Hide and Seek: A D.I. Helen Grace Thriller

Welcome!  A Courtship on Huckleberry Hill by Jennifer Beckstrand will be released on December 26.  It is the eighth book in The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series with Anna and Felty Helmuth.  You can count on Anna and Felty to match up another grandchild with their true love and throw in some crocheted (or knitted) items and Anna's inedible food.

Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge is the sixth book in D.I. Helen Grace series.  Helen Grace is behind bars in Holloway Prison and she is in general population.  Helen needs to find a way to stay alive until the trial or until Charlie Brooks can find the real killer—Robert Stonehill.  Just when Helen thinks her situation cannot get any worse, a body turns up in the next cell.  Grace (being Grace) cannot help but investigate the crime.  Then the killer strikes again.  Grace needs to work quickly to find the culprit before they kill again.  Making things more difficult is Annie, a gang leader, bent on causing Helen harm. Charlie is working quickly to locate Robert Stonehill and prove Grace’s innocence.  Charlie is risking her job to help her friend.  Helen and Charlie are racing against the clock.  Will Helen make it out of Holloway alive?  Can Charlie find Robert Stonehill in time to save Helen?  Who is killing the female prisoners in Holloway?

Hide and Seek is masterful.  M.J. Arlidge has done it again with Hide and Seek.  I found it well-written with a complex mystery and a fast pace.  There is plenty of action, suspense and twists.  The author keeps a reader guessing in this one (it was delightful).  I suggest that you read the books in the D.I. Helen Grace series in order.  The books in the series build on one another.  What happens in Hide and Seek is the result of what occurred in Little Boy Blue.  Helen is a complex character (intelligent, resilient, good instincts) with many layers (we have only scratched the surface in the first six books).  We get to see a different side of Helen in this story.  I was glad to see Charlie get more play in Hide and Seek.  She is also strong, smart, and feisty.    The action ramps up toward the end of the story, and I was glued to my e-reader.  I did not stop reading until I finished the book (I was riveted).  M.J. Arlidge keeps readers on the edge of their seats.  I am giving Hide and Seek 5 out of 5 stars (I loved it).  I have both the book and the audiobook (allowed me to listen to the story on the go).  The narrator did a wonderful job.  If you enjoy psychological thrillers/suspense novels, then Hide and Seek is for you.  I am eager to read the next installment in the D.I. Helen Grace series which is Love Me Knot.

I appreciate you visiting today and checking out my latest review.  I will return tomorrow with my review of Secrets of Cavendon by Barbara Taylor Bradford.  May you have a delightful day.  Take care, stay warm (it is in the 50s in my area of Florida) and Happy Reading!

Kris
The Avid Reader

Love Me Not: D.I. Helen Grace

Welcome!  We are experiencing record high's in Florida this year. It is in the 90s and the humidity is on the rise.  It is at times like this that I wish I lived in a cooler area (Alaska, Iceland).  I am very grateful to Willis Carrier for inventing air conditioning.  Can you imagine surviving summer without this wonderful invention?

Love Me Not by M.J. Arlidge is the seventh book in the D.I. Helen Grace series.  Helen Grace is happy to be out of jail and back at work.  Grace is out driving on her new Kawasaki Ninja when a black car almost hits her.  Grace then sees a woman lying in the middle of the road.  The woman dies in Grace’s arms.  She quickly gathers her team to start working on the case.  A short time later a pharmacist is robbed and shot in his store, but this time the killers left a witness.  Grace is quickly on their trail, but they manage to stay one step ahead.  Are these random victims or were they specifically chosen?  Grace and her team need to locate the perpetrators before they kill again.  Emilia Garanita has returned to Southampton, but she is not happy with her position at the paper.  This murder spree could get her back on top if she can get ahead of the other reporters.  But Emilia gets too close and finds herself with an exclusive story if she can live long enough to tell it.  What is the killer’s agenda?  Grace will do whatever it takes to catch these perpetrators and end the madness.  But what if the only way to stop the killer is for Grace to lose her life?

Love Me Not is a fast-pace suspense novel.  Love Me Not takes place over a twenty-four-hour period.  I thought Love Me Not was riveting.  The book is well-written as are all M.J. Arlidge’s novels.  I liked the short chapters and how they were labeled with the time.  It makes the story feel real and that it is playing out as you read it.  The D.I. Helen Grace series needs to be read in order.  Otherwise, you will not understand Helen, her team dynamics, or her history (and you will be utterly lost).  It was great to catch up with Helen and see how she is faring after her stint in Holloway Prison.  It was also great to connect with Charlie, D.S. Sanderson, and even Emilia.  I give Love Me Not 5 out of 5 stars. There is mild foul language (very little) and extreme violence in Love Me Not. Be aware that Love Me Not is a British novel (which means the British spelling of words). Love Me Not is one book that you will not put down until you have devoured the last page!   The only problem with finishing Love Me Not is the wait until the next D.I. Helen Grace novel is published.  

I hope you enjoyed today's book review.  I am currently reading The Chapel Care Bride by Judith Miller.  I will be sharing my thoughts on Edited Out by E.J. Copperman on Friday.  I hope you have a delightful Thursday.  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader