D.I. Kim Stone is now responsible for the case at hand, that of the apparent suicide of a teenager. The sharp-witted Kim quickly realizes that it was not a suicide at all. Her instincts are spot-on and she fights vigorously to get to the bottom of this brutal act. Her fight becomes incredibly challenging right after another child is found dead. This takes place at the exclusive Heathcrest Academy.

What a series of twists this story takes! For starters, Kim and her team discover secret clubs at the school. How far-reaching these clubs are is beyond the scope of anything they could have ever expected. The more I read this story, the more I became truly engaged because of the different roads the investigation took in the course of identifying the killer.

When I picked Dying Truth for review I had no idea that this book would be utterly impossible to put down. There aren’t enough hours in the day, but I will make time to read Angela Marsons' backlist because her writing is absolutely stellar. Although I am quite eager to read the previous books in this series, I think this book serves well as a standalone read. Despite suffering a shock at the conclusion of this book, I quickly turned the pages hoping to see an excerpt from the next book in the series! Yes, I was that impressed.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review.

Please see complete series review on my blog at - https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2022/06/series-review-kim-stone-series-by.html

Also, please enjoy my YouTube video review of all seventeen books in the series thus far - https://youtu.be/6XMz0AviJZk

Dying Truth, the 8th book in the D.I. Kim Stone series is another wonderful addition to the series. This story is set at a posh, private school where a young girl jumps off the roof to her death, or does she? This is a school where connections are made that continue into adulthood. Sadie Winters does not want to be at Heathcrest. She is a loner, one that others leave alone, a self-harmer and now she is dead. As Kim and her team want to investigate her death as a murder, they are constantly stonewalled. How can the good of a school's reputation be put before the safety of the students?

This book has a large cast of characters and there were times I had to listen twice to make sure I knew who the story was referring to. Once I got into it, I was fine. Kim is the main character and I have enjoyed seeing her growth during the previous books. She has changed but still carries a lot of guilt whenever she can't save someone and that is a large reason she does not give up, even when she is ordered to. The setting of a prestigious school is one I usually steer clear of (I was a teacher for 33 years) but this book pulled me in. There was a foreboding air and a bit of a gothic feel to this story. Throw in private societies and a creepy manipulator and this made a great October read. When more students are either found dead or endangered, Kim and her team know they are against the clock. They spilt up with DS Kevin Dawson investigating incidents from the past and the secret groups, while the others dig into Sadie Winter's life and that of her family. I enjoyed seeing how this investigation played out and how the team put the pieces together. The short chapters kept me listening long into the night with just one more chapter. This a well-written, twisty crime thriller that tackles the subjects of bullying and self-harm, initiations and secret societies. Wealth and power do not show well in this story either. As this story winds down, I was holding my breath and shocked at the ending, but once again, Angela Marsons has penned a book that gripped me from the beginning and did not let go until the story ended. I definitely recommend Dying Truth to those who enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers.

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

I started reading this series last year, and I'm actually quite surprised that I haven't binge read this entire series. Its that good! In the 8th book, we start with a young girl that is brutally beaten (not a spoiler, this happens within the first few pages) at a prestigious boarding school. Right away, Kim Stone knows that something is wrong about this "apparent" suicide. Since this school has wealthy clients she is being met with resistance at every step, even by the girl's parents. That doesn't stop the tenacious Kim Stone though. She will get to the bottom of what is going on at the school, even as more young kids are being murdered.

These are fast-paced books, that don't really give you time to breathe. You waste no time diving into the story with murder, and then with Kim and her team leading it leaves you no time to think. You're just along for the ride. I'm really loving these stories. I haven't read a bad one yet, and I have a feeling they are just going to get better.

* Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dying Truth is the eighth novel in the Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series. In this novel, a 13-year old girl has supposedly jumped from a bell tower at a very elite private school. When Kim Stone investigates, she finds that this young girl was actually murdered, and unfortunately, there are more to come. Kim and her team spend a lot of time at the school, and look into the secret societies there and how they have affected students who attended years before. It seems there is something sinister going on, and Kim is determined to find out what. Kim even goes to the prison to see Dr. Alex Thorne, who has been a key player in previous novels in this series, and consults her on child murderers.

