Member Reviews
WELL worth waiting for, Detective Kim Stone is back for the 10th time, if you haven't read any of these, what are you waiting for, Angela Marsons is one of the very best for crime fiction.
Oh wow, Angela Marstons has done it again. This is another book about DI Kim Stone that you wont be able to put down!! Fast paced, exciting and gripping this book is like an adrenaline filled theme park ride. Fabulous.
#Dead Memories Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller book 10 Netgalley
Wow wow wow. I can not believe this is book 10 of the Kim stone series. How many authors can write so many books on one series. Well Ms Marsons can, and probably she could continue with many many more. I really hope she does. I have read every single book by Angela Marsons and wouldn’t miss one for the world. Although you could read any of the Kim stone series as a one off novel however I feel you would personally get to know a lot more about Kim and her team. In this one someone’s trying to reinact parts of Kim traumatic life. It’s not just about Kim how she can survive it, it’s also about her team can they help to keep her safe. At the first crime scene it almost knocks Kim completely of her feet. Especially with the man and women who death they are investing, both are handcuffed to a radiator, 3 flats below where she and her brother was found in the very same position as children. The man is dead but the girl is still clinging to life, again just as it was with Kim and her brother mark, Kim had desperately tried to keep her brother Mark alive until someone found them. By the time they where found Mark had died and Kim was barley clinging to life. Now everything else that’s happened to her she being tormented . Yet somehow she manages to stay strong, At first Kim would not tell her team that the crimes where related to her, but her good friend and colleague Brynt know and so does her boss the inspector. Eventually she has to tell them the crime is related to her past. Yet that’s the only thing she will tell them, she’s giving no details away at all. Stacey and pen are the 2 computer technicians who can just about find most things, They looked up Kim’s past, Stacey is very protective of her boss, pens just settling down, as he’s new following the murder of one of their highly respected colleagues Kev. After having read every single book including those that are not related to the Kim stone series you, possibly couldn’t think they get any better, yet Angela Marsons each book does genuinely seem to get better, oh Ms Marsons most definitely at the top of her game to say the least.. the twists and turns in this book throws you off any idea who the perpetrator is.. I honestly do not know of any book so far where I have worked out who’s committed the offenses in any Kim stone book. I could be wrong but if I have well I certainly would have definitely remembered,. Now no one can deny that, that’s definitely a remarkable achievement for any authors. Angela Marsons is one absolutely brilliant writers of today’s generation, I for one am waiting with batted breath for the next instalment of her next Kim stone novel. If you just read one author make sure it’s Angela Marsons, you will be totally hooked, everything about her books just seem to flow if her pen, definitely definitely a must read, I would also like to thank Ms Marsons, for many hours of of reading and definitely keeping me entertained by her fast paced Kim stone novels.
Wow, just another brilliant installment in the Detective Kim Stone series and like all the others it had me glued to the book till the very end.
You can't go wrong with Angela Marsons who is a master of weaving a suspenseful pacey mystery with engaging characters and unpredictable plot twists. I highly recommend the entire series and can't wait for the next one.
Thanks so much to Netgalley, Bookouture, and Angela Marsons for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest opinion.
This book was brilliant. Wouldrecommend reading previous in series to totally appreciate though, as background story part of this one. Love Kim Stone books and this absolutely does not disappoint. Highly recommended
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this advanced copy. I have been a fan of Angela Marsons from the beginning and in this tenth book , Kim Stone and the team are back investigating crimes that are up close and personal especially to one of the team. This book grips you from the very first page til the last. I went through every emotion reading this story and I cant wait for the next one. Angela Marsons books are just amazing and the standard of writing has been maintained from the first in the series right up to this one. You know you are in for a treat when you pick up her books. Brilliant book and I have no hesitation in recommending this book and the series.
People are being murdered and the way they have been killed leads straight back to DI Kim Stone. All the deaths link back to traumatic events in her life. As she and her team try to narrow down the list of who hates her enough to do this her boss assigns a psychologist to keep an eye on her but Alison is plagued by guilt from her last case.
Fantastic book from start to finish - gripped from page 1. This series just gets better and better.
Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Angela Marsons for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Fans of this series will love this book, bringing together characters from previous books. You could read it as a stand-alone but I don’t think you’d be as emotionally vested. Great, fast paced read. Can’t wait for book 11!
"She ruined their lives. Now they’re going to destroy hers.
