#BookReview Dead Memories by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @bookouture

Dead Memories by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 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?

**********

Angela Marsons has once again written a great crime novel that is a page-turner for page one until the end. I always get very, very happy when I see that a new novel is soon to be released since I've become quite addicted to the series.

Kim Stone is faced with her own terrible experiences all through this book. It's like someone out there knows all the things that have hurt Kim all through her life and tries to break her. And, it all starts with the police finding two teenagers chained to a radiator. Kim can't help seeing how this event is a copy of how she and her twin brother were found years ago. Who hates Kim so much that they would go to this far?

Dead Memories is an absolutely fabulous crime novel and I loved reading the book. Kim is being monitored by profiler Alison Lowe who's side story is also very interesting. I came to really like Alison Lowe and I hope she will show up in more stories. Kim and Alison have a tense relationship. To be honest I can't really remember their previous encounter more than I know which book Alison showed up in previously. Too many books read since then...

Anyhow, this book is great, I loved trying to figure out who was behind it all, especially since the list of people hating Kim is not that short. She even has a fan club, in prison...

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookReview Fatal Promise by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @bookouture

Fatal Promise by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 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.

*********

FATAL PROMISE is book nine in the Kim Stone series and I've read every single one of them. The D.I. Kim Stone series is a great crime series and I'm always thrilled when I get a new copy to read. I like the characters so much, and the cases are always so good. However, it's hard to write a review without spoiling too much, both for those that have never read the series, or just this book. So, I will try to be as vague as possible. Kim and her colleagues had to deal with a tragic loss in the last book and now they have to deal with it at work. This part of the book is something that I both enjoyed and felt sad about reading. I think, however, that this new move will be interesting in future books.

As for the case, very interesting, especially since it was hard to figure out who was behind it all, and why. Just the kind of case I love to read about. The book's pace was fast and I enjoyed reading it immensely. This is one of the strongest books in the series, but then again, that's hardly a surprise since Marsons knows how to write an engaging crime novel. Now I want the next book.

I want to thank Bookouture for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#BookExtract Dying Truth by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @bookouture

DYING TRUTH by Angela Marsons: A completely gripping crime thriller (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 8). 

Out on 18th May but you can pre-order it right now: 

Amazon Buy Link: myBook.to/DTSocial

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.

Dying Truth by Angela Marsons

Prologue
Saturday 7.52 p.m.

Kim knew that her left leg was broken.

She pulled herself along the path on her hands as the stone bit into her palms, shards of gravel embedding beneath her fingernails.

A cry escaped her lips as her ankle turned and pain shot around her body.

Sweat beads were forming on her forehead as the agony intensified.

Finally, she saw the light from the building as three familiar shapes hurtled out of the doorway.

All three of them headed towards the bell tower.

‘Nooo…’ she cried, as loudly as she could.

No one turned.

Don’t go up there, she willed silently, trying to pull herself towards them.

‘Stop,’ she shouted out as they entered the metal doorway at the base of the tower.

Kim tried to still the panic as they disappeared from view.

‘Damn it,’ she screamed with frustration, unable to reach them in time.

She gathered all her strength and pushed herself up to a standing position, trying to drag her broken leg behind her as though it didn’t exist.

Two steps forward and the pain radiated through her body like a tidal wave and brought her back down to the ground. She gagged as the nausea rose from her stomach and her head began to swim.

She shouted again but the figures had disappeared from view and were now in the belly of the tower, behind solid brick, mounting the stone steps to the top.

‘Please, someone help,’ she screamed, but there was no one to hear. She was a good eighty metres away from the school, and she had never felt so helpless in her life.

She glanced at her wrist and saw that it was three minutes to eight.

The bell was due to be rung bang on the hour.

The fear started in the pit of her stomach and grew like a cloud to fill her entire body.

She struggled forward another agonising step, dragging her useless leg behind her.

Torchlight illuminated the top of the tower.

Damn it, they were already there.

‘Stop,’ she cried again, praying that one of them would hear her even though she knew her voice wouldn’t carry that distance.

The shafts of light moved furtively around the tower balcony ninety feet up in the air.

She saw a fourth figure amongst the three that were familiar to her.

The watch on her wrist vibrated the top of the hour. The bell didn’t ring.