Marsons is good at building suspense, and it seems it starts at the beginning of the novel and goes on throughout. The main characters are well-developed, and for those who have read the previous novels, they are familiar. The new characters – those at the school – seem to be a bit pretentious, which is what most of us think of when dealing with the privileged rich. The characters ring true, and Marsons’ depiction of Dr Alex Thorne is spot-on when dealing with a psychopath and narcissistic personality.

The story flows and the novel is difficult to put down; it definitely keeps the interest of readers, and some of the scenarios make it difficult to guess who the bad guys are and who the bad guys aren’t. Readers will be in suspense throughout, right up until the dénouement, which is surprising and has several different aspects.

Readers of this series won’t want to miss this novel, and those readers who enjoy good suspense with an English twist (these take place in the U.K.) will not only want to read this excellent novel, but will also want to pick up the previous novels to be brought up to speed on the characters.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

OMG...Angie Marsons has done it again with this book. Kim Stone and her team are tested to their limits and dont come out unscathed. If they can come back from this investigation is yet to be seen but I defy anyone who is a fan of this series not to be screaming by the end of it. Full review to follow

Dying Truth – Angela Marsons

Wow just wow! Angela Marsons you have done it again since I found you by accident I’ve never looked back I’ve quickly read almost everything you’ve written. This is the eighth in series and Detective Inspector Kim Stone is back and back with a bang. I absolutely love this series; I devour these in one sitting every single time and this time I needed plenty of Kleenex and a hug in that order. I believe that to get the utmost enjoyment out of DI Kim Stone its best to start with book one Silent Scream.

We are taken to the world of elite private schools and the old boys clubs, giving us the best and the worst of both. A Hillcrest Acadamy pupil Sadie Winter is found dead after seemingly throwing herself of the roof, but as we know as soon as DI Stone is involved nothing will turn out to be, as it seems. Sadies sister Saffie is also a student at the school but the two girls couldn’t be more different, Saffie loved being at Hillcrest, it suited her. When DI Stone begins to look into things she is led to believe that Sadie is a troubled child needing to seek ‘help’ with her problems when really all she wanted was to be with ‘normal kids’.

We have many players to this game but it was easy (ish) to keep track of who was who and why they were there. I love that the author isn’t scared to not only touch upon topics that are relevant to the times but to stomp all over them.

If you are looking for a new police procedural give Angela Marsons a go and I can promise you that you won’t be disappointed. I personally have found that her writing style is slick and that in each book she just gets better and better.. I know that while I am writing this that I have at least two more DI Stone books to read and for that knowledge I’m chuffed to bits.


Read for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture

Angela Marsons is one of my “go-to” authors: authors I know that when I am in a book slump or my reading mojo has disappeared I can pick up one of their books and instantly be gripped and once again calmness has been restored to my life. Which is exactly what happened with book 8 of this brilliant series.

Dying Truth is yet another fast paced, page turning gripper of a thriller featuring DI Kim Stone and her wonderful team and this time they are investigating the apparent suicide of a 14 year old girl at an exclusive boarding school. When another schoolchild is found dead within a matter of days the story takes off at breakneck speed with the team trying to locate the killer and stop any more deaths.

Those who have followed DI Kim Stone from book 1 (Silent Scream) will be delighted to know that Alex Thorne, star of book 2 (Evil Games) and book 5 (Blood Lines) makes a cameo appearance which always brings an extra layer of discomfort to the plot.

As I’ve said before, whilst this book can be read as a standalone, in my opinion you should start at the beginning because each book is absolutely brilliant.

I loved this book.
I didn’t realize when I requested it that it was #8 in a series so I was honestly just not going to read it...BUT all the five star reviews made me do it and OMG I’m so glad I did.
This book had me so engrossed and intrigued. It felt like an episode of Criminal Minds. It was so GOOD. I love Dectective Stone and her evtire team. The author did such a great job at making them real. I could picture each of them.
The story was not predictable but it was mind blowing.
That ending! I think I cried.

