Another great read from Angela Marsons in the D I Kim Stone series. The subject matter is quite difficult to read but Angela challenges you to continue reading until the end. This book is dark and covers a very emotive subject and is very well written. Some shocking twists along the way and this is a must read. The series just keeps improving and I hope there is more to come. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads and Amazon.

Another feather in the cap for Kim Stone. This book was different from previous as we became better acquainted with her team of Bryant , Dawson and Stacey. Kim was forced to work another case with her former partner Travis who she has a falling out with so her own team was left to solve their own case. Many topics were explored in this book: hate crimes, racism, gender equality, gays, ignorance, relationship, dementia, cruelty and forgiveness. A slower paced book than others with Kim being more methodical and letting others take responsibility. Lots of characters and lots of dead bodies . Doctor A was perhaps the most interesting character. Hoping to see more of her. Again another solid read with Kim Stone taking a more secondary role and her past seemingly dealt with which allows her to move forward.

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour for Dead Souls organised by Angela Marsons publisher, Bookouture. This is something I am more than happy to do.

Dead Souls is the sixth book in the D I Kim Stone, detective, thriller series and is as terrifyingly gripping and as nail biting as each of the previous five.

Angela Marsons is a writing phenomenon, just when you think you've got her writing style and characters firmly under your belt she goes and raises the bar just another notch and takes the next story up to a totally different level.

This time in Dead Souls we see Kim Stone move outside of her comfort zone and is forced to leave her team to fend for themselves and is forced to work alongside an old adversary Travis and his team to uncover the truth behind some human bones found on a local farm. This is something she isn't comfortable with and the more time she spends with him it quickly becomes very obvious that something serious has occurred in their past. Kim as ever wants to front up to him and demand they clear the air but Travis is like a closed book and outwardly at least will not let Kim get under his skin.


Kim has definitely been taken out of her comfort zone, missing her side-kick Bryant more than she ever thought possible as she struggles to find her place in another Inspectors team. Dead Souls for me was as much about the characters I'd already grown to love as the crimes they have to sold. Characters I thought I knew really well after reading the previous five books in the series are polished up to reveal surprising facets that we'd previously not glimpsed.

Whilst she incommunicado her team have been left to manage themselves and investigate a series of seemingly unrelated crimes one of which in particular strikes a chord and affects Stacey - normally the unflappable, reliable detective constable who works relentlessly sifting through clues for her team. It was quite disconcerting to witness her reaction and subsequent actions that not only put her life in danger but those of both teams. It really highlights how inside of all of us we have a trigger point, something that pushes that button and can send us in to total destruct without the help support and guidance of those around us. Of course you have to tell somebody for them to help you - something that Stacey quickly learnt to her cost.

I literally don't know how Angela does it but through her writing she highlights some of the most atrocious crimes and allows the reader to delve into a world that most of us thankfully find abhorrent and unthinkable.

As ever Angela, thankyou for another brilliant book of dark, terrifying escapism - another edge of the seat, heart hammering experience - until the next time!

Amazing! Could not put this down, book came everywhere with me! Really enjoyed this book. Book 6 in the series and definatley a good one! Love Kim stone

I have read other reviews saying Angela Marsons was a good author but I didn’t realise how good she was until I read Dead Souls, this is the first book that I have read by her and it certainly will not be the last.

Some old bones are found on farmland and DI Kim Stone is called in to investigate. The farm borders two police forces and DI Stone is asked to join with the other police force to investigate the case. She has teamed up with an old partner and adversary, DI Travis and sparks fly. Her team meanwhile are working on a number of attacks which appear to be hate crimes.

There are three storylines within the book, the one Kim is working on regarding the bones, the hate crimes her team are working on and a teenage suicide which Kim’s young female constable decides to investigate herself. The investigations from all three culminating in a dark and disturbing finish.

Although this was a disturbing book to read, the plot about hate crimes is right on point, the way that anyone is fair game just because of the colour of their skin or their sexual orientation should be unbelievable in a 21st century. A dark gritty book which taking into account the content was an excellent read.