Please God, let them get down.

Her prayer was cut off as she heard a loud scream.

Two people were hanging from the bell rope, swinging back and forth, in and out of the torchlight that darted around the small space.

Kim squinted, trying to identify the two silhouettes, but they were too far away.

She tried to regulate her breathing in order to shout again, even though she knew no kind of warning would help them now.

Her worst fears had been realised.

‘Please, please…’ Kim whispered as she saw the bell rope swing back and forth once more.

One figure was snatched from the bell rope as the second continued to swing.

‘No,’ Kim screamed, trying to carry herself forward towards them.

The fear inside had turned ice cold, freezing her solid.

For a few seconds time stood still. The saliva in her mouth had gone leaving her unable to speak or shout.

Kim felt the ache that started in her heart when the remaining figure and the swinging bell rope disappeared from view.

Her ears suddenly filled with a blood-curdling, tortured scream.

But no one else was around.

The scream came from her.

#BookReview Broken Bones by Angela Marsons (@WriteAngie) @bookouture @Marablaise

Broken Bones by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 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 three 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.

**********

Broken Bones is book seven in the Kim Stone series and the series is going strong! I pretty much throw myself over this book when I got it since I always find that Angela Marson's has an uncanny ability to write crime books that make your heart ache. And, this book is not an exception.

Sex workers have a low position in society and this book really explores their situations. Their vulnerability and tragic life. Marson's really knows how to write about situations that feel so right in time. That's what I love about this series. From racism in the last book to this book with young girls falling prey to other people's vileness. She knows how to write engaging stories that are tuned into the problem of this modern world. I won't give away too much of the storyline, but reading about these young girls and how other people prey on them, well it's awful!

The story is straight through engaging and thrilling. And, also very sad and of course. There is so much evil in the world and this book truly shows that. It's also surprising, although I did suspect that there must be some twist to the story.

There is a sideline story to this book, about a baby that has been left on the steps at the police station, and that storyline was equally interesting to follow. And, it grabbed your heart just as much as the murder of the sex worker storyline did.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

#Extract Broken Bones by Angela Marsons (@WriteAngie) @bookouture

BROKEN BONES by Angela Marsons

(Book 7 Detective Kim Stone crime thriller series)

Published by Bookouture on 3rd November 2017.

UK 🇬🇧 http://amzn.to/2wwkvci

US 🇺🇸 http://amzn.to/2vDLPsP

PROLOGUE

Black Country: Christmas Day

Lauren Goddard sat on the roof of the thirteen-storey block of flats. The winter sun shone a grid onto her bare feet dangling over the edge. The cold breeze nipped at her wiggling toes.

The protective grate had been erected some years ago after a father of seven had thrown himself over. By the time she was eleven she had stolen a pair of wire cutters from the pound shop and fashioned herself an access point to the narrow ledge that was her place of reflection. From this vantage point she could look to the beauty of the Clent Hills in the distance, block out the dank, grubby reality of below.

Hollytree was the place you were sent if Hell was having a spring clean. Problem families from the entire West Midlands were evicted from other estates and housed in Hollytree. It was displacement capital. Communities around the borough breathed sighs of relief as families were evicted. No one cared where they went. It was enough that they were gone and one more ingredient was added to the melting pot.

There was a clear perimeter around the estate over which the police rarely crossed. It was a place where the rapists, child molesters, thieves and ASBO families were put together in one major arena. And then guarded by police from the outside.

But today a peace settled around the estate, giving the illusion that the normal activities of robbing, raping and molesting were on pause because it was Christmas Day. That was bollocks. It was all still going on but to the backdrop of the Queen’s Speech.

Her mother was still slurring her way around the cheerless flat with a glass of gin in her hand. Her one concession to the event was the line of tinsel wrapped haphazardly around her neck as she stumbled from the living room to the kitchen for a refill.

Lauren didn’t expect a present or a card any more. She had once mentioned the excitement of her friends. How they had enjoyed presents, laughter, a roast dinner, a chocolate-filled stocking.

Her mother had laughed and asked if that was the kind of Christmas she wanted.

Lauren had innocently nodded yes.

The woman had clicked the television to the Hallmark Channel and told her to ‘fill her boots’.

