Great book! I am a huge fan of this author and the DI Grace series having been hooked on the first book - Eeny Meenie. Readers of the previous books in the series will not be disappointed as the series continues to twist and turn.

Really liked this book. I felt that the story was back on track and was the better for less of the personal drama.
Looking forward to the next one.

This is the 7th book in the excellent 'Helen Grace' series by author MJ Arlidge. I have enjoyed this series from the very start and it just gets better the more you read.
When a woman's body is found in the road it looks like a tragic accident. But when Helen Grace arrives on the scene it's clear she's looking at a coldblooded killing. Why would anyone target a much loved wife and mother? Across town, a shopkeeper is killed while his customers are left unharmed. But what lies behind the killer's choices? Who's next? The clock is ticking and Helen needs to solve this deadly puzzle before more blood will be shed.

The story is over a 24 hour period which adds to the urgency of the plot and the suspense grows and grows to a thrilling climax. The author keeps this series fresh and interesting and surely must soon get the true recognition he deserves for his work. A very good series that is well worth a read.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I'm giving this book three stars. I have read all the books in the series. I feel left down by this installment. I hope that the next book is better.

II do like MJ Arlidge books & I like the damaged character of Helen Grace. You couldn't read this without reading the previous books in the series. Helen Grace is now slightly surreal as I don't believe a police officer who was jailed by her team, even when innocent, would be allowed back as the boss of the same team.
I liked that it was set in a 24 hour period so was fast moving. In some ways the person they were hunting was a bit too simplistic and needed more depth.
I'm not sure how far the author can go with this character but I will be interested to read the next chapter.

Thank you to Michael Joseph Books/Penguin and Netgalley for this advanced copy which I have read and reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

This is the 7th book in the series of DI Helen Grant books. Nine months after her wrongful imprisonment Helen and her team including her close friend DS Charlie Brooks are on the hunt for a killer. The first victim is found on a road by Helen in what at first glance looks like an accident, but she has been shot at point blank range. She dies in Helen's arms.The next murders happen in quick succession and it is a race to try and catch the killer.
Journalist Emilia Garanita is with holding some information that could very well aid Helen and the team and very nearly ends up a victim herself because of her foolish behaviour.

The clock is ticking and the people of Southampton want answers. Can Helen provide them and can she find the connection before it's too late?


As usual MJ Arlidge gets straight on with the plot making this a fast paced novel. A proper crime novel with plenty of twists, turns and surprises.
Another fantastic book in the DI Helen Grant series.

While I don't think this was the best Helen Grace story to date it was an enjoyable read. I particularly liked the fact that the book takes place over a period of 1 to 2 days for the most part. It breaks down in 1 hour segments which is a different style for MJ Arlidge. Helen is struggling with her confidence in this book and it's a different aspect to her character. I would recommend.

Hi Karen,

My next review is as follows:-

“Love Me Not:D I Helen Grace 7”, written by M.J.Arlidge and published in hardcover by Michael Joseph on 18 May 2017. 352 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0718183851



A woman's body lies in the road. At first it looks like a tragic accident. But when Helen Grace arrives on the scene it's clear she's looking at a cold-blooded killing. But why would anyone target a much-loved wife and mother?

Across town, a shopkeeper is killed whilst his customers are left unharmed. What lies behind the killers choices?

Who lives? Who dies? Who’s next? The clock is ticking. If Helen can’t solve this deadly puzzle then more blood will be shed. But any mistake and the life that may be shed may be her own.

In the previous book in this series, Helen was in prison charged with murder for a crime she didn’t commit but now she is out and back in charge of her Southampton detective squad and we get to see her back meeting yet another challenge. This compulsively written police procedural rushes on to it’s very exciting conclusion

The author, M.J.Arlidge published the first D.I.Helen Grace book, “Eeny Meeny” in May 2014, with huge success and I reviewed it the following year and was absolutely astounded at the massive quality of the writing which has been compared favourably to the Stieg Larsson book “The Girl With Dragon Tattoo”. Since then he has had published a further five books in the series which have received rapturous success.

