#BookReview Love Me Not by M.J. Arlidge (@mjarlidge) @MichaelJBooks

Love Me Not by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

She Loves Me
A woman's body lies in the road. At first it looks like a tragic accident. But when Helen Grace arrives on the scene it's clear she's looking at a coldblooded killing. But why would anyone target a much-loved wife and mother?

She Loves Me Not
Across town, a shopkeeper is killed while his customers are left unharmed. But what lies behind the killer's choices?

She Loves Me
Who lives? Who dies? Who's next? The clock is ticking.

She Loves Me Not
If Helen can't solve this deadly puzzle then more blood will be shed. But any mistake and it might be her own ...

Helen Grace, now back at Southampton Central following her release from prison, is first on the scene.

A break neck thriller which takes place in real time over 24 hours, this is the sharpest, most adrenliased Helen Grace thriller yet.

**********

It was with a bit of sadness that I finished listening to this book since I knew that this is the last one published (for now) and I had a blast listening to the last three books in the series in a row. This is a series that's definitely should be read from the beginning, every book is like a new chapter in a book and starting in the middle isn't something that I recommend. I know since I started with book two and now wish that I hadn't done that.

Anyway, I was a bit doubtful at first with this story that takes place during 24 hours. After the thrilling last book, did I feel that I had a bit of a hard time to really get into the story, but I shouldn't have been worried, this seems like an open and shut case, but BAM then the story twisted and I was hooked, as usual with the books in this series. I truly enjoyed the thrilling story with two people that randomly seem to kill people, or is it so random? It's up to Helen Grace to find out. It tragic, and sometimes I do wonder how many people get broken because of their own family.

Love me Not is a great book. This is book 7 and so far has every book been great and I can't wait to read the next book. The ending was a bit bittersweet and it will be interesting to see what Helen Grace will do next!

#BookReview Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge (@mjarlidge) @MichaelJBooks

Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Prison is no place for a detective
Helen Grace was one of the country's best police investigators.
Now she's behind bars with the killers she caught.

Framed for murder
She knows there is only way out:
stay alive until her trial and somehow prove her innocence.

Locked up with a killer
But when a mutilated body is found in the cell next door,
Helen fears her days are numbered.

A murderer is on the loose.
And she must find them.
Before she's next . . .

*********

I have spent this week listening to the last three books in this series and it was marvelous. I love these books, and it was quite nice to just pick the next book when one was done. The book before this one ended with a cliffhanger which made me quite happy that I could start listening to this one directly.

A Warning, don't read this review if you don't want to know the ending of the last book!

Helen Grace is in prison, framed for murders she didn't commit and now she has to find a way to prove that she is innocent. Thankfully outside if prison is her fellow colleague and friend Charlie on the hunt for the real killer. However, Grace has a bigger problem at the moment, there is a killer in prison. Well, it's a prison so there are probably quite a lot of killers. However, this one is killing fellow inmates...

This book, just like the previous books thrilling from the beginning until the end. I love the short chapters that make me just wanna listen to one more chapter and suddenly you're halfway through the book. I found both storylines intriguing. Charlie has to find the real killer and at the same time trying to convince her new boss Sanderson that Grace is innocent. And, Grace has to try to figure out who the killer is that is roaming the prison. Is it a fellow inmate or guard? 

Hide and Seek is a great book. I was surprised over the identity of the killer and it's nice to not see the ending coming now and then...

#BookReview: Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge (@mjarlidge) @MichaelJBooks

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Detective Inspector Helen Grace is no stranger to tragedy. But when a body is found in a Southampton nightclub, the death cuts too close to the bone. Hiding her personal connection to the victim - and a double-life which must remain secret at all costs - Helen becomes a woman possessed, working her team around the clock to chase down every lead. As the killer strikes again, the investigation takes its toll not only on Helen but also her senior officers. Tempers flare, friendships fray and Helen faces an impossible choice. Confess her sins and lose control of the case? Or keep living a lie, protecting her darkest secrets, and risk getting trapped in this tangled web? But whatever she does, this killer will not stop until the truth is revealed: there are some fates worse than death . . .

**********

The Helen Grace series is a favorite of mine and last night did I decide to start listening to the book. A bad decision to start late at night btw since I had to force myself to stop listen quite early one since it was pretty late and I had to work today. Anyway, I'm really thankful that I have the next book as an audiobook was well since this one ended with a frustrating cliffhanger. I'm also glad I did not read the book and then had to wait until the next book was published!

In Little Boy Blue must Helene Grace tackle a very personal case. The murder victim is someone that she knew, but for reasons can't she tell her fellow colleagues that she knew the person in question. Now, she has to keep her emotions in check while trying to find the devious murderer. But, how long can she hide the truth?

As usual, has M.J. Arlidge written a thriller that from the start captivated me. I quite enjoy listening to this book. Elizabeth Bower is a great narrator, and her ability to change her voice for all the characters make it easy to know who is who. Also, the book is so thrilling that the hours just fly away when you're listening to the book.

