I have enjoyed all of Angela Marsons's Kim Stone books and this is no exception. It's another dark, complex, multi-layered mystery with a good sideline in the team's relationships and interactions. (Who knew Dawson was such a good guy!) The stories are always cleverly plotted and well-written although I did find the sections with Roxanne and Robertston's frustrating because you knew there was something very wrong and you wanted to reach out and stop the characters in their tracks!

Again, Angela Marsons has managed to portray some very creepy, seedy, distressing themes and the inter-team banter helps to lighten the mood to stop it being oppressively bleak. I'm already looking forward to the next book and am hoping for more Barney next time! :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of Broken Bones. 4.5/5

This is the 7th book featuring Kim Stone and her team and once again it was brilliant. This time featuring the subjects of modern slavery and the grooming of young women into sex work. It had humour and showed again the softer side of Kim Stone. As always with Angela Marsons' books it grabbed me at the first paragraph and didn't let go until the unexpected end.

I've read all the Kim Stone books, so it's always exciting when a new one comes out. This latest offering does not disappoint! A baby is abandoned outside the police station and the blanket he is wrapped in indicates that he could be Romanian. 2 prostitutes are murdered, and a 16 year old girl has gone missing. The story goes to some dark places and is not easy reading in parts, but, as always, is a real page turner. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

This book rates a solid 4 1/2 stars! I am not used to the English slang, so I had to Google some words for translation! I have to admit, the content of this book had disturb me….. but the telling of the story was brilliant. This wasn't my first rodeo with Angela Morrison's… I discovered her quite a while ago. I had enjoyed her work and decide to start from the beginning and I have gone through a number of her books. But, I hope if she wants to continue with Dective Inspector Kim Stone and Company, she might want to change her format a bit – she is getting a bit predictable in her writing. I mean really… how many beatings can a person take before she takes one too many blows to the head! Besides, I thought cops (especially woman) were supposed to have wicked ninja fighting skills. All in all, a good story. It was a good thing the hubby was away on a business trip so I could spend the whole day reading and not worry about silly stuff like food! I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Actual rating 4.5*

Broken Bones is the first book that I have read in the D.I. Kim Stone series. This was an excellent read and can be read as a stand alone novel. The characters descriptions are all great, so you soon get to know who's who. Not sure why Stacey was using 'ay' in her dialogue and this was used a number of times 'I ay .....' and 'we ay .....' - does anyone talk like that these days?

The storyline in addition to murder, incorporated topics such as grooming, illegal workers and slavery, extortionate interest rates on loans resulting in debt and prostitution. Prostitution, reminded me of years ago when I was at university as a mature student. The university staff warned all the students that near to the campus, was a red light district. There were quite a few derogatory comments from some of the younger students about the prostitutes. I pointed out to them that we have no idea of the circumstances as to why the women resort to prostitution and that they should not be so judgemental and disrespectful of another human being.

Someone is killing the prostitutes, a baby has been abandoned at the police station, a man is found frozen to death. D.I. Kim Stone and her team investigate and start to unravel the truth. Stone has real compassion and this shows during the investigation. Stone is strong, but also vulnerable. I did work out who the murderer was, but not the motive.

A great read that I can recommend - after reading Broken Bones, I went online and purchased book #1 in the series Silent Scream.

An ARC digital copy from Netgalley, many thanks.

This is the 7th book in the DI Kim Stone series by the excellent author Angela Marsons.
After first discovering the work of author Angela Marsons back in January 2015 I have read everything she has released and found that they are all written to such a high standard. This series is so well paced and the characters grow with each book in the series.
In this novel Detective Kim Stones investigations start when a young prostitute is found murdered on the same night that a baby is found abandoned. More prostitutes are murders violently and the Murder team realise that they have a twisted serial killer on the loose. They also search for the mother of the newborn baby and what looked like a tragic abandonment turns more sinister when a case of modern slavery is uncovered.
I had my own strange happening while reading this novel when I happened to drive past Frankley Service station just as it was mentioned in the story, very spooky.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

5+++ stars

Gosh, I had a tough week. Our house is basically a kitty infirmary right now with several of our seven cats having significant health issues. Two ER visits, lots of pills, eyedrops eight times a day, liquid meds, subcutaneous fluids, extra meals and much cuddling. Thank goodness this was the week I landed a copy of Broken Bones! It was my lifeline.

