<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!

3.5 stars

A good enjoyable read keeping up to date with Helen Grace on her team.
Interesting murders ,with an obscure enough motive that it took a while to pinpoint it.
Was it me,or were there too many hunting comments??
It seemed like the focus was on one person...everyone working hard to pin down.. then,nope not our man.
Fast paced for sure

To really enjoy this book it would be best to have read all other 7 in the series. However, don't worry, this fast paced thriller stands alone as a really good read.

DI Helen Grace is a complex figure and all of the characters have depth in this excellent book. It's a fabulously weird premise, people and animals are dying in the New Forest and in very suspicious circumstances. Is it other worldly, or, is there a murderer in the forest?

The DI and her team work tirelessly to uncover the truth and it's a page turner with a satisfying ending.

For those who have read earlier books, Helen is in a much better place than previously. She still has her demons but this is a gentler read but no worse for it.

Thanks to NetGalley, UK Penguin Michael Joseph and the author for the opportunity to preview.

I've been patiently awaiting this books released, and it certainly didn't disappoint. I'm a long term reader of the D.I. Helen Grace books and this latest instalment not only lived up to my expectations, but far surpassed them. I enjoyed the well thought out story and the unexpected twists and turns it took throughout. I also enjoyed getting to know a selection of new characters, and seeing those I already knew develop. I completely devoured this book the minute I received my copy and am left satisfied, looking forward to the next.

Brilliant. This is a great series and this book does not disappoint. Action packed and gripping from the start. Helen Grace is a character that I enjoy reading about and finding out more about. This book is really well thought out and really well put together. I hope there are many more to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

First of all thank you to Michael Joseph Penguin Books UK and Net Galley for the privilege of reading this book. I have loved the Helen Grace series from book 1 and this latest one certainly does not disappoint. So climb on, take a seat and strap yourself in for a ride of a lifetime. You literally hit the ground running with this book and you are hurtling along at full speed only slowing down near the end. This is crime fiction at its best. You are gripped from the first page to the last. You feel as if you are right there in the pages with the characters. Its action packed, gritty and with just the right of emotion. A cracker of a read. Well done MJ Arlidge . I have no hesitation in recommending this book and the series.

I enjoyed this book,I like the series and the characters in the police team.I thought this was an exciting and puzzling read,it kept me guessing ,I thought I had it all worked out but I wasn't right.No spoilers from me,I thought the pace was good and the murders were horrible and the killer was scary,just what I want in a book like this.I can't wait to read more in this series now.Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this ARC.