I did suspect the identity of the killer, I'm not quite sure when it hit me who the person probably would be. However, it made the book more interesting to listen to. Was I right about my suspicious or not made the book more thrilling? Btw, yes I was right...

Little Boy Blue is just as the previous books brilliant. I do recommend reading this series from the beginning and not from book two as I did. This is a series that definitely is best suited to read in order.

#BookReview Liar Liar by M.J. Arlidge @BerkleyPub #bookbloggers

Liar Liar by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Detective Helen Grace gets caught in an inferno of death and destruction in the red-hot new thriller from the author of Eeny Meeny, Pop Goes the Weasel, and The Doll’s House

Detective Helen Grace has never seen such destruction. Six fires in twenty-four hours. Two people dead. Several more injured. It’s as if someone wants to burn the city to the ground...

With the whole town on high alert, Helen and her team must sift through the rubble to find the arsonist, someone whose thirst for fire—and control—is reducing entire lives to ashes.

One misstep could mean Helen’s career—and more lives lost. And as the pressure mounts and more buildings burn, Helen’s own dark impulses threaten to consume her…

**********

The Helen Grace series by M.J. Arlidge is a series that never fails to impress and entertain. Every book I have read so far has been great and this one is not an exception. In this, book four, must Helen Grace and her colleagues stop an arsonist that is apparently randomly burning down buildings. But, could it be that there is some kind of plan, or is it just a crazy person that likes to burn down buildings?

The book is a page-turner. My favorite kind of page-turner with intensive short chapters that make you want to read just one more chapter and suddenly have you read half the book. After finishing the book can't I help but think that all this could have been avoided. That all the people that died in this book died because of some people's selfnesses. it's so tragic and it's also hard to write about the book's story since I don't want to spoil the book, so I will just say that Liar Liar is a really good book.

I honestly couldn't figure out who was behind it all, until at the last minute when I started to suspect one person. But, even after that did Arlidge surprise me with an intriguing twist to the story. I like Helen Grace, Charlie and the rest of the team very much and I like how human they all seem with flaws. Helen is very impulsive and I do feel that she is a bit self-destructive.  

This has become a favorite series of mine and I love the way M.J. Arlidge write the books. Just don't do what I did and read book two before book one that spoils a bit of the "fun" of reading book one. Trust me, read the book in order.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

The Doll's House by M.J. Arlidge

The Doll's House by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A young woman wakes up in a cold, dark cellar, with no idea how she got there or who her kidnapper is. So begins her terrible nightmare.

Nearby, the body of another young woman is discovered buried on a remote beach. But the dead girl was never reported missing - her estranged family having received regular texts from her over the years. Someone has been keeping her alive from beyond the grave.

For Detective Inspector Helen Grace it's chilling evidence that she's searching for a monster who is not just twisted but also clever and resourceful - a predator who's killed before.

And as Helen struggles to understand the killer's motivation, she begins to realize that she's in a desperate race against time . . .

*********

I've discovered a passion for audiobooks this summer thanks to long working hours. The Doll's House was one that made the hours a bit more bearable.

The Doll's House is book 3 in the Helen Grace series and this time, Helen has to find a kidnapped girl and fight a battle with her boss that has taken a dislike to her and will try to get her off the team no matter what. What so special this case is that the kidnapper has done this before, taken a girl and then pretended through tweets and text messages that she is still alive and well and that she just doesn't want to have any contact with her family. And, it works like a charm until a dead body is discovered and an observant police think that there is something rotten with a missing girl, despite the text messengers that her family gets.

I loved listening to this book, and I found myself enthralled with the story. I was worried that Helen would get into trouble because of her, let's say, not that legal way of trying to find her nephew. And, it doesn't help that her boss is hell-bent on bringing her down. I did love the big confrontation between them both. 

As for the case itself. It's scary to think of how easy it is to fake that someone is alive and well by having someone's phone. The kidnapper is a real psycho and the last part was very thrilling to listen to. If you have read the previous books will you love this book, and it works well as a standalone as well, even though some events from the past is mentioned. 

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Two people are abducted, imprisoned, and left with a gun. As hunger and thirst set in, only one walks away alive.

It’s a game more twisted than any Detective Helen Grace has ever seen. If she hadn’t spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldn’t believe them.

Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this case—with its seemingly random victims—has her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....

**********

I usually find no problems with reading books out of order nowadays. But, in this case, I kind of regret that I read Pop Goes the Weasel before I read Eeny Meeny. Why? Because a bit of the enjoyment of reading this book is gone because I knew who the person is who is behind the kidnappings. Don't get me wrong, the book was great, but I knew what would happen at the end of the book and that's just a takes away some of the thrills of the ending when everything is revealed. Despite that, I enjoyed reading about the hunt for the kidnapper.

I'm glad I read this because now I understand Helen and Charlies strained relationship in the sequel. I also look forward to reading more books in this series since it has become a favorite of mine.