Dying Truth - Angela Marsons

Dying Truth

(Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 8)

About the book…

How far would you go to protect your darkest secrets?

When teenager Sadie Winter jumps from the roof of her school, her death is ruled as suicide – a final devastating act from a troubled girl. But then the broken body of a young boy is discovered at the same school and it’s clear to Detective Kim Stone that these deaths are not tragic accidents.

As Kim and her team begin to unravel a dark web of secrets, one of the teachers could hold the key to the truth. Yet just as she is about to break her silence, she is found dead.

With more children’s lives at risk, Kim has to consider the unthinkable - whether a fellow pupil could be responsible for the murders. Investigating the psychology of children that kill brings the detective into contact with her former adversary, Dr Alex Thorne – the sociopath who has made it her life’s work to destroy Kim.

Desperate to catch the killer, Kim finds a link between the recent murders and an initiation prank that happened at the school decades earlier. But saving these innocent lives comes at a cost – and one of Kim’s own might pay the ultimate price.

The utterly addictive new crime thriller from the Number One bestselling author – you will be gripped until the final shocking twist.

Buy Links: 

iBookStore: http://ow.ly/TQrt30k1uZa
Kobo: http://ow.ly/ttIR30k1v1U
Googleplay: http://ow.ly/ZJjW30k1v4S

About the author… 

Angela Marsons is the author of the International Bestselling DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 2 million in 2 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 27 languages.

Her last three books - Blood Lines, Dead Souls and Broken Bones - reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteAngie
Bookouture: http://bookouture.com

My thoughts…

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour for Dying Truth organised by Angela Marsons publisher, Bookouture. This is something I am more than happy to do.

Whenever I hear Angela has written another book my heart begins to beat a little bit faster, each and every book from the very first one Silent Scream has pushed me to the edge of an abyss and then she somehow brings me back before I go into a total freewill. That insight into how far you can push a reader and leave them gasping for air but exhilarated at the same time is second to none. As she very well knows I've tried reading a bit faster to try to save lives but it doesn't work - I'm left bereft that the book has ended so quickly.

Where do I begin with book eight, you just know it's going to be a difficult read when children are the victims in a book and Angela Marsons has spared no punches with Dying Truth, in fact she socked one right below the belt this time. I normally read one of her books in a single sitting but life at the moment is pretty full on and it took me the best part of a week - only finishing it at lunchtime today, I've been an absolute wreck.

OMG, I sat outside having lunch with tears rolling down my face - what have you done to me. I don't think I have ever been so distraught by a book EVER. I'm finding it difficult to compartmentalise fact from fiction, such is Angela's style of writing. Every word is like a true account totally mesmerising and compelling.

Dying Truth is DI Kim Stone's biggest challenge to date, an apparent suicide and then another death at the same upmarket, private school. The first victim jumps from the school roof and everyone assumes it's a suicide. Everyone that is except Kim Stone - a second death at the same school has her radar on high alert, she's like a sniffer dog - she has her nose into every corner and doesn't rest until every clue and avenue has been explored. She opens a pandora's box which leads to difficult situations and thoughts for everyone involved in the investigation. It's so difficult to share how fantastic this book and Angela Marsons is without spoiling the story.

I more than highly recommend this book and each and every book she's previously written, but the best news is, there are at least eight more books in the series to come!!!!!

Huge thanks to Kim Nash and Bookouture for another totally captivating read and for allowing me to be part of the blog tour.

Dead Souls - Angela Marsons

About the book… 

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?

An addictive, sinister crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat.

Buy links:
  

About the author… 

Angela Marsons is the author of the Amazon Bestselling DI Kim Stone series - Silent Scream, Evil Games, Lost Girls, Play Dead, Blood Lines and Dead Souls and her books have sold more than 2 million in 2 years.

