I've likely said this before, but this series is one of my tops. I’m sure reinforcement won’t harm. Every book in the series is first class. Usually, there’s one that doesn’t cut the mustard. For me, it stands out for its likeable characters and wit. Kim Stone changes a little in this one – a little softer although still in charge, respected and authoritative. Who wouldn’t love Bryant? Mustn’t forget Barney the dog and Betsy the much-coveted plant. The plot of gifted children and Savant Syndrome intrigued me with its case histories and anecdotes. I always thought that Rain Man had high functioning Autism. Perhaps Savant is on the spectrum. I meant to google that. I was powerfully reminded of Michael Jackson and his childhood. Love him or hate him he and his brothers were pushed relentlessly to rehearse and perform by their father. One only needs to glimpse Neverland to understand that Michael was damaged by the loss of his childhood. I’ve often wondered if any of his siblings were also damaged. For that reason alone I’m always dubious about child stars. Thank you for a riveting read NetGalley and Bookouture.

Fast paced and full of suspense. The characters are engaging and draw you with them as they solve the murders.

Being the first book that I've read by the author, I didn't knew what to expect and the fact that this story is part of a series worried me when I started reading but after a few chapters I just got so engrossed and realised that I don't necessarily need to read the previous books to enjoy this great story.
It was a very interesting story, maybe the first of this kind that i've read, well written, great characters and interesting dynamics between them, some funny moments made up for the drama and heartbreaking situations in which the victims are dragged.
It opened my interest to go back and read the other stories as I want to read more and know more about each character for sure.
Looking forward to more books in the series.

Kim Stone and her team are investigating a series of horrific murders where all of the victims have been found on display at scenes involving children's games , a roundabout , swing and a hopscotch grid . A perfectly shocking and disturbing thriller that was masterfully written ! This is a MUST read ! Love Angela Marsons !! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review this book ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #Child'sPlay

Kim Stone and her team are involved in solving a series of brutal murders where all the victims have been discovered positioned at scenes involving childrens games.
One on a roundabout another tied to a swing and one over a hopscotch grid.
The lady on the swing, a retired college professor of Child Psychology had an X carved in the back of her neck.
When the man on the hopscotch grid also bears the X the search is on for the connection in what is now a serial killer investigation.
One member of the team, Penn has been seconded back to his old squad to relook at a murder case in which he was SIO.
Tiff or as Kim calls her Tink has been sent to assist the team whilst Penn is away.
We are drawn into the world of child prodigies , their pushy parents and overlooked "ordinary" siblings.
The plot lines are excellent with plenty twists and turns which kept me gripped from start to finish.
We learnt a little more about Penn and hopefully Tiff/Tink will be joining the team full time.
As always this was a totally engrossing read that could be read as a standalone though I`d definitely recommend reading them in order so as to get to really know the characters and what makes them tick.
This really is another fresh and exciting addition to what is in my opinion a fantastic series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this as an arc.

When Detective Kim Stone arrives at the crime scene, she is not prepared for what she finds: a woman, tied to a child’s swing with barbed wire, the letter X carved into the back of her neck. It soon becomes apparent that the victim, Belinda Evans, a retired Professor of Child Psychology, had something to hide. Belinda’s home revealing a side of her that few seem to know about and a sister hardly forthcoming with information, Kim begins to wonder what the secret was that lead to her untimely death. When more bodies are found bearing the same markings, Kim and her team make the breakthrough that is needed – all were about to attend the same annual tournament for gifted children. With a list of potential suspects as long as her arm, Kim and her team must work quickly to prevent another death.

With Child’s Play being the eleventh book in the Kim Stones series, I am genuinely running out of superlatives to describe how fantastic these books are! With each new installment, I am left wondering how Angela Marsons keeps up such a high quality, but she does it with aplomb.

For me, the best thing about these books are the characters. I love the relationship between them and, over the years, I feel that I have come to know them very well. In Child’s Play, due to a directive from her superiors telling her not to overwork her team, we see a different side of Kim and her fellow officers, and this provided some laugh-out-loud moments as they struggled with their home lives due to them working more sociable hours! You could almost sense their relief when they had to stay at the tournament! New character ‘Tink’ is a breath of fresh air and I hope that we see more of her in forthcoming books – I can see some great scenes with Kim ahead!