Christmas meant nothing to Lauren. But at least she had this. Her one piece of Heaven. Always her safe place. Her escape.

She had disappeared unnoticed up here when she was seven years old and her mother had been falling all over the flat pissed as a fart.

How lucky was she to have been the only one of the four kids her mother had been allowed to keep?

She had escaped up here when her mother’s drinking partner, Roddy, had started pawing at her groin and slobbering into her hair. Her mother had pulled him off, angrily, shouting something about ruining her retirement plan.

She hadn’t understood it when she was nine years old but she had come to understand it now.

She had cried up here on her sixteenth birthday when her mother had introduced her to the family business and to their pimp, Kai Lord.

She’d been up here two months earlier when he had finally found her.

And she’d been up here when she’d told him to fuck right off.

She didn’t want to be saved. It was too late.

Sixteen years of age and already it was too damn late.

Many times she had fantasised about how it would feel to lurch forward onto the wind. She had envisioned herself floating to and fro, gently making the journey like a stray pigeon feather all the way to the ground. Had imagined the feeling of weightlessness of both her body and her mind.

Lauren took a deep breath and exhaled. In just a few minutes it would be time to go to work. Heavy rain, sleet, snow, Christmas – nothing kept the punters away. Trade might be slow but it would still be there. It always was.

She didn’t hear the roof door open or the footsteps that slowly strode towards her.

She didn’t see the hand that pushed her forward.

She only saw the ground as it hurtled towards her.

#CoverReveal Broken Bones by Angela Marsons (@WriteAngie) @bookouture

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 three 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.

Publications date: (3 Nov. 2017)

UK: http://amzn.to/2wwkvci 

US: http://amzn.to/2vDLPsP

BROKEN BONES

By Angela Marsons

PROLOGUE

Black Country

Christmas Day

Elaine Goddard sat on the roof of the thirteen storey block of flats. The winter sun shone a grid on to her bare feet dangling over the edge.

The protective grate had been erected some years ago after a father of seven had thrown himself over.

By the time she was eleven she had stolen a pair of wire cutters and fashioned herself an access point to the narrow ledge that was her place of reflection.

From this vantage point she could look to the beauty of the Clent Hills in the distance, block out the dank, grubby reality of below.

Hollytree was the place you were sent if Hell was having a spring clean.

Problem families from the entire West Midlands were evicted from other estates and placed in Hollytree. It was displacement capital. Communities around the borough breathed sighs of relief as families were evicted. No-one cared where they went. It was enough that they were gone and one more ingredient was added to the melting pot.

There was a clear perimeter around the estate over which the police rarely crossed. It was a place where the rapists, child molesters, thieves and ASBO families were put together in one major arena. And then guarded by police from the outside.

But today a peace settled around the estate giving the illusion that the normal activities of robbing, raping and molesting were on pause because it was Christmas Day. That was bollocks. It was all still going on but to the backdrop of the Queens speech.

Her mother was still slurring her way around the cheerless flat with a bottle of Gin in her hand.

But at least Elaine had this. Her one piece of heaven. Always her safe place. Her escape.

She had disappeared unnoticed up here when she was seven years old and her mother had been falling all over the flat pissed as a fart.

How lucky was she to have been the only one of the four kids her mother had been allowed to keep?

She had escaped up here when her mother’s drinking partner, Roddy, had started pawing at her groin and slobbering into her hair. Her mother had pulled him off, angrily, shouting something about ruining her retirement plan. She hadn’t understood it when she was nine years old but she had come to understand it now.

She had cried up here on her sixteenth birthday when her mother had introduced her to the family business and to their pimp, Kai Lord.

She’d been up here two months earlier when he had finally found her.

And she’d been up here when she’d told him to fuck right off.

She didn’t want to be saved. It was too late.

Sixteen years of age and already it was too damn late.

Many times she had fantasised about how it would feel to lurch forward onto the wind. She had envisioned herself floating to and fro gently making the journey like a stray pigeon feather all the way to the ground. Had imagined the feeling of weightlessness of both her body and her mind.

Elaine took a deep breath and exhaled.

In just a few minutes it would be time to go to work. Heavy rain, sleet, snow, Christmas – nothing kept the punters away. Trade might be slow but it would still be there. It always was.

