of team members which is a lot more true to life than the usual lead detective and their side kick.

Stolen Children is a crime novel that will seriously mess with your head. It is so compulsive. I put it down with the intention of going to sleep as it was past my bedtime but had to pick it back up again to finish it. The need to know was so strong and my mind was going into overdrive at what was being revealed to us. This was such an incredible read that has clung to me and got the adrenaline going. There were so many shocks that it should probably come with a warning. Brilliant! Can’t wait for the next one.

My thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.