What a great opening chapter, but then we have come to expect this from M J Arlidge’s excellent crime thrillers! A young woman wakes up to find her boyfriend has disappeared from their tent they are sharing in the woods. When he fails to return, she calls the police and they discover a body. But the man’s death is no accident. Helen Grace and her team start to investigate. Down to the Woods is fast paced (the short chapters help the pace enormously) and I enjoyed the new team dynamic with a new DS keen to prove his worth. Journalist Emilia Garanita once again tests the patience of the team as she bribes her way to even bigger headlines. I really felt the characters matured in the book, became more human, perhaps at the expense of the grisly detail but I liked that, and I don’t think it lessened the impact of the story. Excellent read!

Another brilliant offering by M J Arlidge following the exploits of Helen and her team as they search for a killer. These books get better and better as you get to know the team and you see their friendships and support for one another grow through the course of the books.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy of Down to the Woods, the 8th novel to feature Southampton based DI Helen Grace.

Helen and the team are called out to a vicious murder in the New Forest, Tom Campbell has been shot by an arrow and hung upside down from a tree. An all round good guy the team have no idea why he was killed, whether he was selected or a random victim or what the motive could be. Then another body is discovered with no links to Tom.

I thoroughly enjoyed Down to the Woods which is a good mystery with several twists and turns and all the requisite red herrings and blind alleys topped off by an action packed finale. It is mostly told from Helen's point of view but the ghastly Emilia Garanita, journalist extraordinaire, gets a good airing as do the events leading up to the murders and sundry other voices. I don't always like this scattergun approach to narration, finding it disruptive and distracting, and it doesn't always work in this novel as it sometimes feels disjointed and tears the reader away from an impending juicy reveal so it's just ok. The plot is absorbing with several false starts as the team try to home in on a suspect and motive but gradually it all comes together.

I like the new version of Helen Grace. She's as sharp as ever investigatively but she seems so much calmer, more settled and less haunted by her past, so much so that's she's even hinting at happiness. It makes her a more rounded and credible character and the novel a more comfortable read. Her sidekick DS Charlie Brooke is working through her own problems and new boy DS Joseph Hudson is still a bit of an enigma with hidden secrets to be pondered.

Down to the Woods is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

I have read and enjoyed all the others books in the DI Helen Grace series that, when I saw this on NetGalley I was so excited that, I had to request it. I had originally pre ordered it.
Melanie Walton wakes up in her tent in the New Forest with a banging headache, finding her partner Tom has disappeared. The last thing she remembers is going to sleep with him the night before. She searches for him to no avail. She calls the Police and DI Helen Grace is leading the search, when she gets a call that, one of the Forestry worker has made a grim discovery. Tom Campbell’s body hanging from a tree, with arrows deep in his chest, neck and back, with a look of terror on his face. Not long after, another body is found of Lauren Scott. Someone is targeting campers. Why these two people and what is their connection?
This is another case for DI Helen Grace and her team. The usual members of the team plus a new addition DS Joseph Hudson. Young, fit and handsome but, has similar characteristics to Helen. They get on very well together and they try and keep it professional but things develop between them. You see a calmer side of Helen than in previous books. You also have the reporter that everyone loves to hate, Emilia Garanita. Always trying to cut corners to advance in her career and always trying to get one over Helen Grace.
I was so excited to receive this and I wasn’t disappointed. This story is fast paced with lots of twists and turn and I found some on the forest scenes quite scary. Especially when the author described the hooded figure. It was something like out of a horror movie. This is not as gritty as previous novels but I enjoyed it all the same. I can’t get enough of Arlidge’s writing.

Thank you Penguin Michael Joseph, NetGalley and M. J. Arlidge for a copy of this book

It's been over a year since the last Helen Grace novel and despite the last one not been my favourite of the series it has felt like a long time since we checked in with Helen and her team. And it's great to have her back....it's like welcoming a long lost if somewhat dysfunctional friend back into the fold. It has to be said though M.J. Arlidge made a canny decision in taking a break from this series. Down To The Woods feels more like earlier instalments of the series. Tense, a wee bit gruesome, authentic and at its heart a bunch of characters you can really care about.

Welcome back Helen, we've missed you!

I received this from NetGalley.

