First time I've read a book in this series and I quite enjoyed it.

The plot was easy to get into, I worked out pretty early on what the connection was to the murders, it was similar to an episode of Diagnosis murder that I've watched. It was still and enjoyable read.

Really wasn't a fan of Hudson and Emilia, such vicious characters.

My only issue with the book is that I am a huge fan of Peter James and his character DI Roy Grace - so whenever Helen Grace was referred to by her surname, I had Roy Grace in my head, really messed with my police characters!! Ha ha.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

4.5 stars
This is book 10 of the most fabulous series starring the wonderful Helen Grace. As I always say, it's best to start from book one and read in order. Especially with a main character as complex as Grace is. Although the main story is self contained you'll miss out on back story and character development if you don't.
So... as our book opens we find that Helen and her team have a bunch of unrelated outstanding crimes on their books. A veritable crimewave has been occurring, And, as we soon find out, is still happening as the crimes continue to rack up. These are all crimes without apparent motives and with no leads or suspects. The police really are flummoxed. Which leads us to our side story of disquiet in the ranks and a vendetta raged against Helen. The press and indeed Helen's own nemesis is also out for her, citing ineffectuality and incompetence. Helen really has her plate full with all these shenanigans. Especially when one of her own starts to pull the investigation in a different way to her.
But, in Grace we trust... well, we have for the previous 9 books and she hasn't let us down yet! And when she starts to make connections, to figure out what in the heck is happening, well... I had to sit back and applaud the author for a job well done. The ending did irk me a tad - hence the half star lost. I have also rounded down as the bickering between Grace, Hudson and Garanita did wear me down quite a bit and overshadowed what was a really rather intriguing crime spree.
All in all, a good solid addition to an already well established series which, due to the ending herein, I can't wait to catch up to in the next book. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I'm quite new the the Helen Grace series, as I only began the series last year. However, I instantly fell in love with it and I'm working my way through them all. When I was given the chance to read this one I was really happy. MJ Arlidge writes such fantastic and complex characters. The tension she puts into the scenes, is just amazing and keeps you on your toes throughout.

It's difficult to review the storyline with out giving anything away, so I would suggest reading the blurb and then viewing that through a cinematic lens and that's how it'll be when you read it! :)

Recommended for fans of Arlidge, fans of police procedurals and complicated crime thrillers.

A crimewave is sweeping Southampton and it appears no one is safe!

Arson, a carjacking, a murder in the park…unlawful acts seemingly unconnected but for their similarity in the absence of clues.

But it soon becomes clear that this web of crimes is more twisted then it first seemed. Can DI Helen Grace and the MIT members piece together this nightmarish puzzle before it’s too late?


I have followed this series from the very beginning, and was thrilled to receive an ARC for “Truth or Dare”.

Helen was once a complex character, which I wholly enjoyed, but now she seems to be making quite a character arc and almost becoming mainstream in her personal development. This is a slight let down for me as I loved her complicated background and personality. However, thankfully Arlidge is taking Grace from strength to strength as a detective with each instalment of this series, and we find plenty of her trademark unorthodox methods in this book.

The story itself was a slow burn at first but soon picked up the pace once Helen and the team found themselves, once again, under pressure. There were quite a few threads in this book and I can see why plenty of reviewers have said they got a tad confused. Happily, this wasn’t the case for me, each new strand helped to weave a clearer picture of what was going on and I eagerly devoured the pages as fast as Helen tried to find her killer!

As always with this genre, I’m not going to go into too many details as I feel it ruins the suspense for future readers. But I will say this, if you’re already an Arlidge/Grace fan you must read this book and if you’re new to this series, I am slightly jealous that you have 10 amazing books to tuck into…go start at the very beginning and enjoy!

This is well written but complex plot which makes it worth sticking with. There is an outbreak of apparently unrelated murders in Southampton but is it that simple? Then there is the added complexity of internal police warfare! It is an interesting background and leads the reader to wonder who is behind the murders. It takes considerable time for the truth to become solved. This is a well written, absorbing novel. I don’t want to spoil it by giving any more. I recommend it.

