Thursday 14 November 2019

Book Review - First Blood by Angela Marsons

Amazon UK

Title: First Blood
Author: Angela Marsons
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 14th November 2019
Rating: 5 Stars

In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station.  She’s about to meet her team for the first time.  The victim of her next case is about to meet his killer…

When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene.

Searching the victim’s home, Kim discovers a little girl’s bedroom and a hidden laptop.  Why is his sister relieved to hear he’s dead – and where is the rest of his family?  

As Kim begins to unearth the dark secrets at the heart of the case, D.C. Stacey Wood finds a disturbing resemblance to the recent murder of Lester Jackson.  But that’s not all Stacey finds …

She’s convinced there is a link between the victims and a women’s shelter run by Marianne Forbes, Lester’s niece. A child of the care system herself, Kim knows all too well what it means to be vulnerable. Could Marianne be the key to cracking this case?

With the killer about to strike again, Kim is in deep water with a rookie squad.  Inexperienced Stacey is showing signs of brilliance but struggling to hold her nerve and, while D.S. Bryant is reliable and calm, D.S. Dawson is a liability. With his home life in pieces, his volatile behaviour is already fracturing her fragile new team.

Can Kim bring Dawson in line and pull her crew together in time to catch the killer before another life is taken? This time, one of her own could be in terrible danger…

Discover where it all began for Kim and her team. An absolutely heart-stopping mystery thriller that will keep you glued to the pages, reading late into the night.  Perfect for Kim Stone fans and new readers to the million-copy bestselling series.

A detective hiding dark secrets, Kim Stone will stop at nothing to protect the innocent.

As a ginormous fan of the D. I. Kim Stone series, I was excited and privileged to be given an advance chance to read the latest book of the series, which unlike the others doesn't move the series on, but instead is a prequel. 

This is the story of how Stone, Stacey, Bryant, and Dawson and their first week as a new team.  We see how Kim's reputation preceded her, we get insights into all the officers personal lives,  and get to see them working together almost instantly. 

For fans of the series this is the book we didn't necessarily know we needed until well you have read it, I was completely hooked on seeing the roots of the series take hold, from a place earlier than Book 1. Would think work as an entry point to read before book 1 if you are new to the series, well I'm too hooked to know for sure, but I'd recommend you read them all as they are fabulous books. 

I completely devoured this book, I was almost upset that I had to pause reading to watch a musical, as I had started it on the tube on the way to the theatre, read more in the restaurant, then enjoyed the show, and read on the tube on the way home, and instead of then doing some work or arguably anything productive I did the only thing possible and finished this book.  Well I needed to see how it all turned out, and just who was behind the crimes. 

I did have my theories but they were wide of mark, and the level of detail at times for the bodies was sickening.  I was kept guessing throughout and enjoyed seeing just how all the different members of the team work. 

As a fan of the series and knowing what a well form partnership Bryant and Stone have, it was amusing to see their first week together, learning the base of each other quirks, and seeing if they could learn when the other was joking or not.  

And the other teaming of Stacey and Dawson, well that was rather interesting,  I got to see a whole new side to both of them, which may yet make me see them in a new light come the next book.  

I genuinely not sure what else I can realistically say without spoiling this book, or the series,  but what I can say is this is genius.  It's a wonderful thriller that kept me o my toes, is a very welcome addition to the series, and the sorts of victims well frankly I did't have too much sympathy with them. 

I also loved the teams first meeting with the pathologist Keats, and even the journalist who occasionally pops up in the regular books had a fleeting conversation with Kim.  Plus I got to understand more about the various rivalries in the different Midlands Police forces.  And as someone who at this time of year does love a Christmas book, there were mentions of Christmas, and I got an understanding of D.I. Kim Stone's feelings towards the holiday season (not relevant to  the story perhaps, but I liked finding out anyway). 

This really is the book where is all begins, and I know I for one am delighted to have read it. 

Thank you to Kim Nash at Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

1 comment:

  1. Nice post. I really enjoy reading it. Very instructive, keep on writing.Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

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