Sarah Cohen reviews Down to the Woods, the new thriller by MJ Arlidge
I’ve long been a fan of MJ Arlidge’s novels – they’ve kept me wide awake into the early hours of the morning, so when I saw a copy of his eighth novel, Down to the Woods, I could not resist nestling into another gripping crime mystery.
The thought of being lost deep in a forest with a serial killer on the loose hunting their prey, makes my skin crawl, but Arlidge puts the reader right into the scene, as though one were to step straight into the pages of the book.
Detective Inspector Helen Grace is at the epicentre of every book in the series.
In this one, a young woman staying in a tent camp site in the New Forest wakes up to find her boyfriend missing.
His body is subsequently found deep in the forest, hanging from a tree and Helen together with her hard-working team take on the case. The story gets into the thick of things when two ponies are found dead and the way in which they died seems familiar to Helen’s team.
Those well-acquainted with the characters in the series will be introduced to new character Joe Hudson, who is determined to shine while making his way into Grace’s heart.
The criminal mystery is told primarily from Helen’s perspective; however, journalist Emma Garanita is also a power player in many of the chapters.
Arlidge’s cast of characters are easy to connect with while the plot is fast-paced.
After reading this dynamic book, I was reassured that Arlidge’s writing ability is like no other crime and mystery writer.
Those who have yet to discover this series should take this as a strong recommendation. Reading this as a stand-alone book is certainly possible, but you will want to read the others in the series too.
Down to the Woods by MJ Arlidge is published by Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Books