I was so excited to read this as i've been a huge fan of the Kim Stone series. This was so tense and the story line very engaging, especially considering the subject matter and how it relates to current issues in the country. Angela Marsons continually finds new layers to the characters making you connect even more with them and really care what happens.

Kim Stone's is one of my favorite series, and Dead Souls did not disappoint. When bones are found in the border between Kim's territory and her nemesis Tom Travis', she finds herself conducting a joint investigation while her team is all alone. The author wanted to force them all out of their comfort zone and at first I wasn't sure because I love Kim's usual team so much. I found out soon enough that this was just going to help the plot. Without Bryant trying to rein her in, Kim has to grow and soften her stance. Without their guv keeping the peace, Bryant and Dawson have to learn to work together. And Stacey, my favorite character, starts listening to her gut and trying to investigate on her own. It's pretty soon clear that they are investigating a spate of hate crimes, so it touches Stacey closer than anyone else on the team. One of her conversations with Dawson about her childhood as a black kid is simply devastating and made her character more rounded in my mind (she is not the superhero that we've all gotten to know, but a real human being). When one of the members of the team ends up in danger, the tension ratchets up to the highest levels that we've seen in this series. But it’s the dynamics between the characters, including the ones we hardly know or have never met before, that make this another five-star read.

So, here we are again. Angela Marsons: slaughterer of sleep, shredder of nerves, and a writer who consistently leaves your patience in tatters as you wait for the next DI Kim Stone fix. Its highly addictive qualities leave me craving more – every single time.

Each book is unique and maintains the focus on hard-hitting topics, which are not dowsed in sensationalism for kicks sake but are a reflection of real life. Every one of them invites that special Kim Stone defiance to the table to give further insight into both her and her team’s personalities and their reactions to certain cases, like the one we find here...

A field, partial skeletal remains, abhorrent reasons for assault which escalates to so much worse, and an historic flashback to a captive, confused man not quite understanding the complete gravity of his startlingly grim situation, progress to the principle theme of hate crimes. The investigation uncovers what can only be described as human slurry eking their way onto the Black Country streets with alarming arrogance in a campaign directed at sectors of the community who don’t warrant such deplorable attention.

Remove one Stone from her office to work a case at a different station and we’re hoping the remaining officers don’t topple when faced with some incredibly weighty issues. The change allows the natural evolution of her team to be explored, together with the essence of their relationships. The team at Halesowen police station must learn to handle their boss’s absence, try not to inadvertently insult one another, and reconsider their own attitudes to some disturbing issues without overshadowing the communities affected or their colleagues, even if tensions are running feverously high.

The unforeseen re-ordering of rank, however temporary, gives them time to excel or crash, while acquainting us with further unexpected insights into my favourite detective’s past as she’s thrown into the territory of a former colleague with hints of an unwelcome episode preceding her DI days. From brief spats to complete silence, misjudgement seems the order of the day. It’s brilliant to watch how the situation between these two develops especially now she’s the outsider being permitted to tag onto someone else’s team.

I’m so, so happy to have seen more of the other officers and their abilities as they confront some truly contemptible people in an unbeatable face-off; although it was spectacularly orchestrated it’s utterly dreadful to try to imagine the intensity of raw fear, especially when it's reinforced through the encouragement of others.

To sum up my thoughts upon reading Dead Souls: yet ANOTHER cracker to add to an already stunning series. This stomping great read from an exceedingly talented writer will have you furiously flipping the pages like there’s no tomorrow.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars. My least favourite by the author I'm afraid.

The writing and story telling is as great as ever and you read the book needing to know what happens next.

However the book overall was a let down for me by taking Kim out of her team & the ensuing mess, the fact that all threads lead to one, and I didn't enjoy the racist element which I think has been done before, and better.

This is the latest Kim Stone book, and the darkest so far.
It deals with hate crime, the motivation of the perpetrators, and the public perception of those who commit such crimes.
Kim is removed from her usual team and has to work with a DI whom she does not trust, because of events from the past, which become clear as the story progresses. This gives an opportunity to see another team in action, and for her group to learn how to work together without her.

The suicide of a boy sparks one investigation, while the discovery of bones on a farm starts a completely different enquiry. And then there is an attack on a Polish man.

It was interesting to see how there are many different methods in approaching an investigation, and how all the disparate threads cam be brought together by teamwork.
The climax of the book was brutal, and thought-provoking.

As in several books recently, social media played a prominent part, as did the internet in general.
The world is changing…..

I look forward to Kim’s next outing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book.

Dead Souls is part of the DI Kim Stone series, I wouldn't say that it was essential to have read the others as this one works very well as a stand alone.

