4.5 stars
Dead Souls is book 6 in Angela Marsons D.I. Kim Stone series. Each book in the series is stand alone with crimes solved by the end of the novel but to get a real understanding and feel for the character of Kim Stone I would recommend reading the series from the beginning with “Silent Scream”.

Multiple storylines run through the novel with one taking Kim away from her team to work with D.I. Travis, a previous working partner with whom she has unresolved issues. This gives the story a lighter side as the two bicker and sulk their way through the case.

With a main theme of racism running through the novel the tension and fear are tangible. The pace is fast and the small break between the different storylines worked well for me in keeping the events all together.

Angela Marsons has cemented herself a spot on the must read shelf for me.

This brilliant series is just getting better. Hard to believe after reading each book that it can't get better, but it definitely does. Detective Inspector Kim Stone is sharing an investigation with Detective Inspector Tom Travis, who she has worked with previously. As we all know Kim by now, she doesn't like sharing investigations. This crime borders on both Detective Inspectors patch.. The discovery of bones in a farmers field warrants a murder inquiry. Whilst Kim is on this investigation, her team, Bryant , Dawson and Stacey are investigating a series of hate crimes. Both investigations are fraught with tension. This book, as with the previous 5 books, in the series, drew me in from the start. A fantastic book which had me on the edge of my seat.

Another stinking read from the amazing author Angela Marsons. This is Book 6 in the Kim Stone series, a series which has gone from strength to strength. Just when you think her books can’t get any better they jump up and slap you round the face and force you to read them in pretty much one sitting - the well used phrase ‘ page turner’ was pretty much invented for these books.
Once again the usual characters return and this time you find out more about what makes them tick and who they are - this time involved in the nasty work of solving hate crimes. I won’t say any more as I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone - but give it a read, you won’t be disappointed!

"The truth was dead and buried…until now.
When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.

As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.

Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.

But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy - and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?"

Another 5 star book from Angela Marsons. Her characters are believable and they all go on a journey throughout the 6 books in the series. During this instalment I felt as if we saw a softer side to Kim Stone as we delved into her past with Detective Travis. Another character I felt that we got to understand (which was a long time coming) was Stacey. The plot about hate crimes was completely believable.

I would definitely recommend this for anyone who loves a good thriller, mystery or is interested in crime. An easy 5 star rating.

Roll on the next instalment of Kim Stone!

I was in a reading lull for a few months until I picked up this book and then I could not put it down until I finished it. Angela Marsons is a master when it comes to writing thriller. Kim Stone is one of my favourite characters ever written. Dead Souls is another amazing installment in this series and it is just as addictive as the rest.

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC of Dead Souls. The first in the Kim Stone series i have read and it won't be my last. The characters are likeable and the topic of Hate Crime very relevant and current and certainly explored it well. The story kept me gripped all the way through with twists and turns and the writing and suspense kept me up late at night reading and raced through it. I can't wait for the next one.

Oh my oh my, where has my head been. I've been a little over excited when I realised Angel Marsons had book 7 in the Kim Stone series due out. And flicking back through my books realised I haven't read book 6... ahhhhhh bad me. But is it really bad me? Maybe it didn't get lost on a carrousel of a million books on my kindle. Maybe, just maybe I have such good will power that I was able to save this book and read it just before the new one comes out, so that I can have a Kim Stone binge.  mmmmmmm You Decide!
​Loved being back with Kim Stone, what a character she is. 
The problem this time around is Kim ends up having to share a case, a joint investigation with someone who, for some reason really doesn't like her, but it seems the feeling could be mutual. 
I felt like I'd really gotten involved during this investigation. I was gripped to the pages, I had to read it at every opportunity but then ended up sad as I got towards the end. I think a lot of the characters really shone in this book, it's great getting to know familiar characters even more and I think Angela managed that no problem here. 
​The only fear I have now is that Angela keeps raising the bar on her books, and she needs to shoot for the sky to better this one, I look forward to finding out what Kim has in store next. 
​An exceptional story. Fantastically put together.

