The Doll's House by M.J. Arlidge

DI Helen Grace and (some of) her team are back in this third entry in M. J. Arlidge's series!

A body has been discovered on a remote beach and DI Helen Grace and her team are on the case. Strangely enough, the body has been there for over a year but when they identify the girl they find that her father has been receiving text messages from his daughter the whole time. Then they discover that another girl has just gone missing. One who resembles the dead girl they've just found. And this new missing girl is sending texts and tweets at the very same time as those still coming through from the dead girl. 

After successfully solving two serial cases, it looks as though Helen Grace may have found herself a third. 

But in the time since those first two very public cases, Helen's trusted team has dwindled - Charlie is out on maternity leave and only Sanderson remains now. Fortunately it hasn't kept Helen from doing her job - much to the disappointment of DS Harwood. They've come to a somewhat frosty agreement in the workplace since the Ella Matthews case, or so Helen thinks. In reality, Harwood has made it her goal to either shine beyond Helen's limelight or make sure Helen is ruined.

If you haven't read him before, M. J. Arlidge comes up with some truly twisted plots! They're fantastic, though. That said, I would suggest reading the books in order (Eeny Meeny, Pop Goes the Weasel, and then The Doll's House). They stand fairly well on their own but I think they really need to be read in sequence to truly understand the characters' back stories and the dynamics between the  various characters as well.

So Helen has lost most of her team now and the newly promoted members are there by the grace of Harwood. Sanderson and Charlie both recognize it but neither is in much of a position to do anything about it: Sanderson has been overlooked for promotion and Charlie, as mentioned above, is out on maternity leave. Helen still believes that those around her will do their jobs simply because it's their duty, but Sanderson herself can feel the tension in the team and is all too aware that as a Helen supporter she's on the outs.

But again, it doesn't stop Helen from doing her job. She's dogged and determined (as is Sanderson, she's a great side character!) and well aware that the clock is ticking for their latest victim.

As usual, Arlidge offers readers alternating perspectives throughout the book - Helen, Harwood, Sanderson, and others on the force as well as the killer and Ruby, the missing girl. And like the past two installments, Ruby and the other victims go through a truly harrowing ordeal.

The tension and pacing here are absolutely phenomenal. And I do mean that sincerely - phenomenal! An up-all-nighter, a can't-put-it-downer, a book that you'll be dying to get back to if you do have to set it aside for any reason. You know, a call-in-to-work-so-you-can-finish kind of book. The best kind :)

The Doll's House is brand new out on shelves now. If you're looking for a great thriller, you definitely should run out and buy a copy. (This is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Haynes, by the way!)

Rating: 5/5

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