Fortunate enough to read this latest adventures of Helen Grace via NetGalley, I was eager to get into this particular book. It's a real return to form, with a dark, tight plot full of pantomime villains and the usual cluster of characters we know and hate.
You know when it's a good book by this author, as you want to read it and devour it as quickly as you can, forcing your eyes not to leap ahead on the page. This book is that good and I can't see how you can fail to be enthralled by this book.

What a book. OMG I could not put it down. Kept me at the edge of the seat from page one to the very last page. Loved it.

Cat and mouse is book 11 in the Helen Grace series, I usually think these books can be read as part of the series or stand alone but I think that it would be better to have read book 10 before this one. Helen is constantly looking over her shoulder and she’s worn down by the stresses of life, issues with an ex, her boss and the cases at work are taking their toll. Cat and mouse is a good name for this book as DI Helen Grace seems to have more lives than a cat. I got a bit fed up by this series around book 7 and told myself if I didn’t enjoy the next book I wouldn’t read anymore. Thankfully in my opinion they have improved a lot since then. I really enjoyed this book, it gave me the whole range of emotions which for me is the sign of a good book. I would give it a solid 4.5 out of 5, it takes something extra special for me to rate something 5/5.

Thank you to Orion and NetGalley for my advanced reading copy.

Cat & Mouse is the eleventh book in the successful series by M.J. Arlidge, with the protoganist 'DI Helen Grace'.
After a vicious killing, DI Helen Grace and her team are once again at the front of the investigation. Their initial leads soon peter out and, as frustrations grow, the killer continues to strike.
Alridge has written the story mainly from the third person point of view but has cleverly added a few chapter from the perspective of the killer and this adds a dark and chilling element to the story.
This was my first introduction to the battle weary DI Grace. And as in a series, that has been around for some time, there is a extensive background to the characters, in particular Grace herself. As a result, it did take me some time to connect all of the background elements and to understand the fears faced by Grace, along with the history of corruption. As a result, I did feel less engaged with the tale and the danger faced by the character.

Panic spreads across the city of Southampton, as a vicious killer targets those home alone. D I Helen Grace heads up the investigation, but she already has huge problems of her own - she’s being hunted by a former adversary, a psychopath who will stop at nothing to exact revenge.

Arlidge has written a terrific little thriller here. Its pace is non-stop and unrelenting. It grabs your attention from the start and you find yourself reading “just another chapter” until, before you know it, it’s all over. And will it all be over for D I Helen Grace? Well she’ll be lucky to survive this one!

One of my favourite series, I’ve enjoyed Helen Grace and her team since book one. Another great book, fast paced with the usual twists and turns, that kept me guessing! Looking forward to the next book.

I really enjoy the Helen Grace series. The latest was just as good as always. Twists and turns, Helen being a superhero, and lots of good narrative and conflict along the way. Recommend.

Catching up with DI Helen Grace is like catching up with an old friend.

This time however while she is hunting a murderer another criminal is hunting her which means she needs to be on her guard. Being on her guard leads to serious consequences and another death.

I received this arc through net galley in exchance for an honest review.

Having read all the books in the series I can safely say this was a fantastic read and I cannot wait to see what Helen gets up to next, both in her personal and professional life assuming she manages to keep her job.

DI Helen Grace is back! There is a killer on the prowl breaking in, ransacking properties, and then mercilessly murdering the occupant. At first there seems nothing to connect these attacks, and DI Grace and the team focus on the wrong perpetrators but with good reason. Meanwhile, DI Grace is trying to dodge attacks on her life from a previous encounter with psycho psychiatrist Alex Blythe.
Its great to have DI Grace back, she is a strong determined character, and nothing can stop her trying to prosecute those on the wrong side of the law. Still not receiving the support or acknowledgement from her superiors, Grace must battle to save her career as well as her life.
This could be read as a standalone but would benefit more from having read the previous instalments to truly understand DI Grace’s grit and determination and connection with the team especially Charlie.

Thank you #NetGalley and #OrionFiction for my e-arc proof copy of #CatandMouse by #AJAlridge in exchange for my honest review.

This may be book #11 in the #HelenGrace series but I read it as a stand alone.

Having not read a single book in this series I really didn’t feel as if I was missing out on any of the backstory from the previous books. I would say you can easily read this having not read the previous books. Helped mainly by the way Alridge gave enough explanation and description needed, stopping you from becoming confused with the plot.

I found this novel to be fast paced and full of twists keeping you on the edge of your seat, keeping you continuously guessing and wanting to to read on.

