This is book thirteen in the beloved Kim Stone series and there is absolutely no sign of slowing down, each book packs a powerful punch and I can honestly say that each of the thirteen books is strong in its own right. Sometimes a series can have a few books that are just ok but I can assure you there are no duds here. Per usual this installment had me firmly in its clutches from the first chapter and I had a difficult time setting it down when real life beckoned. I feel like this series should be pictured under the definition of the word gripping in the dictionary, you seriously cannot put a Kim Stone book down easily!

As soon as I finished this I spent some time contemplating what made Deadly Cry such an incredible read for me. Is it the amazingly well drawn characters that I talk about like they’re my real friends? Yes, but it’s more than that too. Is it the fresh and exciting cases that the team are trying to solve? Definitely, I always learn something new and am captivated too. Maybe it’s the humorous writing style mixed with brutal depictions of crimes that creates a perfect balance for me. But what I really think sets it apart for me personally is that I really feel like I’m working alongside Kim and team to solve a case, that’s how vividly I can picture what’s going on. There is just something really unique and special about the authors writing style that draws the reader in and makes you feel like you’re inside the story with the characters. It’s quite the experience and as odd as it may be for me to say about a crime novel, it’s a special experience as well and one that I cherish each time I get to read a news book. As always, highly recommended by me!

With little Mia clutching a teddy bear the staff had given her, and crying her eyes out, DI Kim Stone and Bryant both were horrified at the thought of the girl’s mother missing. And then her body was found. Kim and her team were embroiled in a murder case once again – and with a second woman being murdered the following day, and her little boy Archie vanishing, the team knew the race was on. But it was the letter from someone who claimed he needed to be stopped, addressed to Kim, that had them scrambling to work out the way to tackle this situation.

When Detective Stacey Wood was given another case to work through, it touched her deeply. She was determined to solve it, so working the two cases within the team meant they were working twelve hour days and more. Kim and her team needed to stop the killer before more women died – but could they?

Deadly Cry is the 13th in the DI Kim Stone series by author Angela Marsons and once again it was another brilliantly laid out story, with a plot that threw twists and turns up all the way through. Kim Stone is the ultimate character – strong, determined, prepared to walk the fine line and disobey direct orders if she doesn’t believe those orders are right. The twist at the end blew me away – I had no idea that was coming – and isn’t that the best way for a thriller to end! A series that I highly recommend. Bring on #14!!

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the series right from the beginning, it is always a delight to open another Kim Stone book. This time the team are looking into the death of a young mother, who was killed whilst shopping. Mercifully her young daughter was found close by safe & well. Stacey & Penn are busy looking into a cold case. Then another young woman dies, but her small son was nowhere to be seen. Kim discovers a note that has been sitting in the post pile all day. Addressing Kim directly it begs her to stop him before he does anything else he knows will bring heartache. It is signed 'Noah'- is that a clue?

The thing I like about these books is not just the clever plotting. The best thing is the characters & the way they have developed as the series has gone one. They each have their own stories & it all adds to the enjoyment. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book. How long do I have to wait for the next one? Not too long I hope!

The books in this series never disappoint and while there is a running story from book to book, you are never lost if you’ve forgotten a detail or haven’t read the previous book(s).

In this installment Kim and her team are tasked with solving the brutal murder of a mother. When a second murder happens just days later and her son is missing, it is all hands on deck. All this happening while one team member works on tracking down new clues in a cold case, another adjusts to new responsibilities from his mother’s death, and a task force preparing security for a model in the headlines for sleeping with a footballer. While that might seem like a lot of story for just one book, Marsons weaves the story together well. And the small details of the team’s personal life are a nice touch. Kim’s dog and Penn’s brother. No one does their job in a bubble and have outside factors that don’t go away.

Detective Kim Stone and her team are a well oiled machine that complement each other as they work together. They remind me of a good TV ensemble where the whole exceeds the parts. And the parts aren’t shabby.