As the cover of this book states, this is the sixth book in the D.I. Kim Stone series and you really should pick up the previous five books (Silent Scream, Evil Games, Lost Girls, Play Dead and Blood Lines) in order to understand Kim as a main character and the team she works with. Plus this is one of my favourite D. I. series which I highly recommend it.

When a collection of human bones is during a routine archaeological dig a Black country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene and need the expertise of D.I. Kim Stone. Too bad it's outside of her jurisdiction by a hair. However, this brass have other ideas and Kim is forced to work with Det. Travis who she has a troubled past with and the fact that he despises her does not help. As they dig deeper and the bones are sorted they uncover that these people died in horrible ways from animal traps to bullet holes. While Kim is away Bryant is in charge of the team and they are dealing with an increased amount of malicious Hate Crimes that shake the team to the core that eventually puts more than one of them in danger. Can Kim uncover what happened in the Black County fields in order to save her team?

I am a big, no make that HUGE fan of Marsons, right from her first book in this series, Silent Scream, I knew that she was an author to watch out for and I was right. After five books the series was still going strong, but I did start to wonder if Marsons could continue to come up with interesting and twist worthy plots with the release of her sixth book. I think that this was one of the weaker books in this series so far. This is not to say that I did not enjoy it however, I thought that it was a bit slower than the previous books and lacked some of the imagination was not there. I also found that after reading the five previous books, you get to know that Marsons does have a formula which works great but I think that it is time to change it up a bit as I was able to see the connections fairly early while reading this book. What I did love about the plot was that it had the small town feel where everyone keeps the secret until the very end just to protect the town and themselves as well as the idea that the past can never stay buried for long.

What I appreciated in this book was that we got to know Kim better as a character in the present, not focus so much on her tortured past and focused on some of her history within the police force. This comes when she is forced to work with her former partner Travis. Lets just say they did not end on good terms, and if you have read the previous books in this series you will see that things are very much sour between them. Marsons also highlighted not only how much her team relies on Kim's leadership but how much Kim relies on Bryant and how she acts when he is not there. Bryant is very much the strongest member on their team.

There was also more development of the secondary characters as Kim is away, especially Stacey. I'm not sure if Marsons took a lot of reviewers critiques from the last book about Stacey's use of language and British slang, but it was not as nearly as bad in this book as it was in the previous. I think that Stacey was really the last character of Kim's team to be developed as a character past the computer wiz and online expert and I am glad that Marsons took the time to give more of Stacey's backstory and really give her more of a backbone in this book as well.

While this book is not my favourite in the series and I found it slower at times, I did appreciate getting to know Kim better as a character. On a whole this series is extremely solid, one of my favourite out there and I recommend it any chance I get. I now have to wait for the seventh book in this series, and it cannot come fast enough. Seriously check out this series I do not know what you are waiting for.

Enjoy!!!

Dead Souls (D.I. Kim Stone #6)
Angela Marsons

Another great read by Angela Marsons.
This is definitely one of my favorite crime series to date.

“The truth was dead and buried…until now.
When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone. “
Seems like the detective is struggling to make sense of this case, hits wall after wall and not getting anywhere at all. Appearances aren’t always what they seem…

“As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.”
The horror what these people went through is much more than they imagined. The truth will chill you to the bone…

“Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.”
Kim has a history with Detective Travis. Coping, to work alongside him, is harder than she thought. But will they put their differences aside to solve this case, or will their history tear it apart?

But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy - and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?
The clock is ticking... Feeling frustrated and guilty, Kim and her team race against time to save one of their own. But will they make it in time?

Novel: Dead Souls (D.I. Kim Stone #6)
Author: Angela Marsons
Genre: Crime Thriller
Review Rating: 5 Stars
Cover: 5 Stars
Characters, interaction, and plot layout: 5 Stars
Publication Date: 28 April 2017.
Do I recommend this: Highly
Would I buy this book for myself or a friend: YES!

