Book Review:
Dead Souls (DI Kim Stone 6) by Angela Marsons
Published by Bookouture, 2017

Although it's a few years since I read Dead Souls, the plot is one that has remained in my mind. DI Kim Stone is reunited with her old adversary Detective Travis, as bones are discovered on mutual territory. As the pair reluctantly work alongside each other, Angela Marsons' skillfully woven storyline wraps its tendrils around Stone and Travis.

Kim Stone is such a readable character whose personality and cases suck you in from the word go. This case deepens further when a spate of hate crimes invades, threatening the case and the team. Marsons ramps up the pressure, making Dead Souls a tense and gritty page-turner.

Dead Souls can be read as a stand-alone, but I'd recommend reading the DI Kim Stone series in order to get the full background and to really get to know this wonderful character. With this series, Angela Marsons has placed herself among the top police procedural writers in the country, with each instalment earning glowing reviews.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Bookouture for providing an ARC via NetGalley; this is my honest review.

#AngelaMarsons #DeadSouls #Bookouture #NetGalley #BookReview

It is almost five years since Dead Souls released. I have been meaning to read and review this book for a long old time but *somehow* five years slipped by and the book remained on my kindle calling to me. Obviously the series has moved on somewhat since this sixth book was released so I am behind. This is excellent news for me though, it means there are lots more Kim Stone books to look forward to and there are fewer bloggers posting spoilers on the next title in the series as they post cryptic reactions to the latest Kim Stone cliffhangers 🙂

Although Bloggers do try to share reviews of new and upcoming books, good books never get old and an unread book will always be new to someone. Dead Souls is a great book and well worth the wait I put myself through to return to a favourite series.

Stone is reunited with her former partner. The two fell out some years before and relations remained tense ever since. They had worked for two different forces but now a body has been found in a field which sits on the boundary between the two different authorities and the pair will be brought together. It’s going to be a distraction from the investigation which is managing to grow arms and legs of it’s own (literally) as the body in the grave has more limbs than a body should – a mass grave? Multiple victims?

The centre of focus for Stone must be the two families that share the land. It’s an odd relationship as the landowners are allowing a second family to live on their land seemingly free of charge…what could have occured in the past for such a generous offer to be made?

Meanwhile Kim’s colleagues are stepping up to cover the other cases which Stone cannot assist with. There are a series of racially motivated attacks taking place and investigations suggest there may be links between the crimes. This is a difficult read as there are BNP and white supremacist characters who do not bring joy or entertainment to my reading. Their hatred is toxic but the police have to deal with the abuse and the anger of their suspects as they try to extract information through calm and patient questionning.

Angela Marsons does a great job of balancing the toxic elements of her supporting cast with a thoughtful and pertinant response. It gives this novel a much more gritty feel and you really want to see the bad guys get their comeuppance. Shocks in store on that front!

A great series and Dead Souls was a delight to return to after my extended hiatus.

This is the sixth book in the D.I. Kim Stone series and this book is better than the last. Now being as I gave the last one 5 stars, I'm not sure what that means for this one or the upcoming ones, but I heartily recommend it. In this outing, Kim and her team have a case of racism that goes back over twenty years and brings them up against one of the most vile people she has had to deal with. When a grave is found that is on the border between two districts, Kim has to team up with Travis, someone from her past. The grave has more than one body and the cause of death is confusing at best. Bryant, Dawson and Stacy are left to work on a series of brutal attacks and work out their own interpersonal relationships without Kim as a boss and referee. While Kim and Travis are working on finding out how the bodies ended up in a mass grave, one of the team works silently delving deeper into one angle until putting themself in danger. The cases they are working are very pertinent in today's world showing how racism and hatred can be carried to extremes.

Although all the cases are self-contained in each book, I definitely recommend reading them in order. The character development and team building progresses with each book. Having said that, you could read this one as a standalone. This story was so gripping, it has me listening non-stop. I didn't do much else that day as I didn't want to miss anything. It was interesting to see Kim's team working without her and how they managed. Each revelation added a twist that had my jaw drop. The subject of racism and prejudice is a difficult one, but it was well handled in this story even though it is a hard topic to deal with and stomach. The way the two mysteries, separated by over twenty years, are brought together was extremely well done. Dead Souls was a perfect title for this book. It is possible to be alive but have a dead soul as you will find in this book.

