Down to the Woods

What I love about M.J. Arlidge's Helen Grace series is that I usually have no idea who the bad guy is. There are always red herrings, and even though I know they're red herrings, Arlidge still fools me. "Down to the Woods" had me guessing all the way until Helen and her cohorts figured it out.

I'm not going to do a plot summary here, because you can read that on your own. I'm just going to give my take on what I thought about the book as a whole.

The reason I did not rate thsi book 5 stars is that I found it slow to get going. The initial suspect seemed so boring that I wasn't interested in what was going on, and that was frustrating. Once the pace picked up, the book really took off and grabbed my attention, but that didn't happen until show more a good 1/3 of the way through the book. This was so unlike Arlidge that I wondered if his writing was weakening. (It's a rare author who can keep up the strength of a good series after so many books, and this series has been rock solid thus far.) Fortunately, once the book picked up, Arlidge was in fine form. I'm not sure why it was so slow at the beginning.

I like the new member of Helen's team, DS Hudson. We aren't allowed much into his psyche or past, so I'm eager to learn more about him in future books. I look forward to reading book #9! show less

Book 8 finished! I am really trying to read other books but these books keep calling my name! This was a little slower start than the previous books but it soon picks up speed and once again, I had to read until I finished it! Tom Campbell is camping with his girlfriend when he wakes up in the middle of the woods, nowhere near their tent, and he hears the word, "Run". I still have three more of the DI Helen Grace books left to read. Once again, I am going to try to read something different, we'll see if I'm successful!

One thing you know to expect from a DI Helen Grace book; the first theory and suspect she comes up with will not be the killer, usually the second one isn’t either. And you believe her each time. So just when you are wondering who the killer can possibly be, the book races to its conclusion and you never guessed it though the clues are there. ‘Down to the Woods’ is eighth in the Grace series by MJ Arlidge. He is expert at twisting, turning, somersaulting the plot and part of the fun as a reader is figuring out the puzzle he has set.
In the New Forest, campers are disappearing from their tents and being chased through the isolated woods before being killed. I didn’t dwell on the gruesome bits; I prefer the puzzle part of crime show more novels, the answers are always with the people. Apart from PD James and Susan Hill, this is the series of crime novels I keep on reading. Why? Because Helen Grace is an unusual heroine; she is strong but vulnerable, confident yet quaking inside, spiky but desperate for companionship. For the moment that support comes from her team. The secondary story of her DS, Charlie Brooks, continues. Charlie’s daughter Jessie is having nightmares and the household is short on sleep, while Charlie’s husband Steve wants another baby. And there is a new DS, tall, dark, motorbike riding DS Hudson. Local reporter Emilia Garanita is pushing for the big story, overstepping the line, being a nuisance, endangering herself, as usual.
Just when I was beginning to think Helen was less of a livewire, running into danger without thinking first, when she does exactly that. ‘Down to the Woods’ is perhaps a little less explosive than the earlier books, but this is now a mature crime series and Helen is 45. The challenge for Arlidge is to come up with stories that keep us guessing right until the end without relying totally on Helen. Female characters – Helen, Charlie and Emilia – are undoubtedly Arlidge’s strength and it will be interesting to see if DS Joseph Hudson joins the team on a permanent basis.
One thing disappointed me. More than any previous book, there seemed to be a lot of repetition of stuff the reader can work out for herself; of the ‘if this happens then that might be next’ sort of question. No need for the summarising.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ show less

A body is found in the New Forest, hung upside down and with crossbow bolts found in it. As DI Helen Grace and her team start to investigate another body is found. There is obviously a link to the dead ponies who have been killed by crossbow bolts, but who is the killer? As suspects are eliminated one by one, Grace and the team search for answers before another killing happens.
I really enjoy Arlidge's books about DI Grace and the Southampton squad. Yes, they are police procedurals and therefore are in a crowded market but there are certain unique features that keep me reading. Grace herself is a complex character with a really dark side. That isn't to the fore in this book but sits in the background. I like the setting in Southampton as show more it allows for a really varied set of plots, both city and country have featured in the series. here a lot of contemporary themes are explored but when it comes down to it the plot is based on simple motives. show less

OK book, however, I did figure out who the baddie was and the motive quite early one. Also, the new guy on the team and his fascinating with Grace didn't rock my boat. I enjoyed listening to the book, but so far this is one of the weakest books in the series. The narrator did a good job, and absolutely the book is well worth reading (or listening). I just wanted a more surprising story.

On a side note, adding a Swedish character to the story and claiming that the person did not understand English? Sorry, but English is our second language and we start learning it very early on in school. And yes, this caused me to call my mom and rant about it during work... ;)

Down to the Woods – I wouldn’t go alone

Down to the Woods is the eighth novel in the exciting and bestselling DI Helen Grace series from MJ Arlidge. He has once again delivered a chilling page-turner, that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. This truly is a gripping thriller that gets under your skin, this really is a taut, fast-paced simply excellent.

Detective Inspector Helen Grace is a female heroine for our time, who kicks ass, rides fast bikes, afraid of nothing and nobody. Why this series has not been picked up for television I do not know. They way this book is written Arlidge paints pictures with words, that burn long in the memory.

With a new Detective Sargent Joseph Hudson taken on, DI Helen Grace’s team are almost back show more to full strength at Southampton Central Police Station, all set for what ever Major Incident may happen. Finding that DS Hudson also happened to be a biker, like herself, only made Grace like him even more.

When they are called out to what had been a missing person inquiry but now a murder hunt, they needed to get into the head of the killer. The way in which the body had been staged was haunting, the reason why Tom Campbell had been murdered, was not clear. The only thing what was clear is that the killer or killers, was a keen hunter with a sense of staging. More importantly, it was clear the killer knew the Forest of Dean well, which puts him at an advantage.

When another body is found in the forest, with no seeming link, Helen Grace knows that they are under pressure to deliver. They cannot see if there is a link in both murders other than the way in which they were killed. Helen Grace knows this will test them all to the limit, and hopefully none of her team will get killed.

This really is a gripping thriller, that will have you hooked from the beginning, and you will want to read all the others in this series. show less

A serial killer is at large in the New Forest and Helen Grace and her team from Southampton struggle to identify any links between the victims or find any clues to the murderer.

Arlidge combines a police procedural with an examination of the personal lives of the detectives involved, showing how overlap here can influence both the police work and family life.

The action moves along at an even pace and there are genuine thrills and spills. There are a goodly amount of red herrings and false trails that make the final reveal exciting.