I loved the idea of this story. Two people at a time are in together with a cell phone and a gun. Who will they call and eventually one of them has to die.
But for me, the story fell short. I found some of the chapters confusing and it just didn't flow for me. It had a great beginning, but just did not follow through.

DI Helen Grace is known as a cold, efficient policewoman. She has risen quickly in the ranks and intends to keep her reputation. That is, until the newest murder lands in her lap.
A young couple is reported missing. The police look everywhere but can't find them or even a hint of a reason anyone would want to harm them. Then the girl, Sarah, reappears without her fiancé. She tells a horrific story getting a ride from a woman and then nothing until they were waking up to find themselves in a room without food or water. They got a call that said they would be left there until one used the gun which was the only thing they had to kill the other. After days of no food and drink, Sarah eventually killed her boyfriend and was released.

The story seems fantastic, a fairy tale that couldn't be true. That is, until the next couple was taken. This one was two attorneys, a young man and his supervisor. They told the same story except they had run out of gas and were offered a ride to a gas station. They described the woman totally different from the way the first couple had.

As the murders continue, Helen starts to sense that these were not random choices as they appeared to be. Instead, at least one of each couple has some tie to Helen herself. Is this someone she put away during her career? Someone who knows her dark secrets? Can she find the answers before more victims are killed?

This is the first novel in the Helen Grace story. The reader doesn't learn that much about Helen as she is very reserved and doesn't interact with many people outside of work. She has a supportive staff and the reader will be interested to see the story of this police force deepen over subsequent cases. There are many twists and turns and the answer to the madness is one that the reader won't see coming. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

Good lord.
I forgot that I read this one and didn't write a review for it and still all of these years later...I remember and just wow. And then the ending...which means jumping right into book 2!!!
What a treat.

Never even knew i had this , because its not showing up on my kindle .so unfortunately i can't review it

This series was absolutely stunning. I ended up buying the entire series just from reading this single book. I always recommend this to people who like mystery/thrillers!!

WOW! This book had me on the edge of my seat. I was unable to put it down. I was invested in the outcome and totally shocked at the entire story. Crime novels are a favorite of mine. I love a good murder mystery. M.J. Arlidge is an amazing author. This is the first one by her that I have read and cannot wait for more of the Helen Grace series.

Eeny Meeny kept me guessing who the killer was. I really had no clue who it was until the end. I was intrigued, guessing, and kept changing my mind as to the actual motive and murderer. I love that there was no cliffhanger, even though there is more to this series. Yet, there is definitely more to Helen and how she will handle what has happen.

The chapters were interesting. I liked that they were short, but sometimes I was confused as to who was telling the story. There was no signal for a point of view change. There were other times I felt like a chapter ended and another started continuing the same information of the story. It caused me to have to re-read some parts of the chapters and re think what I was reading.


I enjoyed the storyline, the characters, and cannot wait for more. Check out this series.

I am not sure how to review this. There are some very disturbing things in the book, but the plot actually is something that held my interest.

My e-reader was out of commission and I was unable to finish this title, and many others. I cannot provide an honest review for this title.

This was slow and difficult to get through. It couldn't capture my attention. The transcription was set up very poorly for my device, and I'm afraid that that might have been part of the problem. I couldn't get through the entire thing. I didn't realize how old this was on my shelf, so I'm sure many of those issues have been resolved by now.

This was a very different kind of thriller. Two people are picked up and left together, alone, with a gun with one bullet and only one can leave alive. While the police are racing against time to find the pair the same thing happens again. Edge of the seat story telling.

The cover and title for Eeny Meeny by M J Arlidge made this an easy reading choice for me. It gave me a feeling of danger and kept me reading to the end. It’s his debut novel…and it’s a good one.

Adult Reading. S&M, bondage.

Hitchhiking, I think not. It will be very hazardous to someone’s health.

Sam and Amy had been taken and Amy wondered if she was capable of doing what was necessary to survive.

The psychological horror for Amy starts on the very first page. Will it destroy her?

Helen was born to be a cop. She is a badass with a flawed, yet soft heart, dedicated to her job.

With a sadist serial killer, Eeny Meeny reads like a Criminal Minds episode.

Some characters are flawed, but for me, that makes them more interesting. What is normal?

Others are innocent, yet doomed. Who and why? Have I met the killer?

Mystery and betrayal. Confrontation and choice? Love and sacrifice.

Someone was playing a devious and cruel game.

It took me a while to figure out the connection.

Be careful. The author is not afraid to kill off anyone if it suits his purpose. I love dark and evil, with mystery and suspense to die for, and we have plenty of it here.

I will be on the lookout for the next story in the Detective Inspector Helen Grace series.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Eeny Meeny by M J Arlidge.

3.5 Stars

A serial killer has created a cruel game in which to kill her victims and scar the others for life: Eeny Meeny. Two people kidnapped, put in an inescapable place with no food or water. Just a phone with enough battery to receive one call, and a gun with one bullet. The call comes from the killer. In order to be released you must kill the other victim. And so begins this twisted novel with Detective Helen Grace leading the chase to find the killer.

I was hesitant at the beginning of this novel b/c the opening chapter reminded me of the movie Saw (which I hate). After the initial chapter which introduces us to two of the victims, a mystery-thriller filled with suspense slowly unfolds. I must note this is gritty, violent, and at times very descriptive.

There are a lot of characters and POVs, from the detectives to the victims and even some witnesses. While this certainly gives you a full picture of what's happening in this case, it can get exhausting remembering every person's POV.

There were parts I could have done without (parts of the police's personal lives, for example). However, on the whole everything in this dark novel has you turning the pages to figure out what's going to happen next.

Imagine being abducted by persons unknown, then given a gun and told to "kill or be killed." That was the choice given to abductees in this serial killer thriller by M.J. Arlidge Eeny Meeny.

I enjoyed reading Eeny Meeny, but it did loose the creepy thriller aspect that caught my attention in the first few pages. Overall was a good book and i would recommend this to others.

Detective Helen Grace has a terrible situation to deal with. When a young woman kills her boyfriend, the story she tells is hard to believe. They were kidnapped and dumped into an abandoned dive pool with nothing but a gun with one bullet. To survive, one of them must kill the other, then they will be set free. The evidence proves the story true, now what. When more pairs turn up, Helen and her team are racing against the clock. The press are not helping any.

The title "Eeny Meeny" is so appropriate. How and why are the victims being selected. Once they are in captivity, one of them will live, one will not. The one who lives, is haunted by what they did and unable to function back in "normal" life. This book had me hooked quickly and I enjoyed the way the plot moved. The crimes were unique and not the normal run of the mill that I had read before. Helen Grace is a complex character. As the story unfolds, we learn more about her past and what has made her into the woman she is. There are chapters throughout the book told about past situations and the narrator of these seems to be the murderer, but is it? A good thriller that introduces us to Helen Grace and her team and I will definitely look for more in this series.