This is book 10 in the DI Kim Stone series and was another fantastic read.

During her career Kim has put many villans behind bars and in the criminal community is well reknowned and someone is clearly out for revenge.

The killer appears to be recreating traumatic events in Kim’s life, making her suffer through the new victims. There are lots of suspects and lots of red herrings to keep us guessing.

This is another fantastic instalment and Marsons maintains the momentum in all the books with each one surpassing the last.

I really enjoy the development of the characters and the gelling of the new team and look forward to book 11

This is the 10th Detective Kim Stone novel and it does not disappoint, in fact each one seems to be even more brilliant than the previous. The story opens as DI Stone is called to the scene of a suspected double overdose. The location of this call out is the exact tower block that she had lived in and one which is the route of all her worst nightmares. This is just the beginning , as the team realise that these muders they are dealing with are related to some of the most traumatic events of Kim’s life. Who is behind it and how can they stop the muderer from claiming more innocent lives?

Once again another masterfully written novel by Angela Marsons. Each character now feels like an old friend and as they appear again on the pages I feel myself once again drawn into the ‘team’ ready to work out who the murderer is. Nothing about this novel is predictable and I thoroughly enjoy all the roads the author takes us down to thoroughly tangle us up, only to bring it all together in the most enticing way. There is nothing about this series that I do not love. Well, only the wait between novels.

This is a really good series. This book is brilliant. It is really well written and full of surprises and twists in the plot. I would definitely recommend it and any of the other books in the series.. It is refreshing to read such a well written book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Kim Stone books never fail to deliver and this story, number ten in the series, is definitely no exception. The team of Bryant, Stacey and Dawson's replacement Penn have gradually begun to reform after their last galling case. There is a harmony back to the way they work and interact, and a nice type of humour in their dialogues. This story starts with the discovery of one young man and one young woman, dead and dying, both chained to a radiator in the very same tower block where DI Kim Stone was discovered as a six year old all those years ago. Is it merely coincidence or something a lot more sinister? Whilst they are investigating the first murders a second gruesome copycat scene emerges and Kim fights hard to stay on the case that seems designed to torment her. Of course she has made a fair few very nasty enemies during the course of her career and many names are thrown up that will be well known to readers of this series. A familiar face in the form of profiler Alison Lowe also makes a reappearance but is she there to help the team or prevent Kim from falling apart completely as she battles to keep her demons buried? The action keeps up as the body count looks set to rise and the team have their work cut out to solve one of the toughest and most baffling cases yet, especially since they have a good idea what the killer's endgame will be. This is a fast paced story with lots of flips and turns, and there are many excellent suspects with different reasons for hating the DI, all this designed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat right up until a most dramatic heart-stopping finale. I would recommend reading these books in order but even if this is the first Kim Stone book you read you will have a thrilling time! Bring on book eleven please as this series goes from strength to strength!!

Dead Memories by Angela Marsons is the 10th in the Detective Kim Stone series.

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:
A madman is killing innocent people to replicate the most horrendous moments of Kim’s life. He is very deliberate about making Kim suffer, his hatred knows no bounds. Everything he does is leading to his endgame – Kim’s demise.

Despite Kim’s objections, her boss brings in profiler and behaviorist Alison Lowe to aid the team. The fact that Alison can’t quite let go of her last case is going to cause her problems.

While Kim tries to lead her team to find this madman, she is reliving, in vivid detail, events she never discusses, and which most of her team are unaware. Her privacy has always been paramount, but it looks like someone out there knows everything. As she tries to navigate this case with her normal strong determination, her emotions threaten to boil over. She is intent on keeping those emotions inside, but may be doing herself more harm than good, but she is sure that she can keep everything under control if she uses all her energy to focus and just solve this case.

But as each new murder occurs, and her life will soon be in jeopardy, Kim still can’t narrow down the suspects – there are many who hate her.



My Opinions:
WOW. This is one of my favorite series, and each book seems better than the last. This was no exception.

The author continues to add depth to her characters, and although I thought we knew most of Kim’s secrets, we learned more. I am glad Alison was back, and I hope she continues to be part of the team.

As always, the plot, writing, and twists were great. The dialog and humor were perfect, and show the camaraderie between the characters. They show respect, but they also treat each other as family, and sometimes it means joking around, and sometimes telling it like it is.

Once again, Angela Marsons nailed it!

Definitely recommend this series, but please, start at the beginning. It’s worth it!

