Thanks once again to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review another "Kim Stone" crime thriller. Here we are at book number 16, and it never gets old.
This one just about killed me! I mean Symes is the worst criminal that has ever sprung from the mind of Ms. Angela Marsons - but it made for a dynamite read. And, I could easily have read it in one day - but what's the fun in that?
This sixteenth book sees the whole gang back together - Stone, Bryant, Penn and Stacey, along with their boss, Woody. And the central crime to the book is an exercise in family dynamics, mental health issues, adoption, revenge and more.
The case that Stone and crew are dealing with is the seeming decimation of a family - father and two young children - by their mother/wife; but all is not as it seems, and they soon realize that the roots of these killings run deep - very deep.
At the same time, the aforementioned Symes (from a previous book) has escaped his prison and is out for revenge - prompting the powers that be to a) refuse to allow Kim and company to investigate and b) assign Leanne (who we also have met before, and is a stone in Kim Stone's shoe) as protective detail.
Kim Stone and her crew work to unravel the mystery between the four (soon to be five) deaths and at the same time monitor what's happening with the efforts to recapture Symes, as the story barrels towards an explosive climax and a satisfying ending.
I would recommend you read the previous 15 stories in the series, but you could (if you don't mind being in the dark about some things) read this as a standalone.
Highly, very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this eARC.

I always look forward to reading a book from this series and so far Angela Marsons has never, ever disappointed me. You’d think that by book 16 would the series become perhaps tired, jaded, maybe dare I say it boring - and thankfully the answer is a resounding NO. This is a cracker of a read and as with all her previous Kim Stone books it is definitely my kind of read that I devoured in just over a day. The beginning was brilliant - talk about making me anxious and thinking who, how, why??? When the author draws you in immediately with her opening chapter I know I’m in for a treat. Kim and her team investigate four family murders where first initial impressions are that the mother killed her husband and children and then herself. I feel like I know Kim and her team so well and loved being back in their world and following their investigation. The separate story thread featuring a character I hated added depth to an already very good storyline. As always the author has pulled another great book out of the bag. It had everything I like - great writing, excellent plot, such likeable characters you just root for, twists and suspense. And those cliff hanger chapter endings just made me want to carry on reading, desperately wanting to find out what would happen next. I loved everything about this read, and didn’t want it to end. Long may this series continue. Can’t wait for the next one. If you love crime, police procedurals and not read any of the Kim Stone books you are in for a treat. Read them in order though and enjoy getting to know Kim and her team.

Wow! It's been a while since I've read a DI Kim Stone novel by Angela Marsons. I was hooked from the beginning. I would have read it one sitting but life got in the way.

Now, to go back to my kindle and read the ones in between that I've not read yet.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! My heart needs to rest now, this is an absolutely blood pumping ride that doesnt stop!!
Every time I read a Kim Stone book I say this...but I think this is the best one yet!
So hard to review without giving spoilers....will just say I LOVED IT!!

Very well written with loads of suspense and believable characters. The story moved at a good pace and kept me Interested to the end. I highly recommend as a excellent read that you don’t want to miss.

I’m always impressed when authors can continuously create book after book in a series without them getting dull or repetitive. At number 16, Marsons has once again proved it can be done. The book grabs you from the get go, beginning at a funeral, with the identity of the dead person left open, and then flipping back 13 days.
Kim Stone is investigating the suspected murder suicide of a family. What makes it unique is the mother is the suspected murderer. To add to the chaos, a man she put away has escaped from prison and is coming for her. She’s been saddled with a witness protection officer and forbidden from helping in the search for him or the young girls he kidnaps. This, of course, goes counter to everything Kim wants to do.
This series is always fast paced, with short chapters that keep the energy level up. Marsons had me second guessing myself with each chapter as to how I thought the crime was committed. I adore the mix of personal and professional that we get for all of the team members. I tore through this book and was loath to put it down for any reason. The ending was perfect.
I highly recommend the book (and series) to fans of Kerry Wilkinson, Robert Bryndza and Robert Dugoni. The book can be read as a stand-alone but the entire series is equally strong.
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.

