I dropped everything once I received this ARC to read the next Kim Stone mystery. I cannot express how much I love this series. Book 19 and they are only getting better.

In Bad Blood, Kim and her team need to find a killer who leaves his victims on the verge of death, while in the meantime struggling with some internal issues due to Stacey’s stalker.

Kim discovers not everything is always black and white especially if you want to protect the people you care about.

I loved this book! On to book 20!

Every single time I read the.latest Kim Stone book I say the same thing. I can’t believe how Angela Marsons keeps up this incredible series. All the twists and turns you’ve come to expect from our favourite DI and her team. I couldn’t put it down

Oooooh one of the best ones yet! This literally never stopped with the turns, I didn’t put it down until I was nearly finished and only then because I didn’t want it to end.

The team are investigating a killer who is targeting bad people, other criminals. All while facing their own battles and a race against the clock to find the culprit before it’s too late!

Brilliant characters, excellent story and enough twists to make you wonder what’s going on.

Carrying on from Book 18 this is, as usual a slick thriller with clever, grisly plot and great characters.
Kim needs to find the connection between the victims of a serial killer before they strike again

Another spellbinding mystery by the Queen of modern English crime! Bad Blood is number 20 in the DI Kim Stone police procedural series, (officially it’s 19 but there’s a prequel). Somehow even after all these books, Angela Marsons still manages to find interesting topics to explore and dramatic scenarios for her characters to get themselves out of. This one is about the grey area between the law and justice, and has the team hunting a vigilante killer while themselves breaking the rules to protect their own and those they think have suffered enough. As usual, each novel stands alone, but this is definitely a series best enjoyed in order, or at the very least I recommend reading the previous book, Deadly Fate, before this one to understand what’s happening with Stacey.

Kim is called to a crime scene where the body has been forced into an unnatural position - and then they discover that he’s not quite dead. When a second victim is found in similar circumstances, the team discover that both men had been incarcerated as teenagers for horrible crimes, and became part of a group known as the Psycho Six who terrorised the staff and other inmates. Now someone is getting revenge, and Kim must overcome her revulsion and do her best to protect the other four. Meanwhile Stacey’s stalker has led to her struggling at work, forcing her to reveal her secret, but instead of offering care and support, Kim and Devon are furious at her lack of trust, leaving her just as alone and afraid. Who will stop Terence Birch if the law can’t?

I hate the term unputdownable, because in the real world, you do actually have to go to work, cook meals, sleep and get your tax return done, but this was the first book in a while that I couldn’t wait to get back to because I was desperate to know what would happen next. I loved how the core team all play their parts, as well as having their own life problems to juggle, and other intriguing characters from earlier in the series also reappear to help out. Amidst the drama, there are some very funny scenes, and a few very sweet moments. Yet again, I had no idea who the killer would turn out to be, although the explanation relied a bit too heavily on coincidence, and Kim encountering yet another serial killer within the same small part of England is beyond preposterous. Still, for storytelling this compelling I can forgive much. 4.5 rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture. I am posting this honest review voluntarily.
Bad Blood is published on November 15th.

Will I ever stop loving KIM STONE? Nope. Will I ever stop reading every book by Angela? No way! I've been reading this series from the very first book and seeing how much progress I've made 😊. I've never enjoyed a series this much or committed to it like this. It was a joy to read this book again. Like always, it was written really well. The speed of the story was just right. The tension and mystery were excellent. Angela Marsons always delivers for me. If you're a fan of mystery books or police procedurals, this book is a must-read. 👍

As anyone who reads my reviews knows, I am the biggest ardent fan of this series and will forever shout it from the rooftops to get more and more people reading this superb series, I'm pretty sure my friends and family have downloaded and started the books just so I shut up about them! Book #19, yes you heard that right NINETEEN, is no exception to the rule... IF YOU HAVEN'T STARTED THIS SERIES, WHY THE BLOODY HELL NOT?

Book #18 - Deadly Fate - left us all on a cliffhanger. Not only that but everything felt a little off kilter, the characters weren't themselves and the ending left questions unanswered... and then BOOM along came Bad Blood.

Book #19 managed to somehow not only bring everything together seamlessly and answer all the questions from the previous book but also carry along another huge caseload to solve.

Kim recieves a call from Keats. He has been called to attend a scene where a young man's body has been found, posed strangely and showing no signs of injury. Keats pronounces him dead, until paramedics find a very faint pulse but once he reaches the hospital he dies. How did Keats get it so wrong?

