Imagine waking up in a room with no doors or windows .... no food or water. Your friend is on the other side of the room. In the middle is a telephone ... with one message. One of you must die so the other can be freed.
And then you see the gun. What do you do? How long will you wait for help?
So begins a new type of serial killer ... kidnapping two at a time .... and forcing one to kill the other.
The characters are well-defined. Most of them are really flawed, including the detectives who are on a hunt. Lots of action that builds and builds until it explodes. The ending was a little let down for me, but I think it was only because the author was leaving 'growing room' for the second in the series.
Overall, I enjoyed it and will continue on to the next one.
I would like to thank NetGallery for giving me this book in return for an honest review.
And then you see the gun. What do you do? How long will you wait for help?
So begins a new type of serial killer ... kidnapping two at a time .... and forcing one to kill the other.
The characters are well-defined. Most of them are really flawed, including the detectives who are on a hunt. Lots of action that builds and builds until it explodes. The ending was a little let down for me, but I think it was only because the author was leaving 'growing room' for the second in the series.
Overall, I enjoyed it and will continue on to the next one.
I would like to thank NetGallery for giving me this book in return for an honest review.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
Yikes! This is a page turner that is nearly impossible to put down. However, it is definitely not for the faint of heart. It is a gritty thriller. Helen Grace is a strange character and I never really warmed to her. I will read the next because it was such a compelling read, but I'm still unsure about the protagonist and if I'll want to continue this series.
This book started out with a bang, but became rather tedious by the end.
First off, the chapters are super short, jumping constantly from one point of view to another. This keeps the book moving, but makes it incredibly disjointed.
As the book progressed, I began to feel like the author was doing a whole lot of telling, but very little showing. There would be whole chapters that were just a summary of what somebody was doing, but with very little action or dialog.
I also began to notice timeline discrepancies. Days and days would pass for the victims, but it seemed that no time at all had passed for the police who were hunting the killer.
As seems to be common for the genre, the police are incompetent morons, constantly doing things that make no sense. Why not show the picture of the prime suspect to the surviving victim who supposedly spent hours with the killer before her imprisonment? Why rush off ALONE to face the killer rather than calling for backup? Give me a break.
Lastly, I felt the characterization was incredibly heavy-handed. Helen is just SOOOO ridiculously tough. The whole angle with her visits to the Dom felt forced. Her back-and-forth over her feelings for Mark just made her come across as a flake. And don't even get me started on the ham-fisted, predictable backstory for the poor, abused killer. I honestly don't think you could squeeze one more overused trope into this book.
First off, the chapters are super short, jumping constantly from one point of view to another. This keeps the book moving, but makes it incredibly disjointed.
As the book progressed, I began to feel like the author was doing a whole lot of telling, but very little showing. There would be whole chapters that were just a summary of what somebody was doing, but with very little action or dialog.
I also began to notice timeline discrepancies. Days and days would pass for the victims, but it seemed that no time at all had passed for the police who were hunting the killer.
As seems to be common for the genre, the police are incompetent morons, constantly doing things that make no sense. Why not show the picture of the prime suspect to the surviving victim who supposedly spent hours with the killer before her imprisonment? Why rush off ALONE to face the killer rather than calling for backup? Give me a break.
Lastly, I felt the characterization was incredibly heavy-handed. Helen is just SOOOO ridiculously tough. The whole angle with her visits to the Dom felt forced. Her back-and-forth over her feelings for Mark just made her come across as a flake. And don't even get me started on the ham-fisted, predictable backstory for the poor, abused killer. I honestly don't think you could squeeze one more overused trope into this book.
I read this book in a day! I couldn't put it down! Highly Recommend!!
Two people are abducted, imprisoned, and left with a gun. As hunger and thirst set in, only one walks away alive.
Its a game more twisted than any Detective Inspector Helen Grace has ever seen. If she hadnt spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldnt believe them.
Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this casewith its seemingly random victimshas her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....
This was an incredible read! I just couldn't put it down it just totally captivated me and I had to wad through it! The characters were great, the plot well written - and your mind just kept exploding with each new chapter ---- what a mess people make of their lives and how they treat each other. I immediately went and found other books by this author, great read!
Its a game more twisted than any Detective Inspector Helen Grace has ever seen. If she hadnt spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldnt believe them.
Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this casewith its seemingly random victimshas her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....
This was an incredible read! I just couldn't put it down it just totally captivated me and I had to wad through it! The characters were great, the plot well written - and your mind just kept exploding with each new chapter ---- what a mess people make of their lives and how they treat each other. I immediately went and found other books by this author, great read!
Book Description
The "dark, twisted, thought-provoking" (#1 New York Times bestseller Tami Hoag) international bestseller--first in the new series featuring Detective 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 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....
My Review
This book had great potential because the plot was very unique. It was an easy read with short chapters but the book was a little longer than it needed to be. The main character, Helen, was not very believable to me and at times not very likable. She should have figured out the killer sooner than she did. There also were quite a few unsavory gross scenes they were absolutely not necessary. I like thrillers but this was a little overboard. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series as I found this book too unpleasant to continue.
The "dark, twisted, thought-provoking" (#1 New York Times bestseller Tami Hoag) international bestseller--first in the new series featuring Detective 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 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....
My Review
This book had great potential because the plot was very unique. It was an easy read with short chapters but the book was a little longer than it needed to be. The main character, Helen, was not very believable to me and at times not very likable. She should have figured out the killer sooner than she did. There also were quite a few unsavory gross scenes they were absolutely not necessary. I like thrillers but this was a little overboard. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the series as I found this book too unpleasant to continue.
MJ Arlidge is my newest favorite author. These books are gritty, yes, but so readable Helen Grace is a kick ass cop-a very interesting and complex character.
By far the best book I have read in a long time. It is dark and twisted,but great. Helen Grace is the main character, who is a different sort of copper. A wonderful story, well written and holds your interest. Very hard to put down. I am reading the whole series. Wow, a new favorite author.
Excellent and surprising storyline with some good twists and turns.