I can’t believe these books aren’t more popular in the US because they are the perfect mesh of character development and crime story. I’ve just finished this one and can’t wait for the next one. If you’ve never read one of Marsons’ Kim Stone books, I highly recommend you pick this one up and start reading.

4.5 stars

Deadly Cry by Angela Marsons is the 13th in the Detective Kim Stone series. Note that this was originally to be titled Death Score.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)

Detective Kim Stone is tough. She has had to be. Her mother is responsible for Kim’s horrendous childhood, and as a result, currently resides in a psychiatric facility. But Kim has survived, and although her social skills are lacking, her heart is in the right place. Right now, her team consists of: Bryant, her right hand man, and the person who voices her concerns in a much more diplomatic way than Kim would every think of; Stacey, who can find required information in a seemingly bottomless computer system; and the newest member, Austen Penn, who replaced Kevin Dawson who was killed in the line of duty. 




My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

A little girl is found in a shopping mall, no sign of her mother.   A few hours later, the mother is found in an abandoned building, her neck broken.   When another victim appears, and her child is missing, Kim will do anything to find the little boy.  As the bodies pile up, the killer sends Kim messages, asking to be stopped.  

In addition to the above-mentioned case, Stacey is also working a cold case from another precinct, in the hope that fresh eyes may help them catch a rapist.  Unfortunately, one of the  victims would never make a good witness, so her attacker has gone unpunished for her rape.

Austen is back at work after burying his mother.  Most people feel it is too soon, but he refuses to be side-lined.  He has to be strong for his brother.  Jasper, who has Downs Syndrome, is trying to be strong for his brother too.  This is not working.

Meanwhile, a celebrity "has-been"  is having a book signing for her new book detailing her scandalous affair.  Kim is part of a team which is responsible for her safety.  Kim is not impressed.


My Opinions:  

Again, I hate the covers for these books, and again, have deducted 1/2 of a star for this.  They look like a cover out of a 30's spy novel.

I like how Marsons brings back characters from other books to participate in the plot.  Last book it was Tiffany, this time it is Allison.  The characters and their interactions are one of my favorite aspects of these books.  I also liked how much Stacey has grown in her role.

The plot, as always was captivating, and the short chapters kept me turning the pages.  The suspense continued to build, and I admit to being in the total dark as to the identity of the killer.  I loved it!  The book looked into siblings who are over-protective of the other, as well sibling rivalry, and what would happen if that rivalry continued in adult-hood.   I love the relationship between Penn and Jasper.

Angela Marsons has definitely been one of my best finds for the last few years. Every single book has been awesome and unlike many other authors, they just keep getting more and more awesome. The characters keep evolving and you are getting to the point where you really feel like they are real and you know them in person. Not many people can do that, that’s for sure. Another great job Ms Marsons,

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Deadly Cry’, the thirteenth in the Detective Kim Stone series written by Angela Marsons, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

A four-year-old girl is found in ‘Shop N Save’ in a busy shopping centre and a short time later the body of her mother, Katrina Nock, is found nearby. Two days later the body of another woman, Louise Webb-Harvey, is discovered in a nearby park but her six-year-old son Archie is missing. As DI Kim Stone and her team work to make sense of these killings and find Archie, Kim is contacted by ‘Noah’ who asks for her help in stopping him from killing any more women. Meanwhile, DC Stacey Wood is looking at a cold case, the attacks on two young women that occurred within days of each other. There are so many similarities between the cases that Kim calls in behavourist Alison Lowe to help them get into the mind of the perpetrator.

‘Deadly Cry’ is a another exceptionally gripping crime thriller featuring Kim Stone and her hardworking and loyal team of Bryant, Stacey and Penn. I was gripped from page one, through each jaw-dropping incident, each twist and turn, trying to guess the identity of the killer but failing. There was drama, suspense, convincing characters, events that left me open-mouthed with surprise, and an ending that was shocking and completely unexpected. Angela Marsons is definitely one of the best crime writers I’d had the pleasure to read and each of her books shows her amazing ability to introduce intrigue and devious criminals into each novel.

