Little Boy Blue

M. J. Arlidge

Oct 2016 · A Helen Grace Thriller Book 5 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Detective Helen Grace faces her own dark compulsions in the twisty new thriller from the author of Pop Goes the Weasel and Eeny Meeny.

In the darkest corners of the city, there is a thriving nightlife where people can let loose and cross the lines of work and play, of pleasure and pain. But now that sanctuary has been breached. A killer has struck and a man is dead.
 
In a world where disguises and discretion are the norm, one admission could unravel a life. No one wants to come forward to say what they saw or what they know—including the woman heading the investigation: Detective Helen Grace.
 
Helen knew the victim. And the victim knew her—better than anyone else. And when the murderer strikes again, Helen must decide how many more lines she’s willing to cross to bring in a devious and elusive serial killer...

Ratings and reviews

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge is the fifth D.I. Helen Grace Thriller novel. Helen Grace and her team are called to a murder at the Torture Rooms (you can guess what type of club it is). They find the victim wrapped up and his head covered in duct tape. When the duct tape is removed, Helen recognizes the victim as Jake. Helen used to visit Jake and partake in his services. Helen knows she cannot say a word. She does not want her team to know about her private life. But then a second victim turns up, and he has a connection to Helen as well. This is not looking good for Helen, and she should proceed carefully (we know Helen will not). Then Helen ends up finding another victim with a close connection to her. Someone has been watching Helen. Can Helen find this crafty killer? I had to be very careful with the wording of my review so I do not give away any spoilers. Little Boy Blue will keep you up until the wee hours of the morning. I was shocked at the ending (and it has a cliffhanger ending). As I was reading the novel I could see where things were heading, but I kept hoping for a different outcome. The hardest thing is I now have to wait for Hide and Seek to come out in the United States. Little Boy Blue is a well-crafted novel with an engaging main character. M.J. Arlidge did it again with Little Boy Blue. I give Little Boy Blue 5 out of 5 stars (I loved it). Little Boy Blue is not a stand-alone novel. You really need to read the other books in the series in order to enjoy Little Boy Blue. If you enjoy novels of suspense, then I recommend reading Little Boy Blue.

First, let me say, author M. J. Arlidge has crafted a riveting novel. Suspense, mystery, deviance, murder, and revelations are the order of the day in this first-rate novel. Secondly, his knowledge of investigative procedure and law enforcement personalities are first-rate. Arlidge's portrayal of law enforcement personnel as normal people with all the faults and failures humans possess was very skillful. As a result, I found myself immersed in the lives of the characters and the BDSM world. His handling of this world was in-depth without explicit detailing of the sexual aspects. I found the why of this practice enlightening. In concluding the review of Little Boy Blue, I found Mr. Arlidge provided a varied list of possible suspects; each a worthy culprit and fully developed. The plots kept coming as he wove the many story-lines together to form a first-rate murder novel. Furthermore, Mr. Arlidge writing style is clear and clean as he created a novel worthy of the title mystery thriller. Finally, this novel will grab you immediately, hold you enthralled, and leave you wanting more of Helen and her team. The story-line never lagged or bogged down, rather it races to the finish; or was it the finish? Mr. Arlidge crafted a humdinger of an ending for this story.

About the author

M. J. Arlidge is the international bestselling author of the Detective Helen Grace Thrillers, including Liar Liar, The Doll’s House, Pop Goes the Weasel, and his debut, Eeny Meeny, which has been sold in twenty-nine countries. He lives in England and has worked in television for the past fifteen years.