Thank you to Bookouture & NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

Book number 16 in the Kim Stone series and it did not disappoint. Always look forward to a new book from Angela Marsons. I love the shorter chapters as it makes it quick paced and easy to get through. I was hooked from the very first chapter as I just wanted to get to the end and figure it out. This was a brilliant storyline and I thought I had figured it out however I was left surprised.

I would highly recommend this book however if you haven’t read any of the series then definitely start from the beginning as the character developments and relationships built are so good to read if you have the full picture.

Wow, just wow! Suspense to the max - complex mystery - strong female lead - and a team so well developed you feel you know them all. Clear your calendar until you finish, seriously!

I was so excited to be given the opportunity to read this book by Angela Marsons. Six Graves is the 16th book in the Kim Stone series and we join her on her next adventure.

Having read all previous books, I have been wondering just how Marsons does it. Every time I find myself loving each and am in amazement at how after 16 books, she is still able to captivate my interest. Therefore, it is safe to say book 16 does not disappoint and I would even say this is my favourite so far in the series.

Again, Angela Marsons has given us our favourite characters such as Stone, Bryant, Penn, Stacey, and let’s not forget Barney the dog. Also an introduction to a new character on the team. (No spoilers) but I really enjoyed the tricky relationship between Stone and this character. As usual Marsons writes the relationships between the characters in the same enjoyable way that we are used to in the other novels.

This book follows the team dealing with the death of a family, and as expected with Marsons writing there’s plenty of twists and turns to keep us gripped. We shockingly have the return of an evil criminal, who Stone really wants and needs to catch. I read the first chapter and I was instantly hooked and very anxious for the characters (still no spoilers). From this chapter I was reading the book with dread as to what was going to happen and intense curiosity. This book is fast paced and kept me gripped throughout. My only fault was that I was gripped and finished it within 2 days as I couldn’t put it down.

Overall, this is a fantastic book in the Kim Stone series and I am already excited for number 17.

This review will be published on my blog, www.fortheliterature.WordPress.com on 30/04/22.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Six Graves, the sixteenth novel to feature DI Kim Stone and her team at West Midlands Police.

Kim and her team are investigating a potential family annihilation with a twist. It looks like Helen Daynes has shot her husband and two teenage children, but Kim isn’t as sure as everyone else. A couple of anomalies at the scene prove her right and they are soon hunting a murderer. At the same time Kim is working under police protection, because a psychopath she caught has escaped from jail with one aim, to kill her.

I thoroughly enjoyed Six Graves, which is probably the best novel in the series so far. It opens with an attention grabbing funeral and doesn’t let up until a sad and uncertain ending. The novel has everything, two gripping plot lines, tension, humour, sadness and while there’s no happiness (it is Kim Stone we’re talking about) there are a couple of good outcomes. It’s a real emotional rollercoaster and I can’t say why without spoilers, but it grabs the reader from the beginning and doesn’t let go.

Both plot lines are gripping. The Daynes family murder takes centre stage as Kim isn’t allowed near anything else. It is interesting as there are so many possibilities and permutations. I couldn’t work it out, but I’d be surprised if anyone could as the answers that solve it don’t come until very late in the novel. I’m not sure I find the motive overly convincing, but the journey to get there is absorbing. The danger to Kim is gripping in a more emotional way. I’m not sure she is frightened but everyone else is so the danger is ever present in the writing, adding a high level of tension. This is heightened by the occasional switch to his voice, where he makes it clear that he is on a mission. She, I think, is more frustrated by not being allowed near the hunt for him and that frustration also engenders tension. Eventually she goes off piste in a calculated gamble that is exciting but doesn’t perhaps pay off as she intended.

It is my opinion that this is a mature novel from an author at the top of her game, so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

Love love love the Kim Stone books and this is my favourite!! Gripping, twisty and just generally brilliant please keep them coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Where to start with the review? From the moment I read that prologue I was hooked. I devoured the book as quickly as I could and enjoyed every page. Twists and turns galore!

I love the DI Kim Stone series. She is a strong confident woman, but in this book we see just how strong and selfless she is. I really enjoy the relationships or lack of she has just you reporters and the like, but you can tell where her heart lies with her team, her brother and especially Barney.

I can’t say to much for fear of giving away a spoiler, but there is a definite conclusion to a previous storyline and I will be thinking about the ending for a good while!

5 stars! Read this!

Apparently there are people out there who don't like or see the point of prologues and Angela Marsons is here to prove them wrong in their utter wrongness. Personally, I love them. Especially when it's one like the one that kickstarts Six Graves because it's at once jaw-dropping, shocking and upsetting. It might quite possibly make you want to put the book right back down again because you already need a breather after a mere three pages. Or you pull your oxygen tank just that little bit closer, strap yourself in and know for a fact that you will not be moving from your spot until you've finished this book because this is edge-of-your-seat stuff, people!

At the scene of a house fire, DI Kim Stone and her team discover the bodies of four family members. Mother, father, a son and a daughter are all found upstairs, where the fire never reached them. All four died of gunshot wounds and the gun is found in the mother's hand. What would drive a mother to kill her entire family?

