After reading ‘Last one left alive’ by Michael Wood and the cliffhanger that one had I couldn’t wait to read the next one in the series; the next one was already out which was good for me.

The next book in the Matilda Darke series is called ‘Worse than murder’ and sadly, it wasn’t really about the case Matilda was working on in the previous book. I have to say that, if you haven’t read that one you should stop reading this review now because, there will be some spoilers about the previous book in this one.

After the events in the previous book, Matilda has gone underground. Leaving her phone back at home so no one is able to contact her. She needs space and time to get to terms with what happened. Will she even want to go back to Sheffield? Does she even want to be a DCI after this? She doesn’t know, it’s leaning towards a big fat no at the moment. Her sister Harriet doesn’t want anything to do with her anymore and those last words she said to Matilda are the words that keep haunting her. I Fucking HATE you, this is all your fault! But can you blame Harriet? The last victim of the perfect killer was to be Penny, Matilda’s mother; but Harriet’s boys were staying with her and so not only Penny died.

It’s been a couple of years since Carl was found and brought home. Sally and Phillip sold their chain of restaurants and their big house and moved to a quaint little town and started a restaurant where they lived above. This little town is where Matilda has been hiding, in the company of the Maegan’s and the Labradors called Woody. Taking long walks with Carl and the dogs, running until her body can’t move anymore and swimming. Everything to just switch off. But her arrival hasn’t gone without notice; Almost 30 years ago Allison’s twin sisters were kidnapped; taken without a trace. After all these years it’s still an open case and Allison, who is with the police herself asks Matilda to take a look, to help her find closure. In the beginning, Matilda isn’t sure and tells Allison she just can’t right now.

After a swim she gets called by Carl, who found an old numberplate near the edge. This makes Matilda want to dive for a car, just to be save and within minutes she actually finds one which sets all of this in motion. She delivers the numberplate to the police station, telling them about the car that is in the lake and how she knows a specialized team that can dive for the car and has the knowledge and resources to pull it out of the lake.

Allison’s father has gone missing within a couple of months of the twin’s disappearance, there have been many sightings but all without photographic evidence. Allison’s uncle married her mother not long after and the police eventually stop searching. The car found is that of a farm help in employ of Iain, Allison’s uncle. Matilda is invested, wanting to know what happened and when it comes to light that the skeletal remains of the twin girls have been found in the backseat of the car she can’t stop.

But finding out what happened 30 years ago isn’t something everyone in this town wants uncovered and some will go to great length in protecting the truth.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars, again! And I’ve read that the next book will be with her going back to Sheffield and to the case that drove her out of town in the first place.