Maybe Tomorrow

by Michael Wood, Annabel Scholey (Narrator)

Only available from Audible, a gripping psychological thriller from the author of the DCI Matilda Darke crime series. Perfect for fans of Stuart MacBride, Mark Billingham and Val McDermid.

Will the truth prevail or will someone get away with murder?

The morning after a ferocious storm, the body of a vulnerable teenage girl is found in the woods. The police are under pressure to find the killer and solve the tragedy but with thin evidence and no witnesses, the case is falling apart. Desperate to find this vicious murderer, they hunt high and low and eventually find their man: an outsider with no alibi. When the suspect confesses to the crime, it’s an open and shut case. But two women suspect foul play and dedicate their lives to working out what really happened, at all costs.

Will justice be served for the girl whose life was stolen from her? Will the killer face the punishment they deserve? Will the truth come to light? The answers are devastating but maybe tomorrow they will be found.

Although loosely inspired by a real case, this story and the characters portrayed are fictitious. No resemblance to any real person or organisation should be inferred.

Genres: Audiobook, Crime, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Procedural, Mystery Thriller

9 pages, Audiobook

Published August 1, 2024

Reviews

[Jo Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you follow my reviews you’ll know that while I try to be optimistic about audible originals I’m usually disappointed, not this time, far from it. This was actually excellent.

A work of fiction inspired by reality. The story is solid. The characters were relatable and believable, often distressing and definitely a book that leaves you thinking.

The narration was brilliant.

Currently included with audible 🎧

[Jane Bridger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe Tomorrow begins on 10th October 1983, that night there is a ferocious storm in Whitby North Yorkshire. During the storm a vulnerable 17 year old girl is murdered. What follows is a sorrowful tale of police corruption. DI Bishop the detective in charge is under pressure to quickly solve the case and arrests a 28 year old local man with learning difficulties, but has he got the right man?
I liked the references to 1980s social history such as Marathon Bars, Little & Large Christmas TV etc, it adds to the authenticity for me. Also, if you have read Michael’s Matilda Drake series you will appreciate the ‘Starling House’ references.
Michael Wood is a great crime/police procedural writer and he has written another cracking book with his trademark twists and turns.
Annabel Scholey’s is an excellent narrator.

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reasonable plot, and I adore Anthony.

[Gemma Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant listen, gripping case!

[Jane Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad story. I’m sure there’s a lot of people in Anthony’s situation

[Morgan Asuman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noooo what the friggles the end was so sad!!! The fact he died after all that he’d been through:(
The fact that this was based on a true story is so upsetting, the fact that Anthony spent all those years in prison being abused pretty much daily for something he didn’t even do is crazy.
I seriously enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all my fellow book enjoyers. The fact that there was no gaps in the story in the way of I wasn’t left wondering what happened to this person was amazing! 10/10 would recommend:)

[Sónia Lemos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Anthony 🥺😭💔

[Nicky Mottram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio version of this book 📕- A good storyline with a great twist at the end

[Sophie Breese · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent listen. A pretty compelling plot with interesting characterizations. I have had a tricky week and it allowed me to switch off and not think too much!

[mrsbookburnee Niamh Burnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, did I sign up to audible just to be able to listen to this, you betcha!

As like all of the authors previous works, I loved this and felt so emotional reading this, I had to keep telling myself that it was set in the 80s as I was getting so wound up of Anthony’s treatment. Luckily society as moved on (to some extent) and those like Anthony have more rights/protection.

The revelation came as a surprise, I didn’t expect it till the phone call recived. The ending IMO was perfect and I adored the best day.

Jennifer and Faith were such endearing characters, they had true grit and determination in ensuring justice was prevailed, i need to see more of these characters.

And a shout out to the blast from the past mentions, Marathons! ❤️❤️

The narrator deserves a mention, will be looking out for more audiobooks that she does.

[The Pastel Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sad story! 😢 It kept me hooked throughout and I couldn’t stop listening to it. I think I went through every possible emotion and I’m just sat here feeling so sad trying to process it all especially knowing it’s based on true events.

Superb narration, perfectly paced and I really connected with the characters.

Free on audible and I highly recommend it

[Jelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the message of the book was quite nobel and beautiful, the deliverance was unfortunately bad and cheap. It was basically copy of The Green Mile by much better writer, the story told many times in general. Predictable, at times cheesy, one-dimensional characters, trying too hard to convey certain emotions. I mean, it was ok to listened to once, but it just didn't sit right with me.

[Claire Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

A free Audible and it doesn't disappoint. I really enjoyed this one.

[Fiona Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Really enjoyed this, it made me so mad at times, happy and also sad for so many different reasons. Worth a read

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am Beginn etwas "zäh", entwickelt sich jedoch sehr gut. Guter Spannungsbogen und: was für ein Ende!

