Silent Scream (book one in this series) was the first book I ever reviewed and I have been addicted to the characters ever since. In that one, we met a team of officers who appeared solid and who'd been working together for years. And what's followed has been a wonderfully thrilling and somewhat heartbreaking journey.

First Blood takes us back to the start. Back to the first meeting between these characters who are more like than family than names on pages. And what a trip it is!

The eagle-eyed among you will see that there's a certain name in the blurb, who is back! Let me tell you, reading their name for the first in First Blood broke my heart! And the tears started, then, in usual Marsons style, there's not much room for tears as the heat kicks in and the pace picks up and we're thrown into a rollercoaster of a case.

Marsons has given every fan exactly what we needed ... like Jen Med says. I needed this book but didn't know it.

What a fantastic idea to go back to the start. Take us back to that first meeting between this team who we look forward to catching up with ... there's something really special about this book. Throughout the 'main' series, the backgrounds and home lives of each character have been revealed bit by bit, we have been given the right information about them at the right time and at every step it has blown my mind. But now, Marsons has taken a jump back in time and takes us to the first time Dawson came flying through the office door, tie askew, shirt rumpled, hair a mess ... the first time Kim gets in a car with Bryant and realises she might have to do the driving from now on, and the first time Stacey realises what a whizz she is at data mining. It really has made me fall even deeper in love with them all!

I don't know how she does it. Marsons has developed these characters over the years and to go back to the start and get their personalities nailed must have been so hard, but my god was it worth it.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, opening a DI Kim Stone book is like turning up at a family event, the type where you see certain people once or twice a year, but where when you get there, it's like you've never been apart.

First Blood is sublime.

Marsons' best writing to date and I adored every single word.

As a ginormous fan of the D. I. Kim Stone series, I was excited and privileged to be given an advance chance to read the latest book of the series, which unlike the others doesn't move the series on, but instead is a prequel.

This is the story of how Stone, Stacey, Bryant, and Dawson and their first week as a new team. We see how Kim's reputation preceded her, we get insights into all the officers personal lives, and get to see them working together almost instantly.

For fans of the series this is the book we didn't necessarily know we needed until well you have read it, I was completely hooked on seeing the roots of the series take hold, from a place earlier than Book 1. Would think work as an entry point to read before book 1 if you are new to the series, well I'm too hooked to know for sure, but I'd recommend you read them all as they are fabulous books.

I completely devoured this book, I was almost upset that I had to pause reading to watch a musical, as I had started it on the tube on the way to the theatre, read more in the restaurant, then enjoyed the show, and read on the tube on the way home, and instead of then doing some work or arguably anything productive I did the only thing possible and finished this book. Well I needed to see how it all turned out, and just who was behind the crimes.

I did have my theories but they were wide of mark, and the level of detail at times for the bodies was sickening. I was kept guessing throughout and enjoyed seeing just how all the different members of the team work.

As a fan of the series and knowing what a well form partnership Bryant and Stone have, it was amusing to see their first week together, learning the base of each other quirks, and seeing if they could learn when the other was joking or not.

And the other teaming of Stacey and Dawson, well that was rather interesting, I got to see a whole new side to both of them, which may yet make me see them in a new light come the next book.

I genuinely not sure what else I can realistically say without spoiling this book, or the series, but what I can say is this is genius. It's a wonderful thriller that kept me o my toes, is a very welcome addition to the series, and the sorts of victims well frankly I did't have too much sympathy with them.

I also loved the teams first meeting with the pathologist Keats, and even the journalist who occasionally pops up in the regular books had a fleeting conversation with Kim. Plus I got to understand more about the various rivalries in the different Midlands Police forces. And as someone who at this time of year does love a Christmas book, there were mentions of Christmas, and I got an understanding of D.I. Kim Stone's feelings towards the holiday season (not relevant to the story perhaps, but I liked finding out anyway).

This really is the book where is all begins, and I know I for one am delighted to have read it.

