Time Is Running Out
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4.2 • 190 Ratings
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- £1.99
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
‘This is a total BOOM BOOM POW! of a book…Budge up Jed Mercurio when you are done working on Line of Duty I think it is time for you to meet Matilda’ LJ, Read and Rated Book Review Blog
‘Excellent plotting. The twists keep on coming making this an irresistible read’ Michael J. Malone, author of A Song of Isolation
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.
Reviews
Praise for Michael Wood:
‘A tense, nail-biting story with a truly twisted ending’ Katerina Diamond
“An established master of the serial killer novel takes us on another dangerous journey through the streets of Sheffield. Watch out for those twists – you won't see them coming!” Stephen Booth
‘A gritty and atmospheric thriller with more twists and turns than a hangman's knot. I loved it’ Matt Hilton
‘Solid storytelling and great unravelling of plot. Michael Wood ups the pace as the noose tightens’ Rachel Sargeant
‘Taut, twisting and sharp as a blade, The Hangman’s Hold wrong-footed me at every, devious turn’ Chris Whitaker
'Wood hit the ground running with For Reasons Unknown, first in the DCI Matilda Darke series. In the fourth instalment, The Hangman's Hold, he picks up the pace again with a twisting plot that races to a nail-biting finish’ Chris Simms
‘Bites into you like the rough twine of a hangman’s noose and refuses to let go. Tautly plotted, brilliantly realised, this is further proof that Michael Wood is only going to get better and better. The Hangman’s Hold is going to be big…’ Neil Broadfoot
Praise for Michael Wood:
‘You can count on Michael Wood to deliver a deliciously twisted and intriguing plot, leading to a surprise ending by a likeable and very real protagonist, Matilda Darke’ Yrsa Sigurdardottir
‘She is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths
‘A pitch-black concept, tightly delivered and played at exhilarating pace’ Paul Finch
‘Crackling dialogue, dark wit and an exciting ending. Recommended if you liked Happy Valley’ Mark Edwards
‘DCI Matilda Darke is going places’ James Oswald
‘A compelling, addictive read, it’s hard to put down. I really enjoyed getting to know DCI Matilda Darke. She's strong character with real depth’ Robert Bryndza, bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE ICE
‘A beautifully written book with a dark heart and a secret that impacts on generations’ Sarah Ward
About the author
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.
Customer Reviews
Very mixed feelings about this one
This was the eighth book in the series that I have read. Five were a solid 5*, two were 4.5*. For much of this book I thought it was worth 2* at most but I found myself reading on and on and then just a few pages more as I wanted to know how it would all work out. That’s the reason for the 4* review.
I’ve said about earlier books that no one in their right mind would join the police if these stories reflected reality, or stay in the force at least. The regular characters have had so many traumatic incidents, accidents and injuries with, at times, more than one of them occupying hospital beds. The risk of death was never far away.
This book took all that to a whole new level. It felt ludicrous. Yes, occasionally a crazed gunman goes on a rampage but, for it to happen to this poor team and their friends, family and colleagues, I thought the writer must be taking the mickey, trying to bring the Matilda Darke series to a swift end. Some platitudes and clichés had me cringing rather than sympathising. I suppose to have the story happening to a different set of characters would have meant that the readers would have cared less about individuals’ outcomes. More than once I found myself asking the writer, ‘Why did you have to do that to (him/her)?’
Another thing that irked me was the occasional bad grammar in an otherwise very well written book. No one says (in this book or anywhere else), ‘He WAS SWAM in the sea.’ I’ve never heard things like, ‘He WAS JOGGED in the park.’ So why in this book were there so many incidences along the lines of ‘he WAS SAT in a chair’ and the odd ‘he WAS STOOD ...’?
I loved this book, yet hated it.
Too far
Ive read I’ll of the Matilda Darke books and yes, there has been violence but this time it was most definitely a step too far.
Wow
Fantastic read