Review: Love Me Not (Helen Grace #7)

Author: M.J. Arlidge
Started reading: September 18th 2019
Finished the book: October 2nd 2019
Pages: 368
Genres: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Published: May 18th 2017
Source: Bought the book
Goodreads score: 4.15
My score:

Synopsis

She Loves Me
A woman's body lies in the road. At first it looks like a tragic accident. But when Helen Grace arrives on the scene it's clear she's looking at a coldblooded killing. But why would anyone target a much-loved wife and mother?

She Loves Me Not
Across town, a shopkeeper is killed while his customers are left unharmed. But what lies behind the killer's choices?


She Loves Me
Who lives? Who dies? Who's next? The clock is ticking.

She Loves Me Not
If Helen can't solve this deadly puzzle then more blood will be shed. But any mistake and it might be her own ...

My thoughts

Ever since book 4 in this series I'm totally hooked. The first 3 books were good, but book 4,5,6 and 7 are just amazing. I'm rushing through these books, mainly because the chapters are so short, but also because the author keeps surprising me. The books are a series, but the stories overall are so different. It makes me wonder every time what will happen when I pick up a book in this series.

Pros

• Previous books: I love it when an author kind of "rewards"  you for reading previous books in a series. I'm not a big fan of series where you can just dive in at book 3 and still read the book, while it's not necessary that you know what happened before. In this series you really have to read book 1-6 to get the overall feeling that you're understanding what the characters are feeling. I adore the way the characters have grown since the previous book, and seeing the impact it has on them was an enrichment to the story. It's realistic to see how certain characteristics have changed because of everything that happened. I also liked the reference to the title of the first book in this book, there was one scene where the title Eeny Meeny had a big role.
• Different type of book: The books in this series are so different from each other. It's not something I've seen before in a crime/thriller series. This book takes place within 24 hours and it was so well done by the author. It shows that the author is not afraid to change things up and it keeps the reader curious about the books.
• Fast paced: M.J. Arlidge's books are always so fast paced, mainly because of the short chapters. This book was even faster to read, because it took place within 24 hours. I saw that it took me 2 weeks to read this book but it felt more like 3 days.
• On edge: This author keeps me so much on edge. He is not an author that will spare the main or side characters and I love how he puts the characters through hardships. I did feel the death in this book coming, but was still shattered by it.

Cons

None.

Overall

I'm such a big fan of this series and I love how the books are everywhere in the Dutch bookstores. I've also lend the first book in this series to two different people, because I'm just so enthusiastic about this series. I think every crime/thriller lover should read this series. The first three books are just a small peak of what is going to come, and I'm sure any reader can rush through and finish these books within days.

Praise for this series

" DI Helen Grace is a genuinely fresh heroine... MJ Arlidge weaves together a tapestry that chills to the bone." 

- Daily Mail

" Gruesomely realistic, intriguing and relentless. Arlidge's fledgling army is about to grow." 

- Sunday sport

"Expertly pulled off. It has a devious premise. DI Helen Grace is fiendishly awesome. It's scary as all hell. And it has a full cast of realistically drawn, interesting characters that make the thing read like a bullet." 

- Will Lavender

Thanks for reading!

I'd love to talk books; please let me know what you think about this book/review.