She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their cheeky Golden Retriever and a swearing parrot.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 16 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Her last two books - Blood Lines and Dead Souls - reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteAngie
Bookouture: http://bookouture.com

My thoughts…

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of the blog tour for Dead Souls organised by Angela Marsons publisher, Bookouture.  This is something I am more than happy to do.

Dead Souls is the sixth book in the D I Kim Stone, detective, thriller series and is as terrifyingly gripping and as nail biting as each of the previous five.

Angela Marsons is a writing phenomenon, just when you think you've got her writing style and characters firmly under your belt she goes and raises the bar just another notch and takes the next story up to a totally different level.

This time in Dead Souls we see Kim Stone move outside of her comfort zone and is forced to leave her team to fend for themselves and is forced to work alongside an old adversary Travis and his team to uncover the truth behind some human bones found on a local farm. This is something she isn't comfortable with and the more time she spends with him it quickly becomes very obvious that something serious has occurred in their past.  Kim as ever wants to front up to him and demand they clear the air but Travis is like a closed book and outwardly at least will not let Kim get under his skin.

Kim has definitely been taken out of her comfort zone, missing her side-kick Bryant more than she ever thought possible as she struggles to find her place in another Inspectors team.  Dead Souls for me was as much about the characters I'd already grown to love as the crimes they have to sold.  Characters I thought I knew really well after reading the previous five books in the series are polished up to reveal surprising facets that we'd previously not glimpsed.

Whilst she incommunicado her team have been left to manage themselves and investigate a series of seemingly unrelated crimes one of which in particular strikes a chord and affects Stacey - normally the unflappable, reliable detective constable who works relentlessly sifting through clues for her team.  It was quite disconcerting to witness her reaction and subsequent actions that not only put her life in danger but those of both teams.  It really highlights how inside of all of us we have a trigger point, something that pushes that button and can send us in to total destruct without the help support and guidance of those around us.  Of course you have to tell somebody for them to help you - something that Stacey quickly learnt to her cost.

I literally don't know how Angela does it but through her writing she highlights some of the most atrocious crimes and allows the reader to delve into a world that most of us thankfully find abhorrent and unthinkable.
9i

As ever Angela, thankyou for another brilliant book of dark, terrifying escapism - another edge of the seat, heart hammering experience - until the next time!

Play Dead - Angela Marsons

About the book… 

The dead don’t tell secrets… unless you listen. 

The girl’s smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess. 

Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. A ‘body farm’ investigating human decomposition, its inhabitants are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime. 

Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It’s clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work – but just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next? 

As local reporter, Tracy Frost, disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer’s secrets – but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim …? 

Buy Links: 

About the author… 

Angela discovered a love of writing at Primary School when a short piece on the rocks and the sea gained her the only merit point she ever got.

Angela wrote the stories that burned inside and then stored them safely in a desk drawer.

After much urging from her partner she began to enter short story competitions in Writer's News resulting in a win and three short listed entries.

She used the Amazon KDP program to publish two of her earlier works before concentrating on her true passion - Crime.

After many, many submissions Angela was signed in a 4 book deal to http://bookouture.com as their first crime author.  Her first book SILENT SCREAM was published in February 2015 and was an #1 Amazon best seller.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteAngie
Bookouture: http://bookouture.com

My thoughts…

Angela's latest book Play Dead - absolutely, definitely was on my list of must read books, I literally couldn’t wait to start.

Play Dead is the fourth book in the D.I. Kim Stone, detective, thriller series and is equally as gripping and terrifyingly, breathe holding as the first.  As ever, Kim is on the hunt for a serial killer, this time the case is discovered whilst visiting a body farm.  Kim identifies a newer body than those she's there to look at and so begins the hunt for the person who has brutally murdered a young girl, dumping her at a supposedly secret to the public location.  Westerley research facility is studying the decomposition of the human body by natural elements and insects - my stomach is still turning at the thoughts and images evoked whilst reading this book.  Yet, Angela has the knack of delivering just the right amount of detail to be realistic, stopping just short of the need to have me committed to a secure unit as a gibbering wreck.  