She didn’t hear the roof door open or the footsteps that slowly strode towards her.

She didn’t see the hand that pushed her forward.

She only saw the ground as it hurtled towards her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Angela Marsons is the author of the Amazon Bestselling DI Kim Stone series - Silent Scream, Evil Games, Lost Girls, Play Dead, Blood Lines, Dead Souls and now Broken Bones. Her books have sold more than 2 million in 2 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Her last two books - Blood Lines and Dead Souls - reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone.

https://www.facebook.com/AngelaMarsonsAuthor/ 

Twitter: @WriteAngie 

https://twitter.com/WriteAngie 

http://angelamarsons-books.com/

#BookReview Dead Souls by Angela Marsons @bookouture

Dead Souls by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 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?

**********

I finished Blood Lines just a couple of weeks before I got my hands on Dead Souls. And, I just couldn't wait to start reading the newest Kim Stone book. I have come to like Kim, Bryant, Stacey, and Dawson quite a lot and I liked that Angela Marsons in this book went for a different approach by letting Kim work with her old partner Detective Travis in a joint investigation with West Mercia since the bones found are in a field that borders to the two police districts. And, they have a past, a dark past, and in Dead Souls, we finally get the chance to get to know what really happened that left them so angry towards each other.

Meanwhile, Bryant and Dawson have to work together, alone for the first time and there is some friction between them, especially since they have different appearances and Dawson has a tendency to not think before he does something. This leaves Stacey free to pursue a case that has been closed, a young boy committed suicide but Stacey can't let it be.

I found the splitting of the team, the different cases an interesting new approach and I loved to see how the team under Kim showed that they can do things without her that they have learned enough to stand on their own legs (most of the time). I also liked seeing Kim back with Travis, because there were moments when they were almost back to how they once were. And, they really needed a heart to heart. I liked that in this book all the main characters had a central role, as much as the cases were interesting was it also nice to get to know Kim, Bryant, Stacey, and Dawson a bit more.

Dead Souls is a thrilling new book. I found the storylines were all interesting and the book's theme of hate crimes is something that we are facing more and more nowadays in real life. The book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting from the beginning with Silent Scream. 

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review

#BookReview Blood Lines by Angela Marsons

Blood Lines by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 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…

**********

The last book in the series, Play Dead, was fabulous, a truly thrilling an engrossing book. This one did I have a harder time with. For one thing, did it take some days with me reading around 20% every time, not really getting into the story, but still liking the characters enough to want to read the book.

But, I do think the biggest issue is that the return of Dr. Alex Thorne just didn't do the trick for me, sure she was an interesting character in Evil Games (book 2), but I found the vendetta against Kim to be a tad annoying. That said, the story was not bad, the case with the murders that Kim and her colleagues tried to solve was baffling and as the book progressed even the storyline with Alex Thorne got better. Then, we have the last part of the book, that's when the book truly became engrossing and thrilling to read, and thanks to that the rating of the book went from an OK 3-star book to a really good 4-star book instead and now I'm craving book 6! 

Blood Lines started off slow for me, grew better as the story progressed and ended on a high note. I quite like this series, Detective Kim Stone has become a favorite character of mine, a woman that has overcome a miserable childhood and have some issues (quite a lot to be honest), but she's a tough cookie! 

On a side note; I did miss Daniel Bate. I hope to see him in a coming book! 

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

Wishlist March: Want to read 2017

This month I'm going to list 5 books that are being published this year that I really, really want to read. This 5 books are all part of a series that I enjoy to read. 

**********

The final book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy.

Prince FitzChivalry Farseer’s daughter Bee was violently abducted from Withywoods by Servants of the Four in their search for the Unexpected Son, foretold to wield great power. With Fitz in pursuit, the Servants fled through a Skill-pillar, leaving no trace. It seems certain that they and their young hostage have perished in the Skill-river.

Clerres, where White Prophets were trained by the Servants to set the world on a better path, has been corrupted by greed. Fitz is determined to reach the city and take vengeance on the Four, not only for the loss of Bee but also for their torture of the Fool. Accompanied by FitzVigilant, son of the assassin Chade, Chade’s protégé Spark and the stableboy Perseverance, Bee's only friend, their journey will take them from the Elderling city of Kelsingra, down the perilous Rain Wild River, and on to the Pirate Isles.

