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. 

Book Review - Child's Play by Angela Marsons - Blog Tour

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Amazon UK

Title: Child's Play

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 11th July 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

Finally we’re playing a game. A game that I have chosen. I give one last push of the roundabout and stand back. 'You really should have played with me,’ I tell her again although I know she can no longer hear.

Late one summer evening, Detective Kim Stone arrives at Haden Hill Park to the scene of a horrific crime: a woman in her sixties tied to a swing with barbed wire and an X carved into the back of her neck. 

The victim, Belinda Evans, was a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. As Kim and her team search her home, they find an overnight bag packed and begin to unravel a complex relationship between Belinda and her sister Veronica.

Then two more bodies are found bearing the same distinctive markings, and Kim knows she is on the hunt for a ritualistic serial killer. Linking the victims, Kim discovers they were involved in annual tournaments for gifted children and were on their way to the next event. 

With DS Penn immersed in the murder case of a young man, Kim and her team are already stretched and up against one of the most ruthless killer’s they’ve ever encountered. The clues lie in investigating every child who attended the tournaments, dating back decades.

Faced with hundreds of potential leads and a bereaved sister who is refusing to talk, can Kim get inside the mind of a killer and stop another murder before it’s too late?

The addictive new crime thriller from multi-million copy, number one bestseller Angela Marsons explores the dark side of child prodigies and will have you absolutely hooked.

Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow Wow!!! How did I not see any of that coming!   I mean I know the series is awesome, but how on earth does Angela Marsons keep coming up with such difference crimes and scenarios, and aspects of life to look into. 

And just discovering more about the lives of the victims and their families was fascinating. 

For a change we only have one insight into the murder's head, in the prologue, so you get perhaps a feel for what may be motivating things... but how it all links into the present day, and just how the murderer took some unravelling. 

All the while that Kim, Bryant and Stacy are working on these intriguing cases, we get to know a bit more about Penn, while he is back with his old team for the court case, of a case where he was the SIO, but from the moment he steps into the courtroom he has a rather ominous feeling.   

It was good getting to know more about Penn and his integrity. and yet while we are getting chapters focusing on him, we are also introduced to a new perky officer who has been given to Kim, to help with the investigation, and provides a bit of light relief. 

This is a story about child geniuses, and what they are like as they grow up into adults, and how the families of such child prodigies are treated and react.  It is a subject I don't believe I've read in any other book before, so for me at least, this felt incredibly fresh and original, while completely fascinating. 

I could barely put the book down, and had I not had any sense of responsibility towards work, I would have happily been reading it until the early hours of the morning in bed.  I was so captivated by the investigation and had absolutely no idea who to guess or why! 

Despite being book 11 in the series, it could almost certainly be read as a standalone, as its a whole new case and no big references or links back to previous books, although without reading the amazing series as a whole, you would be missing out on such valuable background and depth of character.  

Such a fabulous addition to the series, I just wish I didn't now have to wait for book 12.  Angela Marsons really does need to write faster, I really dislike waiting. 

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

Please do follow along with all these other fabulous bloggers to see their reviews of Child's Play

Book Review - Dead Memories by Angela Marsons

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Amazon UK

Title: Dead Memories

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 22nd February 2019

Rating: 5 Stars

She ruined their lives. Now they’re going to destroy hers.

‘Someone is recreating every traumatic point in your life. They are doing this to make you suffer, to make you hurt and the only possible end game can be death. Your death.’

On the fourth floor of Chaucer House, two teenagers are found chained to a radiator. The boy is dead but the girl is alive. For Detective Kim Stone every detail of the scene mirrors her own terrifying experience with her brother Mikey, when they lived in the same tower block thirty years ago.

When the bodies of a middle-aged couple are discovered in a burnt-out car, Kim can’t ignore the chilling similarity to the deaths of Erica and Keith – the only loving parents Kim had ever known. 

Faced with a killer who is recreating traumatic events from her past, Kim must face the brutal truth that someone wants to hurt her in the worst way possible. Desperate to stay on the case, she is forced to work with profiler Alison Lowe who has been called in to observe and monitor Kim’s behaviour.

Kim has spent years catching dangerous criminals and protecting the innocent. But with a killer firmly fixed on destroying Kim, can she solve this complex case and save her own life or will she become the final victim?

The heart-stopping and totally addictive new crime thriller from multi-million copy number one bestseller Angela Marsons will have you completely hooked.

Arguably the book I've been waiting for without even knowing that I was.  This is the instalment that digs a bit deeper into Kim Stone's past, while at the same time also is a great starting point for anyone new to the series. 

I say that as there are references to most of the main cases that have been involved in the previous nine books of the series, and it was I want to say great, but I'm not sure its the right word, that we got to meed up with some of the villains from the previous books - apart from my favourite psychopath. 

