Category: Angela Marsons

Synopsis: 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?

Kat’s Rating: 4/5

 A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring mother and 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…

Kat’s Rating: 5/5

My Rating: 4/5

Synopsis: Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …

Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. As the body count rises,

Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?

My Review: Another new author bringing us another copper, and yep this one is a woman. Angela Marsons brings us her debut novel featuring DI Kim Stone. Kim is A Typical for a female lead, she has a chequered past and a somewhat limited ear to authority. However, although there is nothing new to the mix I liked her from the off. Her colleague Bryant is also a great character and to be honest having finished the book, it’s like chalk and cheese…they just work together. In addition to Kim and Bryant their team is finished off with the additions of Stace and Dawson, all who played their part.

They have a tough case to crack and in one respect they are working against the clock as they try to distinguish the suspects from the potential victims. The case surrounds the discovery of human remains at the site of an old children’s home. Kim is forceful in her manner to the point of being rude, but it made me like her even more and we see her bulldoze her way through the case to catch the people responsible.

There were plenty of things going on and people to accuse in your own mind and the story kept me interested right through to the end. I was debating the rating of this as there were a couple of things that grated on me, such as the way the author uses literal words to show an accent, but that’s just a personal opinion and figured that shouldn’t make a difference. Because of that decision this is a solid 4 star read and for a debut is a great read. It could certainly be a cracking series with the author whetting your appetite and I am genuinely looking forward to the next one (hopefully with a lack of literal ‘accent’ wordings).