Title:	The Doll’s House
	Author:	M.J. Arlidge
	Published:	2016, NAL
	No. of Pages:	432
	Cover Price:	$15.00 Paperback, $9.99 Kindle

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The Doll’s House is the third installment in the Helen Grace Series by M.J. Arlidge. After a night of heavy partying, Ruby Sprackling finds herself in a strange place, and can’t remember how she got there. She was supposed to meet her Mum today for a sort-of reconciliation. Meanwhile, on Carsholt Beach, a family discovers the body of a young girl that has been buried in the damp sand. DI Helen Grace has been called in, along with some other detectives. Apparently the body has been there for a few years, but because of the wet sand, has been nicely preserved.

Even though the murders of the young girls, and what appears to be the eminent murder of Ruby, make up the main plot of the novel, it seems that conflict in the police department as well as corruption and petty jealousies are getting in the way of solving cases. Helen has been celebrated in the press because she previously solved several very tough cases, and she faces resistance from her superiors at every turn when she tries to solve this case. So, as the suspense builds when more bodies of young girls are found, Helen’s co-workers put her in more danger; one even gets her taken in for questioning and her home searched because of accusations that have nothing to do with the cases.

Although the story is good, the author jumps from one scenario to the other and unless readers pay extremely close attention, it is confusing and sometimes impossible to understand what is happening. Arlidge does a fairly good job of describing her characters and giving them personalities, but Helen Grace, the supposed hero, has enough flaws and lapses in judgment, that she isn’t particularly likeable and isn’t someone readers are cheering on to come out on top.

While The Doll’s House is a fast read, and one that has suspense at every turn, it may not be for everyone, especially those who prefer novels that are straightforward and easy to understand. However, the writing is quite good and the previous and subsequent novels featuring DI Helen Grace may be better; readers may want to start with the first book and read the entire series.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
The Doll's House: A Detective Helen Grace Thriller (A Helen Grace Thriller), Paperback
The Doll's House: A Detective Helen Grace Thriller (DI Helen Grace Thriller Book 3), Kindle