Play Dead is very similar to the rest of the series in that the main character is a constant.  Kim Stone is still the brash, matter of fact, hard nosed inspector hell bent on solving a crime - breaking the rules, yet knowing just how far she can push her boss and her team before pulling back.  She has the knack of shutting out the here and now and getting under the skins of the victims and everyone around her.  Despite the gruelling pace she expects her team to work under it's clear they have her back - working a mind numbing number of hours when necessity calls.

Angela Marsons, in Kim Stone drives the narrative at an alarming rate, I literally couldn't put this book down.  Just how many bodies were going to be discovered in the same shocking manner before the case was solved?  This had me reading faster and faster. If I read quicker and got to the end, perhaps I'll save a few people - shocking, unbelievable but it's how I felt.  She really does get under your skin, with characters that are flawed but likeable.

As ever when reading a crime book I like to second guess which character is the guilty one. In Play Dead I guessed, second guessed, third guessed and sat with just pages to go with my mouth open - totally shocked.  At one point I partially guessed but then dismissed the whole idea as ridiculous.  I didn't see that ending coming at all.  The characters are complex and all seem to have a side we as the reader are not privy to, hence questioning everyone's motives. 

I can't tell you how massively brilliant this book and whole series is.  Each could be read as stand alone books but by reading the whole series you'll get a greater insight into what makes D. I. Kim Stone tick.  She really is a multi-faceted, diamond of a character. Sharp, shiny and at the top of her game - four books into this series and there are a few smoothed edges, almost as if she's becoming comfortable with her readers so revealing more of herself.

I can only say if ever I had the need of a detective that would leave no stone unturned and rip the clues apart in pursuit of a serial killer - Kim Stone would be the first, in fat only person I'd call.  Thank you Angela for another book of escapism that is just that little bit too close to reality to ever be a comfortable read - I like the edge of seat, heart hammering experience you provide - until the next time. 

Silent Scream - Angela Marsons

About the book… 

When a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the death marks the beginning of a spate of gruesome murders that shock the Black Country. 

But as human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim
Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. 

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past – before it’s too late?

Buy Links:
  

About the author… 

Angela Marsons was born and raised in the Black Country and still lives there, along with her long-term partner, as well as a bouncy Labrador and a potty-mouthed African Grey parrot. Although she has been writing since her early teens, Silent Scream is her first novel.

Contact Links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WriteAngie

Bookouture: http://bookouture.com

My thoughts…

The day has finally come when I can share my review of this amazing book with you all. I was given an ecopy from Bookouture, Angela Marsons publishers in exchange for an honest review which I'm more than happy to do.

There are rare times when you pick up a book, by an author you've never heard of and are blown away - this was one of those times. When I heard Bookouture had signed a thriller writer I was beyond excited - my expectations were high and Bookouture and Angela Marsons surpassed each and every one of them.

The story begins ten years back in time with five people stood around a grave that had just been dug, the assumption from the text is that the grave is that of a child - they make a pact to keep the truth to themselves and then we are fast forwarded to the present day and before we are 1% into the book we're witness to a murder that had my heart pounding - it was like a scene from 'Sleeping With The Enemy'. With my heart pounding, I felt the same as I did when I watched the film - desperate to read on, but almost too scared to do so.

Enter D. I. Kim Stone - a woman with more facets than a diamond - first impressions are a brash, matter of fact, hard nosed Inspector hell bent on solving a crime - she really takes no prisoners, with suspects, colleagues or superiors. Yet, it is clear from the off that her team have her back - despite the gruelling regime she expects them to work under. I get the impression they see her character clearer than she does herself. Though, even from the beginning there are hints for the reader to a softer character hidden beneath the hard exterior she's built around herself. She clearly has a history that has shaped her into the person she's become and as the novel progresses and her 'story' unfolds along with mounting crimes we, the reader, begin to understand a little of the reasoning behind her drive and determination.  