I say this after every book from Angela Marsons that this is her best book yet, which is true they just get better and better.

A family wiped out but not is all as it seems and Kim Stone has someone out for her blood!

Totally gripping throughout, amazing read as always.

Another fantastic read by Angela. This series keeps getting better. I highly recommend everyone read this series.

Once upon a time there was a very wicked author who wrote the most amazing crime series, but an evil lurked inside her that made sure her readers lived in fear at what evil plot she would come up with next! No character, however popular, is safe. She takes bold decisions that keep this series from ever feeling stale or repetitive. Yes, I’m talking about Angela Marson. Sixteen books into the Kim Stone series and it’s still a case of ‘expected the unexpected’.

Six Graves opens with a heart pounding, nail biting, yet intriguing prologue. It will strike fear into the hearts of her readers. This book has two very intriguing threads. Kim and her team have their work cut out investigating the deaths of an entire family. But is it murder/suicide or something far more sinister? And an old adversary and vicious killer has escaped from prison and sworn bloody revenge on Kim. Leanne King is assigned to protect her. There’s no love lost between the two, but their dialogue borders on the hilarious. Although you sense as the book progresses, there may be a grudging respect developing between the pair.

The thing I love about this series, no matter how dark the plot, Marson injects humour into her novels.The verbal sparring between Kim and the rest of her team will have you chuckling away at the most inappropriate moments. I have said this many times before, but the characters are so well developed, each one feels like friends. You share the lows and their highs; you feel their fear and pain; you share their dreams, and that’s what makes this series such an outstanding success.

With two plots running side by side, there’s no chance for the reader to catch their breath. Each chapter urges you on to the next. There’s no time to waste! The tension and suspense in Six Graves is off the charts. I’m sure my heart rate was abnormally high throughout reading this book! I’m not sure I will forgive Angela Marsons, she really put me through the wringer reading Six Graves. She surprised me, shocked me, made me laugh and cry ugly tears. But once again the queen of crime thrillers has written an incredible, thrilling book. I would go as far to say ‘it’s my favourite book in the series so far’. Definitely one of my top reads this year.

4.5⭐️

#16 in the DI Kim Stone series

I absolutely loved the dedication, it’s got to be the best one I’ve seen 😂

That’s some hook of a prologue!
It has a good fast pace, and I loved the snippets of acerbic humour. I also like that a lot of the chapters end on mini cliff hangers.

There are 2 threads, the main case is a dead family (The Daynes) looking like murder suicide.
The second,a dangerous psychopathic incarcerated killer (Symes) has escaped. He has a grievance with Kim so she has a protection officer assigned to her called Leanne.

I couldn’t think of the young girl Emma Bunting without thinking if the Spice girls 😂
The characters are well drawn. I really felt for Rachel, her wastrel brother Zach is pretty useless.
Symes is an evil psychopath. So there’s characters to love, hate and want to shake up.
I really liked that Leanne was instantly able to see straight to the core of Kim and her behaviours.

I loved it, I think it’s one of my favourites in the series. There’s some good emotional content too.

Favourite quote about Barney ….’He was her soul balm, her best friend and the only thing that could bring her back to zero whatever kind of day she’d had’

Detective Kim Stone and her team are investigating what at first appears to be a house fire claiming the lives of four family members, but it turns out to be much worse. The victims actually died of gunshot wounds and the mother was found with the gun - did she really murder her family and then turn the weapon on herself? Of course there's more to it, and who do you think figures it out? There was a very clever figure behind this crime, and if it wasn't for Kim, that person may very well have got away with it, everyone writing it off as a family tragedy. When the team investigates further they find long hidden secrets that this family was desperate to keep, but it looks like time ran out and someone was out for revenge.

