Review: Eeny Meeny (Helen Grace #1) by M.J. Arlidge

Title: Eeny Meeny
Author: M.J. Arlidge
Published: June 2, 2015
Publisher: Penguin Group Berkley, NAL/ Signet Romance, DAW
Pages: 432
Genre: Mystery/suspense
Review: ebook provided by NetGalley and the Publisher








The international bestseller that “grabs the reader by the throat" (Crime Time).
First in the new series featuring Detective Inspector Helen Grace.
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 Inspector 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 received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.

When I saw the title and read the blurb I was like man this is right up my alley I have got to see if I could read this. Now when this book started off it made me think of the movie SAW. Just the way the victims were set up it came across that way which was not a bad thing. The author did a great job with the descriptions and keeping us readers on our toes as we navigate to find out who this killer was. Now to find out in the end who it was I was like what! Totally didn't see that coming at all. I have to say the one part that got me and I was throwing up in my mouth a bit was with the head wound and maggots that is all I am going to say about it, but I enjoyed it. It was pretty cool and I have to give the characters props as I don't know if in real life I could ever do something like that.

DI Helen Grace is a top notch investigator and that is because she has no family, kids or husband it is just her so she is perfect for being able to throw her life right into her work. Though she does have her own demons she deals with on a daily basis which we learn what she does to ease them for just a bit.  When the first living victim is found it is up to Helen to figure out who the killer is and why is she targeting certain people, what is making her tick and she is racing against the clock. Some of the scenes are dark and gory which for me I love in books. Yes I am that sick person lol. 

Now on a book like this I wouldn't hesitate to give this book a solid five wine glass rating, but being as I had some issues with the book it dropped it down.

One of the issues being the changing of characters or scenes right in the middle of the chapter. I believe if you are changing characters or scenes then you need to either add some of these symbols *** or do another chapter even if it is small. Because when you are in the middle of a conversation with a character then next then you know you are with Jack it is like umm what did I miss? 

The second thing was how did Helen find Hannah? I went back to re-read but either I missed or maybe I just missed it, so maybe another reader can clarify this for me. 

Overall a really good story and I recommend this to anyone who likes crime, mystery, thrillers, suspense, action dark and gory. But be warn that there is reference to sexual child abuse within this story. 

M.J. Arlidge has worked in television for the last 15 years, specialising in high end drama production. Arlidge has produced a number of prime-time crime serials for ITV In the last five years, and is currently working on a major adaptation of The Last of the Mohicans for the BBC.