Fabulous new thriller from Angela Marsons. A real roller coaster of a ride, began to live every minute as the race to save the girls goes on. Great characters and great plot twists.

Initially I thought 'Lost Girls' was a five star book, but a show on Investigative Discovery made me change it to three stars and I hate to give anything away.

It was the Sian O'Callaghen episode on the show "See No Evil", that made realize it just wasn't plausible for the woman whom lured the two girls to be feet away from entering a Police Station, only too be grab by one of kidnappers, no one see her and ends up be viciously killed.

Yet due to ID, A&E, HLN, watching to much true crime shows. I thought it was plausible how Stone and Bryant found the kidnapper's location and several parts in the story where hard too believe or even plausible.

Yet that show, shows a police station in it's footage where the detectives are working on the investigation and it had camera's all over it, feel it's not plausible or believable that what the author wrote could actually happened.

While the books, well written, how can you not like DI Kim Stone, she's damaged, tough, fierce even, will do anything for victims to solve their cases. With the case of the kidnap girls, she's put on the case due to the request of one of the parents, yet it effects her due to the nightmares from her childhood and the loss of her little brother.

Really it has a intertwining storyline, decent police procedural, you have a unsolved kidnapping, a new one and back story of Kim's childhood. It's fast pace, chocked full of twist and turns, the roller coaster the author puts the reader on with her words, a couple of red herrings and I figured out who the third kidnapper was, based on the girls being left outside the house.

While it involves kidnapped young girls, no child gets killed and one is even rescued that everyone assumed was dead. Definitely a worth Angela Marsons a worthy author to read, she comes up with some intriguing schemes, created a great character in DI Kim Stone and if you like the police procedural genres, then you'll like this author.

As usual another great read from one of my favourite authors.


Very well written easy to pick up storyline from previous books

I enjoyed this immersly.

D.I. Kim Stone and her team are back again in the third book of this series penned by Angela Marsons. Two nine year old girls have been abducted as they waited to be picked up by their parents. Kim and her team are on the case, but they have been warned that there is a media blackout and no one can discuss or leak information. This is due to what happened the year before when two other girls were abducted. When the media got a hold of it, only one girl was returned. Kim plans not only on rescuing the girls, but bringing the body of the other girl home for her mother.

Kim Stone is a great character. Each book gives us a bit more of her background, so we can understand what makes her tick. She is very flawed and has a lot of baggage. That does not prevent her from doing her job, it just means she sometimes crosses the line when she does it. Her team is also driven. Bryant is the closest thing she has to a friend, and he does cross her line sometimes, but he is the only one she allows to get close, or challenge her. The parents in this story are both likeable and infuriating. I felt for them, but at times wanted them to do something. The girls were so endearing. Friends that held onto each other to endure what was happening to them. This book had me gripping it tightly as I read about this crime. I read long after I had planned to go to bed because I was coming closer to the end and the solution. The ending had me cheering and smiling wide. I loved this book with its twists and trails to follow. I will say there was more violence than I was expecting, but it was not described while occurring, just what the autopsy revealed. A great addition to this series and I am moving on to Play Dead.

Lost girls by Angela Marsons is a good crime/thriller book that had me gripped from the first page. Will be looking out for more by this author.

Another excellent book by an author I love! Fantastic story and more great characters. Roll on the next one :)