This seventh book is the kind that once picked up is very difficult to put down and I was equally gripped until I reached the superb ending. I do hope the author writes many more. Very strongly recommended.



Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk in due course)

I have read all the books by M. J. Arlidge, in the Helen Grace series and have loved every single one, however on this occasion with the latest instalment, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. Although I enjoyed this book, I felt it lacked something that the previous books all had and I was left feeling a bit disappointed. I would recommend reading this book, purely because the previous books were so good, but be prepared for an anticlimax.

I was so excited to be lucky enough to receive a copy of this book. M J Arlidge is a master crime storyteller and Helen Grace has to be up there as one of (if not the) best characters to come out of crime fiction today.

Fresh from her release from Holloway Helen is brought in to track down a couple of spree killers rampaging the streets of Southampton. The book is set in real time and you literally cannot put it down without wanting to pick it back up again. From start to finish it's non-stop action and at no point do you feel as a reader that it's ok to put it down. You can't! My only problem with these is that he doesn't write fast enough!!! I can't wait for his next one already.

I would highly recommend these books to those wanting to start off on a new series.

I really could not put this book down, have enjoyed all of the books by this author. The story was gripping and fast paced. I liked that Helen seemed more vulnerable in this story, but I was disappointed that Joanna was killed off, would have liked her and Helen to return
To a good working relationship. But overall a great story. Well deserved 5 stars.

Helen Grace is one of my favourite fictional characters and I was eagerly awaiting book number seven from M.J. Arlidge. The story is a classic cat and mouse chase and takes place across a 24 hour period. I loved the way it was written as you could feel the urgency building with each chapter - I struggled to put this down. I can safely say that this is my favourite Helen Grace book to date! If, like me, you are an M.J. Arlidge fan then you will not be left disappointed! 5 out of 5 stars *****

I like this series and love the character of Helen Grace.I really enjoyed the previous book in the series and thought it was very original, this book was good but not as good as that one, the action and settings were more mundane ,although maybe I am being unfair in comparing this book to the previous one as that was excellent, this was still a good read and the action was fast ,it centered around a Bonnie and Clyde type pair complete with long coats and sawn off shotguns who were on a killing spree with Helen playing catch up trying to stop them .I did enjoy this and will be looking forward to the next book in the series.Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Well what can I say.... Another excellent book by MJ Arlidge.Helen Grace at her best yet again.Loved it.

I have really enjoyed all of M.J. Arlidge's Helen Grace book so I was delighted to get hold of the latest one in the series. Having followed Helen's story from the start of the book I was eager to see how she would cope with her return to work after her undeserved imprisonment. Although there were repercussions, the events of the book were so fast moving you scarcely had time to notice.

Told in short chapters it covers a brief twenty four hours when Southampton is reeling from one brutal shooting after another. Helen struggles to work out the clues as to where the killer will strike next.

Like many books, if you want to be picky you might say this story was far-fetched, but then when we read fiction we do so to step away from reality. I was totally swept up in the moment and loved every tense page. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for giving me this nail-biting ride!

“Love Me Not” is one of my most anticipated books this year. I love the series about Helen Grave and her team and after her ordeal in the last book I was curious how she would go on with her life and work. And it is not an easy road for Helen Grace to get back to normal. She is seriously pissed and bitter, this making it hard for her to function correctly at work with her colleagues. Especially DI Sanderson, the one who betrayed her the most. Sanderson is doing all the foot work, even if she is high in rank. Helen just can’t forget and forgive. When a couple of teenagers go on a murder spree in Southampton everybody is working hard to find a way to stop them. And Sanderson sees a way to finally prove to Grace that she is a good cop worth to be on the team. In the end there will be three funerals, seven dead and Helen Grace has to accept that she might have made a mistake. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin UK!