Meanwhile, one of the most dangerous criminals that Kim put away has escaped and is no doubt coming for her. She's forced into several protective measures which she can't stand, but she has no choice if she wants to keep working. One of these is a character we've met before, and I enjoyed seeing her again - the animosity between her and Kim is alive and well. It's nice to see someone not afraid to go toe to toe with Kim and even come out on top now and then! The scene with the toaster was brilliant.

This was one of the more emotional books in this series, especially in regards to Kim. We're used to seeing the tough image she presents but there's a true depth to her that's highlighted in this story. There's no one more dedicated to bringing justice to the most vulnerable of victims. And when I say she'll do whatever it takes, I mean that quite literally. The damage it inflicts on her this time is unimaginable, leading to an ending that no one will see coming.

I’ve read every book in the DI Kim Stone series and rated them all as 5 stars. Book 16, Six Graves is no exception. From page one you are taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as Kim and her team try to solve the case of the Daynes family. Whilst this case is ongoing, a dangerous psychopath Kim put behind bars has escaped prison and is looking for her.

This book is pure brilliance at its best. From page 1 this book will stick its claws in you and not let go until the breathtaking, heart-stopping ending. If I could rate this book more than 5 stars I would. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Absolutely brilliant! I have no idea how Angela Marsons maintains the quality of this series, there isn’t a bad book in all 16 of them. This is a fantastic read, I was completely engrossed.

Six Graves – Angela Marston

Detective Inspector Kim Stone is attending a teamwork activity with her homicide team in the British countryside, when a patrol car comes screeching to a stop Two officers from the tactical driving unit exit and instruct Kim that she needs to come with them now, per orders of Captain Woodward. After a spirited argument, she agrees, noting that one of the officers is armed, which is unusual. Upon arriving at headquarters, she learns that a prolific murderer that she had captured, Symes, has managed to escape from prison. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’ll be coming for Kim. She is assigned a witness protection officer, Leanne King, to be by her side until Symes is re-captured. She is also forbidden to participate in the search for the killer.

Shortly thereafter, she and her team are called to a homicide scene, where a family of four has been found dead, with the gun found on the floor beside the deceased mother. As Kim and her team dig into the background of this family, they find some interesting family dynamics in the survivors, which leads to more questions than answers. Despite a long history of depression, nothing on the scene indicates to Kim that this woman was planning to kill her family. In fact, they were due to accept a foster child into their home the very next week. But who would want them dead? What is the family not telling them? Why is there a sealed record from years ago? Does it have any bearing on the present?

As Kim and her team work to find the answers, another member of the family is killed, when she is struck by a car in the street. Finding this latest death too coincidental, the team digs even deeper in their search for a motive which they hope will lead them straight to the killer. Meanwhile. Symes is closer than anyone suspects, just waiting to make his move. He will never forgive her for his capture, or the loss of an eye during that last encounter - and he has absolutely nothing to lose…so when he can’t get to her, he finds a way to draw her to him…but will either of them survive the showdown?

This is the 16th novel in the Kim Stone series, and yet the first from this author that I’ve read – I loved it! I had no idea this series existed, and I will most definitely be reading more of Kim’s exploits. Easily read as a standalone, but there are references to prior situations that make me want to read the series from the beginning. For me, there’s not much better than a new series to dig into! I also loved the author’s book dedication to her 93 year-old fan as well!!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Another brilliant and hard to leave down book from Angie Marsons, I’m slowly working my way through the series but couldn’t resist requesting this one when it became available. I think my heart actually stopped towards the end but I’m glad that there will be more books to look forward to. A five star plus read.

When Detective Kim Stone is called to the scene of a house fire, she discovers the bodies of the Daynes family - two teenage children and their parents. However, all is not as it seems. The family weren’t killed by the fire or smoke inhalation, but by gunshot wounds! The mother, Helen Daynes, was holding the gun.