When two teenagers are found chained to a radiator on the fourth floor of Chaucer House, a block of flats on the notorious Hollytree estate, alarm bells begin to ring for Detective Inspector Kim Stone. Thirty years before, there had been a similar scene at the same block of flats, only this time, the victims were Stone and her younger brother, Mikey. Another crime scene bearing a similarity to the deaths of her foster parents sees Kim fearing the worst – someone is recreating traumatic events from her past. Will Kim be the next victim?

For long-time readers of this series, Kim Stone’s history has not been a secret. Spending her early years with her mentally ill mother before being moved around a series of foster homes, she had a more traumatic upbringing than most. So far, though, with the exception of a few occasions, we have seen her trying to keep these memories at bay, focusing all her energy on her professional life. Now, however, in Dead Memories, Kim is forced to face her past and, although we still see her in control of the investigation, for the first time we see cracks starting to develop in her hard exterior.

One of the reasons I think this series continues to go from strength to strength is the relationship between the main characters. Events in previous books have really cemented their closeness and although the recent arrival of an outsider, Penn, could have disrupted this harmony, it has been good to see how quickly he integrated within the group, despite the circumstances surrounding his arrival. The return of profiler, Alison, also added a new dynamic to the group, at times providing some much-needed light-hearted moments in a hard-hitting storyline. Her sub-plot was also gripping and was worthy of a book of its own!

I don’t want to say too much about the book for fear of giving away too much but what I will say is that Dead Memories has a well-written, enjoyable plot and existing fans of the series will definitely love revisiting crimes of the past. I enjoyed being reacquainted with characters we have already met and was particularly pleased to see a cameo appearance from a certain newspaper reporter!

I don’t know how she does it but Angela Marsons keeps the quality of this series consistently high – I would go as far as saying that, for me, this is one of the best in the series. Hopefully, this is a series that will run and run.

"...helplessness, fear, loathing, disgust, rage." These are the emotions that are tormenting DI Kim Stone as she faces the most personal case of her career. There is a killer targeting her by murdering innocent people -- recreating some of the most traumatic events of Kim's life and the end game must be Kim's death. As she and the team -- Bryant, Stacey and Penn -- try to figure out who is behind it, Kim is being monitored by profiler and behaviorist, Alison Lowe. Can she find the person who hates her so much and prevent the worst outcome possible? NO SPOILERS.

This book was simply amazing and just what I needed to overcome a bit of a reading slump. As the 10th in a long-running series, opening the pages was just like going to a family reunion or hanging out with old friends. I love the way Angela Marsons writes and I tore through it in a couple of hours, barely leaving my chair. It's part police procedural and crime thriller, but also a character study as the reader learns more about DI Kim Stone and comes to appreciate her personality and her work methods. I love this series and I can't wait for the next -- keep them coming, please! If you haven't yet discovered this set, please do yourself a favor and start at the beginning and read in order for full appreciation.

I'm one satisfied reader and would like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-book ARC to read and review.

Wow! Another fabulous read in this excellent series. Kim Stone is back. A thoroughly horrendous childhood is mimicked in crimes. This story had another theme behind it. I love a book which does not have an easy to predict ending! I am looking forward to the next book!

Wow! This is definitely my favourite book in this series (until the next one!)
“Faced with a killer who is recreating traumatic events from her past, Kim must face the brutal truth that someone wants to hurt her in the worst way possible.”
Only Bryant knows what Kim has been through and when the crime scenes replicate things that have happened to her, Kim has to dig deep to keep everything in the box.
Kim and the team struggle to understand who is playing such a sick game and start to speak to those who she has locked up to try and get to the bottom of this.
We get an insight into the mind of someone who absolutely hates Kim for what she’s done to him, and it’s not for the faint hearted.
Along with all the crimes to solve it’s good to see Penn fitting in with the team and even Barney makes a new friend.
I love the banter amongst the team and Angela Marsons makes you feel like you’re one of them throughout the book.
This is a fantastic book and the last few chapters will have you gripping the edge of your seat.
Love, love, love this series!
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

With thanks to Netgalley and the fantastic Bookoutre for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Dead Memories is the tenth book in the popular DI Kim Stone series. I have read all 10 books and have enjoyed everyone of them. I look forward to each new instalment because it feels like visiting old friends.

In Dead Memories someone was trying to recreate painful memories from Kim`s childhood. Kim and her sidekick Bryant were called to the notorious Chaucer House. Inside they found a teenage couple tied to a radiator. The boy had died from an overdose but the girl was barely breathing and taken to hospital. As kids Kim and her twin brother Mikey had also lived at Chaucer House. Their mother had mental health problems and died them to a radiator. When the police found the kids little Mikey was dead and Kim was barely alive. Unknown to her co!leagues that day had been the 30th anniversary.