Matt Arlidge once again gives us a fast paced white knuckle ride with likeable Detective Helen Grace. The writing is pacey and the short chapter structure drives the reader on, the changes in perspective between detectives, both at work and at home along with the ever intrusive Emilia Garanita from the local newspaper give plenty of food for thought. The storyline in this book is emotionally engaging and the tension builds well throughout before reaching a crescendo, the last 50 pages or so flew by and at times I am sure I read at least 3 or 4 chapters without taking a breath such was the intensity of the action.

As a fan of this series I was delighted to have the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Whilst you do not need to have read the previous books there are some references to previous events but they are not intrusive and having read this one readers will want to devour the rest of the series. In this instalment we are introduced to new detectives who provide some new storylines and there is certainly more to come.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book and hope that the author gains new fans along the way.

#DownToTheWoods #NetGalley

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39300355-down-to-the-woods" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Down to the Woods (Helen Grace #8)" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1532468600m/39300355.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39300355-down-to-the-woods">Down to the Woods</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7068319.M_J_Arlidge">M.J. Arlidge</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2528858439">5 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I was so lucky that I received an advance copy from Netgalley. Having read the previous 7 books and a huge fan of Helen Grace and her team I was waiting with baited breath to read this book. I was not disappointed. After the sad ending to the previous book it was great to catch up with the characters and be introduce to a new member of the team. There is more to learn about him in future books I am sure.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/30643925-judith-wilson">View all my reviews</a>

A very enjoyable read. When two seemingly unconnected people are murdered in the New Forest DO Helen Grace and her team have to try and find the murdered before more killings happen. Some of the officers are fighting their own demons following the death of a colleague, which isn't helping.

I really liked this book - I am a massive MJ Arlidge fan and this has been on my wishlist. A great book where we see a softer side of DI Grace - has she met her match?!

As always, not for the faint hearted but I stormed through this book and really enjoyed it - thanks netgalley for sharing an ARC with me :)

I am so sorry, but I've read a quarter of this book and have no desire to continue. The author's attempts, constantly, to try to inject suspense, fail miserably. I don't know which writing " Formula" is being followed, but it's abysmal.
OK, now got over my frustrate-moment. I'll try to be a little more objective. However, this will be difficult. To start with, the inordinate amount of time and detail regarding the 'fight' through the undergrowth was really, quite frankly, an author who appears to think that constant detail, e.g. Running man, adds to a menacing atmosphere. Wrong. It was over the top, boring.
OK, we then have the police involvement, graphic detail of the victim's wounds, but sorry, why do I need to know what people are thinking? This kind of writing really, really, annoys me. Of course I don't know what the rest of the book offers - it lost my patience ages ago.
Again, my apologies, perhaps I am just too exacting, but I really am not at all interested in this author's further writing.

This book was amazing! It was great to get reacquainted with DI Helen Grace and her team, based in Southampton Central MIT and their new recruit. It would appear they have a killer on the loose in the New Forest.

The book is expertly written, full of short chapters which I prefer. The characters work well together and DI Grace has a boss she can work with. The story flows and pulls you in so you don't want to the put the book down. There has been a lot of research before this book has been written and there are a few twists which drive DI Grace and her team up the wall, especially when the local press seem to be getting ahead of the game.

Just absolutely loved it!

WHOOP WHOOP for fans of Helen Grace, no review is necessary as you know they’re going to be cracking and this one is no different. As an avid fan of the DI Helen Grace series, I was delighted to get a chance to read DOWN TO THE WOODS in advance given I’m not a very patient person!!

In the 8th instalment, you would question, will I ever go camping again when Helen, Charlie and the team including new DS Joseph Hudson are called to the New Forest when a body is found hanging from a tree in a particularly gruesome manner. The body is that of Tom Campbell who was camping in the new Forest with his fiancé when he awoke to find he was being hunted by a hooded figure with a crossbow and very far from his tent. How did he get there, who is chasing him? Soon, after they are called to the New Forest again to the site of a second body fashioned in the same way, that being of Lauren Scott who had also been camping in the New Forest with her boyfriend. What, if any, have these two got in common or is it opportunistic for the killer?

Grace and her team are against the clock as the pesky, annoying reporter Emilia Garantia seems to be ahead of them as regards information and as such is thwarting their investigation but she is only out for herself and will trample over everyone and anyone for a story (lets be honest, who doesn’t want to give her a good slap!!!).