Something about the scene doesn't sit right with Kim and her partner Bryant and they are right to question it when she recieves yet another call from Keats. *NO SPOILERS*

Everything seems to be pointing to a vigilante called Sentinel, who's using social media to let the world know what they are doing and making to teams lives harder by trying to get their followers involved in causing obstructions in any way they can.

Meanwhile Stacey is dealing with her own issues with her stalker (carried on from book#18). Not eating, sleeping or working to her full potential Stacey realises she can't deal with this alone and tells her wife Devon before finally telling Kim, not expecting the reaction she receives.

Both storylines deal with vigilante justice. Just how far will some people go to make the world a 'better place'?.

As always the team of Kim, Bryant, Stacey & Penn work together perfectly and I really enjoyed having Alison brought back in for this book.

Once again I was completely and utterly captivated by this book. It's at full speed throughout and it's twists and turns are dizzying at times. As I've come to expect, the atmosphere it gives is full on electrifying and I just could not bring myself to put it down.

The BIGGEST thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

323 pages

5 stars

There is so much going on in this latest novel from Angela Marsons, that I hardly know where to begin.

When Detective Kim Bryant hurries to the scene of a murder, she finds the victim gone. He apparently was not dead - yet. He instead dies on the way to the hospital. The investigation begins.

The victim seems like an ordinary guy, until Kim’s team digs into his past. He was a bad man. An ex-con who was convicted of beating his girlfriend, he was up to his old habits again. A text on social media causes havoc and hundreds turn up at the crime scene and totally wreck it.

There is a local group of vigilantes to check out. There is a detention center for teens that also needs checking. The team slowly begins to piece together the clues to the case. A group of delinquent boys at the center called themselves the “Psycho Six.” Who were these boys? Can they be tracked down?

More men die and they are all former members of the Psycho Six. The team rushes to warn the surviving men.

Stacy is being stalked, and tells no one until her work and home life suffer because of it.

People stop in the station to offer clues.

There is so much going on in this book, but Ms. Marsons handles it beautifully. She keeps all of the plot lines straight and it is easy for the reader to follow along. Her writing is superb. She has a way of drawing rich characters. I simply love her writing. I have read several of her books and have loved them all.

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

What another amazing read! Couldn’t put it down when started. Kim Stone and her team are faced with solving their current murder investigation whilst dealing with an issue within the team. Absolutely brilliant read and recommend any of Angela Marsons books to those who like detective led books. A firm favourite author of mine.

Thank you to Angela Marsons and Bookouture for the ebook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OH MY GOD.
Bad Blood is Angela Marsons' 19th installment to the D.I Kim Stone series. Yes, you read that right, 19!! How does she do it?! I have loved every single book of the series so far, albeit ever so slightly differing amounts depending on the story line (all have been too notch), and book 19 was no exception to this.

The synopsis promised high thrills, shocks and some deep emotions and it delivered in all it promised. The dead/not dead/dead victims, the ever sarcastic Kim Stone, Bryant, Stace and Penn with their own personal lives but loyalty to their team; this book took all of the usual traits and amplified them.

I was so engrossed by Stace's stalker issues, so absorbed by her team's loyalty and highly charged emotions, even during their own spectacularly brilliantly planned case (kudos for that idea!) that I couldn't tear myself away from reading. The shock twist ending was something I never predicted and rendered me speechless and this is why Angela is one of my favourite authors of all time.

If you haven't yet discovered D.I. Kim Stone and her team then I implore you to do so, this might just be her best yet.

I was super excited to get approved for this as I am a huge fan of the Kim Stone series and this one does not disappoint! I read it in one day so definetly bingeable!
Kim is forced into the "grey" area she has tried so hard to stay out of during her career which will keep you racing thru the pages. At the twist I had to go back a couple pages because I thought I had missed something. DO NOT MISS THIS!!

So... my favourite author strikes again, bringing back The Best Character; DI Kim Stone and her amazing team. With a gruesome murder to solve, and a crisis amongst the team, they are struggling without the usual smooth running and everyone is noticing the tension between the Boss and Stacey.
When the apparent killer posts on social media boasting 1/6, the team are especially worried as Stacey didn't pick it up, and of all people to let Kim know, it had to be Frost, meaning all hell breaks loose and Stacey is in trouble.
I loved this, probably more so as we see a different side again to Kim, and her interpersonal relationships within the team, and also a little with Leanne, who I would love to see appear again to see her develop a bond with Kim. I like how Kim doesn't feel the need to be in a relationship to be happy, but would like to see her being loved and cared for.
The murder case gets more and more strange, with a group of vigilantes operating in the area with links to one of the victims. Once again, these are never run of the mill cases, and even with trouble in the team, they get the job done, despite plenty of curve balls and twists.
100000000% recommended!!