Kim went to the gym and said she was on police business. There were rows of machines and she found her target. All Kim cared about was one women’s involvement in the death of nineteen year old Dewain . Kim straddled the machine and the shock on Tracy Frost’s face almost pierced her rage. Than Kim asked how Tracy could break that story. Because of Tracy Dewain was dead now. Dewain had been a teen from the Hollytree estate and been in a gang called the Hollytree Hoods for about three years but had wanted to get out. The gang got wind of it and stabbed him and left him for dead . But a passerby performed CPR . That was when Kim called to investigate attempted murder. Her first instruction was only his family was to know Dewain was still alive . It would get back to the gang and they would find a way to finish him off. Kim had spent the night by his bed he would breath on hi sown. She had wanted to know the brave young man who had decided gang life wasn’t for him. Kim had begged Tracy not to break the story but Tracy did anyways. Kim said she would find a way to make her pay for what she did. Tracy said she would have Kim’s job for that. Kim was a loner, and a survivor after a bad childhood , totally devoted to her job but also had a big heart that she managed to keep hidden. Kim got a call from her boss to come into the station on what was suppose to be her day off. There was Superintendent Baldwin in the office also and Kim had only ever seen him on TV. Kim was told to sit down. Then she was told there was an abduction this morning of two young girls- she asked if it was like the last time. She hadn’t been part of the investigation but she had been interested. One of the girls hadn’t come back last time and her body was never found. Her boss said they weren’t sure but initially it appeared so. The two girls had been best friends and last seen at the Old Hill Leisure centre. Both mothers had received a text to confirm the girls had been kidnapped. Woody was there and said they ordered a media blackout. Than Kim was told she was requested to head the case by one of the parents and the parents wouldn’t speak to anyone else. The girls were Charlie Timmons and Amy Hanson and were nine years old. The mother requesting Kim was Karen and said she was a friend of Kim’s. Kim knew no Karen timmons and she definitely wasn’t a friend as kim had no friends. But then Kim was given her maiden name of Holt. Kim said this woman was no friend of hers. When Kim got to Karen’s home an officer opened the door and let her know the other mother was there also. Elizabeth was the other mother. Kim wanted to be lead officer and did get the job on request her boss was putting both their butts on the line. Bryant and Kim went back to the centre and set the alarm off to get someone there to open it up. Brad came through. Looking at the film from the camera security system and after talking to Brad they got a description of the kidnapper and was told he was a cop. So someone was impersonating a cop . Then they went back to the film and saw a woman watching the changing room and when the girls came out she hid her face. The girls knew this woman. The kidnappers second message pitted the once close friends against each other to get their daughter back. The couple who offers the highest ransom will get their daughter back. The kidnappers targeted wealthy families that are best friends. Kim seems to be outwitted at every turn and uncovers a trail of dead bodies. Kim realizes these are the most deadliest killers she has ever been against.
I totally loved this book. It had a great plot and pace. I advise you to read the other books in this series for a smoother read, This has a lot of suspense and intrigue. 9i was on the edge of my seat a lot while reading this book and I didn’t want to put it down. This had my attention form the first page until the last. This had great writing. I couldn’t find anything to criticize in this book happily. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend it.

Summary from Goodreads:

"Two girls go missing. Only one will return.
The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad.

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?"

My Thoughts:

I've been meaning to read this book for months and am so glad that I finally did just that! I have a tendency to hoard books in my favorite series but never read them as I don't want to run out of books to look forward to (yes, I'm weird like that). But then I realized that there are seven books in this series and I've fallen way behind so I decided it was time to start catching up. Reading this book reminded my why I love this series so much. It was heart-poundingly good and such a thrill ride! The premise is honestly too horrifying to think about. Two families are torn apart when their daughters are kidnapped and to get them back they are told to make the highest bid. I cannot even imagine and wouldn't want to! It raised the tension level in this book to about a ten though which meant that I didn't want to stop reading. I loved the fact that in this book we got to see a different type of investigation for Kim to be working rather than a murder investigation. The thoughts of what these two missing girls must be going through was haunting Kim and even effecting her investigation at times. As I've said before, she is one of my favorite main characters in a mystery series due to her personality and dark past. She is just so interesting to read about and you never know what she is going to do next. That was definitely apparent in this book as she was basically willing to do anything to get those girls back. I found the last half of the book so incredibly intense that I basically couldn't stop reading. I was cooking dinner last night with one hand and had my kindle in the other. Seriously, I had hit the point of no return and just had to see how it was all going to end!

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much and found that it was another great addition to one of my favorite mystery series! I can't say enough good things about this series or these books. I've been reading them in order but I really do think that you could read them out of order without it effecting your enjoyment of each book. If you enjoy tense, thrilling reads then this is a series for you. Each book has been different but so compulsively readable. The first two books made my best of lists for the years that I read them and I don't think that this one will be any different. I'm kicking myself now for waiting so long to read this book. Luckily, I already have book four loaded on my kindle so I won't be waiting much longer to dive into that one. I would highly recommend this book and this series!

Bottom Line: Another top read from one of my favorite series!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

This thrilling and suspenseful read was a great book that I'm glad is in my library, it had my heart racing, and my fingers inching to turn the page! It was a great read and it was written well! A refreshingly well written book!