Broken Bones is book #7 of the superb DI Kim Stone series. Angela Marsons is to be commended for her rock steady high quality writing throughout. She has yet to disappoint me. In this installment, the characters continue to evolve beautifully, much to my delight. Kim is back with Bryant, as solid a cop partnership as there is. Their understanding of each other and their give and take is so satisfying to see. We also have DS Kevin Dawson and DC Stacey partnered on a different assignment. I love that Kevin and Stacey get extra “air time” (seemingly without taking anything away from Kim and Bryant), and we see both their personalities continue to blossom. Though these four cops are very different from each other and have their own foibles, they are all exceptional people and have greatly endeared themselves to me. I think of them as extended family that I get to visit twice a year.

This novel also has a terrific plot with a real shockeroo of an ending. Threads include a serial killer knocking off prostitutes, human profiteering, an abandoned baby, and yet another murder. As with some of her other more recent books, Ms. Marsons zeros in on difficult real life issues and does her research exceedingly well. What I especially like is that she humanizes her victims and really draws us into their plights. To me this heightens the reader’s anxiety levels (definitely a good thing when reading a thriller) when these people fall into dire straits. As always, the pace is fast as lightening, and the short chapters with their mini-cliffhanger endings make it so hard to put the book down.

The overall flavor of the book is brilliantly captured in the title.

I do have a bit of constructive criticism to offer which has nothing to do with the story or Ms. Marsons’ writing. Within the last month I have read two outstanding books from Bookouture that will make my top ten list of 2017--Broken Bones and Patricia Gibney’s Lost Child. For unclear reasons, the book covers selected for these two outstanding novels are very similar. Indeed this particular type of cover (woman in bright coat walking away from the viewer) has been used over and over again for many other novels, particularly within this publishing house. Whether it is meant to or not, this comes across to me as advertisement for the “thriller with damaged female protagonist” genre rather than for the individual author’s works. This may well be great for sales as most thriller readers love this type of protagonist, and the cover is certainly good looking, but I don’t think it’s fair to the authors. Ms. Marsons is a phenomenal thriller writer. Ms. Gibney is rising quickly within the same genre. I think each of these authors deserve to stand out as individuals, as do all the other authors whose novels have this cover type. To take this all a step further, Ms. Gibney has essentially the same cover for all three of her books. This makes it difficult for her individual novels to stand out. Not only that, but Ms. Marsons’ debut novel, Silent Scream, as well as book #2, Evil Games, have essentially the same cover as Broken Bones AND all three of Ms. Gibney’s books. In my humble opinion, the authors deserve better than this. With all due respect to the publishers and the artist(s) of these covers, I think the “brightly cloaked woman walking away” cover type needs to be retired and distinctive covers given to future novels of authors within this genre. OK, I’m done. I do apologize if I offended anyone with this little tirade.

Back to Broken Bones, I have to try to explain how reading this book helped me this week. I have found that when I pick up a book from either of my two all time favorite authors (co-favorites), I feel comfort and serenity. It’s hard to explain. I feel totally content and know nothing is going to bother me or creep into my mind while I’m under the influence of these authors’ stories. So this week, two or three times a day, I sat down for 30-45 minutes with Broken Bones and easily escaped into the world of Kim, Bryant, Kev, and Stacey. And I would come out refreshed. And grateful. Grateful that Ms. Marsons hung in there for years and was finally given the chance by Bookouture to bring her work into our world and give us pleasure and escape from our own trials and tribulations. I will read anything and everything written by this author.