Their mission for revenge will become a voyage of discovery, as well as of reunions, transformations and heartrending shocks. Startling answers to old mysteries are revealed. What became of the liveships Paragon and Vivacia and their crews? What is the origin of the Others and their eerie beach? How are liveships and dragons connected?

But Fitz and his followers are not the only ones with a deadly grudge against the Four. An ancient wrong will bring them unlikely and dangerous allies in their quest. And if the corrupt society of Clerres is to be brought down, Fitz and the Fool will have to make a series of profound and fateful sacrifices.

**********

Mind Game takes Jane MacGuire back to Scotland where she continues her search for the treasure she’s been chasing for years. But now she’s being plagued by dreams of a girl in danger. Who is this girl, and what is she trying to tell Jane? And will Jane figure it out before it’s too late—for her and the mysterious young woman? Things are further complicated when Seth Caleb comes back into Jane’s life. This time he’s the one in trouble, and Jane will find herself pulled unexpectedly into his world as she fights to save him.

With the adventure, intrigue, and explosive energy that Iris Johansen fans love, Mind Game is a high-octane thriller that readers won’t be able to put down.

**********

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?

**********

Hunting a killer within New York's urban jungle becomes the biggest case of Alexandra Cooper's career in New York Times bestselling author Linda Fairstein's latest unputdownable thriller. 

A wild heart beats within New York City. Amid concrete and skyscrapers, the Wildlife Conservation Society works to preserve and protect the animal kingdom both within and beyond the borders of the five boroughs. But dangerous creatures don't always have claws and fangs, as Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and NYPD detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace know all too well. Predators lurk close to home, and in the aftermath of the shocking drive-by murder of an important city employee someone Alex has worked with for years the trio must discover who the bigger snakeis: the killer or the victim.

Investigations into the death provide more questions than answers, as a tangled mess of secrets slowly comes to light. From bribes to secret societies, from big-game hunting to the illegal animal trade, from New York City zoos to behind closed doors in government buildings, Alex will have her work cut out for her if she wants to uncover the truth and uphold the integrity of the office she has so proudly served.

**********

A covert mission
A royal demand
And a race against time

The fourth title in Genevieve Cogman's witty and wonderful The Invisible Library series, The Lost Plot is an action-packed literary adventure.

In a 1930s-esque Chicago, Prohibition is in force, fedoras, flapper dresses and tommy guns are in fashion, and intrigue is afoot. Intrepid Librarians Irene and Kai find themselves caught in the middle of a dragon vs dragon contest. It seems a young librarian has become tangled in this conflict, and if they can't extricate him there could be serious political repercussions for the mysterious Library. And, as the balance of power across mighty factions hangs in the balance, this could even trigger war.

Irene and Kai find themselves trapped in a race against time (and dragons) to procure a rare book. They'll face gangsters, blackmail and fiendish security systems. And if this doesn't end well, it could have dire consequences for Irene's job. And, incidentally, for her life . . .

See other Wishlists:

Holly at 2 Kids and Tired

Stephanie at Layered Pages

Heather at The Maiden's Court

Erin at Flashlight Commentary

Play Dead by Angela Marsons

Play Dead by Angela Marsons
My rating: 5 of 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…?

***********

When I got the chance last week to listen to an audiobook from Bookouture was this the one I picked. I have read all the previous books and I do have an ARC of it, but I've been trying to listen to audiobooks at work since I will be working all summer long. So, I thought this would be perfect, getting to the latest book in the Kim Stone series and also get a book read/listen to from my NetGalley pile. It's a win-win situation! 

This book actually took me by surprise. I have, to be honest, had a bit of a problem with Kim Stone, her attitude has rubbed me the wrong way many times during the previous three books, but I never had a problem with her listening to this book. I can't figure out of it was the narrator that made me like her more or the story. In this book, well I started to warm up to her. It could be that Jan Cramer, the narrator of the book somehow conveyed Kim in  a way that made me feel less annoyed and more understanding. But, I also think that Kim is starting to, if not breaking down her walls, letting people a bit closer? Or perhaps one could say that Barney, her dog, is the one that has made her more "human". In any way, I came to like her very much and I liked her passion for justice for those that had died in this book. 