This review is written with thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy of Dead Souls.
When a body is found on the land that crosses the boundary between West Midlands and West Mercia Police, DI Kim Stone is forced to leave her team behind and work alongside DI Tom Travis to discover who the bodies belonged to and who murdered them. Meanwhile, Detective Sergeants Bryant and Dawson are investigating a rise in hate crime in the area, and Detective Constable Stacey Wood is convinced that the suicide she has just attended is more complex than it seemed. Unexpectedly, their investigations come together, and they must find the perpetrator before he takes any more victims.
Despite being a stickler for reading books in a series in order, I was intrigued when Dead Souls came up on Netgalley. This series is one I've heard brilliant things about and I wanted to know what I'd been missing out on all this time. Marsons' writing is sharp and to the point: it really grabs you and refuses to let you go and I loved it. In Kim Stone, Marsons has created a feisty detective and I really enjoyed the way she takes no prisoners, but ultimately remains professional. The team around her also have characteristics which made it easy for me to relate to them, and even in their boss' absence, I was able to get a good sense of the relationships within the group, which have no doubt developed over time and will develop further as the series continues.
Dead Souls focuses on hate crime, an issue which I believe is very relevant to the current political and social climate. Marsons has clearly undertaken extensive research for this novel, which I imagine took her to some quite difficult places, but the novel is all the better for it. Marsons has created believable characters, and even the racist homophobes had elements to them that I could recognise in some people in society. However, more importantly, Marsons provides the reader with the opportunity to consider the more subtle prejudices that exist in society, and at times, I was forced to reflect upon my own behaviour. As such, Dead Souls is a novel that will stay with me for a long time, having a more striking impact on me than most novels in the same genre.
At the beginning of Dead Souls, there are three strands to the novel (with each sub team working on a separate investigation) and at times, I felt this caused the plot to lose momentum. However, when the three investigations do come together, it's explosive, it's tense and I couldn't put the book down! The climax had me on the edge of my seat with my jaw dropped.
I want more from DI Kim Stone and I want it now! Luckily, I have the five predecessors to catch up on.

As usual Angela Marsons has rocked my world with this latest book, the sixth book in the Kim Stone series.
I took my time reading this because I didn't want it to end. Another brilliant gripping storyline, the characters are at their best and always convincing
Whether you've just come into this series or have been reading all the books you will not be disappointed, this book is horrifying, chilling and unpredictable, I loved it!
Definitely one of my favourites so far and I cannot wait for the next installment.

Thank you!

Human bones are discovered in a field and DI Kim STone is called to the scene. Shortly after her ex-colleague DI Travis from the neighboring force arrives - the discovery is on the border between both forces and now her boss says its's a joint investigation much to Kim's displeasure. At the end of the dig three bodies have been unearthed. The rest of Kim's team are investigating a spate of hate crimes in their area. At the climax of the book both teams come together when a colleague is in danger and a link between the cases is discovered. The book is about a dark and disturbing subject but keeps the reader engaged from the beginning. I haven't read any of the previous books in the series but look forward to doing so now.

Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Angela Marsons for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Detective Kim Stone is assigned to work with Detective Travis on
a case of human bones discovered during a archaeological dig with
her team is investigating a case that turns into hate crimes. The Plot moves at a good pace with the two story lines that come together to make one great read. The team characters became more fully developed as they lead their own investigation without Kim, and as a result I believe they found a closer bond with each other.
It was extremely well written and I highly recommend it as a must read.

Firstly, a massive, massive thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publishers for allowing me a pre release copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a fan of Angela Marsons, and of this series since the very first Kim Stone thriller, Silent Scream. Every one of them has been better than the one before. Some have a darker subject matter for Stone and her team to investigate. Dead Souls is no exception and may just be the darkest one yet. This one sees one of Stone's team in danger with the real possibility that it might be one scrape to far for them.

