Member Reviews
D.I. Helen Grace and her MIT team in Southampton are plunged into a serial killers spree. A baffling case which has the team racing against time to catch the perpetrator before they kill again. With very few clues, the case gets more and more convoluted, with the team working around the clock ,and the Southampton public wanted this depraved madman caught as fear strikes the heart of the city.
All the old team are together working to solve this case that we have featured with D.I. Helen Grace's previous cases. Helen roaring around on her powerful bike trying to get ahead of the killer with seemingly everyone getting to confuse the problem . Least of all is Helen Grace's nemesis , Dr Alex Blythe who escaped who swore vengeance by getting D.I. Helen Grace. Danger stalked her which threatened to railroad her enquiry.
This the usual exiting fare from M.J. Arlidge a real page turner with the breath-taking climax which places Helen's very life at risk.
Whilst I enjoyed the story line, I found the book very disjointed at times. I am not sure if this was a formatting error, or how the book is. Also, as this is the the first book by the author I had read, I definitely felt i was missing some information or background on the characters.
I have to be entirely honest and say I wasn’t too keen on this, I was so looking forward to it. Helen Grace .. for once it would have been great for her to have a bit of good luck, she’s the worlds unluckiest detective and so much drama, let someone else have a bit. A tad predictable with a slightly unbelievable ending, just a bit samey for me I’m afraid
I'm sorry to say that I was a bit disappointed with this book. I thought the plot was a bit predictable, there was no real mystery about why these particular people were targetted after the second murder. I also think that the idea of Helen as the maverick detective who has to rail against superior officers has become a bit of a bore. Hopefully the next book will be back to the author's previously excellent standards.
The 11th Helen Grace book which gets better with every book. Well plotted with believable characters. Helen must find a killer while being hunted herself. Excellent addition to the series.
I received this book from Orion Publishing Group via Netgalley for a review
A killer is on a rampage in Southampton, horrific violent attacks on people alone in their houses, tied up, brutally murdered. Personal belongings are taken, and the bodies left for their loved ones to return and find. Detective Inspector Helen Grace is leading the investigation and trying to find a link between all the victims. If they can figure the link, and figure the motive they can track down the killer, before more people are found dead. While this frantic search is on, Detective Grace is butting heads with her boss, who wants her out of her job, and contending with a former criminal that slipped through their fingers, evading capture. This criminal, murdering mastermind psychotic psychiatrist Alex Blythe who has sworn revenge on DI Grace, that she would die at his behest. DI Grace has to fight to find the killer, and try to stay alive while another killer is out to get her.
This is the 11th book in the Helen Grace series. I have read a few of the previous, and some knowledge of the previous books does help, but book 10 would be very beneficial to truly understand the connection with Alex Blythe. As always with the books in this series, the pace is fast, action packed, and keeps you on your toes. The characters are well developed, and the detail brought in about them makes them relatable and realistic as people. The frustrations of the case cause tempers to simmer, the drama of their personal lives impacting on their work, and vice versa. Real world stuff making real characters. Overall a brilliant read, that once you start you can’t stop, not until you know who the killer is - or should that be killers?
*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.
This is another excellent thriller from the author, featuring DI Helen Grace. It's one of the best crime series I have read. The pace is relentless and the plot is well thought out, filled with excellent well developed characters. I do find Garanita to be extremely annoying, however! Although it was a little predictable, this took nothing away from the story. A highly recommended read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC
Omg amazing as per usual! I flew through this and loved every second. As always its gripping, thrilling, no hold bars and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The characters are always well written and intelligent and their humanity really shows through making it so much more than just another police who dun it. I'm already dying to read the next installment. Absolutely not to be missed
Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book.
Helen Grace is back as head of MIT in Southampton. A dead body turns up, and Helen is on the case, and vows to resolve it despite all the challenges headed her way.
This is another brilliant instalment of this series from this author. Helen is such a brilliant character, I always look forward to seeing what she gets up to next. The writing is always spot on and makes these books a joy to read. Highly recommended.