What twisted mind lies behind the murders of several young mothers? And why are the attacks so similar…and yet so different? These are some of the intriguing puzzles DI Kim Stone and her team have to unravel in Deadly Cry.
As always, I adored catching up with Kim and her team, Stacy, Penn and Bryant. Profiler Alison is also seconded to work with the team one again, despite her initial resistance. Not surprising, as she nearly died last time.
Author Angela Marsons takes us right into the nitty gritty of the investigation and the detailed unscrambling of all the different strands. We also get glimpses into the private lives of the team, with each book in the series revealing more about them.
The intriguing start of the book sets the scene for a suspenseful read. Towards the end, when Kim and her team cotton on to what’s really happening and start to hone in on the suspect, the tension really ramps up. I found myself reading faster and faster, caught up in the suspense.
Marson’s trademark humour runs throughout – she really does make me laugh out loud. And it’s usually Kim’s thoughts or speech that does it. As in her (unbelievably tolerant) boss, Woody, rarely ringing her any more to summon her. Instead he rings Bryant, realising “ there was a certain fluidity to her interpretation of ‘right now’, whereas Bryant attached a higher degree of urgency to the request.”
In fact, Kim goes further than ever in this book, even defying one of Woody’s direct orders. It’s not because she’s otherwise and contrary (although she is), but because she knows that in this case he’s wrong.
It was wonderful to catch up with straight-talking Kim again. She doesn’t suffer fools, doesn’t play the politics game, is bad-tempered and sometimes aggressive, and is generally quite otherwise. As she herself puts it, “I’m barely able to play nice with my own dog and he’s my best friend.”
Despite this, and to a large extent because of it, Kim is hugely likeable and I come to respect her a bit more each book. She combines her undiplomatic manner with dollops of empathy and insight when it comes to her team. And she’s always on the side of right. She has a lateral approach to police work, so while her team doggedly investigate, she can often take what they unearth, turn it on its head, and see alternative possibilities. She doesn’t always get it right first time, however.
Several strands run through this book—a minor celebrity author who needs security, a past case which the team has to scrutinise, the murders of the mothers and a missing boy—all of which come together in surprising ways as the investigations continue.
Kim plays a dangerous game, communicating with the killer in ways not sanctioned by her boss, and using unconventional allies. She even turns to graphology to help solve the case, much against her better judgement to begin with, but with growing interest. I found the information around this fascinating.
And once again, Marson’s interest in unusual psychological dynamics turns this into a fascinating, compelling and utterly fabulous read.

Kim Stone #13

In a busy shopping centre, a little girl clutches a teddybear, clinging to it in the absence of her mother, Katerina. Hours later, katerina's body is found in an abandoned building. Detective Kim Stone thinks it looks like a quick functional murder but her instincts tell her differently. Days later another body is found in a local park, her six year old son is missing .

I don't know how Angela Marsons manages to pull another book out of the bag but I'm glad she does. A killer is committing murders that don't seem to have any motive. They bring in Alison Lowe, the behaviourist they had worked with on a previous case. There's a lot going on in the book: murder, a cold case, an abduction, and a celebrity who needs protection. This is a fast paced read which held my attention throughout.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #AngelaMarsons for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In this 13th outing for Kim Stone the investigation into the murder of two women by a killer who separates mothers from their children. proves puzzling. One was taken outside a store leaving her young child alone whilst the second was taken from her home along with her young son after her husband was killed.. Meanwhile other members of Kim's team, Stacey and Penn, are tasked with looking into Cold cases from other divisions. They concentrate on 2 rapes , one unsolved but the other has an offender charged and in prison. Eventually the team discover these cases are connected and that they are looking for two killers.
Builds to a nerve wrecking conclusion as they pursue their killers. This is consistently good police procedural from Angela Marsons and I can't wait for the next one.