I have to say, by my standards I absolutely blasted through this book. Admittedly part of that was because I'd only just discovered it a few days before publication but mostly because it was so, so gripping. It's a cliche, I know, but I honestly couldn't put it down. Every chapter, every page there was something to keep you interested and wanting more. This is, in my opinion, by far the best Kim Stone novel yet. I really can't wait for the next one, and I do hope there are many, many more to come. I think DI Stone and her team have so much more to offer us and so many more adventures to go on. This book really is the true definition of a page turner.

Angela Marsons has created the best female police detective EVER.
DI Kim Stone.
When I first read Silent Scream last year, I was instantly hooked by the characters the author has created, they pulled me in, I was desperate to know more about them and I devoured the next two books in less than a week. Luckily, I didn't have long to wait for the fourth instalment and each one just gets better and better.
It's unbelievable, I don't know how you do it Angie! Each book adds something new, something unexpected and something that makes the next release date feel far too far away.
One of the main things I love about this series is that Angela brings back characters, she mixes them up, we aren't 'stuck' with the same people doing the same thing book in, book out.
Dead Souls sees the return of the enigmatic Dr A, following the discovery of bones buried in a farm field.
A turf war (excuse the pun) ensues with DI Travis, who we have seen in most of the previous books, and who Kim normally manages to usurp as the lead investigator, this time though, she's not getting her own way. She's got to share, and those who have read the books will know, Kim doesn't work well with her best friend Bryant, so teaming her with an officer she clearly hates from another station is not going to end well. But needs must and Kim is sent to work with Travis' team, leaving her guys to fend for themselves.
My favourite thing about Dead Souls is the focus on the other members of Kim's team, Bryant normally works with Kim, Dawson is typically off doing his own thing and Stacey is the back bone of the group, back in the office working her magic online and backing them all up with her investigative prowess.
Dead Souls sees Dawson and Bryant working together, and Stacey deciding to take a more proactive role in the investigation to try and prove that she's not just a keyboard warrior.
As the teams try to deal with some of the most vile crimes they have ever had to look at, they are thrown off track when one of them disappears. What the heck have they been doing? Where are they? And why hasn't Kim been looking out for them?
ARGH!!!
It's a bloody belter!!!
Marsons brings to the fore some of the most harrowing crimes I've read about and it makes for an uncomfortable read sometimes, but she handles it well, as always.
There is something about her writing that I just can't help but love.
There is a magic there on the pages of Angela Marsons' books, that x-factor, that sets her head and shoulders above the thousands of other authors out there.
Perfection.

I just love Kim Stone's prickliness!! I just want to give her a hug before she would probably punch me that is!! This story was a very good showing of how much Kim's team means to her and how much like family they are to her. She would go the ends of the earth for them without a second thought to her own well being. I was in love with this series and the characters from the very first book. This story gives you a look into the world of hate crimes that gets somewhat swept under the rug until it becomes sensationalized. I liked that it gives you a peek behind the curtains without a lot of over the top gory details. Very good read!!!

Kim Stone, the brilliant anti heroine strikes again! This time, it is great seeing Kim finally realizing how much she needs her team, and how much they need her! Despite being put into mortal danger, the team determine they will uncover what is going on, with the bodies appearing and what it means for them!

Browsing through the plethora of 4 and 5 star reviews for this novel there's a great temptation to give this an awful review. Not just to be different but just for the other, poor, lesser writers. Because it's not fair on them you know! Seeing Angela Marsons collecting up stars like she's Simon Cowell on acid. Just one awful review for them to cling to.....but I can't do it because this series is just so bloomin' fantastic and gets better with every installment. And here's three reasons why:
1: Well Kim Stone obviously. She's a heroine to be reckoned with. She's tough and feisty, funny and flawed. And she's developed over the books. As she's gathered her team around her she's become less brittle, ending up in the novel as been someone you wouldn't mind sharing a few bottles with (you wouldn't dare be late though)
2: That team of hers. The characters of Stacey, Bryant and Dawson are as well rounded as Kim herself and not just there to support her narrative. Plus a plethora of other characters such as Doctor A and Travis. They're all bloody marvellous.
3: The plot. Oh this is a goody.A field with three bodies, all showing signs of a torturous end,a series of hate crimes, shootings and all manner of nefarious goings on.

