Can’t believe this is the 11th book in this series already! I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the last book but still a good book and it’s 4 stars from me. I race through these books and I really enjoy the way they are written. Bring on book 12!

As THE biggest Angela Marsons fan you can imagine my total glee and being given an ARC from Netgalley, Bookouture & Angel Mardons. Thank You!

Well, what an absolutely amazing read. How can it all ready be book #11 in the series.

Kim Stone is such a formidable character with a heart of gold and a spine of steel. Every book just shows her character growing more & more.

I adore the relationships she has with her colleagues. The banter she has with Bryant makes me laugh away to myself at times and the nurturing instinct she shows for Stacy and Penn is really sweet to read.

In this book you follow 2 storylines, Kim Stone and her team investigating a killer on their murder spree and also Penn in more of a stand alone following up on an old case of his. Great to see Penn shine on his own!

As always with all of the Kim Stone series I didnt work out who they were trying to capture, makes me love these books even more as its so rare in this genre of book not to get a feeling half way through on who it is!

In a few words.... fabulously twisted, original, utterly addictive, unputdownable, amazingly written... cannot wait for book #12.

Angela you have such an amazing gift, keep them coming!

This is book #11 in the Kim Stone series. It can be read as a standalone, but I would recommend reading the previous books first to understand the story of the characters.

Kim is back and is called to the scene of a murder of a woman in her sixties tied to a swing in a children’s play park. The victim was a retired college professor and when Kim and her team begin to investigate her life, they find that she had a very complex relationship with her sister. As more murders happen, Kim finds herself involved in an annual tournament for highly gifted children, which has links to all the murder victims. Can Kim and her team work out who the murderer is before anyone else dies?

Welcome back Kim!! I am particularly partial to a Kim Stone book, so jumped at the chance of an early read when I was offered it!! The book goes straight into the action when the body of a woman tied to a swing is found in a children’s play park. The first murder was deliciously gruesome and there was no way that I would be putting this book down until I’d finished it after reading those opening chapters!! I’ve always loved Kim’s character and as we are now up to book number 11, it feels like we are welcoming back a very close friend!

I also love the relationship Kim has with her team, particularly Bryant and the banter that she has with him always leaves me laughing! There is also a new addition to Kim’s team, Tiffany (who was fondly nicknamed Tink) and paired with Stacey, it’s fascinating to read how Tiffany and Stacey work their way through all the clues. There is also a separate storyline running alongside for DS Penn involving a previous case he’d worked on before he joined Kim’s team. The storyline switched between both of the stories and it was great for Penn to get a little side story of his own. Whilst we had been introduced to Penn previously, it gave us the opportunity to know some more about him and particularly his honesty and principles which not all police officers have!

Despite this series being 11 books in, the action and suspense doesn’t let up at all and the plot lines just keep getting better with each book. The investigation into the murders is hypnotic and it feels like you are right there in the middle of the action. I found the first murder a lot more upsetting than the others, particularly as the victim’s relationship with her sister wasn’t what it appears. I also liked how Kim also felt this way, and showed a tender side to her which we don’t often get to see!!

I have loved reading these books and will continue to do so as long as the author keeps writing them! They are gruesome, gritty and raw with a little dash of humour to offset all the bad stuff that happens! The characters are genuine and believable and in every book the story just fits together perfectly! The storyline twists and turns, keeping you on the edge of your seat waiting to see whether your guess at who the murderer is was right – which for me it never is! I also love reading about the places around where I live, and I can usually find that I have some connection with the locations in the books (this time it was Wombourne!!). A thoroughly enjoyable book, a fabulous series and a fantastic author! Roll on book #12!!

I find it hard to believe that this is Book 11 in the Kim Stone series. Coming up with another unique plot and making sure that the core characters remain interesting, has got to be no easy task. Angela Marsons has managed it yet again with Child's Play.
There are two cases to be solved. First, a killer who likes to 'play' with his/her victims, and second, an appearance in court to conclude what appears to be an open and shut robbery/murder. Neither case is easy and there are numerous twists and turns along the way. Did I guess the identity of either killer? Well, no, I did not, but I had fun guessing and being proven wrong, again and again. There were enough potential suspects to keep my attention and in the end, it all made sense.
You could read this as a standalone, but be prepared to want to read the first ten books, as there is much to learn about Kim Stone and her team.
I received a DRC from Bookouture through NetGalley.

Called to a park after the discovery of the body of a woman in her sixties, Kim Stone and her team uncover complex family relationships, and further bodies with the same distinctive marking

Meanwhile, Penn is recalled to his old team when a case for which he was SIO spectacularly collapses.