I highly recommend this novel for all crime thriller readers.

**********Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and author Angela Marsons for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.**********

This book broke me. I just finished this in the evening of the events that took place in Charlottesville. It is 3am so my review may be a little garbled, but I needed to do it.

If you are not in the states, you may not have heard that today during a right wing protest, a group of counter protestors was injured and at least three people killed, after a car mauled down the crowd. This is real life. Dead Souls...my lord, this book could not have been more horrifying if Ms. Marsons tried.

Hate crimes are real. To this day.

I have been a long time fan of the Kim Stone series for some time and this took writing to a new level. I honestly held off reading this one for some time because I wanted to brush up on her previous books first.

So back to Dead Souls. As I said this book took the series to a whole new level. Sure, past books in the series have made me sad, stay up all night, squirm, etc, but this hits so close to real life now...it's scary.


Kim is forced to work with her arch nemesis, Tom Travis from another police district( I think that's what they are called). Along with Travis, both police teams are pulled into a bevy of seemingly unrelated crimes. The one thing fueling all these crimes? Hate.

I did not see the end coming and I was so unnerved many times during the last few chapters, I might have had to mentally remind myself to breath.




Just read it.

This is the 6th book in the Kim Stone series. It doesn't disappoint in the twists and turns of the story. Kim is being separated from her team to work with a man from her past.

A bone has turned up in an archaeological dig. Who's is it? What else are they going to find? A boy committed suicide, a spat of racial abuse and even murder. What has Kim Stone and her team fallen into? Which of her team is in trouble and at what cost would Kim Stone go to save them?

All will be revealed in the sixth book called Dead Souls.

We are all guilty, at some point in time, of voicing or acting out some sort of prejudice; most of us more out of ill temper or frustration than actual ill intent. And I would hope that for most of us, our inherent kindness outweighs our occasional lapses of judgment. Not so the characters in Angela Marsons Dead Souls. They are deadly serious in their intentions to rid their neighborhood of anyone not racially pure - and for that, read white.

Added to those problems, an archeological dig has unearthed bones, human bones, and it soon becomes apparent that there is more than one set. Where have they come from? Marks on the bones indicate terrible deaths.

And as if all this is not enough for Detective Kim Stone to have to deal with, she is separated from her team and forced to work with Detective Travis, a man with whom she shares a troubled past.

I liken reading Marsons to big game fishing, with the reader as the fish. Marsons plays the reader with great skill and written dexterity. Sixth in a series of seven novels featuring Kim Stone, Marsons does not disappoint. She has more than kept up the initial pace and interest of the earlier books in the series. I am excitedly looking forward to #7.

Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Dead Souls by Angela Marsons for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was another gripping book from Angela Marsons that finally shed some light on cause of the difficult relationship between Stone and Travis and indicated a resolution. This story developed Kim Stone's character and gave an opportunity for her team to development without her direct guidance.
Today, the Independent wrote an article about the biggest rise in recorded hate crime in the UK with a 77% increase in the 11 months since the Brexit vote compared to the 11 months before in my Police force area. This story taps into shameful hate crimes that seems sadly topical at the moment, with angry frightened white men given "permission" by some of the hysterical right-wing rags to attack some of the most vulnerable people in our society. (Shame on the populist politicians and privileged newspaper owners/editors that encourage this!)
Despite the dark and painful subject matter, this is an excellent book that I would recommend to anyone. Although this would work as a stand-alone book, I believe my experience was more enjoyable for having read the previous 5 Kim Stone books.

Firstly many thanks to netgalley for an ARC in return for honest feedback. This is the sixth book in the Detective Kim Stone Series and it seriously does not disappoint!