Anyway, I will not spoil the story in the book, but I want to say that the book hooked from the first second and then kept my interest all the way through a couple of working days. To be honest, I looked forward to working so that I could listen to more of the book and I was even tempted to skip breakfast with my colleagues to listen more today. The case was tragic and intense to listen to and I can't say that I figure it all out, some things I suspected and I was right, but I was also surprised at the ending of the book.

It was such a thrilling book that I could do nothing but award it with the highest rating. I was never disappointed with the story, oh well one thing and that concern Daniel Bate and Kim. I enjoyed their banter throughout the book so much that I had to try hard to not smile as a fool at work and scare the workers there and I hope that Daniel will be back in future books. I simply adore Daniel and his gorgeous Scottish accent (thank you, Jan Cramer, you did a marvelous job with Daniel) and to have them end it this way, well I would be really disappointed!

Listening to this book was marvelous and I'm right now sad that there are no more Kim Stone books to read/listen to for me and I hope book 5 soon will be released!

I want to thank Bookouture for providing me with a free copy to listen to! 

Lost Girls Angela Marsons

Lost Girls by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

DI Kim Stone is personally asked by a mother of a kidnapped girl to lead the investigations. The daughter Charlie and her best friend Amy have been kidnapped and the police have decided not to involve the press since this is not the first time two girls have been kidnapped. And, the last time only one girl was returned. It doesn't take a long time before the families get text messages from the kidnapper and it turns out that the families are being pitted against each other as the one who is willing to pay the most will get a daughter back.

**********

Lost Girls is book three in DI Kim Stone series and one thing that I pondered over while reading this book were that the idea of kidnapping and making the one who is paying the most getting the daughter back felt familiar. I think I have read something similar, but I can't for my life figure out the book.

Anyway, the story was good. However, I do have one problem with this book, or actually with this series and that's Kim Stone. There are several times during this book I just mentally shake my head over how unprofessional she is acting and the way she talks back to her boss makes me marvel that she is still allowed to be a cop. She has no respect for other people, and she is bending the rules to suit her personal needs and sometimes I just can't understand how she can be a cop? I wouldn't mind this if she had been a private detective or some other job, but she has a job that has rules that must be followed. If it weren't for the fact that I do enjoy the stories wouldn't I continue reading the books because I sometimes just can't stand Kim.

The case in itself is what made this book work for me. I found it intriguing. However, I did not like the animal killing part of the book. I did not enjoy the parts with the captured children either. I had some problems with the book because of my feelings towards Kim, and that made the reading a bit rocky, however, the last part of the book got my heart racing and I liked the conclusion of the book.

I liked the fact that is suspected the twist towards the end with the case. There was just something with a character that felt a bit off and it turned out I was right!

I'm looking forward to reading the next book, despite my less than positive feelings towards Kim.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy for an honest review.

Evil Games by Angela Marsons

Evil Games by Angela Marsons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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.

**********

I found the first book, Silent Scream, OK, but the story in Evil Games is so much better. And, Kim Stone that sometimes annoyed me in the first book didn't annoy me at all this time, on the contrary, I came to like her.

A rapist is killed by his victim, but this open and shut case feel wrong for Detective Kim Stone. Before the woman killed her rapist did she have a session with her psychologist. could it be that the psychologist planted the thought about the killing? And, if so, why would she do that? Kim Stone and her team must also put a child molester behind bars, but it seems that the man in question wasn't alone...

It was easy to get into this book and I think that you don't need to read the first book to be able to enjoy and keep up with what's going on. What I liked about this book was that I found the story interesting from the beginning not like with Silent Scream where it took me around half the book to get into the story. There are some very tragic and intense moments in this book. Kim Stone is still a very special character, she doesn't let people into her life, but there are moments in this book when she lets down her guard a bit.

I didn't expect the ending in the child molesting case, I felt totally left in the dark until it was revealed. I didn't for a moment suspect that it would turn out as it did.

It's a dark book, with some really nasty scenes and some really nasty people. Thankfully it also had some bright moments and it good to see that Kim starts to open up to Bryant.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!