Thank you #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for my free Arc In exchange for my honest review. 5 stars! Posted on goodreads and amazon too!

Marsons writes wonderful mysteries and Kim Stone is an engaging detective who is both strong and sensitive and very intuitive.

This is the 8th book in the series (wow I cannot believe that there are already that many), especially with this book you will need to read the previous 7 in order to understand the characters and their relationship dynamics. The previous 7 (Silent Scream, Evil Games, Lost Girls, Play Dead, Blood Lines, Dead Souls and Broken Bones) are all extremely well done and will keep you on the edge of your seat and don't blame me if you don't get anything done as you strive to finish Marsons' books:

Angela Marsons is back with another DI Kim Stone novel, where Kim is taken to an elite school where secret societies rule the school:

When teenager Sadie Winter supposedly jumps from the roof of an elite private school, DI Kim Stone is assigned to the case and nothing feels right to her right from the beginning. When another body of a boy turns up dead at the school, Kim is not about to step back and call it a coincidence like the school would like her to. Kim and her team discover what the school is hiding, a dark web with an even darker society where punishments are handed out if you go against your card. With more childrens' lives at risk Kim must consider the unthinkable that one of the kids peers is going on a murder streak all to protect that what the cards hold dear. Once a suit of cards, always a suit of cards.

This is the 8th book in a series and I think that I am reading and reviewing this book says a lot about Marsons as an author. There are so many choices and new authors and series to choose from these days that often people (myself included) start a series but never really stick with it, they can be forgettable. Obviously this is not true of Marsons' DI Kim Stone series, each book has had a unquie story line and while Marsons does have a bit of a formula by now, it is fluid enough that each book is very different, this is especially true in this book Dying Truth.

Is it weird for me to say Marsons got her groove back with this book? I found the previous 2 books not as compelling and interesting as the ones before them and focused a bit too much away from Kim, who is the main reason I read these books. Do not get me wrong they are still good reads just not as amazing or interesting as the ones before them. However, this book was something else, and had me reading well past when I should be. There was one really big change in this book than the previous one and that was that the team were focused on just one case this time, normally there are a few cases going on at once that the team is being forced to handle so it was a change to only see one case in this story line. So maybe Marsons is changing it up a bit.

We all know the characters well enough by now that there is not that much character growth that is occurring there are some opportunities within this book for that to happened, especially with the ending but I appreciate that each character knows who the are and what their role on the team is. There also is more of a team aspect with the group and how they work with each other, which I enjoy reading almost like the fifth member, lol.

I'm always a sucker for small town reads and well why not a school with a secret society. I love all the secrets and how once a member of a card always a member of a card and how this can influence life well after school is over. I also appreciated that Marsons acknowledged that sometimes Kids are bad people too and they are not to be over looked and underestimated by adults, which many of us still do, even with everything that goes on today. The one kid related aspect that I think that Marsons missed in this book is their use of social media. I'm not sure why is aspect was absent from the novel but I think it would have added an additional dynamic to the story and premise.

I think that Marsons took a real chance with this book, and you won't really understand that aspect until you read this book. I have been a big fan of Marsons since she started this series, and I continue to be one now. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

With me having slowed right down on my reading it means that I get seriously behind especially with series and one of which I love has been the Kim Stone series by Angie Marsons. The weirdest thing happened this time around which was that I picked this book up and read the first two chapter sand then I didn't pick it up again for another couple of months. With the release of book 9 now upon us I figured it was time to start again. It took me not time at all to catch up with the gang which consists of Kim Stone, Bryant, Stacey and Dawson.

They get called to a school where a child has commit suicide but as soon as they get there they realise this was no suicide. When they start to investigate they start to unravel a rather disturbing set of events surrounding secret clubs and societies. Before long the whole team are involved in some level of this very twisted and disturbing plot. Once I was past the first few chapters I was reminded of why I fell in love with this author and rarely put the book down.