Another corker from Angela Marsons!
Carrying on the Kim Stone storyline, featuring all of her team. This was fast paced with twists and turns and the odd red herring thrown in to keep you on your toes! Really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Angela Marsons for the opportunity to read this eARC.

I hope this review does justice to how much I loved and enjoyed reading Bad Blood and how it made me feel. Whenever I finish one of Angela Marsons books I think wow, how can this read be topped and every time the author comes back with a cracker of a read that always hits the mark with me and exceeds all my expectations.

Bad Blood hit the ground running at the start. Angela Marsons certainly knows how to connect with her readers and weave a great story that draws me in immediately by grabbing my attention and interest and holding it right to the last page. Stone and the team investigate a murder - but is all as it seems though? When another victim is found the investigation gains pace and the team follow all leads. I love being back in Kim's world and following her and the team, they feel like old friends that I know well. I liked the return of a thread that creates a lot of tension and friction between two characters and affects the teams dynamics with many repercussions.

Bad Blood is very well written and flows well. It has a great plot line that is engaging and certainly kept me guessing and wanting to know more. Angela Marsons has never, ever disappointed and is one of my favourite go to authors. The last quarter of the book really moves quickly and goes off in a surprising, unexpected and good way that threw me and made me question everything! And I really liked the ending.

Overall a fab read that doesn't let up - I love the action, thrills and suspense the author creates. I'd highly recommend this book and series and will be waiting eagerly for my next Kim & Co fix.

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The 19th in the D.I. Kim Stone series. I still get excited!
Kim Stone is called to a murder scene where the victim isn’t dead. Keats, the forensic pathologist, is in for some serious stick from the ever-sarcastic Kim.
It’s not long before the victim does die though, and Kim and her team of Bryant, Stacey and Penn start their investigation. There’s not much evidence to be found at the scene because the paramedics had been trying to save the man rather than preserve the scene.
A side story from book 18 comes into this book, one where Stacey had interviewed a stalker who’d been a murder witness. This had my heart really thumping and I found this part to be as nerve wracking as catching the killer in the main story. This side story has Stacey mentally consumed, totally unsettled and Kim is really annoyed with her. It does get a bit frosty, but it’s only because Kim cares so much about her team.
It’s fast-paced, effortless to read and I always race through, unable to put the book down. Angie Marsons has the knack to hook me in from the first page, and the short chapters are perfect for ‘just another chapter’.
Fabulous as always, I love Kim Stone and her team. The banter, the caring between them. They are all such different characters and I love them more with every book.
Full review on the book tour.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

After waiting many months for the resolution of the previous book's rather annoying cliffhanger, to me the main story of this book was Stacy's storyline. I was incredibly invested in everything that was happening to her, and on revealing the truth of the situation, how her loved ones were dealing with the knowledge.

And when things take a turn, it allows us as readers to see just how much Kim really does care for her team even if she is rather let's say unhappy and call it a gross understatement, and the decisions she amazingly tempted to make as a result of the depth of those feelings.

But since this subplot isn't mentioned in the blurb I can't really say anything else on it, other than I found it possibly even more gripping than the main storyline on this instance, probably because it affected a character I care for.

And it's for these reasons that I think that if you haven't already been following this amazing series from the start (and if not where have you been, other than missing out?), then I feel you at least need to read the previous book to make this one make sense fully.

As always I was totally addicted to this story, and knew when I was reading the what I thought was the last 20% on the tube, that I would be in danger of missing my stop. Instead I was left slightly annoyed that I hadn't just finished it at home, as the book finished on 89% and the rest if promotional stuff - at least that's the case on the advance copy I read, it may be different on the finished versions. But honestly though I had more story, more book left, and I was disappointed that I finished so soon.

I thoroughly enjoyed the main plot as outlined in the blurb. I hadn't figured out most of it, and there were a couple of surprisingly comic moments. Early on I was reminded of the Friends episode "The one where Nana dies twice" as there was some confusion at the first crime scene.

I was also very interested in seeing just how the murderer was attempting to make things as hard as possible for the police, even going as far as to use social media to ask the public to cause disruptions. Which I definitely haven't seen before.

And the more I see of Penn the more I warm to him, and he is so loveably clueless when it comes to some things, while being amazingly focused at this job.

It's another ridiculously impressive instalment in this long running series and as always I can't believe I'm going to have to wait for what feels like forever for the next book. I'm begging you Angela, please write faster!