Investigations reveal that Helen had a long history of clinical depression. Would that have been enough to want her family dead as well as herself?

The investigation has only just begun, when a dangerous psychopath escapes from jail. Symes has it in for Kim after she foiled his plan of kidnapping and torturing two little girls. She faces the most dangerous encounter of her entire career. She will never have faced an adversary quite as monstrous as this excuse for a human being.

So severe is the threat, that she has to have the services of a protection officer, and if you’re familiar with Kim, you’ll know that this doesn’t go down well to say the least! Especially as it’s someone she can’t stand.

I just love the characters in this wonderful series, their development has been terrific, all complex but very relatable - every book feels like a reunion with people I care about, and this particular storyline really hits where it hurts for those of us who can’t get enough of this brilliant series (made MY heart beat I can tell you)!
Fast paced and gripping as ever, book 16# is still as interesting and inventive as the first. Don’t ever stop Ms Marsons!

This is book 16 in the DI Kim Stone series and it is still going strong! This book opens with a very ominous prologue, I was almost loath to continue but I did. Then we went back 13 days. A bunch of police teams are out in the country on team building exercises, every worker’s pet hate! Kim is summoned by DCI Woodward before it all wraps up to be told some really, really bad news.

Symes- a vicious killer who has sworn bloody revenge on Kim for capturing him and spoiling his anticipated fun in torturing two little girls - has escaped from custody and is still at large. Woodward assigns protection for Kim in the form of Leanne King. She is livid but is given no choice. Soon her team have an apparent murder/suicide of a family of four to investigate. With Leanne dogging her every step they begin to dig deep into the family background to work out why a mother would kill her children, her husband and then herself. But things are not as they seem with the Daynes family. Something in the past caused some deep seated trauma for Helen, the mother. Rozzie, the daughter, has been getting trolled viciously on her social media accounts and the surviving two children - Rachel and Zach, both adults and married do not get on very well.

Meanwhile, Symes has been busy planning his grand finale. He doesn’t care if he survives it. He almost expects to be caught or killed but nothing will deter him from his plan. He abducts first one little girl whose mother looks away for a few seconds, then another is abducted in full view in a daring snatch and grab outside a school. This, of course, is to entice Kim to come for him even though she has been expressly forbidden by Woodward. Other teams are working these abductions. But Symes knows just how to get to Kim.

This was a very dark story. Symes is pure evil! He has no better nature to appeal to. Kim is getting close to solving the Dayne family murders but she is also chaffing at not being allowed to search for the abducted girls. Kim and Leanne really don’t like each other and some of their verbal sparring is quite amusing. Towards the end there is a level of grudging respect between them. Leanne is only doing her job as a protection officer and she is very good at it. The pace of this book is relentless. You know from page one there is going to be a showdown and as I got closer to the end I was really dreading it. I can’t say any more except - if you have been following this series you really need to read this book. And if you haven’t been following the series - why not? It’s one of the best crime series out there.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Another fantastic read by Angela Marsons. I imagine that it is an incredible feat for an author to produce 16 books and a novella inside 7 years but to make sure they are all 5 star worthy is really impressive. The series revolves around half a dozen characters and even after so many books there are still facets of their personality to be revealed. This book is really 2 stories in one, there is the murder/suicide case that is not as straightforward as it seems as well as the serious threat to Kim's life. I was absolutely gobsmacked when the killer of the family was exposed, I had not even considered that person. I thought the prologue to this story was a work of genius, it gave the reader just enough of a temptation that to try to put the book down before the end would have been totally futile. As always this book can be read as a standalone and I imagine any new reader will be purchasing the author's back catalogue almost immediately.

A Kim Stone book always packs a punch! I read this book with my heart in my mouth expecting it to end a certain way - no spoilers, but wow, Angela Marsons knows how to write a twist. Loved every page, can’t wait for the next one.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Bookouture and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A brilliant read I couldn’t put down. I read it all in one sitting.