Another fantastic read in this bri,liant series. The books are now so much more than the plot and investigation. The team is like a family and each one has their own unique talent . From the start, a child found wandering alone without her mother, you just know there is going to be more to this than meets the eye. The child's mother is later found murdered.. I had no idea whatsoever how this was going to end. As the plot unfolded I was left stunned by the events and the outcome. Another 5 star read.

The story is engrossing with plenty of red herrings and refreshingly Stone and co don't always get it right. I much prefer this series now that Stone's background no longer plays such a prominent part ,thankfully she hasn't mellowed though and her grouchy,grumpy and downright rude behaviour is all part of the fun of this series. Just brilliant.

ExCERPT: I did it. I killed her, and there was a satisfaction to the twist of the neck that was morbidly gratifying for me. A slight thing, she didn't put up much of a fight, but it wouldn't have mattered if she had. She was going to die regardless.

ABOUT 'DEADLY CRY': In a busy shopping centre, a little girl clutches a teddy bear, clinging to it in the absence of her mother, Katrina. Hours later, Katrina’s body is discovered in an abandoned building. For Detective Kim Stone, it looks like a quick, functional murder. But Kim’s instincts tell her there’s more to this senseless murder than meets the eye. What was the motive for killing a young mother out shopping with her child?

Days later, a second victim is found in a local park, her neck broken just like Katrina’s and her six-year-old son missing.

But with her colleague, Detective Stacey Wood, working on another unsolved crime and a member of the team grieving the loss of a close relative, Kim is struggling to make inroads on what is fast becoming a complex case. And when a handwritten letter from the killer lands on Kim’s desk addressed to her, and pleading for help, she knows time is running out to bring the little boy home alive.

With the support of a handwriting analyst and profiler, Kim and the team begin to get inside the mind of the killer and make a shocking discovery.

Some of the victims have scratch marks on their wrists.

But these are no random scratches. The killer is using them to communicate with someone. The question is… with whom?

And if Kim doesn’t find them soon, another innocent soul will die.

MY THOUGHTS: 13 books, and Marsons still gets me every time! You know how some books are promoted with the claim 'massive twist you won't see coming!' . . . there's no need for Marsons to claim this, but that is what you get. Unexpected, well executed twists, a gripping suspenseful plot, and our favourite characters complete with all their idiosyncrasies and shared histories. So, there's a clue. This is book #13 in a series. You might read this as a stand-alone and enjoy it. But I guarantee that you will get a lot more from Deadly Cry if you start this series from the beginning. It is a series where the first book is really good, and each successive book is even better.

DI Kim Stone is the focus of this series. I didn't much like her initially, but the writing and the plotting were superb, so I continued with the series. Since then I have become quite fond of Kim. She doesn't have much of a filter. What she thinks she tends to say. Occasionally she will demonstrate great restraint, but only occasionally, and the stakes have to be high. She can be very rude, to everyone. Even her friends, her team. She doesn't discriminate. She admits to not being good at playing nice, not even with her dog who is her best friend. She has a love/hate relationship with pathologist Keats, who gives as good as he gets. Their mutually disparaging banter provides some light relief in amongst the tension and suspense. Kim must drive her boss, DCI Woodward, totally insane with her total disregard for authority, although he has enough trust in her to give her free rein when she seems to need it most.

Regulars, Stacey, Bryant and Penn, Kim's back up team and the closest thing she has to friends, continue to support her and are joined by 'profiler' Alison (read this book and you will understand why I have placed 'profiler' in quotation marks), who also appeared in the previous book. I hope that we see more of her in the future. The characters personal lives take the back seat compared to the cases the team is working on, but there's enough going on with them to keep our interest in them as individuals and not just crutches for Kim.

I have finished Deadly Cry (previously titled 'Death Score') in less than 24 hours. I now have only one question - when can I have #14?