[Dawn lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was amazed to read one of Michael’s wood book and enjoyed the whole story with twists and turns .

[Elisabeth Holzleithner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. I enjoyed every minute of it - the audiobook was fantastically read.

[Paige Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed and completely out raged at the injustice which unfortunately mimics life today when people are different to the social norms.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely heartbreaking 💔

[Zoe Costley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook was incredible! Michael Wood delivers a gripping story with twists that kept me hooked from start to finish. The narration was fantastic—clear, engaging, and full of emotion, which made the experience even better. The pacing was perfect, and the suspense built beautifully throughout. Five stars for an audiobook that’s both thrilling and immersive—I couldn’t stop listening!

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh the heartbreak this book holds. You will definitely need to have time to sit and read this in one go.

[Maria Dunleavey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good pace and well narrated but there wasnt much build-up to the twist and little aftermath following it, so it sort of dropped off at the end.

[Lauren Rea · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1980’s Whitby, as a storm batters the country Alice’s parents are worried she has not returned home. Alice is a vulnerable teenager having been born with Down’s syndrome, so her parents soon become frantic and call the police. Close by, another parent Patricia Winstanley is also worried about her child, her son Anthony as he had returned home from work late soaking wet and cold. Knowing her son, who also has learning difficulties since his difficult birth 28 years ago he has been down at the sea front watching the storm which explains his lateness and why he’s soaked through.
The following day, Alice’s body is discovered in wooodland and at first it seems she was a victim of the storm. When the post mortem reveals she was murdered, DI Brady is tasked with hunting down the killer. A man with a proven track record, he’s not about to have his streak ruined. When the finger is pointed at Anthony, his connection to Alice made through him working at the library and her a regular weekly visitor he’s coerced into a confession. But have the caught the right man?
Faith and Chris who are police officers are not convinced of his guilt, and DI Brady realises that someone may be questioning his motives so Chris is sacked from the force under duress after ‘finding drugs’ in his locker.
Jennifer is the fearless lawyer tasked with representing Anthony, she believes he is innocent but has no idea how to prove it. After Anthony is sentenced, Jennifer Chris and Faith have never forgotten about the case, and believe an innocent man is in prison.
Will they succeed in proving his innocence, and to what cost? And will the real killer be finally revealed?

This was brilliant! The storyline really hit home on the injustice people had to face during that time when learning disabilities were not fully understood or recognised. I was totally heartbroken for Anthony, and everything he went through in the time from when he was arrested. It really does hit home that in real life there were so many people’s lives ruined and the mistreatment of people was rife. I really enjoyed the story, and Annabelle I does a brilliant job with the narration. Micheal is probably my favourite author and I’m a huge fan of all his work especially the DCI Matilda Darke series! Netflix should be jumping on that and turning it in to a 10 season show, deffo made for TV!

[ReadandRated · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long time fan of Michael Wood's Matilda Darke series I now eagerly read anything he puts out safe in the knowledge that it will be brilliant.

When he started releasing things straight to audible I reluctantly signed up so as not to miss any of his books - Chapter One by the way, is an absolute masterpiece. So as well as having enjoyed his books I now also get to thank him for introducing me to audio books as I now absolutely love this medium, particularly when I am driving.

Back to Maybe Tomorrow, so as well has having had The Littlest Hobo theme tune in my head for weeks, this is a superb story. I personally hate reviews that just regurgitate the story so I will endeavour not to do that.

With a story-line beginning back in 1984 the author perfectly captures the era and attitudes of policing at that time. I've read enough of his books now to know that there is unlikely to be a 'happy' thread but despite the corruption, unfairness and dark themes there is also love, honesty and determination which balanced the darkness.

A tight cast added to the intensity of the tale and made each and every person very well defined and the horrors of the story came to life under the beautiful and sensitive narration from Annabel Scholey. I felt every emotion from disgust, frustration, anger, love and hope within this story. The skillful capture of home life and family dysfunction makes the genre flirt between police procedural and domestic noir.

As mentioned, I typically listen to audio books when I drive and I found myself taking many a circuitous route home to extend my listening time.

Always nice to see Woody too :)

I'll die on this hill... all of Michael's books would be literal gold if they were televised, the Matilda Darke books as a series and the others as two or three parters a la Harlan Coben.

Absolutely brilliant, highly recommend.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is based on the Audible Audiobook.