I’ve read all the books featuring Helen Grace and this is a series going from strength to strength. Grace is a force field character. Very different, totally plausible and she and her relationships develop with each book.

Arlidge is a gifted storyteller who’s created a crime series that leaves the reader wanting more every time. And after 9 books, that’s no mean feat. Southampton is well depicted, so there’s a strong sense of location. As one horrendous incident follows another, both the pace and pressure build and it feels like a race against time to get through the story. The chapters are short and sharp so the pace is relentless. There’s no telling how it will end and I can’t wait for the next one. Absolutely brilliant crime writing.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Truth or Dare by M J Arlidge
This is another M J Arlidge Helen Grace story and continues from where we left off in All Fall Down. We knew at the end of the previous novel that Joseph Hudson, Helen’s ex-lover and second in command, was determined to take Helen’s job and besmirch her name. We did not know the lengths to which he would stoop .
Helen is dealing with an ever growing list of murder victims none of whom seem to be linked. Nor do any of the victims appear to have enemies who were capable of killing them. As usual Emilia Garanita is a thorn in Helen’s side and there are further troubles which beset her as she attempts to solve these complex cases.
As always M J Arlidge leaves the door open at the end of the novel for the next to follow on seamlessly. This book is a must for all fans of Helen Grace and a good addition to this interesting series.
Many thanks to the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this novel in return for an honest review.

Another fast paced read from M.J Arlidge.
The latest Helen Grace novel is a great read , Southampton is in the middle of a crime wave and the police are failing the battle to get on top of it .
The crimes are apparently random and unconnected but are they? Helen finds herself in a race against time to try and solve these crimes , whilst experiencing discord in her team and an attempt to undermine her at every turn.
The writing is of the calibre I have come to expect from M.J. Arlidge , and the unique story line had me reading late in to the night to reach the conclusion.
An enjoyable read , highly recommended!
Thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group .

Truth or Dare is a great crime mystery with drama in the case and the professional life of the investigating officers.

This is the first crime book that I've read that is set after, life has returned to normal after the Covid pandemic. Which due to the increase in unemployment and debt has caused a crime wave in Southampton. This aspect grounded the book as it wouldn't surprise me once if this happened.

The case was interesting and I enjoyed reading as everything started clicking into place. As in places in the book, your not sure which officer is on the right track and how everything is linked.

The drama between DCI Grace and DS Hudson adds a lot to Truth or Dare. The way in which they both investigate and the play for power. My opinion of DS Hudson is low, very low like I would punch him in the face.

Overall my rating for Truth or Dare is 4.2 out of 5.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars

I’ve read all the author’s books and in the main I enjoy them. This was one of my least favourite however.

I think the story loses something because we know who committed each crime as it is described to us.

There is some suspense in the storyline of who is behind it all but not enough. Plus all the perpetrators are unlikeable so you don’t really feel too sorry for them.

The other weak link is the Hudson storyline; it detracts something from the main story

Not really for me sorry.

Another nail-biting Helen Grace installment of this series.
I found this a bit of a slow burner in the beginning, it took a while to warm up, but I feel that it needed a bomb proof build up to such an intricate storyline.
It unfolded into a nail-biting thriller with domestic and criminal storyline running alongside each other.
I am a big fan of Helen Grace, despite reading many of the books she still remains a bit of a mystery and is a well rounded likeable character.
I loved the plot, it was twisted, complicated, and a brilliant idea for a fantastic tense read.
The only criticism I have is that I felt a little dissapointed in the ending, I felt it was too abrupt and even though it has left me eagerly anticipating the next installment, I feel it being more comprehensive and better tied up would have made for a better read.

Truth or Dare is the latest instalment in the DI Helen Grace series. A crime wave is sweeping through the city and it seems no one is safe. No crime is the same, no apparent motives and there seems to be no connection but Helen is convinced they are all linked somehow. With disruption amongst her team Helen has to work twice as hard to solve the crimes before more victims are found.

I enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. A great police procedural that I can highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Orion and the author for the chance to review.

M.J.Arlidge is back with number ten in the D.I Helen Grace series and although it can be read as a standalone I would highly recommend you read the series in order to understand the back stories and key relationships.

