Outside Looking In - Michael Woods

Genre: Thriller
Synopsis: When elderly George Rainsford goes to investigate a suspicious noise one night, the last thing he expects to find is a bloodbath. A man has been killed and a woman brutally beaten, left for dead. The victims are Lois Craven and Kevin Hardaker – both married, but not to each other. Their spouses swear they knew nothing of the affair and, besides, they both have alibis for the attack. With nothing else to link the victims, the investigation hits a dead end. The pressure is on for investigating officer, DCI Matilda Darke: there’s a violent killer on the loose, and it looks like her team members are the new targets. With no leads and no suspects, it’s going to take all Matilda’s wits to catch him, before he strikes again.

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Review: This will be a short review as is often the case when I'm reading the second in a series. As per the first book, I love the character of Matilda Darke. I actually like her more in this book, as, in addition to my reasons for liking her in the first book (tormented soul bouncing back) she seems to be a character with an understand of moral gray areas. There are some threads that feed in from the first book to this one, a few references to a certain character, and Matilda's response to them is something I really relate to. So, I like this human aspect of her. I think Michael Woods just has a knack for making his characters really human.

The mystery was once again compelling and it was a joy to revisit the old investigation team members as they go about solving a complex case. The bouts of humour and darkness from the first book are still present, and as per the first book, the ending seems a little bit unlikely in places, but it's still enjoyable to read due to the great writing.

I have the third book in the series already, and can't wait to start it.

Rating: 4/5 

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