Thank you to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the complimentary copy of Cat and Mouse by M.J. Arlidge.

This was my first introduction to Detective Inspector Helen Grace, and was not disappointed.
I should read the first books in the series as I feel that I would have understood the story better with the previous books.

A killer has unleashed their terror on the city, preying on those alone at night. as DI Grace investigates, she discovers that the truth is closer to home than she'd like.

Wowee, what a read. An0ther fabulous case in the Helen Grace Series. Found myself holding my breath in parts. A gripping read!!

2.5 stars. An OK book, but I just found DI Helen Grace too unbelievable - in a previous book she caught the bad guy who’s now on the run but determined to make her pay by sending attackers after her, so dotted throughout the plot of this book, are several attempts by someone to kill her. Then you’ve got Helen recklessly driving or chasing after suspects, setting a terrible example for her team (who still somehow think she is a guru). Emilia is a caricature of a newspaper hack, no morals bar the story so happy to doorstep grieving families for a money shot photo of their anguish.

I’m hoping other books in the series are better, as I bought most of them in charity shops before trying one… and this is my first one read (I think 11th in the series).

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.

Cat and Mouse M.J Arlidge
Book 11 in the Helen Grace series, I love this series, and I love this character.
You know when you pick up this book you are in for a high octane ride.
This book is action packed and fast paced.
With some gruesome murders, DI Grace is up against it, with danger around every corner.

Looking forward to book 12

This is the eleventh book in the Grace Helen series, with the twelfth coming 4/7 (!!) and I loved it just as much as the first one. Arlidge can do no wrong in my eyes 🙌🏽

Opening with a brutal murder, this was a gripping, fast paced + captivating thriller with a complex plot, brilliantly written characters with depth and no end of red herrings + twists (I changed my mind on the perpetrator so many times!) These books read similar to an action movie in that they are so fast paced and action-packed that you can’t help but fly through the pages.

Was this the best book to read whilst Mr Redheadbookgirl was on night shifts? No, probably not, but we survived the ordeal and came out the other side.

Arlidge’s trademark SUPER short chapters (literally a couple of pages) make these books SO enjoyable to read and I can’t recommend them enough— definitely worth reading them in order too as there’s so much character background to pick up on!

𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑂𝑟𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝐵𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠, 𝑁𝑒𝑡𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑒𝑦 & 𝑀𝐽 𝐴𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑑𝑔𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑛 𝑎𝑑𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑝𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤. 𝐴𝑙𝑙 𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑤𝑛. 𝑅𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑒𝑤 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝐼𝐺 (@𝑟𝑒𝑑ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙), 𝐺𝑅 & 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ.

Helen Grace is back, with a vengeance, and I am glad of that!

The 11th installment in the series opens with a brutal murder. But you don't have to have read any previous novels to enjoy this one, though a little of Helen's back story might help.

Southampton has a new killer on the loose and it seems that the attacks are random and none of the victims have a link.

The Killer seems to be enjoying playing a cat and mouse game with the Police.

Can Helen find the killer before its too late?

Helen Grace is Not Like Other Girls! Helen is cool! Helen rides a motorbike! She's a natural athlete! She's a hero in her home town of Southampton where she single-handedly solves all the crime! Her team love her! She's amazing! She's talented! She's awesome! She can fight off strong men from elite special forces and come out on top! She can survive situations which would kill lesser mortals!

This is what the author keeps telling me anyway throughout this book, and the other books in the series which I've already read, Throughout I get bombarded with how great Helen is - the author thinks so, the characters think so, but it's bewildering to me because it doesn't stack up with what I, the reader, witness on the page. The woman is a hot mess who stumbles through murder investigations jumping to conclusions and solving the crime at the last minute through, mostly, sheer luck and the ability to put herself in life threatening situations and still survive them even if it stretches the boundaries of probability to ludicrous extents. (Come on, she falls 100ft into water which would kill most people; she is unconscious as she plunges through the water, and yet recovers consciousness and swims back to the surface with enough time to save the man she fell into water with? Really??)

Each book in this series is the same - Helen is lauded on each page as some sort of superstar, but multiple murders happen, multiple wrong people get arrested, her terrible bosses try to get her sacked (I dunno, maybe because she's a liability?) then she solves the day in a dramatic one-on-one battle with the perpetrator, and gets a clean slate at the end of it.