Kim Stone enters a disturbing scene; a teenage boy has committed suicide after writing a letter to his mother, describing himself as a 'monster' This is a gripping thriller in which Kim Stone has a tough case to crack surrounding racial hatred and religious warfare. This book was expertly written and researched - covering topics that are very much current and sadly, a sign of the times. I enjoyed the further development of Kim's character; grittier, tougher and more determined than ever!

I cannot wait for the next book!

The following is my review as posted on Goodreads and Amazon.
Book six!! Book six!! How have we gotten to book six already?! Doesn't seem like two minutes ago when DI Kim Stone came storming into our lives on a motorbike and leathers with her trustee team.

Bones are discovered on the private land of a farming family during a training exercise on an archaeological dig. Once a successful working farm it has now fallen into disarray after the BSE crisis. As the grisly find lays between two police forces DI Stone is teamed with an ex colleague, DI Tom Travis. Her team are left to fend for themselves and find themselves working on what appears to be hate crimes.

This was at times a difficult read for me. Anything to do with hatred of any description is an uneasy topic and will never sit comfortably. Marsons enters a world that is dark and frightening and very much prevalent in our times. She doesn't shy away from the murky underworld reality that hides behind notoriety and keyboards working across cyberspace. What I liked about this book in particular is how Stone's team were given much bigger roles. No one really dominated the book in this instance and learning more about the background of her team brought about real depth which I loved.

Marsons has a canny ability to write hooks at the end of each chapter so again, you're driven to just keep turning regardless of whether you need to eat, sleep or live really!! Characters as always were vivid and suitably hateful and genuinely the speed picks up as the book moves along. My only slight niggle and it is a slight one is that I've come to expect Stone to take on the perpetrator towards the end. Getting into some kind of scrap; wrestling them to the ground. It's an expectation of her nature; it's who she is .... but still ..... just something slightly different would be good. Like I said, just the teeniest niggle in what is another fine example of Marsons knowing how to tell a rollercoaster story in her own inimitable style. Even with that niggle it's still a 5 star read. Seriously I don't know how she does it ..... what goes on in her head ..... and all in longhand!! Phew!!

I wonder if she's scribbling away!!

Highly recommend. Many thanks for my review copy.

In my opinion one of the best. I love the way each book is exploring the team and not just abt Kim,
Seeing a more personable Kim in this book was a good step too, otherwise the character could become to grate. Superb read and looking forward to book #7

Dead Souls is the 6th instalment in the DI Kim Stone series and for my money is by far the best. I absolutely adored this book, everything about it was just right. The books are all must reads for crime fans but this one blew me away.
Kim is taken away from her comfort zone, in fact all of the team are and the results make for a superb story that had me gripped all the way through. There was not one superfluous word throughout the book, just full on brilliant story telling. The story revolves around Hate Crime and whilst the team are all working on separate cases they all come together to a fantastic crescendo of an ending.

If you have read Kim Stone before you will love this, If you havent I am envious of you because you have 6 books to catch up on whilst I have to kick my heals waiting for the 7th. So what are you waiting for? its a no brainer, £1.99 on Kindle is a steal. Buy it.

It starts with Kim is being put in uncomfortable working with old colleague in case will test her patience, and her team were alone and having to work together . Their case was hate crimes. I did love how the writer changed the dynamics and seeing how the team survived with no leader .
This case focused other team membersI learned a lot about Stace and her background . The story end was fast like all her other books.

Very fast and easy to read, but I just wanted my team back together.

Angie Marsons can never do any wrong in my eyes! She never disappoints and always leaves me gagging for the next installment and Dead Souls (Kim Stone book 6) is no different.
No two books are the same and the series simply gains momentum with each book, dragging the reader along for a fresh & exciting ride. Angie Marsons never shies away from 'taboo' subjects, instead she always touches upon elements of diversity and writes about them artfully and sensitively.
As always, I would highly recommend new readers to start at the very beginning (Silent Scream).
Go buy these books!! NOW!!!
Roll on Book 7 😊

This author is one of my all time favorites. I have read everything by her and will continue. Highly recommend to everyone