This is the eighth book in the DI Helen Grace series, but the first I've read. I do think they are probably best read in order as I did have to try to fill in some gaps in my knowledge as I went along, but it also gave away quite a lot from previous books (which I imagine may be spoilers if you want to go back and read the earlier ones).

In this book, DI Helen Grace and her team are called upon to investigate some particularly gruesome murders occurring in the New Forest. This place of natural beauty has become a crime scene as someone is abducting campers from their tents and stalking them through the trees. It's up to Grace to find the killer before the police themselves are hunted down.

I enjoyed this and the writer certainly knows how to write tension - there were lots of points where I couldn't put the book down and the shifting between the characters in different chapters was engagingly done. I couldn't stand the journalist character, but do concede that she brought a different strand to the story.

Overall, a well written and fast paced detective story. I'll look for more by this writer.

Loved this dark and gruesome tale.

Even though I’ve read most of the other books in the series I don’t feel it’s necessary to have completed them before reading this book.

Looking forward to exploring a possible romance in the next offering!

4.5 stars

DI Grace is back and this doesn't disappoint. As a fan of the series, Down To The Woods, delivers the fast-paced twisting plot, whilst developing Helen's character and private life. The setting of the New Forest provides the atmospheric backdrop to the story and the crimes are as chilling as ever.

This was my first book by this author and although it was the 8th in the D.I. Helen Grace series I felt it didn’t matter that I hadn’t read them. There were a few comments about things that had obviously happened in previous books but it didn’t distract from this story. It did however make me want to read them so have now added the back list to my to be read list.
Recommend

M. J. Arlidge has done it again! This is definitely one of my favourite series, and I wasn’t disappointed by this book. If you’re a lover of crime books, then M. J. Arlidge is an author that you need to read. I knew that I would enjoy this book, and I did. Full of suspense with an ending that completely shocked me, I’m hoping there’s another book to come for this series. During the ending my heart was racing and I just couldn’t read fast enough, desperate to know what was happening and how it was going to end. I love all of the characters and am so glad I was given the opportunity to read more about Helen and Charlie. This book is very well written and I was completely engrossed, reading it during every spare moment that I had. Every time I thought I had guessed what was happening, something completely baffled me and all of my theories were ruined. That’s the sign of an amazing book. I also love that there was mention of historical events and traditions (I can’t say much more than that without ruining anything). I love a crime book that has a historical element that is relevant and correct! It makes it so much more appealing. Definitely recommend this whole series to everyone!

MJ Arlidge is one of those authors whose work I always look forward to reading, and with Down To The Woods he definitely doesn't disappoint. As with his previous novels featuring DI Helen Grace, Arlidge effortlessly weaves multiple plotlines, characters and locations, never allowing readers to get lost or (literally) lose the plot. Each short, vivid chapter is like a scene in a TV drama (no surprise as MJA has an extensive background in the field), capturing enough tension and maintaining pace and interest to constantly propel readers forward. Other reviewers have summarised the plot incredibly well, so read them for an overview. There is less attention on Grace's complexities here than in previous outings and unmissable hints at a possible romance to come in the future. You don't have to have read any of the preceding DI Grace novels to enjoy DTTW, but I'd recommend them anyway. A cracking read - can't wait for the next instalment!

This is the 8th book in the Helen Grace series by author MJ Arlidge.
I can't believe this is already the 8th book in this series, starting with 'Eeny Meeny' four years ago and I am still enjoying it.
When Melanie Walton wakes up in her tent in the New Forest she discovers that her boyfriend Tom has disappeared and after failing to find him she calls the police. Very soon Tom Campbell’s body is discovered hanging from a tree, his face has a look of terror and there are arrows deep in his chest, neck and back. Soon after another body is found, that of Lauren Scott. Are the campers being targeted and is there a connection, call for Helen Grace.
Another gripping novel in a series that goes from strength to strength.
I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I really love the natural beauty of lush green forests and woodland, and just this summer spent time walking in the New Forest where ‘Down To The Woods’ is located, but the thought of being lost deep in the forest with a serial killer on the loose, hunting his prey to their deaths gives me the chills!

A young woman staying in a tent on a camp site in the New Forest awakes to find her boyfriend missing. His body is subsequently found deep in the forest hanging from a tree, but he’s also suffered devastating injuries prior to this.

Following on from this murder, two of the beautiful New Forest ponies are found dead, and the manner in which they died appears to have the same MO as the young man’s murder. However, the killer isn’t finished yet, and before long, the body of a young woman is found in exactly the same way as the first, displayed hanging from a tree, almost as if the killer is proud of his handiwork.