Meanwhile, a dangerous psychopath has escaped from prison and he's coming for DI Kim Stone. Symes is a man with nothing to lose, full of rage directed at Kim for thwarting him and he will stop at nothing to get his revenge. Protection officer Leanne is assigned to keep Kim safe. If you read the previous book in this series, then you know these two do not like each other one little bit. Their interactions infused with a with a delightful dose of sarcasm definitely provide much needed comic relief and they made me chuckle often.

Much needed, like I said, because let me tell you, Six Graves is brutal and packing punches left, right and centre. Kim is kept far away from the search for Symes and has to focus on the deaths of the Daynes family. She isn't at all convinced that the mother was responsible for these murders but if not her, then who? I didn't have a clue, couldn't figure it out at all but boy is it heartbreaking. It's most assuredly a huge credit to Marsons' writing that after all this time (book 16, people!) she still manages to keep me guessing until the end.

That's not only for that part of the storyline but the other thread that runs through this story as well. We know from previous books in the series that this is an author who absolutely deserves the Meanie McMean moniker, who has zero qualms about putting her characters in danger or even worse (therapy still available). While you obviously constantly wish for the best possible outcome, your palms are sweaty and your heart is thumping to the most ridiculous beat and boy, does that oxygen tank come in handy. As the reader, we too are put through the wringer and I admit I was left feeling drained, emotional and with a massive lump in my throat.

I've no idea where things are going to go from here but I'm extremely excited to find out. After sixteen books, Angela Marsons still manages to keep this series fresh. I had a little wobble with the previous book but all has been forgiven! Back to kicking it out of the park and back to very much looking forward to the next instalment. If it could be something mellow, you know, kind of chill, that'd be good 😉.

I was delighted to receive this arc for the 16th instalment in the Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons. I have read all of them and this one certainly didn't disappoint.

After a heart stopping opening scene where I feared the worst, the story unravelled as we see Kim and her team doing what they do best catching baddies. Along the way Kim's arch enemy escapes from prison and we see what chaos and drama follows this.

I cannot wait to see what Angela Marsons writes next

Well, it only took sixteen books but the author managed to scare the hell out of me with a prologue alone. It was an emotional sort of terrified too, the kind that really messes with your head and the feeling never left me throughout the whole book so be prepared to have your emotions toyed with! Despite the way I felt tortured I can still say that this was an incredible read and I highly recommend it, just wanted to prepare you for some emotional upheaval.

I usually try and slow down my pace when I read a new book in this series, I like to savor it and really spend some time with the characters but this time I read this in record time over just a couple of sittings. Between that prologue and the fact that there are two cases to draw you in I really couldn’t stop until it was over. Somehow, sixteen books in you are still learning more about Kim, her past is at the forefront of her mind as she works to solve a current case and there were additional layers pulled back that gave insight into who she is. Per usual the story is dark and dangerous but this is balanced out by the humor and camaraderie between Kim and the team where one minute you’re horrified by a new piece of evidence they’ve uncovered or the results of an autopsy reveal a new clue and then the next you’re laughing at something Bryant said to Kim. As much as the characters in this series need a break after what the author has put them through I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book and just know that once again I’ll have a new one to add to my favorites shelf alongside this one!

I always get pulled into a DI Stone case.

Whether it's your first time reading or like me you feel like you know the team really well you'll get pulled into a case that looks like murder/suicide but as usual Kim Stone has her finger on the pulse and knows something is amiss.

As she and her team work on solving that case, an escaped convict is hell bent on revenge on Kim, the police officer who put him in jail in the first place.

Love this series, although each book does leave me wishing Kim would find some happiness in her life, her job is her everything, it'd be nice to see her develop a relationship further than Barney or Bryant.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

I honestly don’t know how Angela Marsons does it - each book just gets better and better. I’ve had little sleep since yesterday when I started reading. For those of you about to read this you’re in for a treat. And no sleep!!

Six Graves (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Book 16) by Angela Marsons is a story that definitely gripped me and had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. There were lots of twists and action.

Six Graves is a very good story, and I really love these characters. I cannot wait for me in this series!

#SixGraves #NetGalley @bookouture

I dont know how but Angela Marsons has outdone herself with this 16th book in the Di Kim Stone series.
I`d go so far as to say its one of the very best in the series.
This offering had me gripped from start to finish as Kim and the team ( Bryant Penn & Stacy )find themselves tasked with investigating a house fire.
The family are discovered in the house. They have all been shot, the mother is found holding a gun. It may look like murder/ suicide but Kim doesn`t think it looks right.
Whilst investigating, news filters through that Symes, a psychopathic killer Kim had previously caught and had jailed for life had escaped.
Knowing he will be looking to take revenge on Kim, her boss, DCI Woodward makes it clear she is under no circumstances to go anywhere near the hunt for Symes and he instructs a witness protection officer Leanne King to keep Kim safe.
No easy task Kim and Leanne have had dealings before and didn`t hit it off so throwing the two together 24 hours a day doesn`t bode well.
I don`t want to give anything away, suffice it to say this is a fast paced and exciting read, culminating in a harrowing finale.
I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the Kim Stone series, it really is one of my favourites.
Big thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read this one.
So easy to recommend!

