Detective Inspector Helen Grace is one of the greatest heroes to come along in years

Page-turningly chilling

DI Helen Grace is a genuinely fresh heroine ... Arlidge weaves together a tapestry that chills to the bone

This is going to be as big as Jo Nesbo

Taut, fast-paced, truly excellent

One of the best new series detectives . . . Mesmerizing!

M. J. Arlidge has created a genuinely fresh heroine in DI Helen Grace

Chilling stuff

A chilling read

A grisly, gripping thriller

Gruesomely realistic, intriguing and relentless. Arlidge's fledgling army of fans is about to grow

Expertly pulled off. It has a devious premise. DI Helen Grace is fiendishly awesome. It's scary as all hell. And it has a full cast of realistically drawn, interesting characters that make the thing read like a bullet

Gritty, dark and absorbing

The beauty and structure of Baker's language, the way she decided to tell this particular story, the suspense... It has stayed in my head for days.

The Body Lies is so much more than just a thriller. It's a literary analysis on the way that our social environment shapes creative writing and individual voice; a heartfelt depiction of assault-related trauma and the associated anxiety and depression; an incisive commentary on the constant, subtle ways that women's consent is invalidated. And on top of all that it's a riveting, compelling murder mystery, intensely readable.

Jo Baker makes a huge departure in style with this menacing story of a student and teacher. A young college instructor begins to see entirely too much of herself in the work of one of her writing students who claims to only "write the truth." As the threats become more overt, the stakes increase until it becomes unclear who will triumph in this game of cat and mouse. This nail biter of a novel will leave readers deeply unsettled and checking the door locks.”

Baker’s powerful tale is at times heart-rending to read—and impossible to put down.

Beyond the twists and turns of the thriller, The Body Lies also stands out for its careful examination of the role of women, both in these thriller novels and within society, making this book a powerful and unnerving read with thrills that run much deeper than your average surface shocks ... Impossible to put down.

Baker's layered and sharply observed writing feels authentic from the first . . . Moving beyond boundaries to divine the essence of what it is to be a woman navigating life in modern-day Britain.

An essential book for our times . . . this is a thrilling, gripping read

The depth and style of literary fiction [with] the thrill of a more contemporary read

The Body Lies is one of those brilliant books that gave me the rage in all the right ways . . . A raw and challenging novel that deserves to be widely read

There is tension, drama and sense of jeopardy aplenty

A compelling, uncomfortable and overwhelming read . . . absolutely brilliant.

I felt compelled to read on and find out what would happen next

A timely and powerful literary thriller which makes for a thought-provoking and unsettling read

Thought provoking and intelligent . . . I cannot recommend highly enough.

Offers a really interesting perspective on how women are represented in life

It is insidiously unnerving in such a clever way . . . had me well and truly hooked!

Dark, unforgiving, suspenseful and thought-provoking

Campus novel satire and the high drama of a thriller combine in a fiendishly readable interrogation of the allure of violent fiction

One of the most believable heroines I've seen on the page in a long time. The final chapters deliver the heart-in-mouth genre denouement we’ve been waiting for

It is a beautifully written book, a masterpiece by the woman who may be Britain’s finest living crime novelist

The Long Drop is not just a success and a thrilling read in its own right, but a game-changer for the genre.

A relentlessly tense and exciting read, every page oozes menace and its core of truth makes it all the more unsettling.

Deliciously shadowy.

Dark, gritty and chilling, it is steeped in the atmosphere and mores of Glasgow in the 1950s

[An] extraordinary story of a 1950s Glasgow murder mystery.

The Long Drop is an extraordinarily unsettling, evocative and compelling novel

I’ve been a fan of Ms Mina for a while, but The Long Drop has to be my favourite. The writing is beautiful and more than once I found myself having to pause, just to take in the sheer elegance of the prose. It’s an absolute gem of a book.

[O]ne of crime fiction’s most acute observers of contemporary society.

A wonderfully punchy evocation of a legendary murder mystery, packed with the authentic sights, sounds and intrigues of Glasgow in the late Fifties.

[I] was gripped, impressed by her insight into the mind of a psychopath… A grim novel, but a very good one.

Mina's novels are engrossing, deeply rooted in reality and astutely perceptive about human nature

Powerful, passionate and compelling. Mina can chill your blood and break your heart in the same sentence

Why do Scottish writers dominate British crime fiction? With Denise Mina at least, the answer is pure class

Remarkable… It often seems as if Mina has freed herself from most of the strictures of the thriller format in order to explore altogether more literary territory. It is a pleasure to accompany her. The writing is frequently arresting

Charismatic, grimy masterpiece

Bleak and atmospheric

Deliciously dark and twisty, this is a page-turner from start to finish

If you like a touch of Stephen King mixed with British crime, then this is for you . . . this is a spooky read, but also holds its own as a police procedural novel

This flawless thriller will touch your heart and live long in your memory

This flawless thriller lives long in the memory