DI Helen Grace is SIO, and together with her regular hard working and dedicated team, she also has the services of newly transferred DS Joe Hudson - this is a guy who won’t readily disappear into the background, he’s determined to shine in his chosen career, and in addition, he finds himself attracted to his boss!

The team certainly have their work cut out trying to find the perpetrator of these gruesome murders. It’s clear that the killer is at home in the forest, he’s cunning and appears to be an experienced hunter, but don’t jump to conclusions with this one, as the author has made expert use of misdirection - smoke and mirrors to lead us down the wrong path. The characters are certainly plausible and help drive the novel towards a heart pounding and satisfying conclusion. This is one that I would definitely recommend!

* My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for my Arc. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *

This was my first encounter with DI Helen Grace, so I obviously missed some of the characters' backstories, however I felt joining in at this point was easy enough. It's a good, entertaining murder mystery and I'm looking forward to catching up with the other seven volumes.

Innocent men and women, hunted down and murdered whilst camping in the New Forest. At first they are taken, before being set free to try and flee before being tracked down by their faceless captor. In desperation, they call out for help. But there is no-one to hear their cries here...

DI Helen Grace must uncover the mystery behind the arrow-ridden victims found hanging from the ancient trees, before any more holidaymakers are taken and found this way.

Helen must walk into the darkness to discover the truth behind her most challenging, most macabre case yet, but will it lead her into danger herself?

I can happily always rely on Arlidge to write a utterly gripping and compelling story, full of twists and turns. In his usual style the author uses short, sharp chapters to increase suspense and tension.

It was really interesting to see what was in store for the MIT after the conclusion of the last instalment, and it was nice to see the team had pulled together in the aftermath or tragedy.

Unfortunately, there was only one thing that was disappointing about this book and was the lack of spirit Helen seemed to have. Throughout the entire series she has been an extremely complex and damaged character and I feel the author has done a complete about turn with her. Although it was great to see Helen's softer side, I felt the difficulties she faced in her personal life were brushed aside, and it is unusual for this series to focus solely on the investigation.

All in all, another brilliant read that has left me as eager as always for the next book.

I could not put this book down!

I have read a couple of M. J. Arlidge books before but not in any particular order and they can read on a stand alone basis.

The chief protagonist DI Helen Grace is a complex character, with her own issues. The other characters in the book were also interesting, especially the arrival of Joseph Hudson, who I am hoping will have a bigger role in the next book, his interaction with Helen Grace should be worth watching.

Basic premise is that people are being randomly hunter in woods whilst camping, or is it as random as it seems.....

Chapters are very short, which for me isn't an issue as book just flows.

I devoured it in one day and also vowed never to go camping.

Highly recommended

In this, the eighth novel in the DI Helen Grace Series, we meet a new member of Helen’s team DS Joseph Hudson, an ambitious and committed young man who is also handsome and very fit. There’s no time for him to get to know everybody before a murder is reported and handed to Helen’s team to be solved. Lauren and Tom are camping in the New Forest when one morning Lauren awakes with a splitting headache to find Tom is missing. Later on his body is found and the cause of death declared to be death by blood loss due to crossbow arrows penetrating his body. The team are all given their different task and so the investigation begins.

It looks like the archer has been practising on the New Forest ponies as well. Their bodies are discovered prone on the grass, their eyes showing the terror of their prolonged and agonising deaths. Then when a girl disappears from her tent leaving her boyfriend fast asleep, it looks like she has been taken in the same way. When she is found murdered and strung up in the depths of the forest, Helen feels chilled to the very core. They are dealing with a very sick person. Then she finds out that there have been rumours of a faceless apparition being seen in the forest and the hunt is on.

This is a dark and brutal story about a crazed and determined killer. As the plot is revealed the vivid storytelling and characterisation paints a terrifying and haunting picture of a beautiful and peaceful setting destroyed by malice, vengeance and raging anger. The surrounding area is on full alert and the campers frightened off, all but the most hardy and those vowing not to have their enjoyment culled. This is Helen Grace’s most baffling and complex case so far. As the investigation continues the team is frustrated by what seem to be excellent leads going absolutely nowhere. Each time the disappointment is like an arrow through the hearts of the police investigators. Time and time again the clues are explained and it is back to square one. The frustration is palpable. I recommend this novel as a real page-turner, thrilling and addictive. If you are put off by the back history of this series I can assure you this novel could easily be read as a standalone novel. I haven’t read them all strictly in numerical order either.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Penguin through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. I was totally awed throughout the entire story as the twists and turns and blind alleyways came like a volley from an automatic rifle, all resulting in a very small move forward. I’ve always really liked the character of Helen Grace who leads from the front and faces challenges straight on. It’s a 4.5* review from me and I’m counting the minutes until the next novel is published.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I’m speechless, this book is absolutely brilliant. The storyline is the best I’ve read in a while. It’s long which I love about a book. Each page had me wanting more, the characters are brilliant. Absolutely brilliant book. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know. Definately worth 5stars and more.