‘Someone is recreating every traumatic point in your life. They are doing this to make you suffer, to make you hurt and the only possible end game can be death. Your death.’ "
Well, this was one of Angela Marson's best! To be fair I am always excited to read the next instalment to Kim Stone and this one was key to learning about her past. We delved head first into Kim's early life and learnt so much more about her character, which only made me love her even more. The relationships between the characters are always believable and completely relatable. I have grown to love all of the characters on Kim's team, Alison added positively to the team in this book.
Right to the very end I wasn't 100% sure who the killer was, Marson's kept me guessing right up to the very end. This made it completely gripping, i literally couldn't put it down! I read it in 2 sittings as work and the kids kept getting in the way :)
Complete and utter worthy 5 star read!! A must read for 2019!
Angela Marsons has done it again. Book 10 in the Kim Stone series. I have loved all of them and this one is no different.
Dead memories revisits Kim’s past and we see how the team and Kim deal with it.
Lots of twists and turns that keep you wondering what will happen next.
Fast paced and gripping. A must read
OMG Angela Marsons how do you keep doing this, another fabulous insight into the life of Kim Stone. The story just keeps getting better and better. Love the characters that make up her team. I couldn't put it down. Can't wait for the next one.
There is good reason that Angela Marsons and her successful DI Kim Stone series has such a huge and dedicated following from crime fans. This is a superb series, with fabulous characters that have developed with each new addition, readers emotionally invest in Kim along with her terrific team, and Marsons compelling writing and plotting has us gripped, wanting more by the time we have finished reading. This is the 10th in the series, and Kim Stone is experiencing a deja vu of the nightmarish horrors and tragedies that have littered her troubled life. On an violent and drug infested estate that Kim is familiar with, indeed she resided in the very block of flats where two teenagers are discovered chained to a radiator, Amy is alive but Mark is dead, resurrecting a scene from thirty years ago with the death of Kim's brother, Mikey. Who would do this? A tight lipped Kim has kept her silence, so who is privy to the intimate details of Kim's life? A killer wants to see Kim drown in never ending pain and suffering before becoming the final target.
In a narrative with multiple threads, evil stalks Kim as signposts to her past traumas haunt her when a middle aged couple in a burnt out car mirrors the death of Kim's beloved parents, Erica and Keith. How many innocent people will die before Kim and her team close in on the perpetrator? A frantic investigation by the police team has them looking into those who have motive to go after Kim. They support Kim as more of her dark history is revealed to them. I was impressed by Penn, Stacey and Bryant in the way they have Kim's back. Kim's boss has foisted profiler Alison Lowe to monitor and watch Kim's behaviour. With a rising body count, the different threads eventually begin to connect in unexpected ways. Angela Marsons gives us a fast paced, action fuelled piece of menacing and chilling crime fiction with a killer intent on breaking Kim for good. An absolutely tense and thrilling read, full of twists and turns, which I recommend highly. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.
"Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly." (Morticia Adams)
And DI Kim Stone has woven an all-encompassing, tightly restrictive web around her past life. Highly immersed in self-protection, Kim weaves that cocoon with impenetrable threads while lugging around a no entrance sign. You don't ask. She doesn't tell.
But someone out there is making every effort to permeate deeply beneath the skin's surface of Kim's past. Little hairs are raised eerily to think that an evil entity out there knows finite details that Kim, herself, has never revealed. A dark figure lurks in the shadows replicating scenarios that are razor-sharp reality for Kim. Some ancient Greek philosopher out there must have chanted at one point: Woe be to those who piss off.......for you shall be pissed upon.
Angela Marsons brings us into #10 of the DI Kim Stone Series. She hasn't skipped a beat since day one and continuously delivers with outstanding storylines and high quality writing. Marsons gets the police procedurals on point aligned with majestic character studies. She crafts her characters with deep emotional commitments while shifting the stage to evil, dastardly honed scum who exist within a hair's breadth of the world's reality. Kim has emerged from that world since childhood and breathes it every day in her chosen career.
Marsons leads us into Hollytree Estate paved with violence and drugs. A young couple. Amy and Mark, are found chained to a radiator in a hovel of an apartment. Looks to be a typical drug overdose expected within these depressing surroundings. But Kim will come to find that this is no ordinary couple and the circumstances will be far from ordinary. New crimes will be committed that emulate snapshots of Kim's former life. But who is the mastermind with such evil intent?