If you have not started reading this series, you are really missing out. Start at the beginning by grabbing a copy of Silent Scream. Perhaps you too will find yourself a new most favorite author. I anxiously await the next installment of the Kim Stone saga from the fabulous Ms. Marsons.

Thanks, Angie.

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

This is the 7th book in the excellent Detective Kim Stone series and has a plot with two strands which sucks the reader in right from the beginning. As the novel progresses these two strands come together as they are both about the modern day slave trade.
Although there are many references to the earlier books it is possible to read this as a stand alone novel. However it is well worth reading the previous books as they are all great police procedural thrillers.
A baby is abandoned outside the police station and Kim's team must investigate to find out who his mother is. Stacey and Dawson are given this task and it leads to all sorts of nasty areas including human trafficking and exploitation.
Meanwhile a number of young teenage girls are going missing and some are turning up dead- Kim fears there is a serial killer involved but whilst tracking him down she comes up against Kai Lord and the theme of human trafficking, grooming and prostitution is explored.
This is an enjoyable further instalment in Kim's story and I spent a pleasant weekend embroiled in her investigations. The plot has been well researched and I was shocked to learn about the trafficking and slavery which although fictional has obviously been based on fact.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

Marsons strikes again. Fabulous book. This was so good I couldn't put it down and literally read it in a few hours. Can't wait for book 8.

I am getting so comfortable with the characters in this series! I love it! Kim is a great character, one of the best I've come across in this type of novel and her team of detectives are great too.
In this novel, the team splits up a bit to solve two very different cases. Kim and Bryant are trying to solve the murders of prostitutes and Stacey and Dawson are looking for the mother of an abandoned baby. I liked that we got more of the perspectives of some of the team, but at the same time, I wanted more Kim.
The theme of this book seemed to be all about damaged children and the adults that circumstances turn them into. It was all very sad but I was happy to see that Kim and her team handled everyone with care and compassion.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series and another complicated, twisty case for Kim and her team to solve.

I loved this book. I have read all the books in this series and they are all excellent. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

This story had the usual solid plot with the strong characters of kim’s Team. The storyline had loads of twists and turns, that no one could see coming. This book was a real page turner. I couldn’t put it down. Hooked from the first page. I can’t wait for the next book.

I would give this book ten stars if I could.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Angela Marsons for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

On the same night that an abandoned baby shows up on the steps of the police precinct, a young prostitute is found murdered. There will be more murdered prostitutes soon. Just girls, really. Each with her own hopes and dreams, all cut short.

If you are expecting the DI Kim Stone series to become stale, you had best cool your heels and hunker down for a long wait. It isn't going to happen here. If you dote on serial killer thrillers, you will be hard pressed to find a better series. I have yet to run across a clinker in this author's repertoire.

Kim Stone has to be one of my favourite characters in a novel. She is strong, feisty, independent, everything that I think other women will instantly admire. Don't get me wrong, Kim has a past that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy which has made her into who she is today, but she is someone that others can look up to.

Prostitution is something that I find so very sad. The majority of women that find themselves doing it have either been forced into it or feel that there is no other option. The fact that they risk their lives each day by doing what they do makes it even more sadder.

There was so much going on in the story that I was well and truly gripped and couldn't tear myself away from my kindle. An abandoned baby, a young lady dead, I really didn't envy Kim what so ever. I have to admit to having a proper chuckle when Kim is literally left holding the baby. Even her colleagues made the most of it and it felt like I was part of an inside joke with the rest of the team. 

Angela Marsons has yet again nailed and delivered an outstanding five star read. Broken Bones had me hook, line and sinker until the shocking end. The author certainly knows how to keep me on my toes until delivering a final punch that knocked me well and truly off my feet. Brilliant!

