All Fall Down –

My thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers, for inviting me to read for this blog tour. All Fall Down by MJ Arlidge, published by Orion on 11th one 2020.

“You have one hour to live.”

Those are the only words on the phone call. Then they hang up. Surely, a prank? A mistake? A wrong number? Anything but the chilling truth… That someone is watching, waiting, working to take your life in one hour.

But why?

The job of finding out falls to DI Helen Grace: a woman with a track record in hunting killers. However, this is A case where the killer seems to always be one step ahead of the police and the victims.

With no motive, no leads, no clues – nothing but pure fear – an hour can last a lifetime…

Our Author: MJ Arlidge

Screenwriter, Producer, Novelist – he’s written eight previous titles in the DI Helen Grace series based in Southampton. Which have been translated into various languages.

My Review: All Fall Down

Now, I have to admit I am embarrassed to say – this is the first book by MJ Arlidge I have read and I have clearly missed out here, this is the ninth book in the DI Helen Grace series and it’s obvious I need to read the rest of them. You could, as I have read All Fall Down as a standalone – but now knowing there’s more, I want to read those too.

Justin Lanning is on his way home when he gets stuck in the lift at work and has the weirdest phone call, telling him he had ‘one hour to live’ he is scared and calls his partner to say what’s happened and he’s heading home. Only he doesn’t make it.

DI Helen Grace is put on the case, with a heavily pregnant DC Charlie Bentham and newly transferred DS Joseph Hudson – who also happens to be her new love interest. Based a Southampton Central, Major Incident Team have a strong leader in DI Grace and follow her every word, well, all except Hudson who is striving to prove his worth.

There’s a great back story to this, and it’s reinforced by the characters’ current lives. As a group of teenagers, Justine Lanning led them off hiking for a Duke of Edinburgh award and they got abducted, one died at the hands of their assailant, they eventually escaped, but not without being tortured and held captive first. Daniel King, assumed dead in the blaze that followed at his remote farmhouse, and no one has seen him since. Some witnesses said they have but how true are these sightings?

The deaths don’t stop there. Is this all down to Maxine Pryce, another of the group who’s released a book, is Daniel King alive and seeking to finish off the rest of them who survived? Only Grace can answer these questions. MJ Arlidge has created a great character, with Grace. As I said, I will get the rest of the series, and undoubtedly enjoy.