Angela Marsons can do no wrong in my view! This series is utterly brilliant!!! Kim Stone is one of the best crime fiction detectives and I just love these books. More please!

There's a lot going on in this latest installment in the im Stone series- there'a a mass grave, there's hate crime, there's her personal life. THat's realistic. This is fine as a standalone and it's a good read.

Great story by Angela Marsons as always!! Really well written, and another winner in the Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series!!

This book brings it ALL! It was an artful melding of twisted psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & Bookouture in order to read and provide a voluntary and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This is the sixth book in the extremely popular DI Kim Stone series and whilst it could be read as a standalone, there are several continuing story lines and references from previous books which a new reader may find confusing (in my opinion).

Dead Souls is another gripping story with a very disturbing subject matter, in fact I think this is probably the darkest of the series so far. In this book Kim is forced to work with a previous colleague in another team, one who she hasn’t spoken to in 4 years and really doesn’t want to work with. However her superiors have requested they work together on a new case when a collection of human bones are discovered.

Leaving her own team to investigate a series of hate crimes which are escalating, the dynamics between Stacey, Dawson and Bryant are uncovered in more detail, allowing the reader to finally get to know the team better as they each get more involved in the investigations.

Dead Souls tackles hate crime, suicide, racist behaviour and pure evil in a harrowing and often uncomfortable read. With relatively short chapters, it is so easy to get caught up in the “one more chapter” conundrum which when you pick up the book for a quick 10 minute read and look up at the clock to see you’ve been reading for over an hour – you realise that it’s another gripping, page turner and accept that you won’t be doing anything else until you finish the book.

Always a pleasure to read about DI Stone. This author is definitely up there in my top 5. I really enjoy reading these books as I live close to the areas mentioned and it really feels like I'm there in the story. Will definitely be purchasing the next in this series.

Dead souls by Angela Marsons.
Kim stone is back  but instead of working with her team she is working with Travis. They do not like each other. And they let the other one know about it. But after a skull is found while a Dr is teaching about crime scenes she asks for stone. But Travis turns up saying it's his crime scene. An absolutely fantastic read   I love this series.  Kim is still my favourite character.  I loved how she was with Travis. Omg what a twister of a read.  Cannot wait to read next one. 5*. Would give more if I could. Highly recommended.

I'm ashamed at how long it took me to read this book - but I am also glad I waited as it was worth it. A full review will be posted on my blog as soon as I can get to it, but I just wanted to post something as soon as I finished!

OMG What a book! Emotive and relevant as well as cleverly crafted, Angela Marsons nailed it with Dead Souls! After readng the prologue I was SCREAMING for more! Thank goodness I am having a #StoneBinge and catching up with Broken Bones next!

More to come on my blog but I definitely recommend this book and series!

Kim Stone is in my top 5 favourite detectives! She's ballsy, brave and has no bounds when it comes to finding her perpetrator. I love Angela Marson's series and can't wait for her next one. Dead Souls is up there as one of her best books.

What I loved about Angela’s latest work is the fresh approach she took in this book. I really liked the idea of pairing Kim up with Travis although Kim may not agree with me on that. It was interesting to see how they would work together, given their recent history and it also added another layer to the dynamics of her team. Whilst Kim is working with Travis, the rest of her team really begin to break out of their shells; one character who I particularly admired was Stacey who works alongside Bryant and Dawson. She really struck me as a strong individual especially when she was determined to see the case through. I also loved Dr A, particularly when she sides with Kim and belittles Detective Travis. I’d love to see her return in future books.

There is no doubt that Angela knows how to keep her readers hooked. The tension in this book had me reading well into the night as I raced to find out what the final outcome would be. After the end of each book, Angela always leaves me wanting more, which is why I’m sure that the Kim Stone series will continue to be a hit with readers.

DI Kim Stone is back and is being taken out of her comfort zone. Another brilliant read from Angela Marsons. Looking forward to number 7 in the series

I have to admit that this book was a "heart in my mouth" kind of book, a lot of the time. That isn't a bad thing, but the subjects of Kim Stone's investigation this time around are the worst of the worst and the descriptions of some of the characters definitely pushed quite a few of my buttons! Suffice to say that the author covered this topic brilliantly.

