Hide and Seek

I received access to this galley from FirsttoRead. In this sixth installment in the compelling and addictive Helen Grace series, Helen is in prison awaiting trial for a crime she did not commit, a murder for which she has been framed.

Her situation is made more dire by the fact that she is no ordinary inmate. Many of her fellow prisoners are there because of her. There is also a prison guard that takes great pleasure in making her life miserable. While she bides her time, spending her time with some friends she has made and trying to keep out of trouble, her colleague is risking her life and career to prove her innocence.

When a series of horrifying murders happens within prison walls, anyone could be a suspect and unrest prevails. A team show more of investigators is called in, making the situation go from bad to worse. Helen's investigative and survival instincts kick in as she tries to track down the culprit and stay alive.

Arlidge's books are always page-turners and this one was no exception. The writing style, short chapters, and multiple perspectives make for a unputdownable read. The guilty party was not obvious from the start, which made the ending all the more surprising and satisfying. show less

Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge is the sixth book in D.I. Helen Grace series. Helen Grace is behind bars in Holloway Prison and she is in general population. Helen needs to find a way to stay alive until the trial or until Charlie Brooks can find the real killer—Robert Stonehill. Just when Helen thinks her situation cannot get any worse, a body turns up in the next cell. Grace (being Grace) cannot help but investigate the crime. Then the killer strikes again. Grace needs to work quickly to find the culprit before they kill again. Making things more difficult is Annie, a gang leader, bent on causing Helen harm. Charlie is working quickly to locate Robert Stonehill and prove Grace’s innocence. Charlie is risking her job to help her show more friend. Helen and Charlie are racing against the clock. Will Helen make it out of Holloway alive? Can Charlie find Robert Stonehill in time to save Helen? Who is killing the female prisoners in Holloway?

Hide and Seek is masterful. M.J. Arlidge has done it again with Hide and Seek. I found it well-written with a complex mystery and a fast pace. There is plenty of action, suspense and twists. The author keeps a reader guessing in this one (it was delightful). I suggest that you read the books in the D.I. Helen Grace series in order. The books in the series build on one another. What happens in Hide and Seek is the result of what occurred in Little Boy Blue. Helen is a complex character (intelligent, resilient, good instincts) with many layers (we have only scratched the surface in the first six books). We get to see a different side of Helen in this story. I was glad to see Charlie get more play in Hide and Seek. She is also strong, smart, and feisty. The action ramps up toward the end of the story, and I was glued to my e-reader. I did not stop reading until I finished the book (I was riveted). M.J. Arlidge keeps readers on the edge of their seats. I am giving Hide and Seek 5 out of 5 stars (I loved it). I have both the book and the audiobook (allowed me to listen to the story on the go). The narrator did a wonderful job. If you enjoy psychological thrillers/suspense novels, then Hide and Seek is for you. I am eager to read the next installment in the D.I. Helen Grace series. show less

4.5 stars.

Featuring concurrent story arcs, Hide and Seek by M.J. Arlidge is an electrifying, nail-biting addition to the DI Helen Grace series.

Picking up where Little Boy Blue left off, Helen Grace is in HM Prison Holloway awaiting trial for three murders that she insists she is not guilty of committing. Incarcerated with criminals she put behind bars, she is still struggling to adjust to prison life when one of her fellow inmates is murdered in a particularly gruesome manner. Despite her circumstances, Helen is at heart, a homicide detective so she begins her own investigation into the death. When another inmate is murdered in the same exact way, Helen knows she must stop the killer strikes again.

Outside the prison, Helen's good friend show more and fellow copper, Detective Sergeant Charlie Brooks risks her career (and relationship) to clear Helen's name. The only person on the force who believes Helen's vehement assertion she was framed, Charlie refuses to stop searching for the man they know is responsible for the murders Helen is accused of committing. Coming very close to insubordination after defying her newly minted boss Detective Inspector Joanne Sanderson's order to immediately cease working on the firmly closed case, Charlie manages to uncover an important lead that breaks the investigation wide open. Will Charlie manage to capture the wily and intelligent man who meticulously planned and carried out the diabolical plan to frame Helen for three brutal murders?

Back at HM Prison Holloway, Helen is painstakingly attempting to investigate the murders that one of the most sadistic guards thinks she is responsible for committing. Relying on the post-mortem reports and her finely honed instincts, a shocking theory is beginning to emerge. Certain she knows the killer's identity, Helen tries to uncover the evidence she needs to prove her theory whilst avoiding vicious inmates with an ax to grind and the depraved guards who abuse the inmates in their charge.

Hide and Seek is an exhilarating police procedural with an exciting storyline and an brilliant cast of characters. M.J. Arlidge breathes fresh life into the series by putting the Helen into a completely foreign and extremely dangerous environment where she is forced to use every skill in her arsenal to stay alive. Both story arcs move at a blistering pace as the search for the serial killer inside HM Prison Holloway intensifies and Charlie desperately pursues the person responsible for framing Helen. With stunning twists and turns, the novel comes to an action-packed, adrenaline laced conclusion.

While most of the mysteries in the DI Helen Grace series can be read as standalones, I highly recommend reading Little Boy Blue in order to fully appreciate the events that unfold in Hide and Seek. show less

I really love this series! Every book in the series is consistently good, and "Hide and Seek" is no exception. I didn't think I'd like this one as much because it is mostly set in a prison, but I was absolutely riveted from the first page.