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I am an ardent fan of Angela Marson’s Kim Stone series. Each addition to the series is a fast moving, engrossing police procedural. She knows the perfect mix of investigation to personal lives of the team.
In this, the 19th book, a young man’s body is found lying under the trees. ME Keats was called and pronounced him dead. Except, he’s not. But then, soon enough, he is. The body is unnaturally posed into a letter. And he’s just the first. It would appear the murders are from someone seeking revenge for their past actions.
Meanwhile, Stacy is dealing with a stalker. And she’s keeping it all hidden from Kim, the team and her wife, Devon. And then, the stalker is killed when a car hits him.
Both plot points deal with vigilante justice and karma. Even the team is divided when discussing the vigilantes, because what would they do if faced with some of the same situations. “The voice that shouted loudest in her head still said that no one had the right to take the law into their own hands and that punishment was decided by the justice system. That voice just wasn’t as loud as it had once been.”
I adore Kim as a main character. Tough, gruff, but, oh boy, does she love her team and have their backs. The rest of the team is equally developed.
I will admit to being captivated by this book. It moves quickly with short chapters, so I was continuously thinking I’d read just one more chapter. There were several twists I didn’t see coming. And the ending was very satisfying - believable, no OTT action.
Fans of police procedurals should not miss this series. For someone who hasn’t read the series, I would recommend at least reading the prior book, Deadly Fate, as there is a continuing plot line.
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.

I started Bad Blood on Saturday and could not put it down. It’s the latest tense, gripping thriller in the DI Kim Stone series from Angela Marsons and each novel just gets better and better. We join Kim and her team as they are on the hunt for a serial killer and it’s a race against time as the bodies rack up. I was invested in this book from the first chapter and found it to be a pact thriller that had me completed enthralled from start to finish. Absolutely loved it. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

I know that I started this series late, but now that I'm fully caught up I'm not letting it slip between the cracks of my TBR mountain again. Of course the fact that the DI Kim Stone books just keep delivering one satisfying detective thriller after the other also plays a big role, and I always do a little happy dance whenever a new sequel appears on my kindle. I can't believe that Bad Blood is already book number nineteen, and it is yet another thrilling read that I simply couldn't put down.

Before I continue, I have to once again insist that this is definitely a series to read in order. You will find major spoilers for past events otherwise, and you won't be able to fully understand the dynamics between the different characters either. On top of this, Bad Blood in particular has major spoilers for the previous book as one of the storylines continues in this sequel. You will be in for one heck of a ride catching up in the first place, and the whole series is well worth your time.

I think that one of the reasons I'm enjoying this series so much has a lot to do with the cast of characters. I always have a fantastic time meeting up with Kim and the rest of the team, and they truly feel like old friends by now. The banter itself is absolutely brilliant, and I always look forward to their conversations. The humor makes for such a great contrast with the more serious content as well, and as a result the books always feel balanced. Bad Blood has once again some very serious developments on a personal level; ones that build on what happened in the previous book.

Part of the plot has to do with those personal developments, but there is also a main case that will keep Kim Stone and her team more than busy. Strange murders, unlikeable victims and lots of dead ends, possible suspects and new angles... It definitely adds a lot of suspense to the plot, and I can guarantee you that things will escalate towards the ending. The team focuses mostly on this main case in Bad Blood, but with its complexity I didn't mind the lack of other cases this time around. The whole situation definitely had me biting my nails! There is also something about the writing itself that is highly addictive, and I always find myself flying through the pages. It's a true pageturner indeed!

It comes as no surprise when I say that I once again really enjoyed my time with the DI Kim Stone series, and I'm glad that the ending gave us a little breather this time around. If you like your detective thrillers on the fast, engaging and twisted side and can appreciate a healthy dose of banter, you have found your next series to read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Can’t believe we are on book 19 of the Kim Stone series!

When a body turns up dead, but isn’t dead, but then quickly is dead, Kim and the team investigate. A vigilante is tweeting details of the crime scene and messing up the investigation. Then another victim turns up and a link to a young offenders prison is found.

Running along side this, is the continuation of Stacey’s stalker situation. When this progresses to another level, who can Kim trust?

Loved this as much as the 18 books before. Kim’s bluntness just works. The team dynamics are definitely a selling point of this series. I liked both storylines running alongside each other too. Plenty twists and turns throughout. I did work out the last twist not long before it happened, but there were plenty more that kept me guessing.

Highly recommend the whole series, or this as a standalone read.