⭐⭐⭐⭐.8

#DeadlyCry #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Angela is the author of the Kim Stone Crime series. She discovered a love of writing at Primary School when a short piece on the rocks and the sea gained her the only merit point she ever got.
Angela wrote the stories that burned inside and then stored them safely in a desk drawer.
After much urging from her partner she began to enter short story competitions in Writer's News resulting in a win and three short listed entries.
She used the Amazon KDP program to publish two of her earlier works before concentrating on her true passion - Crime.
Angela is now signed to write a total of 16 Kim Stone books.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Deadly Cry (DI Kim Stone #13) by Angela Marsons for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

I love this series of books, Kim Stone is one of my favourite characters. There are multiple threads in this story, all expertly woven together in this well written book. Angela Marsons goes from strength to strength with her writing and this has to be my favourite read this year. Although part of a series, this can be read as a stand alone and I would highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Another fantastic book in the Kim Stone series.
It was great to catch up with Kim and the team and see what situation they’re dealing with this time.
It’s great to pick up where the last book left off and with Stacey getting ready for her wedding and Penn dealing with the grief of losing his mum, the team still give the case their all.
A woman’s body has been found and her child left in a shop while she was taken to be killed. Kim and the team can’t quite get their heads round this one.
The next day another woman is murdered in the same way, but this time her child is missing.
Stacey is looking into an old rape case where there was no conviction, but for her something doesn’t feel right with the background on this one.
They call on Alison to help profile the victim but she’s still struggling to cope after the last case.
Bryant is in hand as ever, to support Kim and pull her up when she over steps the mark.
I love the humour in this series and it really is like catching up with old friends.
I loved the nail biting conclusion and I’m sure my heart did actually stop for a minute there.
Another brilliant read that I can highly recommend.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Over the years there have been many series that I have enjoyed reading, Patricia Cornwell and Karen Rose spring to mind, they were books that I looked forward to and I loved reading as the characters grew and I could follow them on their journey. But over time the books became less exciting and a bit repetitive and I found myself not rushing to read the new books on release day and eventually not reading the books at all.

It is hard for an author to keep things fresh over a prolonged series, readers get bored and characters stop being interesting. But Angela Marsons’ has bucked that trend, I have loved every book in the Detective Kim Stone series and if anything they get better as the series goes on. Each book can be read as a standalone but if you do that you really will be missing out, not only on the characters back story, but also on some really rather great reads.

I loved Deadly Cry, the storyline is original and kept me guessing all the way through and even when I thought that I had worked out who the baddie was I still hadn’t worked most of it out. This is a thrilling read with a decent death count.

The characters are still brilliant, I love reading about Kim Stone and her team and I am looking forward to the next thirteen books in the series because Angela Marsons has managed to do something really rather amazing, she has created characters that readers love and want to read more of, and she comes up with some cracking storylines.

Deadly Cry is the thirteenth instalment in the Detective Inspector Kim Stone series, set in the West Midlands and sees the tough, stubborn and no-nonsense Kim back with a bang. DI Stone and DS Jim Bryant have called at a shopping centre to purchase coffee after a tedious and useless Diversity Awareness training session when Stone catches a glimpse of a little girl, four-year-old Mia Nock, clutching her favourite teddy to her chest all alone wondering the aisles of a shop without the presence of a parent or guardian. Meanwhile, a few hours later that same day, the body of Katrina Nock is discovered; her neck has clearly been broken and it looks very much like a cold-blooded, clinical kill and certainly not the perpetrators first foray into the business of murder. It was much too clean-cut for that to be the case. But who could be so evil and heartless as to murder a mother out shopping with her child? A few days later the body of Louise Webb-Harvey is discovered in the local park. She had the same telltale signs on her neck and her son, six-year-old Archie, was missing. Kim is suspicious that there's much more to the story, as the two crimes are evidently linked, and she receives confirmation of this when she is sent a letter from the killer begging her to help him to cease the killing once and for all.

