Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge

Title: Little Boy Blue 

Series: Helen Grace #5

Author: M.J. Arlidge

Publisher: Berkley 

Release Date: October 4, 2016

Detective Inspector Helen Grace is no stranger to tragedy. But when a body is found in a Southampton nightclub, the death cuts too close to the bone. Hiding her personal connection to the victim - and a double-life which must remain secret at all costs - Helen becomes a woman possessed, working her team around the clock to chase down every lead. As the killer strikes again, the investigation takes its toll not only on Helen but also her senior officers. Tempers flare, friendships fray and Helen faces an impossible choice. Confess her sins and lose control of the case? Or keep living a lie, protecting her darkest secrets, and risk getting trapped in this tangled web? But whatever she does, this killer will not stop until the truth is revealed: there are some fates worse than death.

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“This isn’t about love,” 

“This is about hate.”

I want to SCREAM!!! It ends in a CLIFFHANGER! I don't know what to do with myself. I couldn't believe it. I kept on flipping back and forth but no new end magically appeared. 

I'm stunned. I read Eeny Meeny, which was good but Little Boy Blue is so much better. The characters have grown since the last time I read about them. Usually, I'm not someone who likes multiple POVs but in this case, I think it gives us the opportunity to learn more about the insecurities, pain, and sadness these characters are feeling. It humanizes them. Makes me feel invested in them.

There's a lot going on with this novel. Helen and her team are called to an S&M nightclub where a murder has occurred in The Torture Rooms. When she gets there she discovers the victim is bound and probably died of asphyxiation. What she never saw coming is that she knew the victim. It's Jake, her former dominator. She hasn't had a relationship with him in a while, but the shock is there. She wasn't prepared to face something like this. She is not sure if she should speak up and let her superior know she knew him. However, she is sure Jake didn't deserve this and she wants nothing more than to catch his killer.

In addition to wanting to bring justice to Jake, she has to deal with her team. Charlie and Sanderson are fighting over power and her boss Jonathan Gardam is acting strangely. She wants to put this on the back burner and move along with the criminal investigation. But nothing is easy, the chase for the killer leads to so many different angles. They have a suspect/suspects but the one thing missing is the motive. Why did someone target Jake? Was it someone from the BDSM lifestyle? Or someone outside of it?

"Let the games begin." 

Helen knows her private life is in danger of coming out. Her life left wide open for the public and her team to discover. When another body is found and it has a connection to her as well, she can't stop thinking she might be cursed after all.

“it made her wonder whether somebody might in turn be watching her.”

Wonderful narrative with a huge deal of suspense. I didn't want to put the book down. The psychological side of it had me on my toes. Who was the culprit? Why Jake? Was it related to Helen? I had so many questions but by the end, I wanted nothing else than to know what happens next.

4.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eeny Meeny (Helen Grace #1) by M.J. Arlidge

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Helen Grace is a Detective Inspector. When someone starts kidnapping two people at a time and making one of the victims commit an awful crime, Helen's team becomes in charge of the investigation. Helen is running out of time. The press is on their toes and a serial killer on the loose is big news. Helen is hiding her own demons too. Nobody really knows her well. She likes it this way.

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I love crime novels and mystery books. I haven't read one in a while and this was a perfect one to pull me back into this genre.  The author gives you plenty of clues to guide you towards the identity of the killer.

I like Helen as a character. She was determined and a go getter. Her past didn't completely define her. She wanted more in life. She was also not scared of apologizing when she was in the wrong.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“Will you kill or be killed?”

If your only chance for survival was hinged on killing someone, before they killed you, could you pull the trigger? Or, would you sit back and slowly suffer, hoping all along the other person makes the same choice? I think the author does a great job of forcing the reader to contemplate both decisions. Well, I did at least. 

This twisted story of kill or be killed, centers around a police detective, Helen Grace, and her relentless search for a psycho that’s abducting people and forcing them to make an impossible decision. Helen is a strong woman that’s made quite a reputation for herself. She’s a no-nonsense homicide detective, dead set on getting the job done. To me, she was a little unlikeable and cold in the beginning, but sort of intriguing at the same time. There’s a part of her that seeks to be punished, severely, for something that happened in her past. Her method of release, definitely adds an interesting and different dynamic to the story. 

Trust is a fragile thing - hard to earn, easy to lose.

It all starts when a couple is abducted and left at the bottom of a drained pool, too deep to escape, with nothing but a cell phone and a gun. The battery on the phone lasts mere minutes. Just enough time for them to take the call that seals their fate. One of them, has to pull the trigger or they’ll both be left to rot. Imagine everyone’s shock, when the survivor shows up with this crazy story.  Helen isn’t sure what to believe. When the abductions keep happening, she has no choice but to dig deep and find out what ties all these victims together.  It’s a shocker that's anything but predictable.

“The flesh was his own, bitten from his right forearm. By the looks of it, I’d say he managed three to four mouthfuls before he gave up.”

One of the best aspects of the story, in my opinion, was the survivor’s guilt. What everyone fails to consider and what the author brings to the forefront - the consequences of taking someone else’s life.  That’s not something you can just walk away from. It was that notion, that really tied the entire story together for me.

You have to be prepared, going into this story, it's dark and often times horrific. There really isn’t anything pretty about it. There’s unexpected twists, betrayal and death, all intensified with the constantly changing POV and the shock value the author loves to conclude almost every chapter with. It had me guessing and questioning, all along, when and if, I would ever be back in that person’s head. 

I can't end this review without mentioning my heartbreak. The romance junkie in me was devastated, and almost in disbelief, about what happened with one of the characters. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t mention any names, but it was tragic. Ever the eternal optimist, I was sure, after everything, it would be a fairytale ending, but nope.

4/5 Fangs

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*