Angela Marsons will rock this one off its wheels in such a brilliant manner. She's swerving around corners that will come full circle for Kim and we'll be making all the stops at appointed shaky destinations. Marsons' mindset is to give us a looky look at faces from Kim's past who definitely have it in for her. We'll check off the bottom feeders as they come on the scene. In her usual grand manner, Marsons allows us time in the muck and mire before the reveal. Ooooooh, good stuff!
If Kim Stone learns anything from this novel, it should be to make sure her suspects do not make it to trial, if you know what I mean... Someone is using Kim's traumatic life and backstory in order to murder people. Kim and her team need to figure out who hates her enough for that and... well, being the tenth installment in this series, there are at least 9 suspects with very good reasons. It is not necessary to have read the previous volumes to understand this, but it will help. Also, this book would spoil the stories that came before and, if you have not read this series, it would be a pity. As always, the plot is masterful. All the suspects and storylines connect in a way that makes it impossible to put down. I honestly didn't know who was behind everything. I had a suspect in mind... but I was wrong and delighted to be surprised with the ending. And it is just nice to spend time with these characters. If you're a fan of this series, you won't be disappointed. If you haven't read it before... drop everything and pick up book one. It's really worth it.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Bookouture!
Book 10 in the DI Kim Stone series, and for avid fans like myself, it’s not difficult to recognise that DI Stone has destroyed many lives in the course of her criminal investigations, resulting in convictions for some very dangerous individuals. The trouble is, one of them is determined to exact revenge, and they go to great pains to recreate the most traumatic events in her life, making her suffer, regardless of the horrific impact on the latest victims.
Kim has her work cut out with this case, not least because she is forced by her superior Woody to work with profiler Alison Lowe. There is no love lost between these two but if Kim wants to stay on the case, she’ll have to accept that Alison has been called in to observe and monitor her behaviour. More importantly though, this case forces Kim to come face to face with things she’d rather forget - memories and feelings she’s buried deep down where they can’t be accessed by anyone, including her!
Angela Marsons employs the use of smoke and mirrors, providing leads to a number of suspects, but with each recreation of Kim’s traumatic events, (some of them from her childhood) it becomes even more difficult to point the finger at the perpetrator. Whoever it is, they know Kim’s life in minute detail - even details that have never entered the public domain!
With the clock ticking and the body count increasing, Kim and her team have to dig really deep to solve this complex but ultimately absorbing case.
I would rate this novel a solid 4-1/2 stars! You would think after 10 books that the format would get stale ...but no, Ms. Marsons's Kim Stone and company seems to get better and better! Each book seems to peel back one more layer of Kim Stone that we had not heard about in other books! In future books, I do hope Kim finds some well earned peace and maybe someone to share it with (hint, hint!!) I do agree with fellow reviewers ...it is best to read the books from start to finish ...there is just a bit more clarity in reading it in proper order! Anything from this author is gold and if you love this genre, you won't be disappointed
I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased report
A series that keeps getting better and better. Another feather in the cap for Kim Stone series. 5 Stars !!
For those of you who haven't tried these series, please do check it out. Mild spoilers ahead for those who haven't read the previous books.
Typically , I would say any book from this series can be a standalone novel. But to understand how amazing this book is, you have to read the other books in the series. Even for someone who has read every book in the series, it was difficult to re-collect some of the characters. So DON'T read this book without reading the other books in the series.
‘Someone is recreating every traumatic point in your life. They are doing this to make you suffer, to make you hurt and the only possible end game can be death. Your death.’
The book begins when someone starts re-creating traumatic events from Kim Stone's life. Two teenagers, found dead in an apartment. Boy dead, girl alive. Every detail of the crime scene reminds Kim of her childhood trauma. Later, When the bodies of a middle-aged couple are discovered in a burnt-out car, Kim can’t ignore the chilling similarity to the deaths of Erica and Keith – the only loving parents Kim had ever known.Someone wants to remind her the things she didn't want to remember. The things that she put inside a box and shut it tight. Someone wants to re-open it. Someone wants to hurt her. Could Kim maintain her sanity whilst hunting her most dangerous enemy?
Alison Lowe is re-introduced in this series for monitoring Kim's activity during the investigation. With this book, I can tell Penn has perfectly settled into the team ( Though I still miss Kev !). As with every book, Angela Marsons has created a complex plot and it keeps you guessing until the last page. Kim has pissed off so many people in the past and its very challenging to track every one of them. The only hard thing for me is to remember characters from the previous books.