I absolutely love this series and this was another fast paced, edge of your seat read. The case was complex and ingenious, the why was a really clever thought out plot and it added to the drama throughout. I'm glad that some points from previous instalments have been concluded and one scene had been actually gasping. I love the team and I'm glad to see that the animosity from previous books is no longer clouding it. My only slight complaint and why this wasn't a 5 star read for me is that it's endless with Grace, almost to the point of it being tedious and unbelievable, which is annoying me slightly and taking me out of the moment when reading the series. I understand there has to be drama but couldn't it happen to someone else for a change? I was literally rolling my eyes at the amount of times the word 'nemesis' was used, not everyone needs to have Grace as a Nemesis, it's like some badly written bond villain at times which takes away from what is a really well written book. It was so nice and refreshing to see where Emilia's story went at the end and it didn't take away from the series as a whole at all, for a dedicated reader it was actually refreshing. It would be nice for the same to happen to Helen for a change instead of her having to prove she's a cat with 9+ lives. It would also give a nice refreshing break to the constant inner monologue.
The formidable DI Helen Grace is back with a fabulous ,thrilling story .Fast paced ,never boring, Helen and her Team are tasked with finding a gruesome murderer who slays his victims with an axe ! Though this is the eleventh book in the series it is a good standalone .I loved this book ,it was gripping ,full of suspense Helen is a wonder woman !! Thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC .
DI Helen Grace is still recovering from her last case, and trying to come to terms with the fact that a killer is still out there, determined to see her brought down. The next case that comes up doesn’t help. What appears to be a senseless random killing turns into something that makes everyone feel afraid of the dark in their own homes.
I like this lead character, who has a really good back story, is an independent female and who is very good at her job, to the annoyance of some of her senior officers. Although you can read this book without having read any of the previous 10, it’s better to have read at least some of them. It’s well plotted, has several different threads that keep the reader engaged, and a satisfying ending. Hopefully there will be more investigations for DI Grace, and for her to get a chance at a decent relationship.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I have read all the Helen Grace series so was excited to read this latest one. It certainly didn't disappoint! Helen is already on high alert after the psychopath Aaron Blythe from her last case evaded capture and has sworn to kill her. Now she and her team are looking for the perpetrator of some gruesome murders that have taken place in the victims' own homes. They are desperately trying to find a link. This is a fast moving story with lots of twists and turns. I'm surprised how Helen managed to survive some of the situations she finds herself in! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.
Cat and mouse By M J Arlidge is the 11th book in the Helen Grace series and wow the author has pulled out all the stops on this one.
It’s four months on from Alex Blythe threatening her life Helen Grace is on her guard in case anything untoward may happen to her life.
At the same time, there is case of vicious attacks that end up in murder and where also the victim’s personal belongings are stolen at the same time. The race is on the catch the killer before they strike again.
This is one of my favourite Police procedurals and Mr Arlidge doesn’t disappoint with this episode in the series. This is another brilliant story about Helen Grace and her team. It is fast paced, and action packed and some nail-biting stuff. I couldn’t put this down. It has a solid storyline and has all the characters that we come to know and love. But in Emila’s case I am not sure. But I was amazed in this episode she suddenly has a conscience!
I also liked how the author also writes about their personal lives and their strains in their work life to make it a more realistic. I highly recommend this book. Don’t miss out! 5 stars from me.
I do like this series but personally this felt like it had a bit too much going on which meant a lack of connection with some of the characters.
Another exciting read in the Helen Grace series!
I couldn’t put this one down and really enjoyed the plot.
Wow that was a roller coaster of a read! So many twists and turns that I had to catch my breath. Another brilliant instalment of the DI GRAC books. #CatAndMouse #NetGalley.
Another fabulous read with Helen Grace as main character. Thought I'd worked it out early on but hadn't. Good to get references of previous stories as reminders. Bit gruesome in some detail but scanned over that. It was a fast paced read and look forward to next one.
This author never disappoints, an enjoyable book with lots of twists and turns at every corner, when you read the synopsis before reading you know it can only be good..
MJ Arlidge has done it again. This is the 11th instalment of the Helen Grace series and it’s just brilliant.
From the very first book (Eeny Meeny) all the way through to this one ... these books keep you on the edge of your seat and you just have to read ‘one more chapter’. Highly recommend. Thank you to #netgalley for the advance copy.