Thank you to Kim Nash at Bookouture for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

And with that prologue, we are off as Angie Marsons once again proves that she has magic in those fingertips! Striking that perfect balance of terror with the need to devour what’s coming next, I was hooked!
Angie starts off by taking us back in time to 2014 and the beginning of Kim Stone’s career. She arrives on DCI Woodward’s team and it’s her last chance saloon, having burned her bridges with most other stations in the area. Nobody wants to work with her and she’s not shy in admitting to her own personal foibles, namely, that she doesn’t like most people! I really do think Kim and I were separated at birth sometimes! It was a brilliant insight into the relationship between Kim and her superior and we learn just why Woody has a soft spot for her. And while we already know about Kim’s tragic background, First Blood gives us even more colour to the picture of the woman behind the character as we learn what motivates her.
And oh what a joy it was to be reacquainted with Stone’s teammates in a past setting, it really did bring back some happy memories and allows fans of the series to see how the team started out all those years ago. We learn about their reservations about the arrival of the formidable DI Stone. We also get to learn more about them too. It was a fascinating insight into the lives of each of them and I found myself going "ah, so that’s why..." as I reflected on the books I’d already read!
This was a brilliant opportunity to get to know how the team was initially formed; how each of them interacted at the start, where they had come from, their backgrounds. For fans of the series, this is a must-read. And it just hammered home for me how much I love the relationship between Kim and Bryant.
Of course, First Blood isn’t just a trip down memory lane; it’s another cracking example of Angie Marsons talent for penning some damn good police procedurals. Interspersed with chapters from an unknown narrator, the tension ramps up as the horror unfolds and their first investigation gets underway with the newly formed team headed up by Stone.
Angie Marson’s certainly knows how to throw a "good murder’ a dark mix of gruesome, horror and shock but always liberally flavoured with sensitivity, never gratuitous and always treating the dead with respect; she has perfected the combination. She addresses the issue of media coverage on mental health and suicide through Kim’s dealings with local reporter, Tracy Frost. This gets major thumbs up from me.
First Blood is genius; it further cemented my relationship with Kim and her team. If I didn’t already think they were real then I do now! Angie Marsons has totally brought this team to life; she has created a world that is believable and characters you connect with! She breathes life into the pages of her book and brings this world alive. This folks is A MUST READ!

Just how do you write a review for a book like this.
Angela Marsons is a first class author and I think if she'd written the dictionary i'd have read it. Her books grab you in from the opening pages and don't let go until the very end, where they then spit you out and leave you wanting more.
This book takes us right back to the beginning. A little 'getting to know the team' all over again. What a team she has created.
Kim Stone and her soon to be new team. No one wants to work with Stone, why? possibly because she's not all together a people person. The Early Kim feels so different to the Kim I've gotten to know over this whole series, getting a taste again for how the team developed and got together has been brilliant.
Kim maybe a bit of a marmite character, you love or hate her, personally I blooming love her character, she has turned into one of the best crime fiction characters I've ever read about. Kim can be a little surly a little tough or a lot tough really, but It makes her. It helps build her character, maybe if this was the first of the books i'd read I might have a different view of her, but you learn of her faults, her demons, her ambitions, strengths and weaknesses.
I find when you read quite a few different series of books, it becomes more about the characters lives that you want to know about, along with the new case, story. But ultimately I love learning more of each character.
Kim is faced with a new station, a new boss, a new team and a new case. How it all pans out, well you have to read the book to find that one out.. personally I can not recommend this book or this series highly enough. My words will never do these books justice, but my god I love reading them.

This series is now back in my head and I really need to do a re read from the start.
First class. The minute this landed on my kindle all plans went out the window, my current read was put down and this started.


If I was going to work for a fictional team, I'd love it to be this one. This series of books needs to be a major Drama series on tv.
This book just goes to show why Angela Marsons is at the top of her game, the Queen of Crime.. Brave, now can we have more. please.. pretty please.
This would make a great book club read, everyone sitting around discussing it. There would be plenty to talk about.