The interpersonal relationships between Kim and her team and others working on the crimes are always what make this series so special. The way her team supports her, respects her is the part I love the most. Its beautiful to have a squad like that.Kim opens up a bit more to her team with this investigation and it makes them look at their boss in a different perspective. Stacey and Penn play are turning out into brilliant investigators.
As always I could never put down this book. Another great addition to the series and I cant wait fr the next one!. Thanks to Net galley for providing ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
DI Kim Stones and her team are back in book ten of the series. In this book, someone has it in for her - BIG TIME! Someone who is recreating events- traumatic events from Kim's life. How does this person know everything? Who can it be? Why? Kim has arrested many people, many have grudges, many had their lives changed due to this, who has the most anger and hatred for her? Not only does she have to re-visit the past events that happened in her life while trying to solve the cases, she also must work with profiler Allison Stone who will watching and observing Kim's behavior.
So, who could it be? That is the question! Kim has a huge I-hate-Di Kim Stone- fan club going on in this book. With her career and arrest record, she is not going to win any popularity contests with criminals. But who hates her enough, to create past crime scenes from her past to torment her? This is a book that had me guessing. As the clock is ticking and the suspect pool is narrowed down, I have to say I didn't guess it. Wonderfully written with characters who will grow on you and have you reading with your fingers crossed that they will solve the case in time!
It may be intimidating to see that there are 10 books in this series, I have not read them all, but I read enough to know some background on Kim, so I did not feel lost at all in this book. I do want to go back and read the others. What is nice is that the Author is so talented at writing compelling stories that I didn't feel as if I were missing anything and was able to fully enjoy this book.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Another fabulous book by Angela! By fabulous I mean entertaining, twisty, dark and thoroughly enjoyable.
However, two slight drawbacks for me:
1. A lot of characters (old and new) was a lot to try and remember
2. The chapter about Kim’s number 1 hater (forgotten his name - see above) pleasuring himself was odd and, I feel, unnecessary.
Dead Memories is book #10 of the extraordinary DI Kim Stone series. I have read them all and have awarded every one, including Dead Memories, 5 stars. I’d like to start off this review with a few general comments about the series.
What makes this collection of novels so remarkable? First of all, how many authors remain at the peak of their talent after book #10 of a series? Ms. Marsons has the exceptional ability to keep her stories fresh and compelling with new and engaging plotlines. Her plots often play off current issues mixed with a healthy dose of whatever is going on in Kim’s head. Furthermore, Ms. Marsons has a wonderful writing style. She does not waste words. Her dialogue is very realistic. Her books, though certainly not tomes, usually have around 100 short chapters, ensuring a fast pace. She always starts the book with a captivating prologue and ends with a satisfying last chapter or epilogue.
More importantly, Ms. Marsons has ensnared her readers into a love nest with her characters. Every time I come back to visit Kim and her colleagues, I feel I am coming home. And with each novel I feel I know them better and better as they continue to evolve and grow under the author’s pen. I love seeing how larger roles have been awarded to Kim’s colleagues, including Bryant, Stacey, and Kev, over the course of the series; and in more recent installments we have also been treated to the reappearance of several old characters from the past.
The chief psychopath in Dead Memories hates Kim with a passion and is murdering people in settings mirroring Kim’s difficult past. How does the baddie know these details? What exactly is the motive? How is Kim possibly going to run this investigation when there is so much emotion involved? Can her colleagues protect her? And how many people are going to end up dead “because of Kim”? I enjoyed this novel immensely for all of the reasons mentioned throughout this review. I also want to give the author props for again awarding substantial airtime to Stacey and for making us start to really care for Penn. Profiler and behaviorist Alison Lowe, brought back from The Lost Girls, is a terrific addition to this installment. And, of course, Kim’s ongoing inner battles are fascinating as always. Oh, and I will admit that once again Ms. Marsons fooled me big time. I have never succeeded in fingering the baddie(s) before the big reveal in any of the Kim Stone books.
This series is unreservedly recommended to all crime fiction/thriller fans. One caveat: this series must be read in order; the evolution of the characters, especially Kim, is critical to all the storylines.
Congratulations, Ms. Marsons, for your continued exceptional story- telling. Your books are the brightest beacons of my favorite genre.