Kim`s boss Woody spotted the link and would only let Kim investigate without support. She was annoyed when she found profiler Alison Lowe had been hired to monitor her behaviour.

Then a middle aged couple died in a car fire that was similar to the death of Kim`s foster parents Erica and Keith. On the day they died Erica and Keith had started the process of adopting Kim.

Dead Memories was my favourite book of the series as more of Kim`s life in care was revealed. The plot was intriguing and I enjoyed reading about Kim`s old investigations. The story flowed easily, with short snappy chapters. Be prepared though because the copycat incident in the park was very dark and disturbing.

I particularly liked profiler Alison Lowe who appeared to have a eating disorder. Although lacking in confidence she earned the teams respect, I hope she appears in the next book. I also enjoyed the black humour and had to laugh at the Rubix Cube.

I look forward book 11.

Firstly, how have we ended up at book 10 all ready. Secondly for any Angela Marsons fans there is no need for me to go on any more, you know you want it, you know you will have pre ordered it a million years ago and we know you won't have time to be reading reviews that others have put up about the book.
For everyone one else, why are you not all ready a fan of this authors work?

Seriously, Once you get into this series there will be no stopping you. This is one of my all time favorite Detective series, I absolutely love the main character Kim Stone, I still don't know what it is that makes her so unique but she is, she's feisty, ballsy, no nonsense and just wants to get on with things. It's difficult to say what I mean without repeating what I have said over and over.

Kim, Bryant and Stacey still have the death of Kevin Dawson clear in their minds, he will always be missed. They seem to be getting used to newest member - DS Austin Penn, I think everything takes time and once they all finally realised he wasn't Dawson then things become easier.
The team are up against it this time around, certainly Kim who is trying her best to pretend the case they have been landed with has nothing to do with her personally, it's just a coincidence that some of the details resemble something in her past. But who the hell is she trying to kid? because if it's herself she's failing miserably.
When Kim realises that she is going to have to share some of her past with others it's a moment of weakness to her, It's something she has kept hidden from most for a long. long time and feeling she has to share her private thoughts is hard going. This case has got personal.
I know nearly everything i've said is just repeating myself from previous books, but honestly Angie Marsons must have decided long ago to hold back and throw some of the best of Kim Stone for these later books.
This series of books is phenomenal, and just get better each time. It's a wonder the readers are still here to review with the amount of times you hold your breath while reading. Total page turner.
Clear your diary, have a few days off and curl up with this bad boy.



​This is a quote from the review of Book 9 in the series, I think all i need to say this time is 'it will hit the 2019 MUST READ LIST', my feelings are just the same.
‘I truly don't know what to say… Somehow Angela Marsons manages smash the brilliantness of the last book and better it tenfold… A first-class read that I feel will be difficult to top... This has certainly gone onto my 2018 MUST READ list.’

And she’s back 😍. The 10th instalment of our beloved Kim Stone and her crew with every one as good or better than before . Someone is out to get Kim replicating Kim’s personal past in a fury of staged deaths and with so many people hating her the race is on to find the one that hates her the most . If you haven’t picked up this series then do so ... 10 books , 10 brilliant stories and one great leader . Once again easy 5 stars with my thanks to netgalley and bookouture for opportunity to read ..

This series of books gets better and better. A brilliant police procedural book. Someone is committing crimes that means there is nowhere for Kim to hide. Her past is being played out in front of her eyes. The author captures the team spirit and this come through the whole book. There is a humour in the team. Brilliant already excited about the next book

I’ve kept saying ‘one of the best series out there’ ever since I’ve read the first DI Kim Stone book ‘Silent Screams’ late last year. I’ve since worked my way through this series getting better and better and having just finished Dead Memories (No 10) it’s about time I revised my verdict: It is in fact THE best crime series currently out there!
It simply has everything - a wonderful cast of fabulous regular and recurring characters, multi-layered villains, gripping plots, tension, thrill and action aplenty and a huge portion of heart.
If I could, I’d give it 10 stars!

A new book from this author is always something to look forward to and to stay up for all night if needed.

Do you know the feeling when your head is spinning like your washing machine on full speed? No? Well, neither did I untill I started this book. You might think it's a rather 'yikes' feeling and I would totally agree in other circumstances, but here I did not want it to stop.

But not only my brain was in turmoil, my stomach did some summersaults as well. Not because of the descriptions, but because what I imagined had happened.

Having said that I think you might already have a faint impression that I thought this book was utterly, totally, thoroughly brilliant! The way this author can keep you entertained is beyond heaven. 

You just have to love DI Stone and her team and the banter between her and Bryant is hilarious. It gives you a little breather between the action in this fast paced book.