I could go on but it would probably get boring. The only bad thing I could say is I didn't like the end....it's not a bad ending - I just didn't want it to finish.

I received this digital ARC from Netgalley.

You know when you pick up a new book by one of your favourite authors and you just get that wee warm glow inside of you because you know for a fact that you are going to love it...yeah? Well that's exactly the feeling I got when I started to read the new Kim Stone novel by Angela Marsons - #DeadSouls

Once again Angela has pulled the rabbit out of the hat and produced what I think must be the best in the series yet! Tackling one of the most appalling issues that plagues society today, hate crime, Angela takes the reader on a spine chilling journey through an investigation that sees her separated from her team and one of her officers placed in grave danger as she races to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Kim Stone is one of the most feisty, gutsy and ballsy female detectives out there in the world of crime fiction and every time I read one of Angela's books I find myself warming more and more to her. This time we see her paired up with Detective Travis, a pairing that she had fought against happening. From an intense dislike of one another we see their relationship develop as their troubled past is uncovered and the truth behind their fall out is revealed. I really enjoyed this development in the story, it allowed us to see how Kim functions without her closest team members and indeed how they function without her!

#DeadSouls effectively tackles one of the modern-day crimes - that of hate crime and explores the use of the internet as a means for individuals to become involved at so many different levels. It isn't nice and it isn't pretty but it is a true reflection and indeed a challenge to the stereotypical view that many hold of what a bigot actually looks like!

Dead Souls left my head in a spin; it was a dark read and unearthed some of the most unpleasant characters ever. Their actions are going to leave you reeling but it is a read you just don't want to miss!
Massive thank you to Netgalley, Angela and Bookouture for the ARC of Dead Souls. It was my absolute pleasure and honour to read and review it!

Another brilliant book where Det. Stone solves the case. Even though this book was a little darker than the previous books I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to the next one in this series.

Absolutely loved this book. I wasn't sure at first about how I would feel about Kim being split up from her team, but I ended up really enjoying the dynamics between Bryant and Dawson, as well as between Stone and Travis. It was also interesting to get to know Stacey a bit better. A tough subject to tackle, but I think Angela Marsons did it well. I'm already looking forward to the next Kim Stone book.

I’m a huge fan of the D I Kim Stone series of novels written by Angela Marsons, but this one is my favourite of all six. In many ways it is very different from the others, but still with the easy familiarity of revisiting characters that you have already met and come to understand. Of course this latest novel, due to be published on 28th April, has a host of exciting and skilfully developed new characters to add to the intrigue of a new investigation where a grave of stripped human bones buried together in a hotchpotch of a grave is unearthed by a team of archaeologists in a remote farmer’s field.
Set on the borders of a patch ruled over by Kim and her team in the Midlands, this investigation is shared with D I Tom Travis and his team in the neighbouring force, due to boundary issues. Kim finds herself still at odds with Travis, with their puzzling shared history playing a role in the novel. The joint investigations are centred in Travis’s nick and using entirely his team, so in many ways Kim is really out on a limb without her trusted team, whose skills are well honed and familiar to Kim. It is a very complex case with savage and amoral overtones. But the investigation must continue professionally regardless and as usual Kim throws herself into the job that she loves, soon coming to respect the talents and expertise that Tom’s team bring to the table especially when it emerges that buried within the chaotic grave are three different bodies.
Meanwhile DS Bryant, Kim’s preferred partner, DS Kevin Dawson and DC Stacey Wood are guided through their workloads by Kim in her early morning brainstorming briefs. They are working on a different and unrelated case involving Hate Crimes, but Kim still wants to keep her fingers on the pulse. As good progress is made in both stations, so Kim and Tom work towards solving the historic crimes. However the body count starts to escalate in the most puzzling ways until Kim is ordered back to her office at the urgent request of her boss Woody. The unthinkable has happened with a member of Kim’s trusty team having disappeared without trace from right outside the nick and with no apparent clues left behind.
'Dead Souls' is a compelling and sinister crime thriller where different cases and threads merge to reveal the sickening secrets of crimes of the past and present. The storytelling is tight, tense and tantalising with the pace of a runaway rollercoaster. There are plenty of twists and turns and nailbitingly good cliff-hangers as this talented author moves chapter by chapter through the smooth running of the different crimes being investigated by the two teams, revisiting both in regular updates. I drank up this novel in thirsty gulps, never satiated.
I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher the splendid Bookouture for my copy on this thrilling novel, sent out to me in return for an honest review. Angela has wanted to write about this theme for a long time and is on record revealing how difficult she found the research for this excellent novel. It was hard to read and to understand the motivation for such odious crimes at times, I agree, yet still I absolutely loved it.