And there's an overtime ban.

So how is everyone going to unravel the truth?

I don’t know how Angela Marsons does it! She never makes us wait very long for the next instalment in her Kim Stone series, but the quality of her writing continues to shine.
Really warming to her new characters, hoping Tink will end up being a regular. Yet another great and imaginative storyline covering two investigations and I had several culprits in mind before the real one was revealed - and it wasn’t someone I had even considered! This is why I love Angela Marsons writing, she takes you round the houses before you get to the reveal, giving you plenty of suspects on the way.
Can’t wait for the next instalment.

Superb as always! Looking forward to seeing the next installment. These books never disappoint. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have been totally engrossed in reading for the last few hours.
This is Book 11 of the Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons and Child’s Play was an excellent story and thoroughly entertaining book to read. I have enjoyed all of the books in the series and look forward to reading Book 12. Each of the books in the series are about a different subject, some more topical than others but all of them are well written and well thought out. The main characters get stronger each book that you read.
Highly recommended.

How can Angela Marsons improve on this fantastic and very addictive series you ask. I only have two words to say CHILD'S PLAY. It is dark, twisted, gory and compelling reading. When one of her books lands in my inbox it goes straight to the top of my reading list.
The story is about child prodigies and I will say no more. It is heartbraking, the premise is original and so dark. I read this book in one sitting. Phone switched off and takeaway. I had no idea who the killer was until the big reveal. I am in reading heaven.
I love the interaction between Kim and her team and the new addition Tinkerbell and really hope to read more of her in the future.This is also the first time we have two plots which really ramped up the tension and suspense. This is the stuff of nightmares and yes this author has done it yet again delivering another page turner par excellence. From the first book in this fantastic series I have been hooked. This author just keeps on getting better and better. An easy ten stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Grab your favourite cuppa, get comfy and get ready to be totally gripped.

This series just gets better and better!

It's dark, it's full of twists, it's addictive and I loved it.

Kim Stone is a fascinating character and I love her interactions with her team.

Roll on number 12.I

It's not often that I'm speechless at the start of a review, but I am struggling to convey my admiration that Ms Marsons has managed to do it yet again - come up with an original plot, exploring a fascinating new topic while completely bamboozling me as to the killer's identity. Eleven books in and she is still delivering some of the best police procedurals around.

Kim & Bryant are called to the scene of a grisly murder in a park, where a well-dressed middle-aged woman has been tied to a swing and stabbed. The victim was a recently retired child psychology lecturer with a secret life, whose sister seems determined to hide their past. The second victim is a children's counsellor, and the team find links to the unusual world of child prodigies, individuals whose special skills have prevented them enjoying normal childhoods, but what may have driven one to murder?

I liked that this one took a step back from Kim's tragic history and allowed her to just be a detective for a change. The last few books have featured so much trauma for the team, that it was a relief to have them work a case without being the targets. There's a separate case which takes Penn back to his old team, and ultimately does put one recurring character in danger (it seems there always has to be one) but rather than contriving a link between them, it felt more realistic that Kim's team do have to work apart sometimes. This was also the opportunity to introduce some comic relief in the form of Tink the new DC.

Very well written and paced as ever, this had a wide range of potential suspects or victims, perhaps too many as I found myself having to use the search function on my Kindle to remind myself who was who. The opening scene featured a particularly gruesome method of execution and a lot of the suspense came from wondering who that victim would turn out to be, and how it fitted in. I defy anyone to guess the perpetrator before the reveal.

This one could actually work as a stand-alone thriller, but for full enjoyment I recommend reading the full series in order. My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC which allowed me to give an honest review. Child's Play is published on 11 July 2019.

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

Childhood, a time of carefree abandon.  Hey!  Let's go play in the park!  The monkey bars and the jungle gym beckon, the merry-go-round promises a ton of fun, and the sliding board is waiting.  Hold on for a sec . . . that swing is already occupied, and the teeter-totter is taken.  Someone has been having a <i>real good time.</i>       

Child prodigies, the gifted ones, they outshine and surpass the others around them.  These accelerated few manage to garner the most attention in any given household, fawned over by parents and teachers alike.  You can be sure there is collateral damage in the offing.  You can also be sure that DI Kim Stone and her team will take care of business.

Another winner from the author. I found this book to be an enjoyable, quick read. However, I did not like that there were two parallel plots with no connection between the two. The minor plot took away from being able focus on the main story. I hope the author does not do that in subsequent books.