We also get to meet up with Alison Lowe again, and get to know a bit more about her, and I found as I was warming to her more and more as the story progressed. I also think that after perhaps one more book I will really start liking Penn, the newest  member of the team, I'm starting to get to grips with him, and can see he has useful qualities. 

What I couldn't work out or even get a theory on myself was just who and why was recreating Kim's past, one traumatic incident at a time. 

What I do know is that I couldn't put the book down and read the majority of it in one sitting, with little awareness of the world around me. It is completely addictive and easily my new favourite in this series, I have a feeling I've said that before, but what can I say Angela Marsons seems to out do herself each and every time. 

I was completely engaged with the crimes, and just wanted to know who was causing D.I. Kim Stone to go on an unwanted trip down memory lane.  

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily, 

Book Review - Fatal Promise by Angela Marsons

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Amazon UK

Title: Fatal Promise

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 19th October 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Eeeny meeny, miney, moe. Who lives, who dies only I know.

When the body of a doctor is discovered brutally murdered in local woodland, Detective Kim Stone is shocked to discover the victim is Gordon Cordell – a man linked to a previous case she worked on involving the death of a young school girl. Gordon has a chequered past, but who would want him dead?

As the investigation gets underway, Gordon’s son is involved in a horrific car crash which leaves him fighting for his life. Kim's sure this was no accident. 

Then the body of a woman is found dead in suspicious circumstances and Kim makes a disturbing link between the victims and Russells Hall Hospital. The same hospital where Gordon worked.

With Kim and her team still grieving the loss of one of their own, they’re at their weakest and facing one of the most dangerous serial killers they’ve ever encountered. Everything is on the line. Can Kim keep her squad together and find the killer before he claims his next victim?

The killer is picking off his victims at a terrifying pace, and he’s not finished yet. 

After a shocking ending to the previous book, I had no idea what to expect from this one. Thankfully it is still as fabulous as the rest of them but at the same time, I think this may be the best book to start the series with if you didn't want to catch up on the 8 previous books. 

I say this because it feels as though dynamics are changing forever, there is more insight into D.I. Kim Stone than ever before and everything is changing regarding the dynamics of her team. 

But at the same time this is such a direct continuation just six weeks on from where the last book ended and the main murder victim being investigated was involved in the case in the previous book. 

One thing that surprised me with Fatal Promise was I noticed myself laughing out lout a few times, which is unusual for a thriller, but some one liners just struck me as being quite funny. 

The police work was as always top notch but it was Stacey's investigation that had me really interested, and although I did suspect one aspect of it, the rest was a complete mystery to me until it was revealed.  I think its because I felt more for the person she was looking for than for the any of the victims in Kim's case. 

At any point I had to put the book down, I felt a wrench as I wanted to keep reading it, I was completely hooked on it, and just wanted to see what direction it would take us in next. 

Despite really enjoying it it isn't my favourite in the series although I'd be hard pressed to name a specific book, but thought this was an excellent book in regrouping, and I'm still upset with that ending of the previous book,  and know that a good amount of ground work has been put in, reading the police officers and their team to build on for the next book.  

Bring on D.I. Kim Stone book 10  it can't come soon enough! 

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

Book Review - Dying Truth by Angela Marsons - Blog Tour

Amazon UK

Title: Dying Truth

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 18th May 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

How far would you go to protect your darkest secrets?

When teenager Sadie Winter jumps from the roof of her school, her death is ruled as suicide – a final devastating act from a troubled girl. But then the broken body of a young boy is discovered at the same school and it’s clear to Detective Kim Stone that these deaths are not tragic accidents.

As Kim and her team begin to unravel a dark web of secrets, one of the teachers could hold the key to the truth. Yet just as she is about to break her silence, she is found dead. 

With more children’s lives at risk, Kim has to consider the unthinkable - whether a fellow pupil could be responsible for the murders. Investigating the psychology of children that kill brings the detective into contact with her former adversary, Dr Alex Thorne – the sociopath who has made it her life’s work to destroy Kim. 

Desperate to catch the killer, Kim finds a link between the recent murders and an initiation prank that happened at the school decades earlier. But saving these innocent lives comes at a cost – and one of Kim’s own might pay the ultimate price.

The utterly addictive new crime thriller from the Number One bestselling author – you will be gripped until the final shocking twist.

How on earth am I meant to review this?  I mean lets make this quick, if you are a fan of thrillers, heart stopping action, Angela Marsons, Kim Stone, Bookouture books, and want to be as opened mouthed as I am at the end of the book - then just make it a priority to read this one. 

Easily the best book in the series, some of it may work better if you have read the previous books in the series but at the heart of it is a fascinating set of circumstances leading to multiple deaths. 

I didn't have a clue who had done it,well I had one but I was so wrong, thankfully, and just wow.  This is police procedural at its best.  