Kim Stone is on the job, trying to figure out the puzzle of human remains buried in some farmland quite some time ago and how that relates to people in the present time. As this story unfolds, I found myself almost disbelieving that people could be so awful to other people, for no reason other than that they were different to themselves, but unfortunately I know that this is only too true.

I truly wish that there weren't people out there in the community who resemble the people in this book, but unfortunately there are. It certainly makes you think, which is what I like about the whole Kim Stone series actually, and this book in particular. I really like the character of Kim Stone and I am glad there are quite a few books yet to come, starring this amazing police officer and her team.

A well deserved 5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture. All opinions expressed are my own.

Bookouture and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Dead Souls. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Doctor A, a forensic archaeologist with which DI Stone has worked in the past, calls Kim over bones that she found during a scheduled dig. As the land sits between two jurisdictions, Kim ends up having to deal with a familiar foe, DI Travis. There is a lot of hostility, so the bosses decide that a joint investigation is necessary to increase the good will between the stations. Journalist Tracy Frost is constantly at their backs, although the animosity that has plagued the relationship with Kim Stone has lessened since their shared trauma. Leaving Kim's team to work on cases of their own, will an overlooked incident help the investigators focus the search for the suspect? Will one of their own pay the ultimate price?

Kim Stone is a tough as nails but compassionate investigator. She never shies away from danger, but is not so reckless that she places others in harm's way. The mystery was not too well hidden in Dead Souls, as I figured out the central perpetrator early on in the novel. The plot is fast paced, giving the story a good flow that continued from the first page to the last. I would recommend Dead Souls to readers who like police procedural mystery thrillers. There is a lot of history between the characters of this book, so readers who are new to the series would be advised to start from book one.

Angela Marsons !!!

Do I need to say more?

Her name says everything! She established herself as one of the best crime authors today! Every next book that comes out of her pen is even better than the previous one. Just shame on me that I needed so long to review it.

When you are doing a research on an archaeological site, you expect to find ancient things, bones from ancient times. But when the bones seem to be not so old, it is obvious that something fishy is going on. Detective Kim Stone and her team are having a new case of murder. The investigation leads the team to the search back into the past and unsolved mysteries between the two families that own the property.

But what if history is repeating?

This time Kim Stone has to work with DI Tom Travis and his team. A long time ago, these two people were partners and friends, but something happened and soon after that, Kim is out and moves to Black Country. There is a tension between Kim and Tom and they simply can’t stand being around each other. But for the sake of the investigation, they have to work together.

Book number six is more about Stacey or DC Stacey Wood. Stacey is part of the team and this time we see more of her personal life. In order to prove herself and face her everyday struggles in her personal life, she follows her instinct and starts her own investigation that almost costs her life. But as a part of Kim Stone’s team, soon she learns that the team is always there for her, no matter what.

The author touches sensitive subjects this time. There is the treatment of women in the police forces, racial issues, religious issues, LGTB issues, hate crimes and the authors incorporates them well. Sadly, these are most timely subjects for what is happening in our world today.

What to say more? I LOVED THE BOOK!!! Totally enjoyed it! If you are looking for a gripping and nail-biting read, then look no further. This is a perfect read for you! Totally recommended from the bottom of my heart.

As always Angela Marsons delivers!
This read...#6 in the D.I. Kim Stone series...was no exception, her writing is consistently good and her plots are unique and gripping in every way.
The best part is that these books can be read as stand alone's, though I feel pretty certain that if you read book #1 you will be busting to get hold of the next book and the next and so on, until you are eagerly anticipating the release of the next.
I already have #7 waiting on my shelf and looking forward to settling down with it for my next D.I. Kim Stone fix!

5⭐️s

Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookoutre for this ARC.

Another great read from Angela Marsons! Love Kim Stone and she just keeps getting better with every book.

This is the third book in the series I have read so far, I seem to skip the odd one, but fortunately they can be read as standalone books. I will now make a concerted effort to read the other books in the series to catch up!

Another well-written crime thriller by Angela Marsons and 5 stars from me.