I really enjoyed this 10th book in the DI Helen Grace series. Other have featured heavily on her life and this one was different as it was mainly about the crime. As always with this series it can be read as a stand alone. A gripping read

Thanks for the chance to read this book. Its a marathon rather than a race book. It not fast paced and makes me feel frustrated as Hudson is a power hunger plonker, no other word for him, but helen rises about it all gets the job done, it makes me exhausted how she battles through her life id like to see some happiness for her, but excellent ad ever even in a long series still going strong m j arlidge

3.5 Stars
As a crime wave sweeps through Southampton seemingly at random DI Helen Grace seeks to solve them but with very few clues or even a cause she's at a disadvantage. Slowly as each crime reveals another piece of the puzzle will she be able to stop the perpetrator or will she be too late.

Although I hadn't read of the previous DI Helen Grace novels I was able to pick up Truth or Dare and really enjoy it. A really absorbing crime thriller (more so as I live not too far from Southampton) with interesting characters which I read in one go on a sunny afternoon.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review

While this was fun, it did get a bit ridiculous towards the end. I suppose I didn't really buy into the bad guy and his motives and as things unravelled, it became more and more over the top to the point of unbelievability. Still, I did enjoy it and the ending was rather chilling.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Holy smoke, I can’t believe we’re onto book 10 of the DI Helen Grace series. This is one of my favourite series and this is probably cliche but this is a series that just gets better and better.

We return to Southampton where there’s a crimewave ramping through the city, Helen Grace and her team don’t seem to be getting anywhere and as the crimes mount up it looks like the team are loosing control of the city.

I absolutely love how the author writes these books, I have no idea what’s going on or what’s going to happen, I learn as Helen does and in Truth or Dare I was baffled. There seemed to be so many crimes, all very different and I couldn’t see how they were connected or how they could be connected.

The writing is vivid and I had to keep reminding myself it wasn’t real but somehow the author always manages to make me feel uneasy and tense, I blooming love it.

Helen’s a fantastic character and I’ve loved following her journey through these books, she’s feisty and determined and in Truth or Dare she’s up against so many things but she shoulders on, she has her wobbles and doubts like any human would and it just makes her all the more likeable.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Helen Grace yet then I highly recommend starting from the beginning, it’s guaranteed you’ll whizz through them, love them and be waiting patiently like me for book 11.

Great book about D. I. Helen Grace trying to solve a crime wave and save her job. Lots of sub plots that keep you busy and Helen Grace is not a woman to be messed about.
Looking forward to the next book.

This is the tenth book in the Helen Grace series and I hadn’t read any of them but I decided to jump right in with this one. Loved it. It’s fast paced, tense and a real page turner. So glad I decided to take a chance on this as it gives me a whole new series to get through.

I have followed DI Grace from book 1 so I was very pleased to be accepted for an eARC of the 10th book in the series. Fast-paced and an interesting storyline. This one was more about the actual crime than about Grace herself, but I enjoyed this one a lot and am looking forward to the next in the series. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book, although I was at a disadvantage as I haven't read the other books in the series. A good plot all round, good characterisation. A recommended read.

Plot: A crime wave sweeps through the city and no one is safe. An arson at the docks. A carjacking gone wrong. A murder in a country park. What connects all these crimes without causes, which leave no clues?

⭐ I love this series! It was marvelous catching up with these well-loved characters (aside from Garanita who I detest ha!).
⭐ The complex crime spree is incredibly intriguing ...just what on earth is going on? How are they all linked?
⭐ The fast-pace, short chapters & increasing tension with the turn of every page keep you hooked.
⭐ As always brilliantly written with an equally clever & very frustrating cliffhanger - I can't wait for the next installment.

☆ I wasn't a huge fan of the vindictiveness between Hudson & Helen. I felt it was a bit draining & detracted from the intricately plotted crime spree.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Disclaimer: A huge thanks to Orion for sending me this title for an honest & unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

A crime wave seems to hit the city of Southampton and DI Helen Grace and her team are scrambling to figure out if the crimes are connected and to stop the killer before they hit again. The police is under a lot of pressure to stop the crimes while DI Grace has to face a split of alliances inside her own team.

I have to admit that I was introduced late to this fantastic series by M. J. Arlidge, so I haven’t read all the books yet (but I am catching up), but Truth Or Dare can easily be read as a stand-alone if you are new to the series, as well. Even though I haven’t read all the books, this is one of my favourite police procedural series and I love the character of DI Helen Grace. She is authentic, relatable, and tough and she doesn’t let anyone push her around. In Truth Or Dare she has to contend with someone from inside her team trying to sabotage her career, but that doesn’t stop her from doing her job.

