Time Is Running Out by Michael Wood

I was very late to the Matilda Darke series by MIchael Wood but have had fun setting that all straight. Right up until this book that is. This book is anything but fun, but in all the best of ways. Before I share my thoughts, here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

You’re a survivor, aren’t you, Matilda? But what’s the point in surviving when everyone around you is dead?

When DCI Matilda Darke receives a mysterious telephone call, she immediately dismisses the threat. Afterall the Homicide and Major Enquiries team are a regular target for prank calls.

But ignoring this warning might soon be the biggest regret of Matilda Darke’s life.

A lone gunman is on a deadly rampage around Sheffield, leaving a bloody trail in his wake. Taking his shots with a sickening precision, he’s about to leave his mark on the world and change Matilda and her team’s lives forever.

The next chilling instalment in the DCI Matilda Darke thriller series, perfect for fans of Patricia Gibney and Angela Marsons.

I don’t even know how to write this review. Where to begin, how to end or even how to sum up the book without giving something far too vital away. It is a book that is equal parts OMG, what the heck, ooofffft and nooooooo. If you can get from the start to the finish without shedding a tear or at least finding yourself with more than the occasional watery eye moment then I just don’t know what is wrong with you. The author has said that this is the book that changes everything. He’s not bloody wrong.

From the very opening chapter you get an idea of where this book is going. Of the mindset of the particular adversary that Matilda and the team are going to have. to face down this time around. what you don’t get is the why. You won’t have to wait forever to find that out, but believe me when I say that you won’t even notice. From within the first three chapters everything changes. EVERYTHING. Talk about your adrenaline kick. This book has that in spades. Taking readers on a rollercoaster of a journey this book is packed with tension and reads at a pace that does not let up. The stakes are high, the fear factor higher. And the unpredictability of the killer makes this a very, very addictive read. don’t get me wrong, because we know the who well before the police, it’s pretty easy to determine what will come next, but certainly not the level of devastation that is left in his wake.

This is a book which sees us come face to face with a blast from the past and well as pushing the team to the very limits. This case is about as personal as they come and, if you’ve read the past few books, you’ll know that the team have not had an easy time of late. But this time around Michael Wood takes everything he has dolled out before and turns is up by a factor of ten thousand. Within pages I was in shock, by the end I was in tears. Believe me when I say that this book plays with our emotions on just about every single possible level. Anger, fear, disbelief. Even grief. But it just flows. It literally pulls you along and is so absolutely gripping that I didn’t even realise that it is a book of over 400 pages long. I literally flew through it and it made such an impression that I found myself thinking about it non-stop. And I mean when I woke in the middle of the night, my first thoughts were about the book, what might come next, what I may have to face and when was a reasonable time to ‘get up’ so I could start reading again.

If you love this series you will both love and hate this book. Love it because it is such a powerful, memorable, and jaw-dropping read and possibly the best I have read in the series so far. hate it because … well – read it and we can chat. Michael Wood is a very, very naughty writer, but bloody hell this was good. I can think of one other book that left me feeling like this but I can’t say what as I fear it will tell you too much about why and constitute a terrible spoiler. But it’s a big thing. A really big thing. Several really big things. And it left me completely

Nice one Mr Wood. You’d best hurry with that next book now as I HAVE to know what comes next (although I’m almost too scared to find out.) And for the sheer shock of it, I think you’ve earned one of these

I am just a little bit broken now. hope you’re happy 🤨🥺😭😉

About the Author

Michael Wood is the pen name (he can’t spell soo-da-nim) for Sheffield based crime writer, Michael Wood. As of 2019 he has written four novels and one prequel novella in the DCI Matilda Darke thriller series which is set in his home city of Sheffield. He is currently writing the fifth and also has other projects up the sleeves of his duffle coat. When he’s not writing, he’s usually moaning about having little sleep and talking about his favourite biscuit on social media. He’s a massive fan of reading crime fiction as he likes to keep an eye on the competition and wondering if he can steal any of their ideas, give the characters a Sheffield accent, and pass them off as his own original creation. For more information you can find him on the book of faces and the one with the blue bird.