I'm no expert in police procedure, other than what I read from crime novels, but there doesn't seem to be any at all in this book. Helen is only a DI but seems to do as she pleases. There's limited police work depicted, and a lot of fighting. Officers somehow get promoted to new ranks on a whim and without having to do any sort of examinations or training. Characters commit crimes and then seem to get away with it or not based on whether or not they're Helen. None of it rings true and for a series this long, you'd think some of it would actually feel accurate by now. Judging by other reviews I'm in the minority but this book (and the series in general) just makes me mad. It's really bad.

It's also really badly written with terrible, overblown language and clumsy repetitions (although admittedly some of these might have been fixed at the editorial stage as this was a ARC.) It's always so overdramatic - a can of mace is a "horrific mist". It's a bit like reading something that a precocious child in a school classroom has written, where they've tried to squeeze in as many dramatic adjectives as possible because the teacher told them that it would make their writing better.

A great read! First Helen Grace I have read, you could tell there was a back story but didn’t affect the book.
A good read, great characters lots of twists and turns.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for the arc of this book by M.J Arlidge.

5 stars- another sensational read by this author. so gripping and thrilling if you read any other books by this author you will enjoy this

Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

Helen Grace is back! Hurray!

Gripping from the start, a complex plot, with shocking murders which seem random, a few red herrings thrown in to totally confuse you for a while, you will not want to put this down.

Simply love this character.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

"Cat And Mouse" is book eleven in the Helen Grace series by author M.J Aldridge.

Detective Inspector Helen Grace is leading an investigation, hunting a killer who stalks his victims and attacks them in the dead of night. Killing without pity or remorse, stealing the victim's personal belongings at the same time.

As the investigation progresses Helen begins to suspect there is a shocking home truth that connects these brutal crimes.

I loved this book, the red herrings and twists along the way kept me constantly guessing and changing my mind as to who the perpetrator was.

A chilling read that gave me goosebumps as I read this home alone jumping at every noise I heard!!'

Get yourself comfortable and switch off your phone as you will not want to either put this book down or be disturbed.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another BRILLIANT instalment in the Helen Grace series!!
I don’t know how he does it but the author still has me gripped after so many books!!
And I impatiently wait for the next one again!

Really enjoyed this book and catching up with Helen Grace and the rest of the team. Good to see some new characters joining as well. The plot was good and well paced throughout.

Another brilliant Helen Grace novel.
Each one is just as exciting as the last with bizarre murders to solve and insights into the regular characters personal lives.
Can't wait for the next !!

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

Another action packed read to add to a brilliant series. Whilst trying to track down another killer, Helen and her team face more obstacles and pressures. What follows is a quick unravelling of power, corruption and secrets!

I jumped straight into the 11th book I this series. sometimes this can be an error, however I didn't feel I missed much by doing this. Clearly an accomplished and successful author, and I'd definitely like to investigate the earlier titles in the series. I didn't think this was the best book I'd ever read, but it was engaging throughout, and I liked the characterisations. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

I absolutely love the DI Grace series and this one did not let us down! I have to admit I haven't read them all in order but it is easy to jump in wherever you start! Full of twists and turns- M.J Arlidge never fails to keep us in suspense.

Wow wow wow what a book! This is the ninth book in the series following Helen Grace and it just gets better and better. Helen is on the hunt for a killer along with her team but is being followed from an individual from the last book. This series just get better and better. Helen loves to get in trouble to find out the information she needs and will go the extra mile to get it. The story plot develops well alongside the side story. This book is part of a series and I would recommend that you start with the first book to get the development of the Helen Grace and her team.
Bring book 10.

This is the 11th book in the Helen Grace police procedural series. I have read a lot of books from this series, and I have loved them all. Helen is one of my favourite characters, and I always love to read about her and her work.

This story is superb, and I loved reading about Helen, her team, and the cases they worked on. Helen is always whizzing around on her motorbike, eager to help everyone. I am always eager to find out what she will get up to next.

I will be picking up more of these books, as they are just fantastic, fast paced and packed full of action.

Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.