The story is addictive and engaging. Set in an arc of seven days, the plot is suspenseful and twisty and, even though there were a few things that I figured out on my own, it still took me frequently by surprise. The author flawlessly switches from one character’s perspective to another, and the tension just keeps building and building. A clever thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat for a few hours.

I liked DI Grace however unconformist that she was and her resolve to solve the crime wave in Southampton. I did find it hard to read at times and found that I went back to the page before many times, this was because without any warning or even a hint given to the reader that the harasser being written about had changed. I prefer a more conventional change so that the reading flows naturally without constant back tracking.
However the story is captivating and I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for granting me this ARC!

I have loved the DI Helen Grace Series so much and this instalment did not disappoint! I love the portrayal of the character, the storyline, everything. This is one series that could go on forever and I would get every single book and read every single one.

I highly recommend this series to everyone as I know they will love it

Brilliant characters alongside a great plot and with a story that moves quickly enough that this can be a one sitting read- which you will be glad of as it is nigh on impossible to put down.
I will now be buying up the entire back catalog of MJ Arlidge!

M J Arlidge has not disappointed me with this latest instalment in the Helen Grace series.
There is definitely more to come for this character and I will be on the lookout for the next book in the series.
I have recommended M J Arlidge to everyone I know as an author to look out for if you like crime/thriller style books.
Well worth a read. Much better than a TV series!

There's not enough words to describe how good this novel is. It definitely lived up to the usual high standards of M.J. Alridge. Without giving too much away this book is a need if you don't already have it. The twists and turns you've come to expect from this series were immense and left you on edge throughout. Helen Grace is back and better than ever in the latest addition to this series.

I’m afraid this is going to be a ‘damned by faint praise’ review because I found the book an ok read but nothing outstanding. There are no characters I really disliked but none I was that bothered about either. I’m still glad I read it though as I enjoy procedural uk based stories now and again.

This is now the book 10th in the Helen Grace series. The first few books were absolutely fantastic, Eeny Meeny (book 1) remains my firm favourite.

DI Grace seems to have in excess of nine lives due to the amount of times she’s managed to break free from the trappings of a serial killer or at the very least be taunted by one.

In my honest opinion her escapades are too far-fetched and even though I’m a massive fan of MJ Arlidge, and after having spoken to other fans, they are also of the same opinion that for Helen Grace I think it’s time for her to retire, or sadly, be killed off. Although, that being said I’d like to see her to take on a role that would involve her working all across the country, maybe in the National Crime Agency?

However, I do want to see how the relationship with DS Joseph Hudson pans out, I think this will be very interesting. I love the way the book was left on a cliffhanger so I’m looking forward to see what happens next…

Rating as a stand-alone: 4/5
Rating as 10th of the series: 3/5

I seem to have stumbled across M J Arlidge and his fictional detective, DI Grace, rather late in the day since this is the tenth novel in the DI Grace series. However, there were plenty of references in the text to a rather complex back story, so my belated discovery of DI Grace’s previous outings did not come as a complete surprise.

In some ways this was an annoying book to review, as I determined early in my reading to write off Truth or Dare as a cliche ridden, by-the-numbers police procedural with all the usual tropes present and correct. Slowly and reluctantly I had to abandon my earlier prejudice and recognise some serious positives. The writing is well-paced and Arlidge has a real talent for ratcheting up the tension way beyond the maximum as the end of the book is approached. For sure, there are rather too many cliches and a rather casual tendency to test the reader’s credulity. In fairness to the author, this can be a problem in multi-book series such as this when a novel challenge has to be presented to the lead character each time. And, to Arlidge’s credit the lazy solution of introducing ever more macabre or unpleasant crimes has not been pulled off the shelf..

Whilst it’s fair to say that no one is likely to mistake Truth or Dare for great literature it certainly scores highly in terms of pace, increasing tension and an unusual plot linking a series of seemingly unrelated murders. Expect to finish it in a shorter time than novels of a similar length………it’s likely to keep you reading longer than you intended!

Recommended

A number of murders around the same area , seemingly totally unconnected but Helen Grace is convinced something must link them . Meanwhile her colleague Joseph Hudson , with the help of a local journalist sets out to make her life and job position at work untenable. He goes after a local criminal and tries to make him fit in with the murders , but Helen carries on her investigation in a thorough manner and becomes aware of the chain from the murder victims to people who wanted them dead . There is somebody controlling the killers and Helen is determined to find out who . There are many twists along the way , a similar premise to " Strangers on a Train" but far more sinister and complicated.. Exciting to the end .