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Hazel (2934 KP) rated Cat and Mouse (Helen Grace #11) in Books

Jun 21, 2022  
Cat and Mouse (Helen Grace #11)
Cat and Mouse (Helen Grace #11)
M.J Arlidge | 2022 | Crime, Thriller
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Oh my goodness ... that was a good book ... had me absolutely hooked from the beginning to the end!

This is the 11th book in the Helen Grace series but if you haven't read any of the others, don't worry, it works quite well as a standalone but I think you will want to go back and read the others after finishing this one if only to put a bit more flesh onto the main characters.

This is an intense read where the short and punchy chapters add to that intensity and keeps the story rolling along very nicely. The plot is engaging and intriguing and the characters are strong and well developed.

Full of action and heart-in-the-mouth scenes of peril, this is one for people who enjoy a great crime thriller/police procedural but, be warned, you will definitely be checking your windows and doors more than once each night!!

Thank you to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for enabling me to read Cat & Mouse and to share my thoughts.
  
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Eleanor (1463 KP) rated Blood for Blood (Ziba MacKenzie, #1) in Books

Jun 19, 2019  
Blood for Blood (Ziba MacKenzie, #1)
Blood for Blood (Ziba MacKenzie, #1)
Victoria Selman | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
7
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Solid Crime Procedural Mystery
So I was pretty excited to read the blurb for this book, the debut and first in a new series from Victoria Selman. Ex-special forces profiler Ziba MacKenzie (yay strong female lead - love it!) has to profile a serial killer that returns after a long hiatus (yay serial killers and profilers trying to catch them.)

 It started off full of action with a commuter train crash and Ziba helping the injured and dying and receiving a the cryptic last words of one victim: He did it. You have to tell someone. Which understandably peaks her curiosity. Ziba is then called in to help out when a brutal (read disturbing and not for the kiddies/squeamish) serial killer seemingly reappears and a connection between the woman on the train nags at Ziba.

I liked the intense train situation as a way of demonstrating Ziba’s training and expertise level but her kick ass nature didn’t come through much in the rest of the book. The conversations with Ziba and the language used just didn’t quite fit; it seemed overly forced to make her sound military but not natural. The serial killer profile talk also seemed like it wasn't at the level you’d expect between experienced law professionals, the conversations felt more like an intro to readers then real policing interactions and I’ve been around enough crime thrillers to not need that level of hand holding..

Oh did I mention Ziba’s husband dies because she does...constantly….. And then gets upset that people are trying to be protective of her. Less kick ass especially when accompanied by a thin romance story-line with her husbands best friend.

We get some good full on crazy , religious nut serial killer action with some nice clue following cat and mouse action, it is a strong crime procedural book. It’s a good story with plenty to keep you focused on just lacking some finesse, I felt red-herrings were thrown in your face without much subtlety and the major coincidence at work with the lady on the train having a connection to the case she Ziba was lucky to be the only totally “oh really eye-roll” and I always allow at least one…...

For a debut and the start of a series I see a lot of potential so will be giving the next ago.