The Murder House (DCI Matilda Darke #5) by Michael Wood
Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural
Read: 21st April 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 31st January 2020)
★★★★ 3.5 to 4 stars
Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The night after a wedding. Three gruesome murders. Pillars of the community. Seemingly no motive. Enter DCI Matilda Darke and her HMET (Homicide and Major Enquiry Team).
It's the morning after the wedding of Leah Mercer to Oliver Ridgeway in a quiet and rather exclusive area of Sheffield, when the bride's family - Serena and Clive Mercer and brother Jeremy - is found stabbed to death in a disturbing frenzied attack so violent it's the worst that Matilda has ever seen. There are hundreds of fingerprints and blood spattered everywhere with one victim's face mutilated and another about decapitated. It is clearly a blood bath. Even the most seasoned detectives are queasy with the disturbing scene.
And yet in the midst of the carnage is Rachel, the bride's 7 year old niece, who was found in her room tied to a chair with her dog, Pongo. And despite the blood trailed into the room, both were unharmed. But Rachel is in catatonic shock and has not spoken a word...only screamed. Just exactly how much did she see of the violent triple murders?
The Mercers appeared to be the perfect family involved within several charities. Serena was a neurologist, Clive was an anaesthetist and Jeremy was a junior doctor in Liverpool. So who would want them dead?
As Matilda and her team begin their investigations, it is soon clear that all is not as it seems. Despite the bloodbath, the forensics are just a bit too neat, clearly pointing to a suspect who has no history of violence...and no connection to the family whatsoever. Matilda gets the feeling that the murderer is someone much closer to home. But who would want to set up a random innocent person? And why?
Running alongside the investigation is a story of missing boy Carl Meaghan. As Matilda now has her hands full with the triple homicide, she ropes in retired DI Pat Campbell to touch base with mother Sally and look into her new claims that Carl has been spotted in Sweden and the phone calls she has been receiving, seemingly from her missing son. This story arc is an ongoing one and we don't see a resolution to it here, but the ending promises us a possible future investigation.
Whilst trying to keep an eye on her team and investigate a disturbing crime, Matilda has growing concerns for a couple of members of her team. DC Rory Fleming as recently handed in his resignation but as he is one of her best detectives with a promising career, Matilda convinces him to hold off until the investigation is over before making that decision. And then there is DC Scott Andrews who clearly has something worrying him but refuses to talk about it. Matilda has her suspicions but instead of pushing him, she waits for Scott to confide in her. Plus she is still grieving the loss of her beloved husband James who died three years ago from a brain tumour. Added to that is the suicide of a DI (in a previous book) in the home she shared with James, that he lovingly built for them, making it unbearable for her to continue living there. So she bought a remote abandoned farmhouse, had it renovated and now lives out there alone. And with the stress of the case mounting colliding with her haunted memories, Matilda relies on her best friend, forensic pathologist Adele Kean, to keep her from crumbling.
I love the characters in this series and I love how they are not tainted with the stereotypical angst that is found in so many today. I have grown tired of the same old same old bitter detectives who find their solace at the bottom of a bottle or incessant grumpiness with just about everyone they come into contact with. But no so here. Matilda is a strong but sensitive detective who cares about her cases and not just about results, as well as really caring for her team. I love the camaraderie between them all. Not one of them is trying to one-up the other or show another up. They work well together and it's that that makes this a successful series. I'm also a fan of gallows humour, and while it's not used so much here, there is a bit of humour to relieve the moments of tension that is felt throughout. I'd also love DS Sian Mills' treat drawer myself! It seems neverending!
The only negative thing I have to say is I felt the book was a little drawn out in parts. It took me a few days to read it when I generally read a book a day. I felt I couldn't devour it as I can others. But that being said, it is still a compelling read that I really did enjoy. I was saddened by the ultimate outcome of the case. No spoilers.
THE MURDER HOUSE is the fifth installment in the DCI Matilda Darke series and yet it is my first. However, that didn't spoil it in any way as the reader is given enough background information it could well be read as a standalone. I'm not sure the "missing boy" story arc featured in previous books because from what I understand the first book begins after the death of Matilda's husband and Carl went missing before that. However, having not read the other books, I can't really say one way or the other though I don't think the reader misses out on anything either way.
A nailbiter from start to finish, THE MURDER HOUSE is an intriguing read for fans of Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid and Katerina Diamond.
If you like your crime fiction with a bit of blood and gore, then THE MURDER HOUSE is for you.
I would like to thank #MichaelWood, #NetGalley and #OneMoreChapter for an ARC of #TheMurderHouse in exchange for an honest review.
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