Another superb read in this excellent series. Helen Grace and her team are frantically chasing a serial killer. Highly recommend.

I love a book by M. J. Arlidge
Had me gripped from the beginning, I found I couldn't turn the pages fast enough! I read in a day as I couldn't stop to function on anything else!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

A Great addition to the DI Helen Grace series. A very clever storyline that kept you guessing right to the end and a fantastic cliffhanger which has you desperate to read the next in the series!!

While it seems as though this book could be read as a one off, I'm sure it will be much more enjoyable when read in the order of the series. I am now interested in other work by this author, and will be giving Truth or Dare another go when I have caught up!

I’ve been a massive DCI Helen Grace Dan. I’ve read all the books. However, I’m starting to feel fatigue and couldn’t get on with this one. There were too many strands of narrative, with a massive cast list. I just couldn’t connect with the story at all. Things did come together, but it took lots of preserving.

First of all I want to say this author is without doubt one of the best in my opinion. I savour every book that comes out and feel like I am catching up with an old friend. Helen is a great detective with her own demons which makes her real. Unfortunately this one just didn't grip me as well as they normally do. I found it too confusing with the amount of crimes being investigated, also the relationship between Helen and her team is quite fractured. Thank you for allowing me to read this book and I will still look forward to the next one.

Another brilliant book in the series. I couldn't put this down and read it in two sittings. Just when you think they can't continue the storyline further this is published. Looking forward to the next in the series.

Very interesting concept, loved the characters and execution. I'd love to read more from this author!

MIT is incredibly busy, there has been a spate of major crimes in the area and it's not stopping. For DI Helen Grace this means trouble. Her close confidante Charlie is on maternity leave and her team is being riven by internal politics driven by her ex-lover Hudson plus the local press is wasting no opportunity to criticise. Each crime is violent but they all seem unrelated, a disparate group of people murdered with no clues. However something seems to indicate that this is not random but Grace may not have the time to investigate.
I love the DI Grace series and this is no exception. For a police procedural it is nicely balanced between crime, psychological motives and personal issues which works well. Here I'd worked out the motives and modus operandi fairly quickly but the pace really picks up towards the end and the final section is satisfying in the fact that there is no clear conclusion.

First off.. I never realised that this was the 10th book in the series and quite easily read it as a stand alone!

This has got to be one of my top reads of the year. The real feelings of unease and tension it brought made it an even more exciting book to read.

DI Helen Grace is one formidable character, absolutely loved her! A do love a good female lead and DI Grace was a force to be reckoned with.

Set within a crime spree in Southampton, the main story is also told alongside sub plots that keep the interest and intrigue peaked at all times.

Fast paced, complex, intense and with well developed characters.. what more do you need?

Highly recommended and cannot wait for the next installment.

Huge thank you to netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for the ARC .

DNF @ 25%

This is the 10th book in the series. This wasn’t clear otherwise I wouldn’t have requested it.

This is the first book I’ve picked up by this author and I really struggled with the writing style.

I found myself being rather confused as to who's perspective each chapter was following. I know it alternates between the POV of the crime and the POV of the investigation but having it referring to pronouns and not using names was very confusing. Because of this I couldn't follow the story properly and therefore not enjoying it. If the chapter headers had something to show who's POV it is, that would make it so much easier to follow.

It has very short chapters so I felt like I wasn’t getting enough of the story before it abruptly changed scene/pov.

Unfortunately I think this book just wasn’t for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great storyline with excellent characters. I would highly recommend this book as it was a great read.

I have read all of the Helen Grace series and I love it. This wasn’t my favourite book from the series but it is still a great read. I found the Helen & Hudson storyline distracted from the plot and the pace was a bit off. I did guess the link but if you don’t look too hard into how realistic it is it was still a gripping read. I also think Garanita makes such a great added villain because she is just so vile. If you hate cliff hanger endings this might not be the book for you but I am looking forward to reading the next installment.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

There is never a dull moment, when you think Helen is being had over by Hudson, she has a moment of brilliance, Hudson didn't see that coming. But it's not over, looking forward to the next book.

