Review: Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge

Title:Little Boy Blue

Author:M.J. Arlidge

Series:Helen Grace, #5

Published:October 2016, Berkley

Format:ARC E-copy, 432 pages

Source:Netgalley

Detective Helen Grace faces her own dark compulsions in the twisty new thriller from the author of Pop Goes the Weasel and Eeny Meeny.

In
the darkest corners of the city, there is a thriving nightlife where
people can let loose and cross the lines of work and play, of pleasure
and pain. But now that sanctuary has been breached. A killer has struck
and a man is dead.

In a world where disguises and discretion are
the norm, one admission could unravel a life. No one wants to come
forward to say what they saw or what they know—including the woman
heading the investigation: Detective Helen Grace.

Helen knew the
victim. And the victim knew her—better than anyone else. And when the
murderer strikes again, Helen must decide how many more lines she’s
willing to cross to bring in a devious and elusive serial killer…

My thoughts:This has quickly become one of my favorite crime/mystery/thriller series…I just love Detective Helen Grace and cannot get my hands on these books fast enough!!! Of course it’s so frustrating that these books are published over in the UK earlier than they are here in the states, but let me tell you, the wait is so worth it…this series is amazing and just keeps getting better and better with each installment!

First I just want to say, I really think you need to read this series in order…so much builds on what happens in the previous books and this is the second book where we are left with quite a cliffhanger! Now, if you know anything about my reading habits, you know I’m quite a stickler for reading series in order anyway, but trust me on this…you would be missing out on so much if you skip around. 

So, this latest installment…it’s intense and it’s quite personal for our beloved Detective Helen Grace. Someone is on a killing spree and the victims have a personal connection to Helen, but she’s in a tough position – no one at work knows about what she does during her off time and she’s not really willing to share that information publicly with her team. Of course, there’s that pesky reporter, Helen’s nemesis, that has some dirt on Helen and is willing to do whatever it takes to get her name in the spotlight and why not take Helen down a peg or two in the process?

This book will keep you up at night as you frantically flip the pages to find out just who is targeting not only these victims but also Helen. There were some really good twists and turns that had me guessing and on the edge of my seat, completely at a loss as to who the bad guy was. I was totally shocked at the reveal and then that ending…how am I going to wait until the next book, Hide & Seek, releases here in the US???  It’s going to be a long wait…

Books in this series:  

1. Eeny Meeny
2. Pop Goes the Weasel
3. The Doll’s House
4. Liar Liar
5. Little Boy Blue 
6. Hide and Seek
7. Follow My Leader