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The Fallen

A DCI Matilda Darke short story

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The Fallen

By: Michael Wood
Narrated by: Stephanie Beattie
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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‘DCI Matilda Darke is the perfect heroine’ Elly Griffiths

A short story and prequel featuring DCI Matilda Darke, star of Michael Wood’s darkly compelling crime series. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.

It’s Christmas in Sheffield. But not everyone is enjoying the festive season…

A man has been found brutally murdered in his own home. The victim is Iain Kilbride, a once-famous TV star who has faded into obscurity. All signs point to a break-in, but why has nothing been taken?

For DCI Matilda Darke, this is the perfect chance to prove her newly formed Murder Investigation Team are up to the task. Matilda suspects the clue to finding the killer lies in Iain’s past, but she’s about to discover how dark that past really is…

 Anthologies & Short Stories Crime Crime Thrillers Detective Fiction Modern Detectives Mystery Police Procedural Short Stories Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Suspense
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Critic reviews

Praise for OUTSIDE LOOKING IN:
‘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
Praise for FOR REASONS UNKNOWN:
‘A beautifully written book with a dark heart and a secret that impacts on generations’ Sarah Ward
‘A skilfully crafted and compelling debut that hooks from the off and will keep you guessing until the final page. I can’t wait for Michael Wood’s next one’ M.R. Hall
‘Gripping, sad and unexpected – this is a terrific debut. Wood writes with the confidence and flair of an old hand’ Alex Marwood
‘A strong debut with an intriguing mystery at its heart. The first thing that strikes me is how well he writes female characters. The novel is packed full of strong women’ Ben Cheetham
‘An appealing – and refreshingly human – lead character is swept along in this ingeniously plotted, fast paced debut’ Chris Simms
'This explosive novel is already making a bang – with reviewers comparing Michael’s work to that of his heroes Val McDermid and James Oswald' Sheffield Star
‘FOR REASONS UNKNOWN is a stunningly strong debut…I expect great things from the dark imagination of Michael Wood’ Crime Squad
All stars
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this was a good compact short story with an ending that causes an internal 'what would I do?' debate.

nice little Story

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It was so lovely to meet James and hear the origin of the snack drawer

Sweet

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Loved every word of the Matilda darks books please write more thank you love the way you describe what Matilda and her gang talk about

Have read every Matilda Dark book you have written and love them please write more

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I think I've read some of this series on Kindle as there were scenes that were familiar. I'ts strange how you have an idea of what the charachters would look like and how they would sound when you read a book, then hear the difference when the story is narrated. Matilda here sounds a bit like I would image Vera from the books and popular tv series. In my imagination she sounded younger and just different.

This is a good prequel and I liked the story, the ending was a bit strange though.

No spoilers from me, but I have to mention the narrators lip smacking and sounding like she had a mouth full if saliva. It drove me nuts but I persevered as it was a short story and I'm hoping it will be gone for the rest of the series. I will give book 1 a listen as I think I could like the audible version of the series. Fingers crossed the lip smacking does not return though.xx

Interesting prequel

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A really great start to this series, i don't usually read prequills however as it was only a couple of hours it allowed me to keep focused while working. I really like Matilda as a character and the way she cares about the victims. As this was only a couple of hours long it was hard to get a clear handle on the team as a whole however I am looking forward to reading more of the series to get more of an idea of there individual strengths and talents within the team. I can see this being another series i'll quickly become a fan of.

Great start to the SERIES.

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