Hide & Seek (Helen Grace #6)
By: M.J Arlidge
Published Year: 2017
Publisher: Michael Joseph
Pages: 368
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Prison is no place for a detective
Helen Grace was one of the country's best police investigators.
Now she's behind bars with the killers she caught.
Framed for murder
She knows there is only way out:
stay alive until her trial and somehow prove her innocence.
Locked up with a killer
But when a mutilated body is found in the cell next door,
Helen fears her days are numbered.
A murderer is on the loose.
And she must find them.
Before she's next . . .
First Impressions
I received a copy of Little Boy Blue last year and was left hanging at the end. I knew immediately I wanted to read the next book in the series. I actually went back and decided to read the first book in the series and enjoyed it as well. I have been looking forward to reading this book since I finished the last one, so I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this book.
What I thought
This book picks up right where the last one left off. So if you haven’t read (and plan on) reading the books in the series, there will be spoilers.
Detective Helen Grace is in jail, following the accusations that she is a serial killer. The prison is a violent place, and being a cop is not helpful. But when an inmate is murdered, she’s the only one with experience to solve it.
I liked how this was different from most murder/cop mysteries since it takes place within a prison. It allowed for some unique storylines and I enjoyed that aspect of it. On the other hand, it does decrease the chances for action since the setting is very limited.
There were also two mysteries going on through this story. The main mystery being the prison murder, the second being the mission to find Robert Stonehill, Helen Grace’s nephew who framed her for the murders that landed her in jail.
I don’t know exactly what it was about this book that didn’t grab me as much as the others. I’m guessing it’s the setting and that Grace didn’t have as many resources, so the investigation part is limited. While it’s an interesting storyline ad it makes for a different type of mystery, I don’t think I’d find myself reading another murder mystery that takes place from within a prison. I will say that this story still managed to keep me guessing! I thought for sure that it was one of two people and it ended up being neither. That alone will make me keep reading this series.
While this wasn’t as fascinating and un-put-downable as the last one, I enjoyed the story. I still like Detective Helen Grace and her team and am curious to see where it goes next. I still plan on going back and reading books 2-4 (since I’ve now read 1, 5, and 6) to really get an understanding of Grace and her team. If you like thrillers that are a bit gruesome, I recommend checking out this series. Each one I’ve read has been interesting and kept me guessing!