I feel that this is the book where, despite not being part of the investigation, Penn cemented his place as part of the team. The sub-plot involving a potential wrongful arrest and imprisonment gave us the chance to get to know Penn better and I feel I have more of an understanding of this character now. In a book where there are particularly gruesome murders, the relationship he shares with his brother is a beautiful contrast. This part of the story also gave me my favourite moment – all I will say is, What would Billy do??!!

I requested this book because I was curious having read a lot of good reviews of Angela Marsons' books even if i'ts out of my comfort zone.
I really liked it even if it's out of my comfort zone and I'm happy I requested it.
It's an engrossing and entertaining book, a page turner that keeps you hooked till the last page.
The plot flows flawlessly and is full of twists and turns, the cast of characters is fleshed out and interesting.
The mystery was very good and it kept me guessing till the end.
It's a very good book and I will surely read the previous installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Yet another outstanding instalment in the Kim Stone series. Two investigations underway. Kim Stone begins with investigating the murder of a woman killed in a children's park. Penn meanwhile is at court regarding one of his earlier cases. before his transfer. Things aren't going to plan in Penn's case as testimonies are changed and witnesses disappear.. Both investigations are riveting. The banter, the humour and the emotion in this series is superb. Roll on book 12.

Another cracking read in the Kim Stone series. It’s like meeting up with old friends when a new Angela Marsons book comes out.
This is a great story that has two threads to it. Kim, Bryant and Stacey are dealing with a twisted murderer who stages the death on something linked to childhood, and they need to find out why.
Penn is in court regarding an old case he was SIO on and things don’t go according to plan.
I love the humour in all these books and despite the shocking murder scenes they come across, Kim and Bryant are always there with their banter.
There’s quite a lot of people in this book who could be linked to the murderer and I didn’t have a clue who was the killer until the final showdown.
As always I can give nothing less than five stars for this book which is a great addition to a brilliant series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

If all of the books in the D.I. Kim Stone series are this good then I need to read them all! Child's Play is my first Angela Marsons novel and I couldn't put it down.

This was a well-plotted mystery of excellent quality. I loved the author's characterisation of Kim who was relentless, dogged and brave as an investigator. Her colleagues were all well-drawn characters, and together they made an extremely effective team. This book worked well for me as a single read police procedural, but no doubt the previous books would have provided further background into the characters. The dialogue between team members was pithy and witty and very pleasurable to read. There were some surprising twists before the final reveal.

The time I spent reading this brilliant novel was well worth it and I highly recommend Child's Play.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Child's Play by Angela Marsons

Late one summer evening, Belinda Evans is found horribly murdered, tied by barbed wire to a playground swing, an ‘X’ carved into the back of her neck. And soon there are more murders, each following the same pattern – childhood games, barbed wire, an ‘X’ on the back of the neck. DI Kim Stone is convinced that the answer lies in the identity of the victims, each of whom is linked in some way to prodigy children. The more that Stone gets to know the nearest and dearest of the victims, the more fascinated she becomes by this world of ambitious, pushy parents and their genius offspring. Meanwhile, one of Stone’s team, Penn, is spending time with his old force as his last major case finally gets to court. Penn is in for a shock.

Child’s Play is the eleventh DI Kim Stone novel and yet again it demonstrates that Angela Marsons is an utter genius! I do not know where she gets all of these twisty riveting tales come from but they seem endless and they are fantastic. As usual, you can read Child’s Play as a stand alone crime thriller and there’s a lot of pleasure to be had from that but I do recommend that you read more of the series to understand what the team has gone through. No wonder they’re tight.

Kim Stone is a fascinating character and not at all easy for most people to get along with. But we know what she’s endured in her past and we like her very much indeed. The last novel, Dead Memories, was very personal for Stone as her past came back to haunt her. I must admit that I was pleased that in Child’s Play Stone can put this pain behind her and we can focus on a new and thoroughly engrossing mystery. I’m particularly fond of Stone’s team, especially Stacey. There’s some added amusement in the novel due to the order from on high that Stone is not to overwork her team – they must finish at 5 like normal people. Unfortunately, these are not normal people at all. They live to work and to catch bad guys.

