Eeny Meeny (Helen Grace, #1) by M.J. Arlidge

“Men were supposed to be dissociative about sex. Able to turn off their emotions and think with their dick. But Mark had never been like that.” 



This isn't necessarily an original plot. A killer is kidnapping two people at a time, depriving them of food and water, and the only way to save themselves is to kill the other person they are trapped with. While this is something you've probably at least heard of before, there are good things in the novel. One of the things I did not like was the pacing of the book. You are shown the characters before they are kidnapped, cut to the main character, Helen Grace, then cut back to the decision of the kidnapped. This is the main formula of the novel and it does get predictable.



I do think this is a good introduction to Helen Grace. Arlidge is planning on doing a whole Helen Grace series. I might check them out, but it won't kill me either if I never read another of her novels again. It is an intriguing story, but I do feel as though it could have taken more time to develop some ideas. Like I said one chapter will be dedicated to one character then jump to another and the only reason this doesn't work is because the chapters are only two-three pages long. It got annoying.



If you like thrillers, I do recommend this book. There are better ones out there, but if you're looking for entertainment only then you'll enjoy it.