This is an intriguing crime novel that is split into 3 distinct parts, there is the initial crime and heavily flawed investigation into the rape and murder of a young girl with down syndrome on the night of violent storm. The death is at first thought to be accidental as there was a fallen branch on her, so normal criminal procedures were not followed until hours later when most of the evidence had been washed away. Police focus on Anthony and with very flimsy evidence push through to a trail that finds him guilty. He is sent to prison where life is hell indeed at one point his hospitalised with a collapsed lung and loss of sight in one eye. His solicitor and a young police officer who are both convinced of his innocence continue to struggle against the system to prove him innocent. We see the development of forensic science and especially that of DNA profiling. When the crime to place in the early 1980's DNA work was in its infancy. As time progresses techniques improve and finally a semen stain on Alice's underwear is profiled but only when the culprit is caught reckless driving is a matching profile entered onto the system for a match to take place.
The book moves at a good pace and whilst out of necessity there are large jumps in time, these are clearly signposted for the reader/listener. The author does a good job of instilling empathy and sympathy with Anthony so that you feel his pain and anger and this miscarriage of justice, at the same time he has left just a nagging doubt about his innocence hanging throughout the story. The eventual unmasking of the real murderer is well done and whilst I had begun to suspect who it was the final arrest scene was so well staged I was tempted to second guess myself right up to the end.

[Chris Howells · Rating 2 out of 5]

The morning after a ferocious storm, the body of a vulnerable teenage girl is found in the woods. The police are under pressure to find the killer and solve the tragedy but with thin evidence and no witnesses, the case is falling apart. Desperate to find this vicious murderer, they hunt high and low and eventually find their man: an outsider with no alibi. When the suspect confesses to the crime, it’s an open and shut case. But two women suspect foul play and dedicate their lives to working out what really happened, at all costs.
I am not a fan of detective stories, for the most part because I never guess who the killer is. This book, although there is a twist, I sort of guessed it, is pretty much all surface. You don't get enough detail of the characters and their journeys were interesting but not well written. There are some laugh out louds moments for such a grim narrative and Annabel Scholey is a very good narrator, but I felt there was something missing. However, after all that I did enjoy the book and if your a fan then this will be right up your street. And its free.

[Andrew Borg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe Tomorrow by Michael Wood was a refreshing change of pace from the darker, faster American psychological thrillers I’ve been reading lately. What stood out most to me was how vividly British culture is woven into the story, grounding the mystery in its place and time. Wood takes us through the 80s and 90s with a real sense of atmosphere, from the everyday details to the tech limitations of those decades, which added both nostalgia and authenticity.

The audiobook narration was also solid, keeping the pacing steady and the voices distinct without ever feeling distracting.

That said, I did figure out the major twists fairly early on — I guessed both the murderer and the arsonist before the reveals — but that didn’t take away too much from the enjoyment. The journey, the characters, and the sense of time and place carried the story through.

If you’re looking for a mystery that’s a little less frenetic and rooted in a specific era, Maybe Tomorrow is a worthwhile listen.

[Maha Althani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is brief yet poignant, capturing the harsh reality of an innocent person imprisoned due to police corruption. At its core, the narrative emphasizes the struggle for true justice, prompting readers to question whether the system genuinely protects those it’s meant to serve.

I enjoyed the book for its swift pacing. Initially, I was convinced that Anthony was the killer, so I was taken aback by the true identity of the murderer revealed at the end. The unfolding events were completely unexpected.

I was also surprised by the character of Officer Di Bishop; I didn’t anticipate he would be so unscrupulous. I expected him to be the one who would investigate and uncover the truth.

The story unfolds rapidly, covering years of a person’s life, from their beginnings to their end, creating a sense of urgency and inevitability.

[Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say I enjoyed the book, as at times the content is very distressing, but I was engaged for most of it and the writing is decent.
The book is spoiled by a lack of editing, which seems to be the norm these days.
I am puzzled by one discrepancy, which appears to me to be so obvious that I doubt myself. I have tried re-listening to relevant parts of the story to check but haven't found anything to prove me wrong. Towards the beginning when the victim's body is examined, it clearly states that her underwear is missing. Much later in the story the underwear, which was, supposedly missing, is presented for DNA testing, and is the reason why the killer is found. The fact that none of the other reviews mention this makes me feel I must be wrong, and that I missed something. If anyone can explain this please do!

[Stephanie Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe Tomorrow by Michael Wood is a poignant and emotionally resonant novel that captures the complexities of love, loss, and personal growth. The story follows the journey of its protagonist as he navigates the aftermath of a broken relationship, confronting his own regrets and desires for redemption. Wood's writing is deeply empathetic, drawing readers into the character's inner world with sincerity and depth. The narrative unfolds slowly, allowing the emotional stakes to build naturally. While the themes of healing and moving on are familiar, Wood’s honest portrayal of grief and hope feels fresh and universally relatable. It’s a beautifully written, bittersweet exploration of life’s unexpected twists and the possibility of starting anew.
I really enjoyed the story and the characters. Great twists towards the end.