Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Renee at It’s Book Talk. Throwback Thursday was designed as an opportunity to share old favorites as well as older books in our TBR. As I started reviewing on Goodreads long before I started my blog, it seemed a great way of sharing my earlier reviews (which I hope have improved since the early days).

So this week I’m revisiting The Doll’s House by M J Arlidge – first reviewed in February 2015.

A young woman wakes up in a cold, dark cellar, with no idea how she got there or who her kidnapper is. So begins her terrible nightmare.

Nearby, the body of another young woman is discovered buried on a remote beach. But the dead girl was never reported missing – her estranged family having received regular texts from her over the years. Someone has been keeping her alive from beyond the grave.

For Detective Inspector Helen Grace it’s chilling evidence that she’s searching for a monster who is not just twisted but also clever and resourceful – a predator who’s killed before.

And as Helen struggles to understand the killer’s motivation, she begins to realize that she’s in a desperate race against time . . .

My Review

I came late to the party with this series and have just read this one as my first. For other readers doing the same, it can be read as a stand alone, but you would be creating spoilers for yourself if you intend to go back and read the previous books.

Having read several books recently where the book was, in my opinion, not worthy of the hype I did worry that this might fall into the same category given the buzz about the previous books namely Eeny Meeny and Pop Goes the Weasel. Thankfully I was not disappointed and this really was a good thriller, in a must read the next chapter page turning sort of way.

When a young woman’s dead body is found buried on the beach, DI Helen Grace fears this will not be the firs, especially when another young woman, Ruby, goes missing. Her instinct is correct and when more bodies are found, it becomes a race against time to find the missing woman before it’s too late.

I enjoyed the book because it was an interesting mix of police procedural along with the ubiquitous police jealousies, point scoring and back stabbing; coupled with the unravelling back story of the perpetrator and his suffering victim/s.

The story alternates from the viewpoint of the main protagonists which not only progresses the plot but also allows their characters to come to the fore. The only one we get to hear from, but not know the identity of, is the killer. Despite several close shaves with you thinking you know who he is, the mystery remains until the reveal.

I now need to go back and read the previous two to make sense of the references and relationships that impinged on this story. If they’re half as good as this I can’t wait.

I received a free ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest review.