Oh I read this too fast! And now I’m sad it’s over! Amazing read as always from Angela Marsons and Kim Stone! I put everything else to the bottom of my to do list until I’d read this. Just brilliant. Can’t wait for the next one.

Well if awards were to be given out for the opening of a story then Child’s Play would win hands down! You couldn’t get a more thrilling yet gruesome start to a book and the thrills didn’t stop there.

Angela Marsons is a writer who never fails to deliver. With every book and new story, she has the reader gripped with unique and shocking cases. As usual, nothing is ever clear and even the victim’s family members don’t make it an easy ride for Kim and her team making them having to work even harder to solve the case.

The fun and games don’t stop there either as there is a newbie on the team of which I enjoyed Kim’s reaction to them. It was interesting also to see how the force clamps down on the officers working over time and the struggle for them having to go home whilst their minds are very much on the case.

This is such a complex case that had me totally hoodwinked and the author blew me away with the outcome and with who the murderer was. It really makes for some exciting reading.

Child’s Play is a fabulously twisted and dark story that had me tearing through the pages. I couldn’t devour this book quickly enough as I just love this authors books that much, when really I should be savouring them so I don’t have to wait as long for the next one. Don’t know about child’s play but the author certainly knows how to play with the mind of her adult readers. Fantastic read!!!

Angela Marsons has made me squirm, laugh and tear up, but this time she’s giving me a killer right out of my nightmares (seriously, the ending has traumatized me!). The murders are gruesome but I really didn’t guess whodunit or why until Kim Stone and her awesome team solved it. Penn is temporarily back with his original team, trying to figure out if he got the right culprit on an old case that’s gone to trial. That was a side story and the resolution again blindsided me. The final confrontation in the Penn story had me at the edge of my seat and, again, that was not even the main case. The plot is flawless but it’s the characters that make me care. Their banter is funny – a welcome relief – and when a new member joins the team to cover while Penn is out, the dynamic changes. The joy that Tiff brings to an otherwise jaded group, made me laugh. If Bryant has a man-crush on Kim’s therapist, I have a girl-crush on Stace and I can’t wait to see what happens with her character in future books. I sound like a broken record but this is another excellent volume in one of the best series I’ve read.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Bookouture!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5* rounded up.

This instalment begins and ends with gruesome scenes of violence, so be warned. Kim is investigating the deaths of victims staged around play equipment and Penn is revisiting an entirely different case with his former colleagues. I felt this started strongly and the investigation into Belinda's life was intriguing. Then the addition of Penn's storyline was something of a distraction, and after that Kim's case became a bit of a blur to me. Poor Stacey and Tiffany kept being asked to do online searches cross-referencing a whole series of things and I began to share their confusion and exhaustion.

The background about child geniuses was interesting and the identity of the murderer made sense on an intellectual level, but I didn't feel we were sufficiently acquainted with him/her for it to have the same effect on an emotional level. The murderer's past dealings with the victims were not quite as clearly depicted as would have been ideal.

Still, another solid entry in this series.

I could read about Kim Stone and her team every week and never get bored, I love how each book we see more of all the characters personalities and private lives. I liked in this how Penn wasn't involved in the main case but had his own case going on, Bryant as always keeping Kim in line and Stacey doing what she does best, a new character joins them who is fun and hope we see more of her.
The whole concept of the book about child prodigies and the effects on their lives leading to someone affected to murder those they felt were responsible was very interesting.

Firstly I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. What a book it was, as the series has progressed the books have just got better and better and this one is definitely the best so far. This is the 11th book featuring Kim Stone and her team and as always it covers a new theme, and this time we were also introduced to a new character, I really hope this character appears in future books. As always I cannot fault the book it left me wanting more and I will struggle to wait for the next installment.

I swear these books just get better as the series progresses! This is one of my favorite authors and her stories never disappoint! This time around, Kim and her team are dealing with a killer who is positioning bodies in the midst of children's games. The gruesome murders juxtaposed with the innocence of childhood play is off-putting and macabre. And the relatives of the deceased are turning out to be just as mind-boggling as the murders. It's hard for the detectives to empathize with the relatives when they act so suspiciously. Just who can you believe? There is also a sub-plot involving Penn reuniting with his old team for a trial, that, let's just say is not as clear cut as they thought...

The story is brilliant and engaging as usual. Although I tried to pace myself, I read it all in one day and was so sad when it was over - I need more! There's just something about the way the author writes that makes you feel as if you are right there with her team, investigating the case and trying to fit the pieces together. The characters are so realistic and their interactions are hysterical and heart-warming, in turn. I cannot wait to see what they come up against next!