The plot is as brilliant as ever, utterly gripping, grimacingly gory and deliciously twisty. It also presents more characters for us, and Stone, to become interested in. Belinda Evan’s relationship with her sister is particularly intriguing and very carefully and effectively drawn by Angela Marsons. Penn is absent from the team in this novel and has his own case to engross him. This secondary storyline doesn’t add much to the novel but it does demonstrate yet again that Angela Marsons’ supply of twisty tales is never ending. It also keeps Penn in the novel, which is no bad thing at all.

It’s difficult to recall another crime fiction series that consistently excels as much as Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone series. This eleventh novel is, in my opinion, one of the best of the series. Kim Stone and her team hold our attention throughout as normal and I hung onto every single word. If you don’t know this series, I urge you not to let it pass you by.

Other reviews
Dead Souls
Dying Truth
Fatal Promise
Dead Memories

Book 11 in the Kim Stone series features around child prodigies and sibling rivalry.I liked the introduction of Tiffany, a new member on the team and I did not guess the killer. Gruesome opening scenes and an excellent story line makes this another winner for Angela Marsons which I highly recommend. Fans of Kim Stone will love this. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC. Reviews on Goodreads, Amazon and Facebook.

Are all the books in the D.I. Kim Stone series this good?  Child's Play is my first Angela Marsons book to read and review and true to the words on the cover - I couldn't put it down.

Thoughts:

I was hooked at the prologue.  The unsettling setup scene for this detective book/thriller was very disturbing, yet I found myself deeply engrossed in it.  The mental picture painted in my mind was haunting my thoughts as I read through it.  Even now as I write the review I still see what my mind created through the words of the book.

Child's Play follows two different story lines and investigations.  The main story begins by introducing us to the victim's sister.  A sister who isn't cooperative at all, but why? And that's what D.I. Stone can't quite make sense of.  She's uncooperative in a way that immediately tells you there is an underlying tone of dislike between the sisters that goes beyond normal personality differences.  No, this sibling relationship was complex and strange and down right bizarre.  So bizarre that it was captivating and became a mystery unto itself.  DI Stone and her crew can feel it too and continue trying to unravel this relationship if they don't necessarily feel it relates directly to the murder.  Even now after I have read the book I look back at this unique bond between the two and have so many questions that I still want explained.  The book does eventually address most, but there are some that linger in my head unanswered.

The second story line is one that surprised me.  Penn is on loan to his old team so he can attend the trial of a man they arrested for murder.  But barely before this trial gets underway little things start to unravel or change suddenly forcing the question "What is going on?" or "What is causing these events to occur now - during the trial?"  What surprised me was how much I enjoyed this second mystery and when the book switched over to it I was just as engaged as I was in the main story line.

Overall, I appreciated all the research that went into this novel, plus I learned some new facts about child prodigies that I did not previously know.  Facts that had me going to wiki to look up and find more information on. 

I highly recommend this book to everyone.  But, of course, especially for those who like detective stories, police procedurals, and serial killer mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have read most of the DI Kim Stone series and really like this series. Kim's team is an interesting group and it's easy to support them as they try to find the "bad" guy(s).

In this book, Penn is temporary loaned back to his old team working a prior case that was falling apart during the trial process. At first I wasn't interested in this element and want to stay on Kim's case which is a multiple murder case. However, as Penn's situation developed this side case really pulled me in and we did get to see a little bit of Penn's personal life. I did start wanting to get to know Penn more.

The main case is a multiple murder case that centers on people and families dealing with child geniuses/prodigies. This was a really interesting case as there were interesting discussions about the impact of these children on parents and siblings and the impact of being a child genius on the child itself as well as the future adult. The murders were interesting but there were a lot of characters/suspects and not all the potential suspects were well developed. I would have liked a little more development on a couple of people.

The murder mysteries are stand alone but as with a lot of series, it's easier to understand the nuances of the characters if the series is read in order.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC!