The ending was full of tension and to be fair when I had read the final few chapters I admit I was a little shaken. However this book just reminded me how much I love the authors writing and I suddenly realised with a thrill, that being behind has its advantages. I can now move straight onto book 9 (how did that happen) which I intend to do immediately! An absolutely brilliant book although for some strange reason a little slower than maybe some of her others. A series I would hugely recommend.

Yet another incredible instalment from Angie Marsons in Kim Stone’s quest for justice.
5 stars
Thanks to Bookouture for allowing me to read this in exchange for a review

Another terrific read from Angela Marsons!

This is the 8th book in the D.I. Kim Stone series and it's a cracker!

Whilst investigating another case Detective Kim Stone and her partner are diverted to attend a random suicide call at an exclusive private school.
A young teenaged girl has taken her own life by jumping from the rooftop of the school building.
It looks like a clear cut case of death by suicide with all the obvious signs confirming that conclusion...but Kim wants to be thorough and check all possibilities, and the more she looks, the more disquiet she begins to feel.
Even though she is urged to call it in for what it is and move on to the destination of her original investigation, something is niggling at her and she starts to probe a bit more.
As the forensics Doctor begins his preliminary checks on the deceased girl, Kim assesses the circumstances by tracing the young girl's last movements to the rooftop. As she looks around she finds that things might not be as clear cut as they first appear.
Her suspicions are soon given credence when she approaches the forensics Doctor for his initial findings.
That's all it takes for Kim to get involved and she is soon allocating jobs for her team to investigate when another young body is discovered at the same school.
Now things start to get really urgent as they scramble to find out what is going on at this school with more children at apparent risk...and with the shadow of suspicion now being cast on teachers and students alike.


Just when you think her stories can't get any better, Angela Marsons comes up trumps yet again.
Her stories never get tired or lose pace, and are always built around credible scenarios giving them an authentic feel.
In an endnote to this story Angela Marsons mentions that she was for many years intrigued by the idea of a cloistered environment at private schools with the elite aspect of wealth and privilege.
This seemingly bringing with it the potential for various levels of hierarchy and competitiveness among its select students who devise elaborate techniques to maintain their status.
As she researched the traditions of initiation rites and pranks, and the sometimes brutal consequences of such traditions, the foundations of this story began to evolve giving Angela Marsons the building blocks for another great Crime Mystery.

I already have book 9 lined up to read straight away and can't wait to get started.
5*s
With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for my copy to read and review.
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I read this back in May before it was published via a Netgalley ARC and didn't realize until today that I never marked it read or gave it a review. My bad, because it was another awesome read in the DI Kim Stone series. I would have reviewed my notes - but I had none. When reading these books who wants to put the book down to make a notation?

This is a dark mystery involving the death of children at an elite school and it pulls a little deeper. Trying to solve this case has the whole team on overdrive and no one is being very cooperative. The secrets at this school are buried deep. As always I love Kim and her team. Ms Marsons makes this story and these characters seem so very real. I'm vested in them.

And because if feels so real, the ending, broke my heart.

My thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture, and Ms. Angela Marsons for an ARC of this novel.

You honestly can’t go wrong with a book by Angela Marsons. It’s well written and down to earth – no nonsense kind of story and policing. Heathcrest Academy is an exclusive, prestigious private school which fails to be accountable for serious incidents and only concerned with its reputation and exorbitant fees. To date, hush-money has managed to secure their semblance of respectability. When Sadie Winters is found dead, and it is assumed as a suicide their coveted veneer cracks open. DI Kim Stone and her team become suspicious. Something sinister is going on behind the scenes, and she is determined to investigate. It is the school for scandal. I love the effortless style of writing, and the humour is priceless. The characterisation is excellent, the team likeable and having read the series to date, it’s lovely to meet up with them again. It cancels out the happy, innocent hours I spent as a child devouring Malory Towers, Dimsie and The Chalet School with all their exciting adventures, like Midnight Feasts. I thought it must be great fun to go to a boarding school. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture

I keep meaning to find time to read the whole Kim Stone series. There's a lot of reference to her background and her teams background that I think would make more sense if you've read the whole series. On the whole I enjoyed this book but found the elite school with multiple murders scenario a little implausible. There is a decent race against time feel through the book that keeps you gripped and the frustrations of a team coming up against resistance to the investigation ring true.

