Saturday, March 26, 2016

Little boy blue by M.J. Arlidge

Little boy blue is the fifth book in the DI Helen Grace thrillers series so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** if you have not read the first books in the series.  While you can read this book independently you will get the most enjoyment out of reading the series in order.

DI Helen Grace has a reputation for solving crimes, so it is no surprise that she is called to the scene of a murder in the The Torture Rooms - one of the most notorious BDSM clubs on the local scene.  The surprise comes when she realises who the victim is - her former dominator Jake Elder.  His death is like a sucker punch, catching Helen by surprise, and she quickly makes the risky decision to not tell her superiors about her connection to the victim - the last thing she wants is to be taken off the case.  The murder is meticulously planned and it appears that the murderer wanted Jake to know death was coming, which makes the death both cruel and unusual.

When a second body is found Helen finds the walls she has built around her two worlds slowly closing in on her - someone seems to know a lot about her and they are attacking people she knows.  Helen has been trying to make better choices, staying away from professional dominators as much as possible - turning to running and too many cigarettes rather than seeking pain - but someone knows her secrets and seems determined to expose them.  When push comes to shove who can Helen really trust, especially when her carefully structured world starts to show cracks - at home and at work.  Her team, which has always been so strong is starting to show cracks, and once her history is out they will never look at her the same way again.  Someone seems to be taunting Helen, but how far will they go?

The DI Helen Grace series have all been extremely addictive and fast paced reads that keeps you hooked from the first page - and Little boy blue is no exception.  Over the past few novels we have gotten into Helen's world, including the lives of the people around her and that really comes into play in the fifth book in the series.  Some of the characters act very predictably in the book (no spoilers) which is reassuring in a novel where you have to wonder who is targeting the people in Helen's life and why.  This was a really exciting addition to the series, and yet another book that was difficult to review without spoilers or giving too much away!

Little boy blue is one of the stronger books in the series, and the ending can only be described as O.M.G!  I can't believe we have to wait until September for Hide and seek so we can see what happens next for Helen and her team.  A most excellent addition to the series, and it sets the bar awfully high for more books in the series.  

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

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