Even though First Blood is the twelfth book in the Detective Kim Stone, it is also the first. The author has taken us back to Kim starting at a new station and meeting her team. Needless to say, you dont have to have read any of the other books in the series but you will want to after you've finished this one.

Obviously being the newbie on the block and having to make her mark isn't easy. Kim is finding it hard to adjust to the team as much as they are to her. I was definitely waiting for fireworks to happen!

The case that Kim and her new team are working on, well all I can say is that the author has really excelled herself this time. The murders are gruesome but will give the reader food for thought and had me feeling a mixture of emotions. I did have concerns how a new team who arn't used to working together were going to solve this case. Especially one such as this one.

This is a novel that not only has a brilliant serial killer storyline but also sees the team getting to know each other. Without a doubt it is a learning curve for them all and is an eye opener for Kim as she sees just what they are capable of. Fair to say there are a few surprises in store and OMG when they work out who the killer is! So did not see that coming. I had to go back and reread what I had just read as totally took my breath away.

First Blood has to be one of my favouite storylines within this series. There is so much I want to say about it but can't as I don't want to give anything away. It has been very cleverly done and I really mean do clever. I loved watching as Kim, Dawson, Bryant and Stacey come together as a team. It makes for a compulsive read that I couldn't put down. Bravo!

You know the feeling when it's like Christmas, Easter and all the other holidays are happening on the same day? Well, it was one of those days today. I got to read the new Angela Marsons !!!! Happy dance!

What a story! This honestly did not really come as a surprise because all her books are utterly gripping and true works of art.

I did not want to put the book away. Only when the rumbling of my stomach (in the meantime lunch time has long passed) was so loud that I could not concentrate anymore, I was obliged to take a break and eat first. After quickly stuffing a sandwich into my mouth, it was full speed ahead again. No time to loose. Back to Kim and her team, because this is where it all begins ...

The story is filled with suspense and heartbreak but it's also about people finding their way in life, others thinking they are saving the world.

This is a must read, but so are her other books. Maybe it's a bit soon still to start thinking about Christmas gifts, but if you are at a loss, this seems like the perfect way to treat yourself, someone else or why not both? A Chrismas tree has normally one big shiny star. Angela gets 5 :)

Thank you Angela Marsons and Bookouture (via Netgalley)

Kim Stone fans, you are in for a treat. Angela Marsons has taken Kim back, right to the beginning, before Silent Scream and before the friendships she has with her colleagues has had a chance to develop fully. Here, in First Blood, everything is new and fresh.

When I first heard that Angela Marsons had written a prequel to her first novel in the Kim Stone series, I was really excited. I pretty much dropped everything I was doing and picked up this book. I wanted to know more about Kim’s relationship with her colleagues and how this developed. It did feel quite strange not to have the usual quirky exchanges between Bryant and Kim. Right at the beginning, however, Kim doesn’t know how long she will be working with him or anyone else on the team. She doesn’t know if she can trust anyone yet. We can see that she has not managed to fit in with any other teams within the police force, and this seems to be the last throw of the dice for her.

As well as getting to know a younger version of Kim Stone, it’s been fascinating peering into the lives of her colleagues. You can see the beginnings of her friendship forming with Bryant. You can also see the determination in the members of her team, notably in Stacey and Dawson, to solve the case they are working on.

The case is a chilling one, with links to a women’s refuge centre nearby, Kim and her team are trying to track down an individual who is killing abusers. To the killer, what they are doing is just, and this is probably how a lot of readers will feel about this as well. The killer is playing on the minds of the police. It becomes a race against time for the police to work out what the killer is planning to do next before they kill again.

If you haven’t yet read the Kim Stone series, then this is a good place to start. It can be quite daunting to start a series of books in, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to get to know Kim and her team.

This book shapes the pathway for the rest of the books to follow. Angela Marsons has done a brilliant job in putting a fresh spin on this series. It’s been fascinating going back in time and seeing where it all began for the characters, which fans of the Kim Stone series have grown to know so well. Once again, Angela Marsons has come up with a brilliant plot for her characters to sink their teeth into.