At the end of book #5, DI Helen Grace was arrested for a triple murder for which she had been framed. Book #6 picks up with Helen trying to survive her time in Holloway prison until her trial date. Meanwhile, in the prison an inmate is murdered, then another, and it appears that a serial killer is on the loose inside the prison. Helen's detective instincts kick in, and she tries to get to the bottom of the killings, all the while trying to stay alive herself in prison. Back at the police precinct, DC show more Charlie Brooks is the only one convinced of Helen's innocence and continues working to find evidence to free her. Everyone else has moved on without her, convinced of her guilt.

Author M.J. Arlidge is an excellent writer. Not only do his books have interesting plots, but the characters are well developed, and I never see the twists coming. I could not put this book down, just like I could not put down the 5 books before this one. What a ride! I cannot wait to read book #7! show less

Framed for a murder she didn’t commit... As one of HM Prison Holloway’s most high-profile new inmates, Helen Grace has a target on her back and nowhere to hide. She has made a long list of enemies over the course of her career—some are incarcerated within these very walls. When one of Helen’s fellow prisoners is found mutilated and murdered in her own locked cell, it’s clear that the killer is someone on the inside. But time is running out for Helen as she races to expose the person who framed her, and the body count in the prison starts to climb. Helen will need to draw on all her investigative skills and instincts to catch the serial killer behind these murders and discover the truth—unless the killer finds her first.

At show more the close of the last book Helen was on her way to prison. Of course unless M.J. Arlidge had plans to end the series...her incarceration HAD to be temporary. The prison setting had several things going that was a little hard to believe. First of all I don't see the courts putting a decorated police officer in a closed environment with people that she had been responsible for putting in that same environment...Helen was only awaiting trial...she hadn't been convicted. Then there was the freedom she had to investigate the prison murders. Actually I found that for the murders to even happen as they did to be unbelievable. The prisoners were in single occupancy cells...so if they were locked in at night, how did the killer get in? In spite of there being these open questions I found the book readable. The chapters are amazingly short so there is lots of changes in the action and you can clearly see how each of the characters are interacting. If you have never read this series ...don't make this one your first. At least start with Little Boy Blue in order to fully understand Helen's present situation. show less

Hide and Seek – Can DI Grace Survive Holloway?

M.J. Arlidge once again shows the world why he is one of the best crime writers in Britain at the moment with the excellent DI Helen Grace Series. He has used his skills as someone who has brought some excellent drams to our small screens and now set that to our minds, and you can never be disappointed in what he writes.

Helen Grace has been arrested and is on remand in HMP Holloway, and as far as her bosses are concerned she is out of sight and out of mind, convinced that she is guilty of the crimes she has been charged. Grace knows that she is seen as a disgrace by her force, even though she knows she is innocent, and there is a parasite of a journalist making a living from her disgrace show more in prison.

Helen Grace is awaiting trial on B-Wing in the general population of Holloway Prison and she certainly has a number of people alongside her who would love to do some serious damage to her. She is after all an ex-copper in prison and unusually not on a Rule 43 unit, when one of her neighbours is murdered and mutilated. Some are suspicious that Grace might be involved, but she knows the only way to get to the truth is if she investigates.

Back in her old Station Charlie Brookes believes that her old boss is innocent and could become part of a miscarriage of justice, as she believes that Grace’s nephew has set her up. Unfortunately, none of her superior officers wants to hear this and keep telling her the case is closed. But Charlie will look for Robert Stonehill as she believes he has set Grace up to take the fall.

As the tension builds inside Holloway and outside, it really does become a race against time, not for the trial, that date is set, but whether Grace will survive that long as her enemies in and out of uniform are against her. Will she at the same time be able to investigate the murder and stop others from happening, especially as Holloway is simmering and a riot might not be too far away.

Helen Grace is a brilliantly complex character who just wants to investigate crime and put the bad guys away, and she is out of her depth when the tables have been turned. While all the time there is a rich tapestry going on in the background that will bring danger and death in equal amounts. What we get is a grisly and gripping thriller that leaves you guessing throughout and makes out for what at times is a very chilling read.

Hide and Seek, once again proves why MJ Arlidge is one of the most exciting writers of the moment, who draws the reader in with this breathless and taut thriller, that will have readers turning the pages hooked the deeper they go. MJ Arlidge knows how to entertain the reader and throws enough twists in to confuse but not overwhelm the story.

This is DI Helen Grace at her best, sharp, intelligent and brave. show less

I have spent this week listening to the last three books in this series and it was marvelous. I love these books, and it was quite nice to just pick the next book when one was done. The book before this one ended with a cliffhanger which made me quite happy that I could start listening to this one directly.

A Warning, don't read this review if you don't want to know the ending of the last book!

Helen Grace is in prison, framed for murders she didn't commit and now she has to find a way to prove that she is innocent. Thankfully outside if prison is her fellow colleague and friend Charlie on the hunt for the real killer. However, Grace has a bigger problem at the moment, there is a killer in prison. Well, it's a prison so there are probably show more quite a lot of killers. However, this one is killing fellow inmates...

This book, just like the previous books thrilling from the beginning until the end. I love the short chapters that make me just wanna listen to one more chapter and suddenly you're halfway through the book. I found both storylines intriguing. Charlie has to find the real killer and at the same time trying to convince her new boss Sanderson that Grace is innocent. And, Grace has to try to figure out who the killer is that is roaming the prison. Is it a fellow inmate or guard?

Hide and Seek is a great book. I was surprised over the identity of the killer and it's nice to not see the ending coming now and then... show less