There are a lot of good books, there are quite a few excellent books and then of course there a some masterpieces. 5 out of 5 does not sound enough, so I will grant it 100 out of 100. I know the result is the same, but the feeling is different.

Thank you, Angela Marsons, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Book received courtesy of publisher/author.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book. Wow – what can I say – it’s another fantastic read from Angela Marsons. This has now got to be my favourite crime series read – others being M J Arlidge’s Helen Grace series and James Patterson’s woman’s murder club.

You have to read the series in order to get to really know and love the characters and if you haven’t started yet, then what are you waiting for.

This book is by far the best and so cleverly written it keeps you guessing throughout. Someone is out there that hates Kim so much that they are re-enacting some of the most painful events of her past to destroy her. What she and the team need to do is find out who that person is before any more innocent people are harmed, but it's not that simple as Kim has made lots of enemies along the way so it could be any number of them. How does the perpetrator know all the information about Kim as she never divulges anything about herself to anyone?

Kim is determined to fight to stay on the case and bring the killer to justice but the only way that her boss will allow this is if a police profiler is brought in to work alongside her to monitor her behaviour during the investigation. Kim being Kim isn’t happy about this and things don't get off to a good start between the two women but unfortunately her hands are tied and she just needs to get on with it, and quickly, to find the culprit.

Wow! Just for a change I’m going to start this review by saying how much I love this crime fiction series and its chief protagonist DI Kim Stone. I gave the very first book in the series, Silent Scream, the full five stars when I read it in 2015 – sadly despite the subsequent books being even better – five stars is the maximum. Angela Marsons has truly surpassed herself with Dead Memories, the tenth book in the series.

The scene opens on the notorious Hollytree housing estate, specifically the fourth floor of Chaucer House which just happens to be a few floors below where Kim Stone was found next to her dead twin, handcuffed to a radiator. Can it be a coincidence that today two youngsters have been found handcuffed to a radiator? Let’s face it, it’s going to be a no!

This series is firmly wedded to its setting in the Black Country and many of the books take in the Hollytree housing estate with Chaucer House being designated the block which is the roughest of them all, at some point. But this book gets to the heart of Kim Stone’s life. With Bryant, Stacey and Penn, at her side she is going to have to confront some of the many traumas that she has met in life being recreated for someone’s sick game. But that won’t be easy because spiky Kim doesn’t want to share those details with anyone, let alone her colleagues! Because of the basis in the crimes being committed it was a more traumatic read than most and one that made me realise quite how fond of the detective I have become. Yes, I know its fiction, but when I was reading, it was as real as anything else!

I’ve mentioned in my many reviews of crime fiction series of how much I like meeting up with old friends, in this case the small team that Kim Stone is part of. Angela Marsons has managed her reader’s expectations and interest levels very well on this score with different team members playing larger roles in some of the books and in this episode we have a return of the Alison Lowe a profiler who has been brought on board to keep an eye on Kim herself. This gives a satisfying and fresh injection into the characters and their interactions.

As always the plotting is faultless and although I’d gauge the crimes committed at the top end of my personal gore rating, the black humour that runs through the books means that what could be an unrelenting book of horror doesn’t have that overall feel at all. This really is the mark of a writer who knows her craft and injects a small dollop of humour at the right moment, never inappropriately, to keep the reader engaged but not depressed.

With an enterprising killer at work we also get a full insight into those traumatic incidents in Kim’s life, from the first moment of being left to die next to her twin Mickey to the more recent tragic fatality of a close colleague. So with each murder we get a double whammy of concern for the victims and their families in the present and a second-hand one for Kim, which only served to make me enjoy her company even more.

If you haven’t read this series, start now – they are fantastic but to my mind, you need to read them in order. This the tenth is absolute the cherry on the crime fiction cake!

I’d like to say a huge thank you to Bookouture for allowing me to read a copy of Dead Memories before it is published on 22 February 2019. This unbiased review is my thanks to them and Angela Marsons for another brilliant episode in the Kim Stone series.

First Published UK: 22 February 2019
Publisher: Bookouture
No of Pages: 459
Genre: Crime Fiction – Series
Amazon UK
Amazon US

Previous Books featuring Kim Stone
Silent Scream
Evil Games
Lost Girls
Play Dead
Blood Lines
Dead Souls
Broken Bones
Dying Truth
Fatal Promise

I think this is possibly the book which has finally done it. Broken my ability to write a review. I mean, how many ways are there to say how fabulous a series this is? How many superlatives can you use before you start sounding like a stuck record? I'll be honest - it's becoming harder and harder to find something original to say because this series just keeps getting better.