Most of the book is focused on solving what is going on a a prestigious boarding school, after the first girl that dies is made to look like a suicide.  But if I say anything else about the plot I will spoil things completely, just trust me its a cracker. 

The writing is definitely the best yet, and the storyline well you can tell from this that I'm very impressed.  It is complex, intriguing, and the writing hooked me in completely.   I read the majority of this book in a few short hours not pausing for breathe.  

What I am though is very curious as to what the next book in the series will bring and I know I will be first in line to read it when its available. 

And if you didn't get the message at the top of this review, here is is put simply - Amazing book, best in the series and just wow! 

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

Book Review - Broken Bones by Angela Marsons

Amazon UK

Title: Broken Bones

Author: Angela Marson

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 3rd November 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

They thought they were safe. They were wrong.

The murder of a young prostitute and a baby found abandoned on the same winter night signals the start of a disturbing investigation for Detective Kim Stone – one which brings her face to face with someone from her own horrific childhood.

As more sex workers are murdered in quick succession, each death more violent than the last, Kim and her team realise that the initial killing was no one-off frenzied attack, but a twisted serial killer preying on the vulnerable.

At the same time, the search begins for the desperate woman who left her newborn baby at the station – but what looks like a tragic abandonment turns even more sinister when a case of modern slavery is uncovered.

The two investigations bring the team into a terrifying world of human exploitation and cruelty – and a showdown that puts Kim’s life at risk as shocking secrets from her own past come to light.

A gripping new crime thriller from the Number One bestseller – you will be hooked until the final jaw-dropping twist.

How is it possible that I have just finished book 7 of this wonderful series? I have two issues with that statement, one amazement that there have already been seven DI. Kim Stone books, but also that it means I now have to start the long wait for the next book. 

However by book 7 I'm really not sure what else I can say without actually sounding like a broken record, either with regards my gushing superlatives for the series, the police team and story, or in me telling you to just go buy the latest book and I'll see you once you are finished! 

There are two main threads of story,  split between Stone and Bryant working together do work out what is going on with some murdered prostitutes, and Dawson  with Stacey working on just who abandoned a baby at the police station in winter. 

I loved getting to know all four of these familiar police officers that little bit more with this book, and DI Kim Stone is starting to feel like a more rounded, less hard edged woman than she has been with previous installments.  There are references all over the book, to the previous happenings in the series, which is only right, as people new to the series need relevant back story. 

I was kept guessing throughout and was completely hooked on the action. I didn't predict any of the twists and just enjoyed seeing where the story was taking me. The pacing is reasonably quick and with two very different investigations going on, if one of the stories got slightly unpalatable for a bit, there was always the other coming up again soon. 

Utterly gripping, Angela Marsons has done it once again, and produced another thrilling masterpiece. 

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

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.

Book Review - Evil Games by Angela Marsons

Amazon UK

Title: Evil Games

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookoutre

Publication Date: 29th May 2015

Rating: 5 Stsar

The greater the Evil, the more deadly the game…

When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work. 

With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Kim finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment. 

Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing. And this time - it’s personal. 

The rising star of the British thriller scene returns with a novel that enthrall fans of Rachel Abbott, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham. 

Evil Games is without a doubt an  amazing book. It is scarily disturbing and at the heart of it all is an evil genius who really is playing some incredibly Evil Games.  

It is impossible to give you much more information than the blurb does, as it really does cover the premise of the book fully. Detective Kim Stone has a couple of cases to work on. One of them deals with a subject that is bound to rile up and disgust anyone that reads it. Thankfully the key bits of information in it are not spelt out in techni-colour. I suspect that everyone that reads this will be wanting, and urging Kim to put catch and put away the perpetrators as quickly  as possible. 

The other case is very clever, and as readers we know the whole time exactly what is going on, as there are chapters from the key person's perspective. In some regards it is very intelligent, and I guess there must have been huge amounts of research into the human psyche to be able to write some of this story. There are many facets to this, and we meet a fair few victims from it and their stories are all harrowing. 

What amazes me is yet again DI Kim Stone is investigating people that somehow bare some relation to her childhood and past, which gives her a fantastic empathy with some aspects, despite that she can't really relate to people herself. DI Kim Stone is a fascinating detective, she clearly cares about her team, and her job, and will do anything it takes to pull off an arrest (even if sometimes it goes against protocol). 

Despite Evil Games being the second in a series, I do believe it can be read as a standalone. All the relevant background you learn in the first book is repeated, in even more detail this time around, and the more of this series I read, the more I am learning about Kim as a person. 

If you haven't already read Silent Scream, then go read that first regardless, as it is also a remarkable book, and then come back and read Evil Games. Evil Games is amazing, disturbing and I didn't want to put it down. I also can't wait for the next DI Kim Stone book in the series, as Angela Marsons is proving time and time again, just what a talented author she is. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookoutre for my review copy of this book. This was my honest review.