Book Review - Dead Souls by Angela Marsons - #AroundTheUKIn144Books #Worcestershire

Amazon UK

Title: Dead Souls

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 28th April 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

The truth was dead and buried…until now.

When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.

As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.

Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found. 

But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy - and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?

An addictive, sinister crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat.

If you are a fan of the DI Kim stone series then you need to buy and read this book now, it is just that amazing. If you have never read any before, either start here as its amazing, or go back to the beginning of the series, as all the books so far have been brilliant. ...

....

....Oh you're still here? Does that mean I need to tell you more than just that this is a gripping, unpredictable story that has such an immersive and scary and frankly sickening conclusion that I couldn't dare put it down? 

Actually the first bit of the book I was oddly unsettled by, unlike other books in the DI Kim Stone series, I wasn't instantly enamoured by it, and I think it was just as it took me a while to get used to fa few things.

Due to the location of where the first body during an archeological dig was found, on the border of two forces, Kim has to joint lead the investigation with Detective Travis and mainly using Detective Travis' team. This lead Bryant and Dawson partnering up on their own investigation, while Stacey tries to provide support while also really coming into her own as a character in this book. 

Due to the various storyline threads, and the occasional look at things from a non victim's point of view, the focus of each chapter was different so it just took me some time to get into the rhythm of the book. Once I fully understood and more importantly started to properly care about all the various investigations, I could have been more hooked if I tried. 

What I would love to know though, is what on earth goes through Angela Marsons head when she came up with the sheer disgustingness of the crimes involved. There is especially towards the end some of the most vivid writing I've read, and I was feeling slightly queasy as I was reading as a result. 

Dead Souls has done a lot for character progression for the series, with the new working challenges Kim and her normal team have to undergo. I loved seeing how various hunches of theirs turned out, and I was so interested in the book and hooked, especially as the pace was upped, I didn't even come up with any theories myself, I was content to sit back and enjoy the journey! 

Given I'm positive I said Blood Lines was my favourite in the series, I think this is now equal favourite but for different reasons. Dead Souls is a cleverly crafted book, which was unpredictable and completely absorbing. All that is left to say is please don't make me wait as long for the next installment, as I really hate waiting! 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Book Review - Blood Lines by Angela Marsons

Amazon UK

Title: Blood Lines
Series: Detective Kim Stone Book 5

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 4th November

Rating: 5 Stars

How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?

A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up. 

When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bringing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.

As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…

Within just a couple of pages my blood was pumping, and I knew I was hooked on this new Kim Stone installment. There are so many perspectives being shown to us, that in theory it should be easy to get confused, but all the voices were so distinctive,  you soon got used to them. Of course it does take a while for some of them to become apparent just where they fit into the plot. 

I honestly think that even if you haven't read all the books in the series so far, that it would be a very good idea to read Evil Games (Book 2) first, as there is a very key recurring character from it, that sets the tone for this book, and knowing the full backstory is probably preferable. 

Kim Stone's character and past gets looked at in even more detail than before, and if you are a fan of the series, like I am, its a very welcome development. As the series progresses we learn more and more about just what makes Kim tick, and there are times I really do feel sorry for our hard hearted heroine. 

Of the. what in theory is the main storyline of this book, although I'm not convinced it was the one I was most interested in, although there was a fascination as to just who did it, I was amazed at just how cold hearted and evil the killer must be, and I was struggling to work out motivation, or who it was. 

Blood Lines will keep you hooked from start to finish, as you try to work out just what is going on, and how all the elements are linked. I always enjoy seeing a team of police try to solve crimes, and the more of I see of this team, the more I love them. They all have their strengths and weaknesses and together I really am starting to enjoy anything I see of all of them!

Blood Lines is a very welcome fifth installment into this series, and I'd argue is the best one yet. There is a level of complexity in it, and the way Angela Marsons has got under the skin of a couple of the characters is highly impressive and adds even more depth to an already brilliant series. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for this copy of the book. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Play Dead by Angela Marsons

Amazon UK

Title: Play Dead

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 20th May 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

The dead don’t tell secrets… unless you listen.

The girl’s smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess. 

Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. A ‘body farm’ investigating human decomposition, its inhabitants are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime. 

Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It’s clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work – but just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next? 

As local reporter, Tracy Frost, disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer’s secrets – but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim …? 

A little over a year ago I read my first ever book by Angela Marsons, and I can't believe perhaps 14 months later we are already on book 4 of this incredible series about DI Kim Stone. I have no idea how this talented author keeps coming up with increasingly more evil villains, and even more gripping stories, but that is what appears to be happening. 

I wasn't that drawn in by the prologue, but the voice from the prologue kept coming up every now and then as separate chapters and i was soon very interested to know just who was writing these missives. However the second chapter 1 started and got going, I was gripped by the book, and at no point did I want to stop reading. 

If you are worried about picking up a series at book 4, then don't be, it can easily be read as a standalone, although I would encourage you to read the whole series, as background about DI Kim Stones past is being drip fed to us, a small amount per book. 

I am finding DI Kim Stone to be a fascinating character, she comes across to the public and her colleagues generally as a hard nosed, uncaring person, but as you delve deeper into her psyche you see she is capable of some other emotions, and her own troubled childhood really does help solve some of her cases. 

I was worried about what a body farm would entail before I started reading this, but after explanations from the professors running the facility, I understand it can be useful and not as disgusting as I thought it would be. That being said the bodies being found on the edge of the facility are in a brutal condition, and the crime when its revealed is even worse than perhaps first imagined. 

I had a few thoughts where I correct killer kind of flicked across my mind, but I never predicted the final outcome, which I'm so pleased about. Much prefer page-turning compulsively until  I find out. 

Not wanting to spoil the story for you , is the reason I'm being deliberately vague about the storyline, however rest assured its a fabulous story, and an excellent addition to the series. If you like books with serial killers and a highly in tune with each police team, then this is definitely worth a read. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for this review copy. This is my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Lost Girls by Angela Marsons

Amazon UK

Title:  Lost Girls

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookoutre

Publication Date: 6th November 2015

Rating: 5 Stars

Two girls go missing. Only one will return.

The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die. 

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping. 

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad. 

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour… 

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price? 

If you haven't heard of DI Kim Stone, or if you are a crime fan, bought copies of any of Angela Marsons books this year, than I'd have to guess you have been on the moon. Lost Girls is an excellent third addition to the DI Kim Stone series, and all of them can be read as standalone. 

Once again Angela has created an addicting, unputdownable story, with a crime that is abhorrent. How would you deal with your child being pitted in an auction against another child (best friends in fact), knowing that the highest bidder will go free, and the loser's child will die. What would you do in that situation? 

Well that is exactly what the families of Charlie and Amy are facing, when their children are kidnapped. And from the various focuses of the book, and the short chapters, each on a different character at the heart of it, you will see exactly how these people react. 

We also get some hints into the kidnappers minds, including I hate to say the immensely violent one. 

There is a different approach to how the police approach this case, it feels far more reactive than proactive, at least initially, which gives the book a slightly slower start, but didn't detract from it drawing you right in. 

This is a very cleverly crafted crime (as much as I hate to praise any crime), and in some instances shows how twisted a mind the author must have to come up with such a plot. 

It was great to catch up with Kim's team, and you between the books are starting to get to know Kim a bit better, and get the feeling there really is a heart underneath her gruff exterior. 

To sum up, Lost Girls is a haunting, addictive tale, with some twists and I managed to read it one afternoon.

Thanks to Bookoutre and Netgalley for this review copy. This is my honest opinion.