Review: Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Title: Eeny Meeny   

Author: M.J. Arlidge    

Series: Helen Grace, #1     

Published: June 2015, NAL  

Format: ARC e-copy, 416 pages   

Source: Netgalley  

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….

My thoughts: This is the first in a new series featuring DI (Detective Inspector) Helen Grace and as soon as I read the description, I immediately requested it from Netgalley. It was released in the UK last year, though I only heard about it recently. I’ve been on a bit of an international thriller kick but let me tell you – this is certainly not a book for the weak of heart. It’s a creepy, twisted, dark psychological thriller and I loved every bit of it and cannot wait to see how this series plays out.

What would you do to survive? That’s the question that the victims in this book are faced with as they are picked up by a serial killer, in pairs, and left to choose who gets to live and who will die. It’s basically a game of eeny meeny miny mo – and DI Helen Grace is trying to figure out who this crazed serial killer is before anyone else dies. 

I loved the character of Helen Grace. She’s a strong and effective leader, but definitely has her secrets and a past that you would not believe. She’s both admired and feared by her colleagues and that works to her benefit at times. But, at the same time, she makes mistakes, and to me, that makes her all the more realistic. She is definitely a flawed character and all the more brilliant for it.

Right from the start, I had a hard time putting this book down. It’s an intense read, with some crazy twists and a fast pace. It’s a mind game and one that will have you thinking, what would you do if you were in that situation? I definitely didn’t see the ending coming, that’s for sure. Are all the books in the series going to be like this? I can’t wait to find out…if only the rest of the series will be released here in the states soon – you’ll see below that there are 4 books out, but only book 1 is out in the US so far…

Books in this series:

1. Eeny Meeny
2. Pop Goes the Weasel
3. The Doll’s House
4. Liar Liar