Book 7 of the series and there are no signs of slowing down. Kim Stone and her team are back solving the crimes.. there is an abandoned baby, illegal immigrants, missing teenagers and murdered prostitutes. I love that Stacey has a bigger role in this books for a positive reason and that the team are as strong as ever. Thank you Angela Marsons... it was an absolute pleasure to read and review this book via NetGalley and Bookouture... I hope that book 8 isn't too far away 😊

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Broken Bones, the seventh novel in the Midlands based DI Kim Stone series.

Kim finds a baby outside the police station and is grappling with the problem of what to do with it when she gets a call about a murdered prostitute. While she and Bryant deal with the murder Kev and Stacey try to find the baby's mother. Both cases turn out to be much more complicated than they initially appear.

I thoroughly enjoyed Broken Bones which is an excellent mix of compelling plot, social issues, good characters and the odd dash of humour. The team is fast becoming old friends as the series progresses and it is a pleasure to read about a team who not only bond but care for each other. It's quite an unusual scenario in modern day crime fiction. Kim is the leader, not just investgatively but also in character she has moulded a great team who respect her and her judgement, not that that says much as she is often impulsive, if not rash, in her actions. Her serious nature often leads to her colleagues taking the Mickey but she normally takes it in good part. The author herself is now joining in as the scene where Kim is left literally holding the baby had me laughing out loud.

The plot is suitably absorbing. It starts as a couple of straightforward investigations but the team are soon deeply mired in separate cases of exploitation. Stacey and Kev's investigation leads them to the plight of human slavery and illegal immigration while Kim and Bryant end up looking into forced prostitution. Both subjects are handled sensitively and with compassion and the novel is extremely informative on the issues in a non preaching way. As Kim Stone is involved there is plenty of excitement and action as the novel progresses, building to an explosive finish.

Broken Bones held my attention from start to finish so I have no hesitation in recommending it as an excellent read.

Broken Bones is the 7th story in the D I Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons. Always an interesting mystery or two with some edge of the seat moments, keeps me wanting more of this series. I was given an early copy to review.

Another fast paced thriller from the author. An enjoyable read from beginning to end.

Love this series of book, and this was one of the best. A real page turner, couldn’t put it down. Hope the author writes more

Angela Marsons is one of my most favourite authors and Broken Bones, the 7th in the D.I. Kim Stone series is another outstanding and addictive read that kept me page turning into the early hours just so I could finish it.

The dynamic and dedicated Dream Team of D.I. Kim Stone, Bryant, Stacey and Dawson are back together again, aided and abetted by a character from the past.

The team is split as Kim sends Dawson and Stacey off to investigate the case of the abandoned baby that she found outside the police station and Kim herself and Bryant (love him) are investigating the deaths of local prostitutes.

Although this is a powerful work of fiction, there are some thought provoking and emotion stirring moments which gave me times when I laughed along with them, had to stop and take deep breaths, wipe away a tear and realize this is not just fiction but a terrifying reality for some today.

Having read all of the series I wasn't expecting any departure from the masterly and captivating style that is in all of Angela's work. It just strengthens my respect and appreciation of her amazing storytelling and creative talent.

Absolutely loved this novel, can't wait for the next and highly recommend it.
Most definitely 5stars and would give so many more if I could !!!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a copy for an honest review.

I have this book on pre-order but when it popped up on Netgalley I just couldn't resist requesting it. I am a huge fan of Angela Marsons and have read every one of her books, she is a master of her trade and this book the seventh in the Kim Stone series is one of the the best books I have ever read. There's lot's going on and the team of Kim, Bryant, Dawson and Stacey plus support staff are working flat out.
At the beginning of the book Kim is left holding the baby when they discover it on the steps of the police station.There is no note but the baby looks healthy and well cared for and their priority is finding the mother. They are also called out to the murder of a local prostitute and although some people may think that they deserve all they get the team are not of this opinion and are determined to get to the bottom of the murders. Once you get stuck into the book you won't want to put it down it is a blinding read. Thank you for the ARC