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
Having read and loved other books by MJ Arlidge in the Helen Grace series I was excited to read this. It is a very well constructed thriller and I particularly liked the way it it all takes place within one day. The style of writing and the short chapters are something I also like, especially in thrillers as they add to the drama. The pace is just right and the build up good.
A thrilling read. But I just didn't love it as much as the other books in the series.
4 stars

This is the seventh book in the series, which I discovered thankfully only at book two and have leapt on each book as they have come out.
In this instalment we see Helen back on the streets policing after being wrongfully incarcerated ( this is why it's good to read these books in order)
I felt this book was not as dark as the previous books but that didn't take any of the enjoyment out of this book.
After finding a probation officer gunned down Helen and her team must work quickly as the body count rises alarmingly in 24 hours.
The chapters have a sense of urgency about them and are short and punchy which keeps you reading the infamous "just one more chapter"
M.J. Arlidge never fails to wow me.

I was hooked with this series from book one and after the drama of book 6 I wasn't sure where the series would go. However, fast forward a few months and we see DI Helen Grace trying and struggling somewhat to fit back in following her stint in prison. Helen is trying to come to terms with the fact that her now colleague DS Joanna Sanderson was instrumental in helping put her behind bars. This means she is largely relying and falling back on her trusted colleague Charlie Brooks. It's pretty clear from the outset that Helen is struggling to trust anybody in her team and that sets an uneasy feeling throughout the book.

The team is on the hunt for a pair of killers with a Bonnie and Clyde feeling to it. The one thing I really liked about this latest book was the style of writing which included the times. It really gave a feel to how the plot was moving and gave an extra edge to the reader, knowing how fast-moving the crimes were. Within one day the pair indulge in a killing spree and the team are struggling to keep up so the book managed to keep up great pace throughout. The only thing that was slightly lacking for me was Helen herself. Don't get me wrong, she is generally a moody and suspicious character anyway but something was missing in this latest book. Her mistrust, and her seemingly skewed judgement made me feel like she had changed too much. Part of me wonders if this is due to what happened in the last book, however it didn't feel quite right.

However, that aside the series still appears to be going stong and with the end of this book having a rather monumental event take place, I feel like we may well see the return of a stronger and new and improved Helen in book 8. As ever this is still a fantastic read and read in two sittings so certainly still a great read, just not one of my favourites in the series. I will as ever eagerly await the next book, and can't wait to see where M J Arlidge takes the team next.

This review is written with thanks to Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin UK, and Netgalley for my copy of Love Me Not.
When a probation officer and a local shopkeeper are killed in quick succession, it sparks a killing frenzy that takes Detective Inspector (DI) Helen Grace and her team across Hampshire. Following her wrongful imprisonment, Helen is keen to show her colleagues and the public that she can still lead her team and bring the killer to justice. But can she find them before it is too late?
Love Me Not is slightly different to its predecessors in that it is set over a 24 hour time period. This means that it is more frenetic than the previous six instalments, and the fast pace kept me on the edge of my seat, particularly as the novel reached its climax and the team were closing in on the killer. However, this gives the reader fewer opportunities to reacquaint themselves with the characters and follow their development since the previous novels. As this is an aspect of police procedural novels that I usually enjoy, I would have appreciated more of it in Love Me Not.
Helen's time in Holloway Prison has changed her, and in Love Me Not, she emerges as a more anxious character who feels less able to rely upon the gut instinct that served her so well in previous novels. Although her mindset is understandable, I was intrigued to discover how Helen would react in another difficult situation, I missed the feisty Helen Grace and hope she returns in the novels that follow.
I reviewed Hide And Seek earlier this month and gave it a rare five star rating. Perhaps Love Me Not is the result of a hangover from the previous instalments, as whilst it contains all the gore and tension that I love in this series, it didn't match up to its predecessors for me.