For fans of Kim Stone and newcomers to the series as well, I highly recommend First Blood. And if you are new to the series, you will want to read the rest of the books straight away.

Holey Moley, Angela Marsons! This book just confirms what I have always thought, Marsons is an amazing author and I cannot understand why is she not a household name like James Patterson, Val McDermid, Patricia Cornwell and Karen Rose!

I have loved the DI Kim Stone series since I read Silent Scream back in 2015, the series has got better and better and I have loved every single book in the series. I love the character of Kim Stone, her vulnerability that is hidden behind her tough exterior and her heartbreaking childhood make her a complex and interesting character. Her team all contribute to the stories and I know that I am not alone in loving each of them and there are many people who hold grudges against Marsons for some of what she has put her characters through.

What I wasn't expecting was for Marsons to go back to the beginning and tell us the story of when Kim Stone first met her faithful team, and how they began to pull together as a team despite them appearing to be so very different from each other. But what a blooming brilliant idea it was, I was so excited to read the book that I immediately stopped reading the book I was a third of the way through and started reading First Blood. I just couldn't wait and I tore through the book and stayed up far later than I should have so that I could finish the book.
But it was definitely one of those books where I wanted to get to the end to find out what would happen, but I also didn't want the book to end because I was enjoying reading it so much.

I just loved reading about the teams first impressions of each other and how they found their strengths and weaknesses that meant that together they were a team that solved even the toughest crimes.
If you have read previous DI Kim Stone books then I doubt you are even reading this as you will have bought the book regardless of what the reviewers had to say, but if you haven't read an Angela Marsons book before then buy this book, buy it and read it and enjoy the rollercoaster of the rest of the series, you will love every moment of it!

Oh, my giddy aunt I can’t believe that Angela Marsons has finally written the VERY book I’ve been fantasying about, First Blood a PREQUEL to the Kim Stone books, yes you read that right!!!!!! Anyone who follows this series will love this book. As a huge fan I’ve watched Kim and her team (and surrogate family) evolve and grow into living, breathing characters. I’ve always wondered about the previous years, and what forces bought Kim, Bryant, Stacey, and Dawson together, well here Lie all the answers in First Blood the exciting and riveting prequel. **a word of warning** you will struggle to put this book down, forget about eating, drinking, sleeping, and work, this book will consume your every waking moment.

As per Angela Marsons she doesn’t hang about in drawing the reader in, from the promising and shocking prologue to the very last page the author keeps you firmly in her clutches. We first meet Kim as she’s seconded to Halesowen, or rather she’s forced upon them after being transferred from West Bromwich, after a communication issue with a chauvinistic senior officer! Kim’s newly gained team are full of reservations, about working with her, sadly for Kim her reputation proceeds her, she’s known for being difficult, lacks social skills, and is considered bloody-minded.

Their first case together sees them hunting a serial killer, that kills their victims in the most savage way, besides finding a killer, they also have the added challenge of being a new team. It was interesting to see how the dynamics between the team shifted as their strength and weaknesses became clear. Bryant is solid and dependable, Stacey is keen and passionate about her work, Dawson ambitious, lazy and rebellious. As for Kim she has to learn to work as part of a team, rather than being a ‘one-man band’, which takes some doing especially when you don’t trust or like people!

As the plot develops and the team close in on the killer, the book takes a dark turn, one that’s horrifying, and unsettling, and yet you have to read on, racing on to the dramatic conclusion. First Blood is peppered with chapters narrated by an unknown voice, the fury that radiates from these chapters is palatable, It’s seldom I feel any sympathy towards a serial killer in a crime thriller, but Angela Marsons has managed to just that, I found myself questioning my own moral compass. A small part of me had a small amount of respect for this killer, even though it conflicts with my own thoughts on murder, at the same time I struggled to summon up any sympathy for the victims.