To be honest I'm biased when it comes to the Kim Stone series, I absolutely love them and get so excited when a see a new one out... this is the eleventh in the series and as always I'm hooked from page 1, I just devour them usually within the day....and this one is no different, a gruesome gritty case to solve when a 61 year old woman is found on a swing sitting up right with barbed wire keeping her in situ with an "X" carved into her neck..... With Penn technically on secondment to his previous job as a witness in a court case that he was SIO on, Stone is up against it... especially when another body turns up... they are clueless, have nothing to go on, no evidence, no suspects..... as usual Marsons builds a great storyline which pieces together brilliantly...… can't wait for the next one.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 stars rounded to 5 stars

It’s always a thrill when another Kim Stone book makes its appearance. It immediately gets bumped to my top 3 list, which is pretty good seeing as I have over 1300 books in my “just gotta read” pile. Child’s Play is book 11 in the series. How did that happen? When Ms. Marsons signed her 16 book deal, I thought I was set forever!

Child’s Play has a lot going for it. In this one we have two plotlines. The first is a very intricate case that involves three out of the four members of our team with some help from a new character Tiff/Tink who I hope we’ll see more of in the future. The other case belongs to Penn. I was happy to get to know Penn a bit better in this installment.
Both stories are compelling and, of course, AS USUAL (grrrrr), I failed to suss out the baddies in both cases. Ms. Marsons has a way of making me feel pretty dumb, but actually I kind of like it that way.

Something that amazes me is how this author can put 108 chapters in a very reasonably sized book and have a little shocker or cliffhanger at the end of each one. What a way to keep the pace brisk and the reader reading! Her ability to do this never fails to impress me. Another thing I just love about this author is that she always teaches me something—pretty impressive, not only because we are on book 11 of the series, but that we are talking thriller/crime fiction genre. It’s mainly the nonfiction and historical fiction reads that we learn from. This time we are taught about gifted children—their psychological makeup, their parents’ psychological makeup, the expectations laid on them, and how these children turn out once they become adults. All of this was obviously well researched by the author and integrated seamlessly into a bang-up story.

Much as I enjoyed this book, I have to give it a little ding worth about ½ star. Again the plotlines are A+ fare. On the other hand, I missed the angst usually swirling about the team members. Kim is pretty well put together (for Kim) in this episode. Bryant thinks he’s getting old, but otherwise is holding up well. Stacey on the other hand is having issues, but we are not at all privy to the details of her stress and get only the barest outline of her travails. That was really disappointing to me. Yes, this is a murder mystery, but golly, I need my dose of personal struggle and agony. Especially involving someone(s) on this team that I feel so close to. So Ms. Marsons, can you throw a crowbar into someone’s life and show us the repercussions in book 12? I would be so grateful.

I mightily recommend the Kim Stone series by Ms. Angela Marsons to all crime fiction/thriller readers. It remains one of, if not my very favorite, series of all time. Oh, and don’t be willy nilly and jump around while reading these books. Read them in order. That’s the only way to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of them.

Note to Bookouture: Sign this lady up for a series extension or at least for a new series when book 16 is published. A lot of us can’t live without her novels.

Thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture, and Ms. Angela Marsons for an ARC of this novel. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Amazing addition to a brilliant series . Dark and twisted this is Kim Stone at her best . As always I am eagerly awaiting the next book

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As with all of Angela Marsons other books, I was hooked from the very first page. The Kim Stone series is fast paced, gripping and twisty and this addition is no different. I honestly have to stop myself from gushing over how much I love this series.

The story starts with a gruesome death and it doesn’t let up from there!
Kim and her team are investigating the murder of a 61 year old woman found tied to a child's swing with barbed wire, stabbed through her heart and with an X carved into the back of her neck.
She’s already one member of her team down as Penn is needed on a court case relating to his old team already feeling the strain and when the body of a man is found, again bound with wire, stabbed and laid out over a hopscotch grid Kim knows she’s got her work cut out.
The cases are linked when they find that both victims have a connection to Brainbox, an annual event for extraordinarily gifted children. While investigating this link they find another body and know the killer won't stop until they are caught..
If you want a fast paced, gritty story that doesn’t let up from the start you should be reading this.. Every time I read a Kim Stone book I think they can’t get any better and then they do.

Absolutely fantastic had me gripped!!! Loved it! Can't wait for more from.this author. Storyline was great, characters were easy to.connect with

Thank you for the advanced copy