This is a riveting and engrossing procedural from the very beginning, and I loved the darkly comical attitude Kim has as she attends the dreaded Diversity program; she never stops moaning and sniping sarcastically about it to her colleagues making for an amusing and laugh-out-loud start. It's well written, impeccably plotted and full of banter which flows back and forth between the team members at all times. There's never a dull moment as the action never ceases and the story moves at a rollicking pace. The killer reaching out to Kim is an interesting development and the quirky, introverted investigator extraordinaire must ascertain whether the reason stated in the letter for getting in touch with her really is the murderer's true motivation for the plucky correspondence. Either way, the killer turned out to be unguessable, much to my delight, and the twisty-turny narrative interspersed with misdirection has you going off on a tangent and fingering the wrong party several times over. My only concern was that I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough for my liking as it is another real page-turner and an exciting and compelling must-read for all crime connoisseurs. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

A little girl is found in a busy shopping centre all alone, her mother, Katrina, having seemingly disappeared. When Katrina’s body is found in an abandoned building, DI Kim Stone is perplexed – why would anyone want to kill a mother out shopping with her young daughter? When a second body of a woman is found, killed in the same way, her young son missing, Stone fears that she has a serial killer on her patch. A letter purporting to be from the murderer addressed to Kim worries her even more – he needs to be found before something happens to the missing boy.

I think I am running out of words to say about the Kim Stone series as we are now thirteen books in and I am loving these books just as much as I did when it first started. From the first book, we have seen Kim’s team develop to the point where they are now like old friends to the reader, each person bringing their own skills to a close-knit group of detectives. I love how Kim trusts her team, letting them work on cases without too much interference, knowing that they can be relied upon to bring in the results.

The story has multiple plots, each one contributing towards a fascinating case for Kim. In addition to the murders, Stacey finds herself re-investigating two rapes where she wonders whether the right man has been convicted. Over the course of this series, we have seen Stacey’s character grow in confidence to the point where she now feels strong enough to question the work of other detectives. I found the end of the book intriguing and I can’t wait to see what plans Kim (and Angela!) has for Stacey in forthcoming books.

As well as the humour throughout the book, mainly in the interactions between Kim and Bryant, Angela Marsons is incredibly adept at pulling at the heartstrings. There is a very touching scene between Penn and his brother, Jasper, who are trying to come to terms with the death of their mother. Although a minor character, I have great affection for Jasper and enjoy the relationship he has with Penn and hope that he becomes a regular feature in later books.

The Kim Stone series is going from strength to strength and I am already looking forward to the next one. I’ve said it before but would a TV company please make this into a series?! It would be a sure-fire ratings winner!

Another brilliant storyline that had me guessing.
Love Angie Marsons, she always delivers.
This author never fails to impress me......outstanding!
The thirteenth in the D.I. Kim Stone series, and it continues in the same way….just brilliant! I eagerly await every book as they come out, and read them right away…..I just can’t wait.
Another masterpiece of writing. The plot was fast paced and I couldn't put it down. I read at every opportunity, the short chapters were perfect to sneak in when I could. The quality is always there, truly blows me away with each book. The books are just so effortless to read. I love them.
I love the team of Kim, Bryant, Stacey and Penn. They complement each other perfectly.
How the author keeps coming up with these fab books just astonishes me, the content is amazing. It wouldn’t be an Angie Marsons without some shocking scenes.
I recommend this book 100%, and all the others in the series. Please read them all!
Angie Marsons is definitely one of my favourite authors, I think the books are just fantastic and I can't wait for the next one.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest review.

Wow wow wow! She's done it again. Bested perfection! Exceptional from start to finish. Stunning. Addictive. Hard hitting. Thought provoking. The author proves, once again, that she's the best crime writer out there. This series just gets better and better. Cannot wait for the next!