This is the second book I read by this author and I'm loving this series.
Excellent plot, solid mystery and a great cast of characters.
I found this story riveting and entertaining, it kept me hooked till the end.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I haven’t read any of M J Arlidge’s other books, but this one certainly had me hooked and I am intending to go back and read the other Helen Grace books.

The pace was good, the crimes intriguing and I also enjoyed the location, as it’s set not far from where I live. The way all the different crimes tied together was handled well.

The only reason it wasn’t 5 stars was because at times I found it a bit clunky and difficult to get through, as it felt disjointed or like it hopped around too much. There was also something a little predictable in the writing - I am not sure if it was written with a TV series in mind?

In any case, I did enjoy it and will definitely read more by this author.

With thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Although this is the 10th book in Arlidge’s Helen Grace series, it is the first book that I have read. However, it certainly will not be the last.

Truth or Dare follows Detective Grace during a peak in crime in the local area. Grace starts to realise that these crimes are not as separate and random as they seem.

I am an avid thriller fan who loves a good mystery/detective novel. This novel has a unique premise that I hadn’t read before. The crimes and perpetrator(s) was cleverly thought out and executed by Arlidge. I initially found myself confused by the crime chaos surrounding Helen, and I loved being along for the ride as she peeled back the layers to expose the truth.

This novel definitely works as a stand alone, although I feel there may be more depth that is revealed in Helen’s history. I will definitely be going back to read the earlier books in the series to get a deeper understanding of Helen’s personal life and the people in it. This novel only focused on two personal relationships in Helen’s life, I would have liked to have seen some more, just to make her feel more human and connected to others. I hope that the earlier books will help with this. The ending left a suspenseful cliff-hanger that perfectly set-up another instalment and left me on the edge of my seat. I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the next book so I can find out what happened!

I want to thank Netgalley, Orion Publishing, and M.J. Arlidge for allowing me to read this book and give my own thoughts. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of thrillers/detective novels that leave you guessing.

Another great book in the D.I. Helen Grace series.
Southampton is hit by a crime wave and some one is out to get her.
Plenty of twists and turns .
The end will have you wanting more.
Can’t wait for the Next book
Thanks NetGalley

I was truly impressed with the structure of Truth or Dare. Told over seven consecutive days, each scene is given a chapter of its own, giving an almost cinematic effect. It wasn’t until I read Arlidge’s bio that I realised that he’s worked in TV, specifically crime dramas, which explains the snappiness of the writing. These small chapters (often only one or two pages) keep the narrative pacey and urgent; nothing is superfluous or padded. There are no drawn-out interrogation scenes or any moments of erstwhile internal monologues (while staring into the distance). This is ‘wham-bang’ writing at its best. And a complete joy to read.

Secondary characters are teased early on in the novel, only for you to have that ‘Oh! Hang on. OH!’ moment several chapters later when the penny drops for both CI Grace as well as you the reader. Arlidge gives the reader tiny little nuggets of info that seem inconsequential at the time but then slowly complete the complexing puzzle. I love thrillers that unravel the plot for the characters at the same time as the reader; nothing worse than working it out chapters before the main character or their entire police force!

Arlidge’s work in tv comes into play again with his ability to write dialogue. Script-like in its pace and fluency it adds real atmosphere to those essential moments in the plot – especially the one-to-one scenes. Reactions aren’t overly dramatic – a slight eye-twitch here, a sigh or eye roll there – it’s all so incredibly subtle.

Truth or Dare is a fantastically paced police procedural (try saying that five times fast) with great characters that are easy to relate and connect to. Without giving too much away it ends on a barn-stormer of a cliffhanger that means I’ll be pre-ordering the next instalment of Helen Grace’s caseload.

Chilling new book from M.J. Arlidge. Gripping from start to finish. Helen is such an intriguing character and I look forward to seeing how she develops across the series. Can't wait for the next one!