The descriptive prose in this novel were absolutely superb. Making you feel as though you are there at the scene seeing and feeling exactly what the characters are.

Five out of five stars for me for this novel.
If I do have any negatives with this novel it would be that I found there to be possibly to many additional stories within the main story. Saying that though I found the main premise fantastic and I did not work out the ending; which for a person who reads many books within this genre extremely rare.

Another great book in the Helen Grace series. The usual gritty storyline with plenty of twists and turns. The characters are believable and work well together. I have read and enjoyed this whole series and can’t wait for the next instalment. Please don’t keep us waiting too long!

Great read, strong characters with twists and turns every step of the way. Appalling Kindle layout with no breaks between paragraphs so when you read a line about one character it is actually dealing with another. That aside lots of grit, nasty murder any a good dash of mysogeny all combine to create a tasty escape from reality!

A solid four star read in the Helen Grace series. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing. Would definitely read her next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I'm a huge M.J Arlidge fan and was really looking forward to reading this. It did not disappoint at all. Such a brilliant character in Helen Grace. The storyline was very taut and made me on edge reading it, not knowing what was going to happen next. Totally recommend to all.

Omg I've waited age's for Geraldine to come back, loved this, walkied around like a blooming zombie after staying up all night reading this, can't recommend more, I've followed the series and it never fails to have me gobsmacked, all i can say is READ IT, fantastic

I have read all of this series and never been disappointed. Helen Grace is a tour de force of a character, she is strong, brave, clever and takes no prisoners. Although the plot and characters are as superb as ever, I felt there were too many ‘fight scenes’, which may look impressive on screen, but are a little boring in a book. For the next book, I’m hoping that Helen’s boss moves on and that she finally gets a superior officer who appreciates her; as the unpleasant superior officer scenario has had its day in my opinion, due to many other books using the same plot point. The motive in this book was the stand out point, as was the shocking death of a character from previous books. I’m glad the super villain from the last book got his comeuppance too. Maybe not the best in the series, but an exciting read.

I was given an ARC of the book and I thought it was a good crime thriller.

I haven't read any of the other books in this series but that didn't matter because enough was said about the past to get the gist.

This story focuses on a detective, Helen Grace, who not only has to find a serial killer but also deal with the politics within the police force - and her past deeds /encounters.

The writing style fit the story well, as did the characters, however, the formatting made the story confusing in parts because one character /scene bled into another so I didn't know what was happening - perhaps this was due to poor formatting with the Kindle edition?

I did enjoy the story and thought that Helen was a great character - I do like strong female leads.

Overall, this ticked many of the positive boxes for a police drama.

Worth a look.

This is my first book from this author but it will not be the last! So many turns and twists I am dizzy!
Loved the book, a solid thriller really well written. Certainly hooked enough to start the series from the beginning and enjoy DI Helen Grace's character development from the beginning, very well done indeed!

Book 11 in the Helen Grace series, a well grounded disturbing series to slay any lover of thrillers. MJ has being a master writer in his growth of Helen Grace she has evolved and grown throughout the books and this continues in Cat and Mouse. Eagerly anticipated next book after a chilling chill hanger in book 10.

Another fantastic book by MJ Alridge I always expect to predict his plots but barely get it right until the pages before the reveal. This type of suspense for me means I don't put the book down and read in one sitting.

Really twisted crimes are always on tap, with ongoing issues with criminals and the much loved personal drama of DI Helen Grace.

Cat and Mouse Helen is living under the shadow of a threat to her life and always looking over her shoulder. This plot line does not hold back with its gruesome crime, then a rigorous police investigation. MJ Alridge has a way of writing that puts the worst possible crime alongside a deep insight into the personal lives of the police team. You really get to know and feel their lives while hunting criminals and balancing work and life.

Arlidge gives more than enough details of previous books to enable a reader to pick up any book in the series, I would always recommend reading the series from book 1. However this can be picked up as a standalone with all the history needed to follow story signposted.

A 5 star read, this series gets better with each book and Cat and Mouse is up there as my favourite of the series for its exciting pacy plot with DI Helen Grace ripping my nerves to shreds trying to guess what she will do next.

#CatAndMouse #Netgalley
#MJArlidge
#Thriller2022
#NewReads
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Another gripping instalment in the brilliant Helen Grace series.

Tightly plotted as always, Alridge leads us on a fascinating journey, continuing historical story lines and developing new ones.

Shocking assaults and murders combined with intriguing psychological insights into several of the leading characters, I was totally absorbed by this complex novel.

My only hesitation in giving this a 5 star rating is the action scenes involving Grace which are verging on the superhero.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.