As you would expect with any good crime thriller, it’s very well written (but we’re talking Angela Marsons here, so I expected nothing less, she sure knows how to draw the reader in. There are more twists and turns than a rollercoaster, the tension ramps out with every turn of the page, there are gory crime scenes (not for the fainthearted), brilliant characters that immediately draw you in, misdirection at every turn. In fact, it’s the perfect crime thriller read. Without a shadow of a doubt Angela Marsons has written another best seller, highly, highly recommend.

You know what I never realized that I needed in my life? A prequel to the Kim Stone series and after having read First Blood it was exactly what I was craving and I didn't even know it. Good thing Angela Marsons is far more clever than I am and anticipated what this series needed well ahead of all of her fans, I swear she's such a keen and crafty author, bravo once again 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This follows the team, as we know them, but way back when they worked their first case together. Yep, you get to see Kim meet everyone for the first time; Bryant, Stacey and Dawson all meet each other and the boss for the first time and their first case was quite the head scratcher. It was just as dark, disturbing and deranged as the rest of the series and of course it kept me guessing, and second guessing myself the whole way through. Marsons never pulls any punches and she sure didn't here either.

There was something almost sweet and tender about seeing these well loved characters during a vulnerable time as they all start work together for the first time. Of course going back to see Dawson was incredibly bittersweet knowing what I now know, I'm not sure I've ever gotten so teary eyed reading a thriller before, but there you have it. Seeing the very beginnings of their various relationships forming was eye opening and really fun, if you've ever wondered what Bryant thought of Kim after a first impression or how Stacey found her niche within the team this will answer all of those burning questions and then some.

Longtime fans of the series are going to be just as thrilled about this prequel as I am, it was incredible and has every element that I've come to know, love and appreciate in a Kim Stone book. Hurry and go grab your copy now so I have someone to chat with please, and if you've been ignoring my constant urging for you to read this series for years now go ahead and listen to me already 😝
Overall rating: 5/5
Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

To say I was excited when I was offered an early reading of First Blood is probably the understatement of the decade! I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed all of the Kim Stone books in the series, so what better book to read next than the story of where it all began. First Blood is the prequel to the series and introduces us to DI Kim Stone. It also brings in the characters of DS Bryant, DS Dawson and DC Wood which, if you’ve read any of the series already, you’ll know them as her loyal and hardworking team.

DI Kim Stone is a detective who is tenacious, determined and hell-bent on upholding the law. She has, however, been moved from Station to Station across the West Midlands Police Form due to her difficult and confrontational working relationships with her colleagues. Being given a new team based at Halesowen Police Station, they find themselves being thrown into the deep end with a case involving the body of a beheaded man. Not only does DI Stone have to work out who the killer is, but she also has to work out what makes her team tick!

Throughout this whole series, I’ve LOVED Kim Stone! I have visions in my mind of what she looks like and coupled with the no-nonsense attitude she certainly is a force to be reckoned with. From reading the other books, we’ve already gleaned a little insight into Kim’s past which would definitely explain the person she is today. It was exciting with this book though to go right back to the beginning and meet Kim just as she meets the team we’ve come to know and love. Obviously, the team hasn’t quite ‘gelled’ together yet and to say there wasn’t any teething problems would be lying. What you do see with Kim in this book though is that she was as good a boss right back at the beginning than what she is in the later books. I love her dry sense of humour, even though it’s difficult to work out when she’s joking, and the relationship with DS Bryant is probably one of the best I’ve seen!

Each individual character’s story is cleverly slotted into the book in between all the dead bodies and investigations! The story flows effortlessly from chapter to chapter, grabbing your attention from the very first page. With plenty of red herrings and dead ends, the storyline keeps you guessing all the way through as to what the hell is going on! It’s not all doom and gloom though with the odd moment of droll humour thrown in for good measure and I have to admit I did have a snigger at Stone’s descriptions of Bryant’s driving!

