The Doll House by M.J. Arlidge (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Detective Helen Grace is on the trail of a twisted serial killer in this gripping thriller in the “taut, fast-paced”* international bestselling series.

Ruby wakes up in a strange room. Her captor calmly explains that no one is looking for her. No one wants her. Except him.

When the body of a woman is found buried on a secluded beach, Detective Helen Grace is called to the scene. She knows right away that the killer is no amateur. The woman has been dead for years, and no one has even reported her missing. But why would they? She’s still sending text messages to her family.

Helen is convinced that a criminal mastermind is at work: someone very smart, very careful, and worst of all, very patient. But as she struggles to piece together the killer’s motive, time is running out for a victim who is still alive..."

My Thoughts:

Wow!  Three books into this series and each book has been a five star read for me so far.  That is crazy but so wonderful at the same time!  I cannot get over how fast paced and intense these books are for me as the reader.  I picked this book up specifically because that was what I needed.  My husband was having surgery and I knew that I needed a book that would suck me in basically so that I wouldn't just sit there and stress for two hours straight.  The short chapters and constant feeling of tension worked wonderfully and had me turning the pages as fast as I could.  I was able to finish this book in less than two days because I just didn't want to set the book down.  It was the perfect stress reliever as I found myself racing to see how it would all turn out.  It was funny because at first the premise of this book almost felt a bit familiar to me.  I still don't know what book it reminded me of though so I'm not sure why.  But what the author is so skilled at is even though I had that feeling in the beginning, it soon went away because of everything else that was going on throughout this book.  I don't even know how to explain it really.  Each book in this series could be read as a stand-alone if the reader wanted to read them out of order.  There are these details though from the first book to now this one, that just make this series stand out for me as the reader.  The different things that Helen has to deal with both in her work and personal life.  The people that care for her and those that don't.  It all adds up to make such a unique reading experience that I just can't get enough of.  

This book wasn't my favorite of the series (that still remains as Eeny Meeny the 1st book) but it was also still a five star read for me which should say it all.  It was a chilling read that kept me wondering how it would all come together until the very end.  This author isn't afraid to make difficult choices with the characters at points which makes it a very nerve-wracking reading experience.  I just never know what is going to happen next!  This is an author and a series that I just cannot recommend enough.  I'm trying to take my time with this series and not rush through it but when the books are all this good....well, it is definitely hard!  I've already got the next book on my TBR list and I have a feeling that I won't be waiting too much longer to read it.  Highly recommended!  Heck, I recommend the entire series!

Bottom Line:  This book will most likely be on my top reads list for 2017!  It was that good!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.