By now, I must probably be one of the last humans on earth to not have read this book already. Shame on me! Now that I've read it, I honestly think that 'Dying Truth' is one of the author's best books to date.

Kim Stone and Bryant are called to Heathcrest, a private boarding school for the wealthy, where a young teenage girl has apparently just committed suicide by jumping from the roof of the school. Upon seeing the girl's broken body and its position, Kim's gut feeling tells her that something is not quite right. But what? Who was this girl? What happened to her to make her jump to certain death? Was this really the desperate final deed of a troubled girl, or was this the result of something much more sinister?

When another death takes place in the same school soon after, Kim is sure that her gut was right and this is no coincidence, so she decides to look more closely at these deaths. She wants to find the truth, even if that means stepping on the toes of some very influential people in the process. Even if the school is hellbent in keeping up its reputation, Kim wants to dig deep. Her and her team's investigation leads them to yet another death that happened in the school twenty-five years previously. Could the three deaths be connected? Kim is sure that the past holds the key to solving this mystery.

Well, what can I say more about Angela Marsons and the DI Kim Stone series of books that I haven't already said in my reviews of the previous books? This is one phenomenal author who no matter what she writes I'm sure that I'm gonna love it. I can buy her books blindfolded without reading any blurb or seeing any cover and knowing that I've made the best choice.

With Kim Stone, Angela Marsons has created the perfect recipe that proves a winner time and time again. Kim makes reading so much more enjoyable and it's as though I can never have enough of this bold inspector. I love the way Kim thinks, the way she behaves and the way she delivers results.

A clever, well-crafted plot, great realistic characters, believable dialogue, ongoing tension, together with short chapters many of which end in cliffhangers are just some of the elements that make this book so interesting and intriguing. 'Dying Truth' is also full of twist and turns, lies and secrets and many possible suspects. We also have the usual ongoing banter between Kim and her team members who we have grown to know so well after eight books. Young Kevin Dawson has quite a central role in this book.

Once I started reading 'Dying Truth', I couldn't stop, and when I came to the last part, my heart was in my mouth together with my knuckles from where I almost drew blood. That ending!!! OMG no!!! Angela Marsons, how could you?!?! No!!

'Dying Truth' is another memorable, not-to-be-missed book by the fabulous Angela Marsons, I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it.
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​With thanks to Bookouture for approving my request to read and review this book through Netgalley.​

When you see Angela Marsons name on a book you just know that it is going to be a beauty, well this one left me a total mess sobbing on a railway platform.
When poor Sadie Winter is found at the bottom of a tower at school, it is assumed that her death is from her own hand but the terrible injuries she has just don't add up. When a second child, a boy, also dies, Kim Stone and her team find themselves on the outside of a secret society with exclusive members. Yes this is boarding school, where not only who you are matters but who your parents are too. Heathcrest Academy turns out pupils that are going somewhere in life, by right of passage, if they have the right heritage. There is no way in hell that they will allow any sort of scandal to tarnish the good name of the school.
This is such a hard book to read at times as certain pupils I just wanted to pull out of the school and wrap them up safely as there is certainly a hierarchy within the walls and if you upset the balance then 'woe betide you!' I just loved the story line and the explanation of how the whole system worked within itself. Boy talk about commitment here, this seems scary in school but jeez this is far more than that, it is powerful stuff.
Kim Stone has to face some of her own demons to try and get a feel of this case. What a team she has. It was like meeting them on a new level, this case was really getting to them, not one where they could just simply clock off from when the day was done. Real connections were made and promises would be met. An absolute cracking story that just drained the colour from me at the stem of it all, then destroyed me! It is over a week since I finished this book and just writing this review is so very emotional. It gives you everything that you can possibly ask of an author, so thank you Angela Marsons. Job done!
I originally got this book from NetGalley through Bookouture, this is my honest review.

I love Angela Marsons and Dying Truth is another stonker of a crime book.

Disturbing and made me very glad to have gone to a normal comprehensive school with no cliques!!