Eeny Meeny (DI Helen Grace #1) by M.J. Arlidge
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Crime Fiction, Mystery
Read: 31st August 2018
Purchase: Amazon
★★★★★ 5 stars
"On the floor by the phone you'll find a gun. It has one bullet in it. For Sam or for yourself. That is the price of your freedom. You must kill to live. Do you want to live, Amy?"
Though I have seen this concept done a couple of times - in "Saw" and "Criminal Minds" (season 2 episode 7 "North Mammon") - abducting and trapping people together with no food or water and giving them only one option left - to kill or be killed - I was completely hooked from the very first page. As the author suggests, it is a twisted form on the childhood game of "eeny meeny miny mo" and I loved it!
It begins with Sam and Amy who are hitching home one dark night when they are picked up by a woman in a van. Relieved to be out of the cold and the rain, they are offered a warm drink to take the chill off...then they wake up in an old dive pool in the middle of nowhere, abandoned with just a phone and a gun. When the phone rings, Amy picks it up...and the horror of realisation dawns. The gun has one bullet - for Sam or herself. They must choose - who lives and who dies. THAT is how the game is played. One must die...and only one gets out alive.
But who is the real victim? The one who who dies? Or the one who killed them?
DI Helen Grace is a tough cop who thought she had seen it all. After being called to hear Amy's story, Helen questions the the validity of such a tale. It is just too crazy to be real...and yet why would Amy make up such a crazy story unless it was true? And then, it happens again. Helen and her and her team race to find another missing couple - colleagues Ben Holland and Peter Brightston - who disappeared in the New Forest on route from Bournemouth.
Who is this person? Why would someone abduct two people and then abandon them with nothing but one choice - to kill or be killed? Is it random or are they all connected in some way? And if so, how?
This is the first in a series featuring DI Helen Grace. She has problems of her own and in many ways is a damaged soul who is battling the demons of her own past that continue to haunt her but she chooses to bury herself in her work, with a private outlet for herself that is somewhat different and a little far from the norm. But she is a survivor who thrives in the face of adversity. She is assisted by DS Mark Fuller and DC Charlene "Charlie" Brooks, who both have problems of their own, but are each completely likeable in their own ways. I'm not usually a fan of strong female types but I am looking forward to reading more DI Grace and her team.
EENY MEENY will keep you guessing as to who the killer is. I can usually figure out who it could be but I had no idea with this one. In fact, I don't think I even stopped to think who it could be, I was racing through it so quickly and enjoying the ride. I never saw it coming though. And yet when it was revealed it all started to make sense.
I couldn't tear myself from this book nor could I read it quick enough. It is fast paced and thrilling from start to finish. It held my attention throughout with quick, short, fast paced chapters (the best kind) that leave you wanting more. I felt like I was eating a block of chocolate, devouring every last word.
EENY MEENY is a compelling, dark, compulsive psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. It never loses pace and it keeps you guessing every step of the way. For those who enjoy these types of thrillers, you will not want to go past this one!!
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