Very impressed with the works of this author! A new to me author and it won't be the last I read something from this author!

Arlidge has written a pretty good, but very graphic, book with Pop Goes The Weasel. It is the second book in the series, the first being Eeny Meeny, which the reader really should read first. Detective Inspector Helen Grace is our lead investigator.
Character development is a bit lacking, but the plot helps the reader forget this. Moreover, the chapters, especially in the first part, are very short which has the effect of keeping the reader reading on. Carnage seems to be very important to M. J. Arlidge, and this was sort of a trend when this book was written.
A man is killed and his heart is cut out and placed in a Tupperware container. Then it is mailed to the man’s family. We have a real sicko here. Of course, the murders continue. DI Helen Grace and her man on the case, Charlie professionally investigate this horrid case aided by Tony, who goes undercover. I did not care for Grace’s boss or the journalist, and I believe that is what Arlidge wants the reader to feel for them. This can be a dicy element in writing.
I am glad that I read the book, it was good, but I probably will not read any more M. J. Arlidge books. He is somewhat of an acquired taste. I liked the book, but I was not enamored with it. I would give Pop Goes The Weasel a 3-1/2 star rating which rounds down to 3-star.

Somehow I completely missed the fact that this was the second book in a series - my bad. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the twisty, 'one more chapter' plot that kept me glued to the page! Would I recommend that others skip book one and jump directly into Pop Goes the Weasel? Nope; however, I will absolutely be steering fans of thrillers and sleep stealing mysteries in the direction of book one!

Pop Goes the Weasel by MJ Arlidge

418 Pages
Publisher: Penguin Group Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW, Berkley
Release Date: October 6, 2015

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, British Police Procedural, Serial Killer

Detective Helen Grace has recently returned to duty after an extremely difficult case. She is still rattled by it but it does not stop her from investigating the death of a dead man found in an abandoned house. He has been mutilated and his family receives a package with a piece of him. There is a killer on the loose that wants men to pay for their crimes. The police are stymied by the killer’s actions.

This is the second book of the Detective Helen Grace Thriller series. The book is fast paced, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. The book kept me guessing. If you like British police procedurals, you may enjoy this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Berkley, NAL / Signet Romance, DAW, Berkley for an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The second book in the Helen Grace series, this book picks up with DI Grace tracking down a serial killer who likes to return the hearts to the victim's loved ones. Gruesome and twisty, this was a fantastic crime thriller that will keep the reader guessing to the end. Arlidge is top notch in developing a story with solid characters and tight stories that cannot be unraveled easily. A longer but well developed story, I look forward to following DI Helen Grace on her next case.

Gruesome and grisly and absolutely fantastic. It had me gripped from the first page and I simply couldn’t put it down.

Once upon a time I did not know who M.J. Arlidge was. Now he is a must-read, wish-list, top of my TBR pile author. The murder mysteries he writes keep me on the edge of my seat, turning page after page, and wondering who Helen Grace will catch.

With Little Boy Blue there are characters and storylines brought back from previous Helen Grace Series books. I enjoyed getting the slight reminders of why a character acts the way they do. These past characters mentions are clues to who Helen Grace is chasing for the current crimes. With all that I just said, know that if you have not read the others in this series you are definitely missing out on some amazing reading but you will still totally enjoy Little Boy Blue.

Little Boy Blue is a good crime fictions story that kept me guessing and reading. I love that I was kept anticipating what would happen next. There are no giveaway clues, although there are clues that could or could not lead you to make the correct assumptions. I am a reader that follows the trail the author wants me to and MJ Arlidge is masterful at taking me down a path full of drama, suspense, twists, and murders. All of which add up to an amazing story. I recommend checking out the rest of this series and picking up this book also.

I read this title a while back and was remiss in reviewing it here. I don't recall much about it, so it wasn't a stand out thriller. My reading history of it shows I tried and gave up and came back to it later.

DI Helen Grace has another case that is proving to be very difficult to solve. Men in Southampton are being murdered and having their hearts cut out. Who would do something so gruesome? A prostitute who wants payback. Getting to the bottom of this mystery will not be easy, especially with all obstacles, twists, and turns that get in the way, but DI Grace and her team are determined to bring the killer to justice.

So right now I'm on a Helen Grace binge. I have 11 days to get caught up before the final book disappears from my Kindle forever.

This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. It was so good and I was so determined to find out what happened, I was reading at stoplights on my way to and from work.

Imagine receiving a package at home or at work and inside is a heart. A real, live(well not live)human heart, cut out of someone's body and delivered to your doorstep. Can you imagine what type of person could do such a thing? Would your first thought be that some crazy man pulled off this stunt? You would be wrong. MJ Arlidge is writing about a female serial killer in this book and she does a great job with it.

A prostitute is killing her johns that are married. And when you find out the reason why, your jaw will hit the floor. I wasn't sure if I wanted her to be caught her not. With so many twists and to this story its hard to decide which side to be on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group Berkley, NAL/Signet Romance, DAW NAL and M.J. Arlidge for an advanced copy of Pop Goes the Weasel for an honest review.

The second book in the Helen Grace series, Pop Goes the Weasel is an action packed psychological thriller that keeps you hanging on for the ride till the end. A man found murdered in the red light district brings D.I. Helen Grace and her team onto the case. The sadistic killer then sends a package to the victims wife containing his heart. Definitely a page turner as we follow the team working every angle to stop a murderer. I definitely recommend Pop Goes the Weasel.

This is the second book in the Helen Grace series was just better than the first. In this book DI Helen Grace is once again on the trail of a serial killer. The story opens one year after Eeny Meeny and Charlie has just returned to work after taking a year off to heal from her ordeal. When it appears that someone is targeting "Punters or Johns" the team gears up to catch another killer. The clues lead them to some chat rooms that rate prostitutes and it seems that all the men killed have been reading about someone named Angel. In this story Helen is not only dodging reporter Emilia Garanita, but her new boss seems to be out to get her as well. As the team gets closer to the killer Grace's secrets are suddenly being uncovered and she faces the possibility that they could be revealed and she lose her job. As more of her private life and past is revealed in this story, Helen becomes more real and garnered more sympathy from this reader. This book did not disappoint and I will definitely read the next one to find out what Helen Grace gets involved in next time. WARNING: There is brutality and vivid descriptions of the crime scenes in the book. If you like to read thrillers and police procedurals and are not squeamish about bloody descriptions, you should pick this one up, it will keep you on the edge of your seat.

'The world is full of killers, liars and thieves.'

There is not a lot of theft going on in this book, but there are plenty of liars and a lot of killing.

A man's body is found in an empty house. Then a gruesome memento of his killing is delivered to his wife and children.

Pop Goes The Weasel is #2 in the DI Helen Grace series and the third book in the series that I have read. I enjoyed the other two, but didn't think they were anything special. Pop Goes The Weasel, however, was an engrossing read. It was dark and twisted, with plenty of not obvious red herrings. I devoured this book and it certainly did not feel like it was 400+ pages long.

4.5 stars, and yes, I will be continuing with the series. I have become quite fond of DI Helen Grace and several of her associates. I am interested to learn what becomes of them.

Thank you to Penguin Group, Berkeley via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Pop Goes The Weasel for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.