Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Southampton has become a killing ground for one of the most twisted minds DI Helen Grace has ever encountered. The murderer kidnaps the victims in pairs, leaving them a cell phone, a gun, and no way out until one of them is dead. Starved and desperate, the victims must make the ultimate choice: die a tortuously long death or kill in order to survive. 

The first victims, a young boyfriend and girlfriend hitchhiking home, offer almost no clue as to the killer's identity except for one thing: the killer is a woman. When another pair is taken, Helen and her team know they are running out of time. But the biggest clue to the killer's motive and identity is one only Helen can decipher. 

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe... I'll don't think I'll ever be able to hear that little rhyme again without thinking of M.J. Arlidge's debut! This is one of those books that gets you from the very beginning. It'd be impossible for it not to considering the very beginning is the first set of victims and their ordeal. It's a killer of an opening - literally!

Arlidge's heroine is one with a dark past. We don't know all of it from the very beginning, but we do know that she has some... issues. And by the time the book draws to its end almost all of it is out in the open, at least for the reader. Grace is an interesting character who is excellently complex and layered, but Arlidge does do a fine job of fleshing out the characters around her as well. Charlie and Mark - Grace's two primary team members - in particular. I would actually have liked a little more of Charlie, Mark seems to get a bit more of the limelight thanks to his interaction with Grace at least in terms of development. This is the first in a series, though, so I hope we'll see more of Charlie to come. As for Grace herself, I can't even imagine what Arlidge might have in store for her down the line. This was a pretty powerful start to the series.

If you haven't gleaned the fact based on the premise, this is a dark read more than a little reminiscent of the Saw franchise. Don't worry, it's not THAT graphic and the story is much better. It does end rather quickly, though. I expected another chapter to wrap things up but I'm good until this fall and the second installment.

Eeny Meeny is out now and is perfect for anyone looking for a quick and chilling thriller.

Rating: 4/5