Six Graves is highly horrific, massively entertaining, sometimes hilariously funny and totally compelling. Hats off to Angela Marsons for managing to outdo herself with every Kim Stone novel. This is not the first time I’ve wondered how she constantly comes up with such brilliant ideas for her stories.
I also admire her ability to make Kim Stone a heroine, despite being the rudest, most emotionally stunted woman on earth – except when it comes to her dog, that is. When a vicious psychopath Symes escapes prison it’s obvious that he’s out to kill Kim. Her boss assigns a full-time guard for her, in the form of her old nemesis, Leanne. The two have never been fond of each other, to put it mildly, but whereas Leanne shows maturity and simply ignores Kim, the latter is consistently rude and puts Leanne down at every opportunity. The verbal sparring is absolutely hilarious at times. Of course Kim is furious at having to have someone with her at all times to protect her from Symes, and makes no bones about it.
Kim and her loyal team are investigating the horrendous case of a family gunned down, seemingly by the mother, who then shoots herself. As Kim (under the constant surveillance of Leanne), Bryant, Stacey and Penn go about their usual rigorous investigation, so we learn more about the family, the mother’s mental state and the lives of the surviving older children and their families. When one of them is subsequently also killed, the suspense really ratchets up and the team finally unravels just what happened, but not until a tense, action-packed finale.
In the meantime, Symes has been watching Kim and embarks on a horrific plan to draw Kim out. It works. For Kim, despite being obstinate, obtuse, bloody-minded and singular in her determination, is willing to put her life on the line to save those of the innocent.
All this in a cleverly plotted story that starts with a prologue more shocking than any other in the series and which kept me desperately reading until the end of the book.
Again we learn more about Kim’s past, the personal lives of her team and their relationships with each other, which adds layers to the story. I feel as though I’m meeting up with old friends with each one of this series I read. Kudos to Marsons for keeping the stories fresh, the characters believable and interesting, and the cases fascinating.

OMG ..... OMG ....OMG ...... what can I say book 16 and it is getting better and better, this one was literally a page turner, from the first chapter to the last I could not put it down, I even considered a "sick day" to finish it, grab this book with both hands and hang on, IT IS AMAZING, and it goes without saying that I can not wait for book 17, come on Angela get writing.

Angela Marsons never fails to deliver with the Kim Stone series and this is the best yet. I love the complex characters, and their development, as they hunt for Symes, an escaped psychopath. As usual, the plot is gripping, fast paced and completely addictive with short, snappy chapters. The menace just oozes from the pages as Symes abducts two young girls in his determination to kill Stone. Another 5* read from the author, one of the best crime writers around today. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

What an absolute treat to get my hands on the latest in the D.I Kim Stone series. There is a sombre opening as a funeral is taking place, but whose? The story then begins 13 days earlier…. Angela writes brilliantly - one of my all time favourite series now up to number 16 and as much of a hold your breath rollercoaster as any of the previous books. Love the feistiness of Kim, her relationship with her team. Love the banter which lightens the dark and the suspenseful gritty plots. This is great for anyone who enjoys police thrillers and can be read as a stand alone. Wonderful!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Screaming during the prologue, "Don't you do this to me, Marsons!" Anyway, giving feedback is like giving feedback on other book series...es I read that are in the teens. Like, this is the 16th book and I'm still here, still eager to read every word. And it's still worth it. That's about it.

Our favorite DI Kim Stone is back and I this is my best read of the series so far. Will this be the end for Kim?
A psychopath escapes from his prison transport and she knows that Symes won't stop until he makes her pay for taking away his prize. And she is given no choice but to have a protective officer with her at all times. She tries to argue that she needs to be involved in capturing Symes but her boss had warned her to stay away.
Symes has been planning his escape for some time and he won't stop until he has Kim dead.
A young child has been kidnapped and Symes has sent a message to Kim that he won't be swayed from his mission. Can her team find the clues that they need before he kills the child?
Just when they thought that they knew what Symes's plan is he takes another child and Kim knows that she has no choice but to give herself to him. But what happens next surprises everyone.
I really thought that I knew what was coming in the end I am glad that I was wrong.
Another great thrilling read in the series. I love Kim and her team they are like family even though she keeps them at arms length. They will do anything for her. Will this change Kim and the way that she forms relationships with others I really hope so.
The read kept me turning the pages as I just needed to see what was coming next.
Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for the ARC copy. This is my honest voluntary review.

I absolutely love these Kim Stone books they are incredibly moorish!!!
This one has a great plot or two and keeps you guessing until the end.
The characters are endearing and the repartee between them makes you feel part of the team. This author doesn’t really give you time to breath and as usual I stayed up late to finish because I couldn’t read fast enough.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good thriller, easy to read with quite a few twists and turns along the way