Dead Souls is the 6th outing for DI Kim Stone and her team and all I can say about this one is WOW. I will be honest and admit I am a huge fan of Angela Marsons work but this one left me a bit speechless. Due to the subject matter of the story it may not be to everyone’s liking as let’s face it, hate crimes are not something as a society we really want to acknowledge but unfortunately it does take place. With Dead Souls Angela has not shied away from this but tackled it head on.
This time Kim and the team are all taken out of their comfort zones as they are split up and left to investigate what initially seems like two separate crimes. Kim also has to deal with a partner from the past and in doing so manages to get to the bottom of their animosity.
Forced to work without their boss the rest of the team are having to deal with a new dynamic with Bryant as senior officer in charge…. A fact that Dawson resents from the get go ... as far as he is concerned they are the same rank. I actually like the temporary pairing of Dawson and Bryant as you get to see a different side to Dawson and that he can be an intuitive detective who can actually be quite sensitive when dealing with the family members of the victims (a fact that comes as a bit of a surprise to Bryant too) and not always the cocky, headstrong person that he has come across as in the past. Some may not like the fact that the team is not working together, but it does happen and it is nice to see how the team adapt to different partnerships and also how Kim deals with not being in total control of an investigation and her subsequent guilt about what the team go through in her absence.
What I like about this book is the fact that Stacey takes a prominent role and is the one in her quest for the truth who actually messes up and puts herself in grave danger. In the previous books Stacey has always been the one left back in the office dealing with all the tech stuff – something she is usually happy with. This time though she has been out and had to deal with an apparent suicide. Due to things in her past she does not want to let it lie and there is also a need to prove to the team that she is more than a data cruncher.
I have to admit Stacey’s ethnicity is not something that I have really contemplated in the previous books, in fact if I am honest I can’t say that I have noticed it being mentioned. Now I am not sure if that says something about me but I think it is more to do with the skill of the author making sure that the books are about the team and how they work and not getting hung up on their race or religion or sexual orientation. It only becomes an issue in Dead Souls due to the subject matter.
There is probably so much more I could say but I worry that I would give some of the story away and believe me this is one book you really need to read for yourselves.
This is my favourite book to date in the series…it’s dark and disturbing but most of all it makes you stop and think. My hats off to Angela Marsons on another fantastic book and I can’t wait for the next one

Thank you to Net Galley, Bookouture and author Angela Marsons.

They is no argueing Angela, that in my group "A Good Thriller" on Goodreads you have a tremendous following, as do publishers Bookouture who nearly always approve books on Net Galley for many of my members, so a big thankyou.

We have a sixth instalment of Kim Stone books and by far the most harrowing, dark and disturbing story.
When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.

As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.

Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.

But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy - and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?

I love Kim’s working relationship with Bryant, he knows her so well, but this time she is forced into working with D.I. Travis from a neighbouring force. The two forces team up on a boundary crossing case. Stone and Travis share a troubled working relationship going back a few years. Of her usual team, Dawson was paired up with Bryant on a different case, an interesting partnership and not always plain sailing. And Stace was featured so much more than her usual role of being attached to a desktop pc.

Angela gives the readers a chance to see more of the characters of Bryant, Dawson and especially Stacey, and also a chance for a different working relationship for Kim Stone with Travis.

A little slower paced than previous books, although the subject matter of this book is powerful and disturbing a very well written book that finished with a gripping and tense ending.

A four star book for me.