You know when you go through times when you just can’t get into books and plod through title after title unenthusiastically? Well that’s how I have been recently... until now. I didn’t want to put this one down. It’s a real page turner full of hearty characters and uncertainty. I would recommend this to all lovers of dark thrillers.

I have read and enjoyed all of the Helen Grace series, so was looking forward to this latest one. It certainly didn't disappoint. Helen and her team are investigating some truly horrific murders that take place in the New Forest. But they are struggling to find any links between the victims, and are continually finding themselves at a dead end. This is a real page turner which will keep you guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

The story is set in the New Forest and a young woman camper awakens to find her fiancee gone. There is another similar incident where a young woman goes missing. Why is this happening? Are they connected in some way? Two new forest ponies are found dead with the same injuries and DI Helen Grace and the Team are on the case to find the twisted killer before he strikes again.

Annoying journo, Emilia Garanita thinks she's one step ahead of the law and publishes news articles that aren't helpful to the case. There's a new DS on the team who is attracted to his boss and makes this known on more than one occasion.... As ever, a fast paced, gripping and twisted read which I devoured in two days. Absolutely loved it. Highly recommend.

Finally!! A new Helen Grace book is out. It feels a long time since May 2017 when the seventh book in the series was released so I was really excited to read Down To The Woods. Instead of concentrating on his Grace series, author MJ Arlidge has been busy doing other things, writing a book that doesn’t feature Grace that’s set in America for one. But thankfully he hadn’t forgotten Helen Grace and book eight has finally arrived.

I have to admit that at first I wasn’t sure about Down To The Woods, Grace is a character that I love and thoroughly enjoy catching up with when a new book is released, but I guess with the longer break it took me a little bit longer than normal to get back into the book and the character, and especially the smaller characters who aren’t quite as memorable.

But it didn’t take long before I was sucked into the story which was shockingly gruesome. Although I remain unconvinced that Arlidge can top the shock factor of the deaths in Eeeny Meeny (the first book in the Helen Grace series), he gives it a damn good try in Down To The Woods.

Grace herself seemed a little bit different in this book and I came to the conclusion that after the recent traumatic events that she’d been through Helen had grown up. She finally seemed to stop running and it even seemed that she may finally start to let people into her world and her life. Hurrah! I’m very pleased for her.

By the end of the book I didn’t want it to end, Arlidge has once again given us a twisted tale that terrifies and puts Grace and her team through their paces. For those of you who are new to Helen Grace then I strongly suggest that you start at the beginning. I’m sure that you could read Down To The Woods as a standalone, but it would be a lot better if you have read the previous books, and if you didn’t read them then you’d be missing out on some brilliant stories.

Many series lose their way around about now, but there’s no sign of that with Down To The Woods. I just hope that Arlidge doesn’t find too much else to occupy himself with so that there isn’t too long a way for book nine!

Thank you to the publishers, Michael Joseph at Penguin UK for a copy of Down To The Woods by M.J. Arlidge. I was under no obligation to review the book and all thoughts are my own.

4.5* rounded up to 5*

A killer is on the loose, abducting seemingly random people from their campsites before hunting them down through the dark forest. He catches them, kills them before stringing them up for them to be found. It's up to Helen Grace and her team to find the killer and figure out why these killings are happening.
I've read and loved all of M.J Arlidge's books and this is no different. You could FEEL and understand the fear of the victims when they were running and crashing through the forest while scared and disorientared with no clue as to what was going to happen. The story led me in different directions before pulling me back with a different plot twist and kept me guessing the whole time. Really enjoyed and would definitely recommend to crime lovers.

I love all of M J Arlidge’s books and I couldn’t wait to read this next instalment. It certainly didn’t disappoint! It gripped me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. There was the usual twists and turns galore and red herrings, just as you think you know who it has to be something comes along and blows your theory out of the water. If you love psychological thrillers then this series is a must. This book can be read as a stand-alone but it is better to start from the beginning as you will understand the character of Helen Grace so much better. Bring on number 9!!!

I haven't met DI Grace before and was quite surprised by her back story and all the traumas in her life and I did feel trying to catch up spoiled my enjoyment of the book. This is obviously no reflection on the author and I enjoyed the rather gruesome tale of murder in the new forest, and look forward to reading some of the previous books.