Now - and I say this with the best of intentions - if you have not read any of the books in the series before, then this is not the place to start. It would be absolutely impossible to read the book without reading spoilers for all that has come before. If you don't mind that and just want to get a flavour of what the series is all about then read away, but know that when you go back, you'll know whodunnit and for the joy of the journey of discovery you have yet to go on that would be a damned shame. If you are already a fan, read on and marvel as this book will make you glow with a knowing smile, as you drift back to memories of cases past ...

In this book, someone is going to great pains, and deriving great pleasure it seems, from creating little tableaus if events from Kim's life. That would be nice if it was all Hallmark card moments and this was a collection of fun and fluffy pictures and happy memories. As fans of Kim know, her life hasn't been full of shiny, happy people and these are not beautifully crafted découpage pictures. These tableaus feature bodies. Lots and lots of bodies ... But just who could be trying to unsettle Kim so badly and why? Well ... this is book ten. She has amassed a lot of enemies - and that's just in the cases we know about. This investigation will see Kim and the Team come face to face with a lot of familiar names, any one of which could have reason to want to see Kim Stone fall ...

And by god, does that lead us through a fantastically fraught, often emotional and thoroughly tense thrill ride of a read that will see fans clapping their hands in glee, and more than a few folk staggering into work bleary eyed as this is most definitely a sleep stealer that will have you reading late into the night. At least this book is released on a Friday so a good number of people will have an nice weekend to savour it (sorry to those who have to work weekends ...)

I love the characters in this series and they are all on top form. Angela Marsons has a fantastic way of making you care about the people you are reading about, of creating a true emotional pull, even when dealing with the more 'disposable' characters. And when it comes to the 'villains' they go way beyond caricatures of bad guys. There is real depth to their portrayal too, be it in terms of intelligence, pure hatred or sly cunning. They feel authentic - real - so much so that some will make your skin crawl while others will have you lamenting, and yet still understanding, the reasons for their incarceration.

And as for the ending - tense, breath-catching stuff. All action, all marvel, all typical Angela Marsons' styling as she takes the reader to the edge of their seat and holds them in a very uncomfortable position. Not for too long, the action is too fast for that, but long enough to make your pulse race. It's not the first time I've felt my heart in my throat and doubtless it won't be the last. From the gripping opening to the highly dramatic closing scenes, the story will have readers completely drawn in. You can feel every moment of pressure mounting on Kim and the team to solve the murders, and the personal guilt and anxiety that Kim feels in having her traumatic past revisited as she is left completely exposed. Loved it.

And dare I even say, I think I love Penn too?

Does this sound like my other reviews of the Kim Stone series? I don't know. I've given up trying to be original. I think all of my reviews moving forward are just going to be very simple and straightforward.

Just bloody read it - you know you want to.

Someone is recreating every traumatic event in Kim Stone's past, starting with the death of her twin when she was six years old. Some of the events, or at least the detail of them, are not public knowledge, but whoever is behind this has a wealth of information and is using it to evil intent. That might seem bad enough, but the brutal truth of the matter is that people - innocent people - are dying so that these dramas can be recreated. Stone probably - well, certainly - shouldn't be on the case, but who has better knowledge of what happened to her than she does? If her boss can just turn a blind eye to the effect it's having on her for long enough, she can sort it out... Or can she?

There seems to be a vogue at the moment for police procedural series where the past of the senior investigating officer takes centre stage. Most of them are well done, but it's difficult to feel that they ring true to life and I did have that sensation here, but I have to admit that it is a cracker of a story. I had various people pencilled in as the villain of the piece, but I didn't come anywhere near working out (or even guessing) who it really was, although all the clues were there. Part of the problem is that Kim Stone has a lot of people in her life who hate her, who would love to see her come to harm. There's even a hate club in the local prison dedicated to her. Stone put all of them there.

All the usual characters are there: the rather dour Bryant, who regards Kim as a friend as much as a boss. He's offset by a recent addition, Penn, who's fitting in well and overcoming the disadvantage of having taken Kevin Dawson's place when Dawson was killed on an operation. There's clever Stacey, who unexpectedly befriends profiler Alison Lowe who the team think is there to help them - but in reality she's there to keep an eye on Kim Stone.

The chapters are short and nearly everyone ends on a cliffhanger, so it's just about impossible not to read just another chapter, although the next one is rarely a followup to the last. It's an addictive book and one that's very difficult to put down. Suspend disbelief as to whether or not this really could happen and just enjoy the ride.

I'd like to thank the publishers for making the book available to the Bookbag.

This was a gripping Kim Stone novel. The past comes back to haunt Kim as her life is played out in murders. Excellent book.