The book is set in the Black Country and the story revolves around a now closed children home, bones have been found in a shallow grave in what used to be the grounds. So now there is a historic death to solve - are the bones that of a child if so is there a link to the death that occurred in the first chapter? I was totally gripped, the pace of Silent Scream was just at the heart pounding stage - a list of people to question was composed and just before, or just after they are questioned by D. I. Stone and her team they meet an unfortunate end! How many murders will there be before the crimes are solved and are the modern day murders linked to the bones found and or the children home.

The hints and insinuations that the bones unearthed are children bones and found within the grounds of a children's home focuses the mind in only one direction, some kind of child abuse. A very disturbing and brave subject for an author to pursue in a first novel - there has been so much historic abuse brought to the fore in recent years. D. I. Stone does an incredible job, driving the narrative, pushing her team forward - her instructions are un-negotiable. Yet, every now and again her true character, buried so deep it's impossible to see, comes to the fore and she displays a sensitive side - putting her own head on the block whilst protecting her team - fully prepared to take the wrap because her drive to solve the crime goes deeper than anyone could possibly imagine.

I like to second guess 'who dun-nit as I'm reading a crime novel and all too often authors can be so embroiled in blood and gore they leave the plot and culprits out to dry for anyone to see, not so in this case. I had no idea who, what or why until almost the end. Even then getting it wrong. At one point I thought I had it solved crying NOOOOO it can't be ........, I was gutted, only for the story to pitch again. There are so many twists and turns - chapters that are seemingly unrelated, characters that show themselves but are so 'holier than thou' they don't even touch the radar. It was a breathe of fresh air to read about complex characters not drowned in blood - so unnecessary to a story in my opinion - only resulting in detracting from the story and putting me off!

For an author to spin such a complex tale, that kept my heart beating at an increased rate but didn't scare me to death is, in my humble opinion, truly brilliant. Angela gave just enough detail to satisfy the curiosity, leaving me wanting more - I can't tell you how excited I was to realise there will be a series based around D I Stone - something that I'd totally missed until way after I d finished the book. I look forward to digging deeper into her character. She is a character at odds with herself - she has such a high profile job - happy to go out and shout her mouth off in the line of duty but preferring to blend into the background on a personal level, not wanting any accolades or acknowledgements for herself personally.

I really can't tell you how brilliant this book was, I turned the pages at a rate of knots desperate to read just one more chapter - willing myself to get to the end of the book and solve all the crimes. Disappointed and sorry when I did. Not because the book was disappointing, but because I felt bereft. I didn't really know what to do with myself when I finished Silent Scream. The outcome was traumatic, yet at the same time uplifting I'll be shouting about this book and author for a long time to come and drumming my fingers repeatedly until book 2 is released.

I was fortunate enough to interview Angela Marsons and you can read my interview HERE.

Interview with the author of Silent Scream = Angela Marson

An Interview with Angela Marsons...

Welcome to Crooks on Books Angela.

Hi Dawn, thank you for inviting me.

• Tell us a little bit about yourself?

I live in the heart of the black country with my partner Julie, our Labrador named Kizzy and our African Grey parrot called Nelson.  I’ve spent most of my working life in the security industry and am currently a control room supervisor.

• How and why did you get into writing?

From a very young age I loved to play with words.  I marveled at the power they had over me when I read a book.  When I was in my early teens I wrote a short piece on the relationship between the coastline and the sea.  My English teacher loved it and brought in some books that were above my reading level and which focused on the complexities of human relationships.  After reading those books I realized that I wanted to create such stories and take the reader on a journey.

• If you wasn’t a writer what would your dream job be?

I think it would have to be some type of Counsellor.  I love to listen to people and unravel their stories.  I’m also very nosey and quite free with my advice.

• Describe a typical day in the life of Angela Marsons the author.

