Book #57 Down to the Woods

Down to the Woods by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you go Down to the Woods today... you'd better go in disguise... beneath the trees where nobody sees... is a devilish killer. Ponies slaughtered and victims hunted down and dispatched with such evil and menace. But it's no picnic, certainly not for DI Helen Grace, who once again is pitched against a ruthless killer who hides at ease amongst the dense surroundings of the New Forest. No apparent motive, no apparent link between the victims.

Helen's team become involved in a frustrating investigation with little if nothing to go on and it is difficult to say more without giving away too much. But it's hats off to M.J. Arlidge for writing another thrill-ride of a police procedural with a helter-skelter, breathtaking ending as DI Grace once again puts herself in harm's way. And just for a moment there I thought - OH NO!....

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Book #36 Love Me Not

Love Me Not by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's that over-used word again. Unputdownable! You just know when you pick up a Helen Grace book you will need to be prepared for non-stop reading, non-stop action, pulsating plot, short paragraphs, heart-stopping moments (and there are plenty here!) and a race to catch the perpetrator(s).

The two Graces are my favourite coppers: Helen Grace and Roy Grace. Similar styles of writing from M.J. Arlidge and Peter James, that uncanny ability to wrack up the tension.

Love Me Not starts full tilt and just keeps going when a woman's body is found lying in the road. Tragic accident? Or cold blooded killing? For Helen Grace it's another journey into a deadly puzzle and the clock is ticking. Will more blood be shed before the day is out?

Told in virtual real time and spanning just one day this is another cracking read from Arlidge. He really does keep getting better.

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Book #72 The Girl In The Ice

The Girl In The Ice by Robert Bryndza
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So pleased that other Goodreaders recommended this. Wow! Helen Grace has a rival in DCI Erika Foster. There are similarities in their background. Both have suffered trauma in their earlier careers with the police. Both take on the establishment, despise internal politics and at times evince a level of insubordination against superiors. I am left to wonder how Chief Superintendent Marsh ever achieved such a high level of rank given his propensity to often ignore the obvious.

Erika will fight her corner to follow the evidence in a case of alarming developments. Her team love her and will do everything to support her in this cracking serial killer thriller. It has everything; short chapters when required to rack up the tension, great dialogue, believable characters and locations. And the feisty DCI Erika Foster.

I loved this debut novel in the series by Robert Bryndza. Raced through it, couldn't put it down.

Highly recommended.

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Book #63 No Way Back

No Way Back by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The perfect prequel. For fans of DI Helen Grace this is a must read. It dots the Is and crosses the Ts. Why did Grace become a copper? What happened to her after her sister Marianne was incarcerated in Holloway prison for the murder of both of their parents? How did Grace as a teenager survive the horrors of a child care home from hell? Read all in 54 thrilling pages. Read all in about an hour. It's classic M.J.Arlidge. It fills in the gaps. Helen Grace fans - you must read this!

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Book #62 Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fans of M.J.Arlidge are in for a real treat, although I reckon we have been with all of the DI Helen Grace series so far. Remarkably it continues to get better. You will recall that in 'Little Boy Blue' Helen has been well and truly stitched up and in 'Hide and Seek' our feisty DI is on remand in the notorious Holloway prison, charged with three counts of murder. Coppers in prison are treated much the same as paedophiles and child rapists and Holloway proves to be no exception. This story is dark, disturbing and full of malice. Arlidge uses those trademark, very-short chapters to wrack up the tension and this really is as tense as it gets. There is a ruthless, serial-killer at large in the prison and Helen, despite her predicament, is determined to find the culprit whilst her bagman Charlie continues to work on proving Helen's innocence. This is superbly written, breathtaking stuff. The last ten chapters or so had me holding my breath, seriously.

I would add that it is essential to have read the forerunners to 'Hide and Seek' - well, at least 'Little Boy Blue' - as there are so many threads that you need to be aware of. This is essential reading for DI Helen Grace fans.

