What started as a fun family day out at the beach takes a dark turn when the children discover a body buried in the sand. Ruby had a great time the night before but wakes up the next day with more than a hangover. DI Helen Grace is determined to find who is playing such a horrifying game.

Sometimes I find police procedural/crime thrillers to be hit or miss. However with MJ Arlidge's DI Helen Grace series it is hit after hit. I remember racing through the short chapters in the last two books and this was no different. The masterfully interwoven stories had my heart pumping from page one. It was uncomfortable reading at times which made me physically squirm but it didn't deter me from carrying on. I had numerous suspects and just as many different motives whirring through my head constantly changing every few chapters. I am definitely not going to leave it so long this time to get onto the fourth book. If you have not read this series I would highly recommend it but start at the beginning as Grace's own thread that runs through the books is just as dirt laden as the cases she solves.

If you're a fan of James Patterson, then you should definitely try MJ Arlidge's Helen Grace series. It's full of the same staccato chapters, action-packed twisting plotlines, and devious killers, while offering a British setting and a terrific main character in Detective Grace. This is a quick read, a stay-up-all-night page-turner which whips along and is very plot-based, but Arlidge offers readers a fascinating heroine and enough flesh on the bones to satisfy many crime fans. A series well worth trying, if you haven't already.