The author has done a fantastic amount of research for this book and I love all the little bits it throws at you of things you never knew – who knew the Sex Offenders Register is called ViSOR and that many nursery rhymes have a dark, alternative meaning! I also LOVED (and I know I say it about every book) the fact that so many places I know are featured throughout! Living in Dudley myself, reading through the book is like reading an A-Z of local landmarks! I’m pretty sure I spent a lot of time marvelling that I know where the Wrens Nest estate is, that I drive through Gornal on the way to work and that the Jolly Crispin Pub is just a few minutes’ walk away!

The murder story itself is dark and twisted with gruesome images and descriptions of the victims. As a warning, the storyline does involve child abuse, so if this is a trigger it may be best avoided. The pace is fast with short snappy chapters, but it’s so easy to read that before you know it you’ve read pages and pages and you just can’t put it down until you’ve read that little bit more!

I honestly didn’t think you would be able to beat some of the previous books of the series but, oh my goodness, this is probably the best book so far!! The only problem for me now is that it’s given me a taste for more stories of ‘early’ Kim Stone – what was she like as a young uniformed police constable? How did she get into being a Detective? And, how did she rise to the rank of Detective Inspector when she’s so universally hated?!! Perhaps there’s some future storyline suggestions there, but remember you read it here first!

Without giving away any major spoilers, all I can say about this book is that it was superb!!! I love Kim – always have, always will!! Meeting the ‘new’ team, but already knowing so much about them, was an eye-opener and the storyline itself was breath-taking, heart-pounding, exciting and thrilling!!! I completely and utterly recommend reading not just this book, but the whole series!! Fab, fab, fab, fab, fab……

First Blood.
I had a title, a vague synopsis, and an author’s name. There was no hesitation.
A few hundred pages later, I am indeed covered in blood. And sweat. There is a smile on my face and goosebumps on my arms. Rarely have I been so satisfied with a novel.

First Blood is a gift I was not expecting. I received it as a personal message from Angela Marsons. First Blood is the testament of just how essential characterization is in the Kim Stone series. Take any plot, any murder, any middle-of-the-night call, and they are your guys. But how? Why?

Of course, we got to know Kim, Bryant, Stacey, Dawson and Woody along with each ride the author offered through her perfectly paced and balanced police procedural series. The thing with Kim Stone is that I always want more. More of her. I want to get into her head until each dark corner has been thoroughly searched. Yet I want her to surprise me. I want to ride with Bryant and never miss one of his jokes. I want Stacey to work her magic. But how did we get there? The addiction began because Angela Marsons created realistic, diverse, and simply human police officers.

And now, the fire of this addiction is fueled by the fire of the beginnings.

First Blood is the genesis of the Kim Stone series. A bloody outstanding piece on every level. Using an intense and grisly plot, Angela Marsons gives us the key to better understand each of her protagonists. I have said many times that I enjoy the team’s dynamic so much it really impacts on my view of the case itself. There is something reassuring in jumping in the darkness of an investigation with people you know. Here, we get two unknowns; the case, and the team. Feeling like Little Thumb, I began to pick up and gather crumbs, gluing them together to get the very first picture of what would become one of the strongest teams I’ve read about, and one of my favourites.

In a nutshell, here’s where we are; DI Kim Stone is sent to a new place to form a new team under the eyes of Big Boss Woody.

I couldn’t help but laugh at Kim being Kim, sent from one place to another. Her work is not to be blamed. She has always been a wonderful officer. If I thought the Kim we knew was a hard case, meet younger Kim!!! I smiled at Woody, feeling the need to hug him tight. Then I began to feel warm and fuzzy when the seeds of the awful murders and the mutilated victims showed signs of what the team would become. I know, I should not have felt so happy around cold bodies, but hey, they helped newly promoted Stacey to find her place, they gave Dawson the opportunity to open his eyes and stop being a pain, they offered Kim a chance to let her guard down (not that she would ever admit it) and actually create connections with the people she’s forced to see every day.