This story is full of twists and turns and quite scary with the plot taking place in such a vast area of forest! I’m not going to more specific for fear of ruining anything but to say you’re in for a rollercoaster of a ride is an understatement. So M.J. Arlidge, when can we expect No. 9, I did tell you I was impatient…. Can’t wait to see how the relationship between Grace & Hudson plays out, she could do with a bit of happy every after!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Penguin UK – Michael Joseph and of course M.J. Arlidge for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am a huge fan of this series of books by M.J. Arlidge and was impatiently waiting for the release of this one. Each book just gets better and better. I really like the characterisation of his books and find his writing style very easy to immerse myself into. I read this book in one sitting and could not put it down. A must-read for anyone who is fan of psychological thrillers and anyone who likes this author.

A brilliant return to form for this author after previous books in the series went somewhat off piste. Grace and team are back to their blistering best with a breakneck speed storyline and human characters. Well done!!

Number eight of a brilliant crime series, there is just enough information to read as a stand-alone but I prefer to read a series in order to get the full benefit. The woods are a scary place at night but when there is a killer loose it gets a whole lot worse. If you were camping in the woods why would you leave your sleeping partner and go out into the cold dark night, you are asking for trouble. Cold blooded murder is what is facing the team and they have very little to go on, no one has seen or heard anything. I loved this book and read it in a couple of sittings a great read, without doubt, a worthy 5*

MJ Arlidge is a master of crime fiction, balancing dark plots with the human element of his lead detective, Helen Grace, and her team. Helen Grace is a deeply complex and damaged character whom we have come to understand ( and love) more over seven excellent previous novels.

This eighth book is no exception and a dark and twisty rollercoaster of a plot is carefully balanced with more character development for Helen and the team and the introduction of a new member, Joseph Hudson.

Something dark is at loose on the New Forest, firstly ponies are brutally killed, then campers who have been made to run for their lives before being murdered and their bodies strung up lie trophies.

Kim and her team face a race against time to identify and locate the killer and we are right in the pages with them as that race develops , clues are o]put together and the killer stopped. Another great read! Did we also see Helen being a bit more human - or did I imagine that? Probably imagined it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

If you go DOWN TO THE WOODS then you're in for a big suprise. !!! Open the book and step into the grim world that DCI Helen Grace and her team inhabit.Follow the breadcrumbs that lead Helen and her team through a nightmarish vision of revenge,murder and a hatred so strong it leads to our heroine being in mortal danger.
If you have read previous books that include her you will know that DCI Grace is a formidable opponent for any wrong doer and her abilities have been honed over those stories. That being said you can read this as a standalone if you're new to her there is enough of a thread to tell you of her background.
So this storyline has a atmospheric quality when we are confronted with an horrific murder within The New Forest that set the scene for further horrors as the book speeds along. As the murderer thwarts attempts to track him and the author throws red herrings into the mix you're left clinging onto the edge of your seat as the hunt heats up. Who's stealing into your tent at night and whisking you into a nightmare world of pain and death, why is this happening well read the book and step into Helens world.
M J Arlidge has delivered another terrific book that leaves you reluctant to finish because you want to carry on living in Helens world.

I would like to thank Penguin UK-Michael Joseph and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Down To The Woods’, the eighth in the DI Helen Grace series written by M J Arlidge, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Tom Campbell is camping in the New Forest when he’s chased by a hooded figure who has no human face apart from two lamp-like eyes. He’s shot with a crossbow then strung up on a tree and left to bleed out on the forest floor. Soon after, Lauren Scott is found hanging from a tree in a similar manner.
DI Helen Grace and her team, including her new sergeant Joseph Hudson, start the search for clues to identify the killer chasing numerous false leads and dead ends, but have the added complication of local reporter Emilia Garanita as she uses all her resources to make the front page and in doing so thwart Helen’s investigation.
‘Down To the Woods’ is a brilliant addition to the DI Helen Grace series and I was completely gripped, partly due to living near the New Forest and knowing the area, but mainly because of the exceptional writing of M J Arlidge who has the ability to introduce excitement and suspense into each heart-stopping page. The complex plot is macabre, with twists and turns, lots of action, and a horrifying conclusion. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this novel, I couldn’t stop reading as I had to discover the identity of the killer but I didn’t want it to end. I’d give more than five stars if I could, it’s absolutely brilliant!

LOVED this book. Have read all of the previous in the series, and so was glad to see a new one coming out. Series is still great, I love the way new story lines are still being carved out and with no sign of letting up yet. Please let there be a follow up soon! Will be intrigued to see how the dynamics between Grace and Hudson pan out...

An excellent continuation of a cracking series - great characters, excellent plot, good storytelling, definitely recommended!