Warning: this series is addictive! After reading the prequel First Blood, I could not get the book out of my mind. I have a ton of books I need to read/review, but I had to stop and read another in this series instead. These are really good mysteries that take place in England.

But a visit to Samantha’s parents rings alarm bells for Kim – there’s something they’re not telling her. And, when she spots a clue in a photograph, Kim realises she’s made a huge mistake. Samantha didn’t take her own life, she was murdered. Angela Marsons sure has left us wanting more and we are ready to dive into book two of this series very soon. We can’t wait to see what's in store for DI Kim Stone next. Highly recommended!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?"

D.I. Kim Stone is not only a dedicated and passionate police officer but her character in the book is so fantastically deep and memorable. It was easy to feel along with her, think along with her and just really, really like her. I think she is one of my favourite new crime leading ladies I have come across for a while. Some of the emotion coming off her in this book was tangible. A very well written character. There's odd episodes dropped in here and there that don't particularly connect to this mystery and just seem to be left hanging. For example an interviewee is obviously attracted to DI Stone which might have made an interesting twist, but it doesn't go anywhere. Then she verbally spars with an expert at a crime scene who has a one eyed dog and that doesn't go anywhere. 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. 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?I gave 2 stars instead of 1 just because Anatomy and Archeology are treated very well. And also Beth and Nicole’s story, especially in the last chapters: I was fascinated by it and I clap my hands. But it’s too little, because the story is told in a too simple way. The Author says to us whatever she made up through the characters’ talks: this could be ok at a theater or in a movie, but I think that, in a book, it’s just coarseness and incompetence. A writer is supposed to find a way to lead the reader to understand what’s going on without telling them. Too easy let the characters tell it. Everybody can do that. Perhaps that’s why we have more writers than readers… The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die. I am a hardened crime and horror reader, so hardened to difficult and gory moments, yet scenes in this book, whilst not graphic still disturbed me hugely. This was mainly because of the way the author portrays the viewpoint of the killer/s. How he/she sees the victim. It left me angry, saddened and all sorts of other feelings. Pretty much the same as Kim Stone is feeling. I was right with her in wanting to catch the bad guys let me tell you. I loved D.I. Stone right from the beginning. It’s not a matter of knowing when to turn her filter on or off, it’s that she doesn’t seem to have a filter. So, what you see, is what you get with her… at least most of the time.

Then the body of a young woman is found dead by suffocation, her death also staged to look like a suicide. I noticed this series was very popular on Goodreads, so naturally, I had to see why everyone was so keen on it… well now I know!While Jamie’s cold, lifeless body lay in the morgue, Detective Kim Stone stared at the empty board in the incident room and felt her anger boil. Why were there no photos, details, or lines of enquiry? 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. Kim makes a further chilling discovery – the head of the clinic, Celia Gardner, was sent there for conversion therapy when she was sixteen.

The book outlines the true character of a sociopath; manipulation and evil. You will love to hate this sociopath. The character is well developed and interesting. Angela Marsons has managed to make the character to “pop” out of this book. The plot is intriguing and fantastic from the beginning of this book. However, there are disturbing and emotional scenes in this book. Some of these scenes are quite horrific. It gets into the psyche of the mind of a human being and shines a light into its every motive. This is a masterpiece which you cannot afford to miss reading. This British thriller is, believe or not, a debut novel! So, I am doubly impressed by how well the plot is crafted, with the well timed pacing, and how the author made this jaded reader gasp out loud on more than one occasion. When the lifeless body of a man is found on an industrial estate, Detective Kim Stonearrives on the scene and discovers he’s been tortured in the worst way imaginable. Don’t hope to get anything done in the next few days because I binge read this due to short chapters, addicting material and a suspenseful plot!

Pages

Then Kim uncovers a tiny, vital clue in Helen’s bedroom that throws the investigation wide open. Could someone else have killed the Daynes family? The plot in this book is quite breathtaking and will have you on the edge of your seat. This is a crime fiction but with a mix of psychological thriller. In this thriller Detective Kim Stone is not just a cardboard cutout cop, she is different due to her great work ethic. More of her character is revealed in this book as she goes head-to-head with this sociopath. This character grows exceptionally as the story progresses in this series.