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Book #35 Fire Damage

Fire Damage by Kate Medina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Riveting. A humdinger of a murder mystery and the first in what is to be a series that follows army psychologist, Jessie Flynn as she seeks to uncover the truth behind the traumatic experiences of a four-year-old boy. Flynn is a complex, not always likeable heroine, still suffering from a traumatic experience from her childhood which has shaped her life and her relationships. In many respects she reminds me of DI Helen Grace and that's not a bad thing. Fire Damage contains a great plot that must have involved a good deal of research by the author, very satisfying as the threads inexorably come together. The fast pace of the final third of the book really racks up the tension. Great stuff.

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Book #24 Little Boy Blue

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the fifth book in the DI Helen Grace series; I have read them all and enjoyed every one. Grace is different - she continues to lead a double life that must remain secret. She is no stranger to sadomasochism, a characteristic that I have found unpleasant at times for a serving detective inspector. The plot unfolds against the sleazy background of BDSM practiced in Southampton - Grace's patch. And when a body is found in a Southampton nightclub Grace finds herself perilously close to her private life unwinding. When the killer strikes again Helen finds herself at odds with her team of officers. Tempers flare and friendships fray. Developments are too close to Grace's private world and there are those who would love to see her disgraced, not least her protagonist, Emilia Garanita, crime journalist at the Evening News.

Arlidge uses short chapters to maintain a relentless pace throughout and the ending will leave you hanging and gasping. Oh no! Thank goodness that DI Helen Grace is due to return in September 2016 in 'Hide and Seek'. I can't wait...

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Liar Liar

Liar Liar by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

'Liar, liar, pants on fire. Hangin' on a telephone wire!' Liar Liar - great title and yes - it's a scorcher from M J Arlidge. Starts at 100mph and maintains a relentless pace. His typical short chapters maintain a breathless page turner as DI Helen Grace faces another fearsome adversary. Southampton is alight, a firestarter has the city in fear in this gripping thriller, the fourth in the Grace series. It's scary, it's dark and twisted and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. DI Helen Grace is one tough heroine although she hides a damaged past that has resulted in a penchant for S&M. The one part of her character that I am not too fond of but it does add to the tension. If you haven't yet read "Eeny Meeny", "Pop Goes The Weasel" and "The Doll's House" - the first three in this series - then you should. Then enjoy this chilling read. I did....

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The Doll's House

The Doll's House by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

M.J. Arlidge pulls it off again. Fast paced and exciting, The Doll’s House is book three in the Detective Inspector Helen Grace series. Eeny Meeny and Pop Goes The Weasel are the first two and you should read these first as there are threads that start in book one and continue through The Doll’s House. Short chapters add to the relentless pace - 434 pages contain no less than 142 of them and Arlidge uses this pacy rhythm to rack up the tension. The office politics and backstabbing continues and there is one very satisfactory conclusion that got a ‘hooray’ from me (no spoiler though). Helen Grace is a determined, tough but damaged character - events that hark back to her childhood. For all that it makes her plausible and human. Her antagonist is really scary, but then they all have been. As soon as the first body is found, fasten your seatbelt and be ready for a roller-coaster ride. I loved it.

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Pop Goes The Weasel

Pop Goes the Weasel (Helen Grace,#2). by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another fast-paced thriller from M.J.Arlidge, Pop Goes The Weasel is the 2nd in the DI Helen Grace series, following on from Eeny Meeny. Arlidge uses short chapters to heighten the tension creating a roller-coaster ride through 425 pages that I finished in two days. Like Eeny Meeny, PGTW features a female serial killer, her victims being subjected to a particularly gruesome fate. Grace powers her way through the book on her Kawasaki motorbike. Grace is a strong and determined character but the one totally bizarre aspect of the story (as in the first book) is her propensity for clandestine visits to ‘Jake’ who whips here with a riding crop, to help her relax! It is the one aspect of these riveting thrillers that I find rather pointless. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed PGTW and recommend it to those who enjoy a good police procedural.

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