On a writing day I love to rise early and sit at the dining table writing while it’s still dark outside.  As the day comes alive I join the rest of the world and succumb to Facebook and Twitter and emails.  Normality inevitably intrudes and prompts me to cook and clean but I like to be back at my writing table as the world goes back to sleep.

• Do you read and write in the same genre?

Yes, I am an avid reader of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid, Lynda La Plante.  The list goes on.

• Tell us a little bit about about your current book Silent Scream.

Silent Scream is a crime novel set in the Black Country and centres on the brash, sometimes rude, Detective Inspector Kim Stone.  While investigating a series of current murders she must uncover some secrets from the past.

• Silent Scream is  not just about solving murders, both current and historical, it’s about child abuse, serious ill health , trust and the evolution of DI Kim Stone a character with a history that shows she is clearly not comfortable in her own skin. Where did you get your inspiration for this story-line?

I’ve always wanted to write about a character that was less than perfect.  She is not always likeable but her integrity and passion for the underdog is always present.  The story was inspired by a bus journey I would take as a teenager.  The route passed by a local children’s home.  I always found myself curious about the residents and the air of mystery that surrounded the facility.

• How much research into the locations and the psychology of the story lines was required to give realism to the novel?

Luckily I know the area very well as it is where I have always lived.  The psychology of the storylines came from the image that I wanted to portray.  I wanted to show Kim’s vulnerable side by giving her a bond with a girl who although is limited and challenged is a fighter.  I wanted to demonstrate her humour by giving her a colleague with whom she could banter.  I also wanted Kim to have an affinity with the victims so I chose girls to whose emotions she could easily relate.

• For me the story was compulsive and I developed an obsession of sorts, staying up half the night to read it.  The story and characters stayed with me long after the end of the book.  How easy was it for you to detach yourself once the book was finished?

I didn’t want to finish writing the story but I had to let it end.  There was a period of mourning initially where I felt that I would never discover this story again.  So, I did the only thing I could think of.  I went ahead and got started on another.

• If Silent Scream was to be made into a film would you want to be on the casting couch and if so who would you put into the key roles? 

Oh, I would love to be on the casting couch.  If I had my way Kate Beckinsale would be cast as Kim Stone.  I would choose Bradley Walsh to play Bryant.

• Is there a message for your readers in your book and what do you hope they take from them?

The only message I’d like a reader to take from the book is the fact that no-one is invisible.  The victims from the children’s home had painful, tragic histories but they all had problems and feelings and deserved a voice. 

• Describe the feeling when you held your first finished novel in your hands.

Pure unadulterated joy.  Seeing and holding my thoughts as a real life book was probably the proudest moment of my life. It is a moment you dream of but the reality is so much more.

• Do all of your friends now expect free copies of your book and was having a novel published a bit like winning the lottery all your friends and acquaintances suddenly wanting to become your best friend?

No, luckily my friends and family all want to buy it which is good because I don’t think I can let any of my printed copies go.  It would be like giving away a family member

• What can we expect from you in the future?

The next story for Kim Stone is called Evil Games where Kim must enter into a game of cat and mouse with a female psychiatrist who uses her patients for experimental purposes.

Now for a little bit of fun, a glimpse at 

the real Angela Marson:-

What’s your favourite tipple? 

Sparkling wine

Do you prefer savoury or sweet things? 

Savoury

Friends coming round  - cook or get a take-away? 

Take-away

Do you prefer hot or cold climates? 

Cold

Do you prefer a beach holiday or city break? 

Beach holiday

Which would you prefer luxury cruise or fly long haul first class? 

Luxury cruise

Do you prefer to go to the cinema or theatre? 

Theatre

Which do you prefer comedy or true stories when watching a film? 

True Stories

Do you have any pets? 

A dog and a parrot

Tell us something we don’t know about you? 

I drove a moped until I was forty years old.

Thanks for visiting my blog Angela :)

Thank you for inviting me.  It’s very nice here ☺