4.5 stars

A brilliantly written story with a fast paced edge of your seat plot that kept me hooked throughout. I couldn't put it down and I'm looking forward to the next

It was a thrilling book about a hard to talk about subject.

Great read! The author tells a great story. I look forward to reading more from this same author.

This was my first experience of Marsons' D.I. Kim Stone series, even though it is the third instalment. I love thrillers and crime/detective novels, so I'm incredibly grateful to the author/publishers for allowing me a copy of this book via NetGalley.
A year ago, two young girls were kidnapped. Only one came home.
Two more girls have gone.
There are several obstacles for the team to overcome: Is it the same persecutor as last time? Will they be using the same location? What do they want? Are the girls even alive still?
Stone knows one of the mothers from her younger years spent in care. They never got on, yet she still requests Kim to lead the investigation.
Marsons gives an in-depth insight to the workings of the case, including the emotional effect on the workers. The use of a "profiler" was a nice touch, even if she was constantly hated and insulted at the start. (I'm looking into some kind of psychological side of crime for a uni course, so it was interesting to see what role she played. My psychology course at A Level also means I understand some of the references mentioned, which made me rather happy.)
With the help of a negotiator, a crazy psychic and the survivor of the last case, Kim manages to narrow down the search location. But the clock is ticking.
Throughout the course of this investigation, Kim is hung up on a previous failure. She'd always blamed a reporter for the death of a young man, but what if it wasn't her fault? What if someone else was really to blame?
We also see into Kim's past through small instalments of memories. Bit by bit, we conjure an image of her character, her experiences and feelings. She comes across as bit of a bitch, but shows her tenderness when trying to save the girls. Her relationships with different characters in the novel also reveal different strengths and weaknesses.
While the investigation is going on, the couples go through several different domestic issues. Leads are being found and extinguished all around, and the previous case notes provide little help. The tension builds as they struggle to keep hope alive.
The end includes a few somewhat predictable twists, but isn't bad. Some non-crime-related developments are quite unexpected, though, proving that this is more than a simple detective novel.
An interesting read, but not particularly outstanding. 3.5 stars out of 5.

It's no secret that it is in fact Angela Marsons who corrupted my reading passion from chick-lit & romance and got me hooked on crime thrillers with a psychological twist. I fell head over heels in love with this addiction when I read her debut novel Silent Screams, and now, after reading Lost Girls - A D.I. Kim Stone Novel #3 I'm hooked again.

The thing with addiction is you are left with the question of; "Can I ever get clean?" and I have to say - if Angela continues writing the way she does - I'm done for! There's no way I can ever become 'clean' from this genre.

Lost Girls had my heart beating so fast and launching itself in my mouth I was almost begging the tormentors to stop and at the same time, I was desperate for Kim Stone to find the evil buggers and get them locked up!

I do firstly have to say that the ending - Angela - You did GOOD - REAL GOOD there! I did not expect that!! I was kept on the edge of my seat right up until the very end and then like a hit of something naughty - the come down leaves you feeling out of sorts (which is why I recommend having more than 1 of Angela's books to hand - that way you can continue your addiction reading feast immediately!).

When 2 girls go missing, best friends and under the age of 13 your heart really does begin to break. We see it all too often in the news, and Angela captures this torment spectacularly. I was close to vomiting at times when I read about the kidnappers stripping the children 'naked' and then getting the clothes left in their parents garden - whilst Kim Stone and her team are there I might add - ahem! However, apologies if this is a 'spoiler' for you, but I have to reassure you that the young girls weren't fully naked, they still had their swimming costumes on! It's not much but it does give you a sense of relief and reassurance. Perhaps?

As with any crime thriller with a psychological twist, I strived to work it out and crack the case - but Angela is just too good for me. I can't even begin to build a theory because Kim Stone comes along and smashes it to pieces when she connects the dots quicker than a bomb disposal expert can cancel the wiring of a timed bomb!

Lost Girls had a brilliant ending - one that left me breathless, screaming OMFG! in shock at exactly just who was involved in this awful crime, and one that also brought peace and solace to some families in the story.

Like I said, I had to start book 4 after this one because I simply was left wanting more. Excellent Work Angela! You've done it again!