This time out D.I Grace and her team are struggling to join the dots when a crime wave hits Southampton and with in house fighting and local media against her, Helen is up against the odds.

It is another fast paced compelling read that I couldn't put down and I am impatiently waiting for book number eleven in the series.

A fascinating twist to serial killers MO and my first encounter with Helen Grieves,a really gripping storyline kept me guessing from beginning to end..When you finally get to the end although the person behind the murders is exposed it was a surprise to read that he had exscaped.looking forward to the next part of his story.

I love Helen Grace series and this one didn’t disappoint she has to investigate really very complex murders and no links to any of them and also she has to deal with personal differences within her team brought about by journalist Emilia Garanita who you find hard to like in fact she’s horrible. I found the story really intense and felt exhausted reading it, I couldn’t guess the person behind it all so was shocked at the end and what a cliffhanger can’t wait for next one now.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an early copy

A series of brutal diverse crimes like no other are sweeping through the streets of Southampton: arson, knife crime, hit and run and more. There are no apparent links, each of the crimes are vastly different in nature, seemingly motiveless and with no obvious suspect to bring to call. What’s more there are no links between each crime, either in personnel or methodology. It’s all a huge mystery. This is how the tenth novel in the Detective Inspector Helen Grace series starts and Helen is left out in the cold. Her team are of course working hard but they are nowhere near discovering clues to crack the case and solve the crimes.
Meanwhile Joseph Hudson, once sponsored by Helen and admitted into her team, has turned on her and is challenging her authority by trying to manipulate members of the team to support him in a different way of policing. How dare he. He has what he believes is a viable suspect yet Helen refuses to initiate an investigation and insists on using her own, once failsafe, tried and tested methods. She is sure the crime wave is being orchestrated by one criminal mastermind who is weaving webs around her efforts of detection. She feels there are too many pieces of the jigsaw missing and that she is unable to make a case as usual and finally reveal the evil and savage ringleader. Is this right?
In the office there is unrest. Someone is supplying false news to the press, making Helen’s team out to be failing and fading. The bigwigs upstairs are twitching. Maybe Helen is not the leader she used to be. What is going on? Has Helen lost her grip? Something must be done to rectify the situation and soon. Read on to find out what happens next.
Matthew Arlidge has once again delivered the goods. This thrilling series is exciting, bold and always brings with it a diversity of subject and matter. This novel is breath taking in complexity, pace and conviction. The characters on the team are familiar, although missing Charlie who is at home on leave. One favoured character has been hiding a secret which is unleashed and impacts on the story. The characters, created for just this novel alone are diverse, interesting and skilfully developed. One of them is devious beyond belief and this causes Helen to figuratively bring out the big guns. The final revelation is jaw-dropping, unexpected and introduces a real tense cliff-hanger, quickly bringing the paragraph and story to an end. It shocked me and I felt this was the only weakness of the storytelling, lacking subtlety and finesse. Nevertheless I can’t wait for novel number eleven, not only because of the cliff-hanger either.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Orion through my membership of NetGalley. It was sent in return for an honest and unbiased review and I would like to thank them for my copy of the novel. It’s a 4* review from me. Be alert for surprises, tension, and a rollercoaster of action, but you’ll be certain to enjoy your rocky ride.

Another excellent read in the Helen Grace series - these books just get better and better - highly recommended

This book sees the return of DCI Helen Grace in a post-Covid Southampton. Crime is rising, public support for the police is declining and Helen’s control of her team, and her personal life, are falling apart.

An intriguing read with lots of plot twists throughout.

I love the DCI Helen Grace books by MJ Arldige, and wish they’d be adapted for a tv series.

MJ Arlidge is one of the best police procedural authors and the Helen Grace series has become a great series over the years. The new novel is as good as all that has come before with a strong plot and Helen's personal life.
Out of all the authors who write these type of novels I'd recommend MJ Arlidge at the top!

Stymied by a series of seemingly unrelated murders and worried by disruption from within her own investigation team DI Helen Grace is up against time, the local press and her chief inspector. To make it harder she is up against a highly clever adversary with a ruthless streak. MJ Arlidge is at his brilliant best.