My heart was full of shameless love for her interactions with Bryant. Reading about those two finding their pace and a way to be honest with each other to create a safe ground was absolutely overwhelming. Oh don’t get me wrong, you won’t get maudlin scenes and teary-eyed cops around here. No, you will get kick-ass people, each in their own way, chasing a crazy murderer who attacks people and leaves them with missing body parts. You will get the doubts of the early days. How do you deal with strangers? How do you dress for your first day? How do you go through 24hours without enough caffeine? Because if First Blood is first and foremost the foundation of a team, it also turns out to be a breathtaking, “ewww,” intricate and realistic police investigation that doesn’t shy away from shining light on the best and lowest moments of a cop’s life. I will never get tired of Angela Marsons’ talent to weave crimson blankets made of crime and relations. The depth of every detail, every element, is explored until each cavity has revealed its secrets, bringing to life pieces of the book that make it so powerful and unforgettable.

First Blood is a masterpiece, the star at the top of your Chrismas tree, the drop of Rum in your waffle mix, the G&T on a Friday night that makes crime fiction shine so bright. Read it now. Thank Angela after. Then get going with the series if you haven’t already!

First Blood. Angela Marsons

For those of us who are already hooked by this series, this is a great prequal. For those of us who haven’t read any of the DI Kim Stone books, this is a great introduction to the best crime series on the shelves right now.

Either way this is a brilliant read which will have people turning the pages at a feverish rate.

First Blood takes us right back to the formation of Kim’s team, and her first day at Halesowen Police Station.

It’s a last chance scenario with Kim having made too many enemies to be accepted at most nicks in the West Midlands.

However she has an ally she knows nothing about, somebody who has known her for many years before she joined the force, and has kept an eye on her career since she joined.

This story looks at why Kim is a bit of a pariah in the force. She is definitely an acquired taste to work with, but her conviction rate should out-weigh that.

On her first day she meets her team. DS Bryant, a middle aged man who should be at least a DI at that stage in his career, so why isn’t he, and how will he react to a young DI.

DS Kevin Dawson, and I’d forgotten what a pain in the behind he was when the series first started. A man capable of disrupting even the most evenly balanced relationship, and certainly not a team player.

Brand new DC Stacey Wood, a shy almost naïve, young woman whose hidden talent is soon found to be “data-mining” from a desk. Not what DS Dawson considers to be real policing.

The first day should be an easy welcome session, but a body is found staked out on the Clent Hills. The body has been stabbed, decapitated and had the genitals removed.

Kim judges the team by how they react to the scene, and as the investigation goes on, she watches the dynamic of the team, how they work, how they bond, all the time sussing out their strengths and weaknesses. At the same time Bryant, Wood, and Stacey are doing exactly the same.

At times the team, and Stone, have as many questions about each other as they do about the case. One of the team decides to research Stone’s past and makes some startling discoveries. Will this affect the way she’s looked at.

The solving of the crimes is the main thread in this book; but just as enthralling is the thread that explores the team members and how they reacted to each other when they first meet, and during this first investigation.

I loved this book from cover to cover. It can be read as a stand-alone, or the first in a series, or as I look at it the latest in the best series there is.

The book fills some gaps and explains the relationship between many of the characters in the series, not all of them on the team.

There is a saying “There is only one chance to make a first impression” In this book we see those first impressions as the team is brought together.

But this book is a contrary to that saying. This is a second chance for those of us who follow the series to have that first meeting with Stone and the gang, and it’s absolutely brilliant.

Oh my life. This is the book that all Kim Stone fans have been waiting for and they didn’t even know it. A prequel! Can you believe it?

From the moment I was told about this book I could feel the hairs starting to pick up on my arms. I love the Kim Stone series (I hide it well, I know) and anything that is going to give me a fix of my favourite characters is always going to be a winner with me. And what a story this is too. Not for the faint of heart, but nothing too gratuitous either, it is the same blend of mystery, thrill and brilliant character portrayal that we have come to know and love.

This isn’t quite the story that starts it all (although I’d absolutely love a Kim Stone: the formative years prequel – no pressure Ms Marsons), but it is close enough as it gives the reader a look at the case that first took Kim Stone to Halesowen, and how the team of Kim, Bryant, Kev and Stacey was born. It is an absolute cracker of a story, giving us super keen readers even more of an insight into each of the team members, solidifying their position as one of my all-time favourite teams of Detectives. From Stacey’s very tentative and hesitant first days on the job as a fully-fledged Detective, to Bryant’s easy going, unflappable nature it was great to see the fledgling team slowly pull together. I must admit, I had forgotten how much of a knob Kev was in the early days - ultra keen, highly ambitious but ultimately lazy - but I still love him as a character overall, so he’s forgiven.

Sadly this story was too early on in Kim’s career to feature Barney (bless him) but Kim’s compassion, thinly veiled as complete intolerance and a prickly no-nonsense attitude, shines through. We hear a bit more of her own personal story too, and see why they team around her are so quick to step forward and stand by her, no matter what.

The case they are handed is quite a brutal one, the motives for murder not immediately apparent. This is where Angela Marsons excels. She is able to draw the reader in to the case, make them intrigued if still a little unsure about how sympathetic they should be towards the victim. And it is a belter of an opening chapter, setting the scene straight away and putting the reader at the heart of a soon to be brutal murder, but never forcing them to act as voyeur when the final deed is done. We see the aftermath, and that is quite enough, but it is played brilliantly, blending a little humour into the more serious aspects of the crime scene. Not only is this Kim and Co’s first case as a team, but it is also Keats first time as the pathologist working along side Kim, setting the tone straight away for their working relationship henceforth. Loved it.

The case is complex, the narrative fast paced but still very informative. The author packs a lot into those pages and gives a clear picture of how all the neighbouring forces fit together or, in this case at least, don’t, as neither her own West Midlands colleagues or the West Mercia team seem too keen to assist Kim in what she believes are clearly linked cases. It will soon become apparent what the motive is, and thankfully that is kept completely off the page, but just how far and wide the killer will cast their net remains to be seen.

As always there is brilliant characterisation in this book, and the suspect pool is quite large to begin with for reasons you will understand all too quickly. I love how the author manages to drop in the hints of the regional accent, very clearly in Stacey’s case, and how she uses setting and location to create tension and conflict within the story as the team moves from affluence to poverty. It is another class Kim Stone story, one that will make you look at your childhood memories in a whole new light …

This is a dark and deadly case, high on thrills, intrigue, mystery and tension, perfectly pitched on pace and featuring the dry humour and banter we know and love. Fans are going to be in heaven when they read it, and true fans will know why this book brought a wry smile to my face as I read it. Top stuff – Loved it.

I literally need a moment to compose myself after reading this book I can not begin to tell you how god damn good it is! Having read all of the Kim Stone books the author just gets better and better. This one, is by far my favourite.

The author takes us back to the beginning with First Blood where we find out how it all begins. Taking me on a white knuckle ride. I cannot begin to tell you the emotions that I went through. To the point where I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about this book. So after a restless night I devoured what was left, and believe me there wasn't a lot. Having read a massive chunk of it until the early hours.

First Blood is so bloody brilliant and so gripping…..Let me explain.

One of the things that I love about this series is that it is set local to me so I know all the places the author takes us. But in this story there is so much background information I feel like I have had a history lesson on the West Midlands. Angela has certainly put a lot of research into this book.

Then we have the plot…..oh my, what a plot it is. When we follow the team on a case after a twisted gruesome serial killer. With torturous descriptions giving me plenty of OMG moments.

Then this book wouldn't be what it is without the characters each one of them adding something to the story and to the case. We really get to know them has a person and not forgetting that we learn so much about Kim and her childhood. Which totally pulled at my heartstrings. You can feel the emotions through the authors writing.

It also made laugh, a scene I am not sure whether I was meant to laugh. But for me it was so funny I ended up in a fit of laughter and it was something I wasn't expecting at all

All these key things are woven together making one incredible entertaining read. And of course I had no idea who the killer was I actually changed my mind several times throughout the story.

First Blood has totally blown my mind, and is without a doubt one of my best reads this year leaving me with a book hangover. This book is a ten gold star read! Which I am so excited for you all to read.