What I loved about this story is there are a couple of threads running alongside each other. We have the very taught working relationship between Kim and Travis. The pair seem to be at logger heads but there is obviously more to it than first seems. Discovering what exactly, makes for seriously intriguing reading. The other is the actual case they are working on.

I don't want to say to much about the case itself with it not being mentioned in the book description but lets just say I don't think you could get more of a current crime sadly than there is in todays world. It's good to see an author tackling the subject and it was good to get inside characters head to see why they are doing what they are.

Stacey really stands out in this novel. She is supposed to be helping the team but starts to take matters into her own hands by doing some investigating of her own. Not always a good idea as she soon starts to realise.

Dead Souls is just another gripping and current read from one of my favourite crime writers. There is no wonder her books are doing amazingly well. Her novels just seem to be in a league of their own and as always I can'e wait to read more.

Another great book in the series and in my opinion the most gripping and disturbing. I read it in two sittings and it would have been one if life hadn't got in the way. Kim is totally out of her comfort zone when she is given the task of working with a neighbouring force to try and discover who was responsible for the murders when bones of three people are found in a farmers field. Her own team are left to work without her and it soon becomes apparent that they could really do with her help. This book could be a stand alone as plenty of background information is included but if you haven't read any of the others in the series it's best to start at the beginning to get maximum enjoyment

I finished Blood Lines just a couple of weeks before I got my hands on Dead Souls. And, I just couldn't wait to start reading the newest Kim Stone book. I have come to like Kim, Bryant, Stacey and Dawson quite a lot and I liked that Angela Marsons in this book went for a different approach by letting Kim work with her old partner Detective Travis in a joint investigation with West Mercia since the bones found are in a field that borders to the two police districts. And, they have a past, a dark past, and in Dead Souls we finally get the chance to get to know what really happened that left them so angry towards each other.

Meanwhile, Bryant and Dawson have to work together, alone for the first time and there is some friction between them, especially since they have different appearances and Dawson has a tendency to not think before he does something. This leaves Stacey free to pursue a case that has been closed, a young boy committed suicide but Stacey can't let it be.

I found the splitting of the team, the different cases an interesting new approach and I loved to see how the team under Kim showed that they can do things without her that they have learned enough to stand on their own legs (most of the time). I also liked seeing Kim back with Travis, because there were moments when they were almost back to how they once were. And, they really needed a heart to heart. I liked that in this book all the main characters had a central role, as much as the cases were interesting was it also nice to get to know Kim, Bryant, Stacey and Dawson a bit more.

Dead Souls is a thrilling new book. I found the storylines were all interesting and the book's theme of hate crimes is something that we are facing more and more nowadays in real life. The book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend starting from the beginning with Silent Scream.

An amazing twisted and dark story that keeps you gripped from page one . This is a series that shows no sign if slowing down .

The Reading God's conspired against me all week. Got my copy (a million thanks to netgalley and Bookouture, I'm not going to lie- I did a little dance when the notification came through) early on Tuesday and didn't get to properly sit down with it until Thursday evening. And when I did I didn't get up again until the early hours of the morning when I had finished this gem.
This is by far the darkest book in the series. Focusing on hate crimes this book is bang on current events. This extremely delicate topic was handled so well by Angela Marsons.
The split in the team unsettled me for a while as I had grown used to their banter as a team. But by doing that Marsons beautifully developed a few of the characters that didn't usually get as much lime light as Kim and Bryant.
Dr.A whose charachter I love featured heavily and also Stacey whom you get to know and love even more.
This book was very emotionally charged and kept me on the edge of my seat. When the tension starts to build in this one boy does it take off.
This was a fantastically brilliant utterly unputdownable corker of a read.

Kim Stone gets the call when an archaeological dig turns out to be a crime scene. The remains show that the victims endured terrible violence before they were killed, adding a sense of urgency to the case. Kim must work alongside a detective with whom she shares an uneasy past, but must put all that aside to solve the murders. It’s not long before she connects the owners of the land where the bodies were found to the victims, but before she can act on her knowledge, her team comes under fire in what seems to be a series of violent hate crimes. This is definitely the darkest entry in the Kim Stone series; it’s tightly plotted and all too plausible

This is my favourite read of the year so far (# 43/100). Wow, totally fantastic, beautifully written, dark, dangerous and emotional.

This series gets better with each book, loved it. I give it 6 stars.

Dead Souls is the sixth book in the Kim Stone series, now normally when I get to this point in a book series I find it can loose its shine, things become predictable, the writing repetitive, well you get the picture. Fortunately this isn't the case with Dead Souls by the super talented Angela Marsons. If anything this book is much darker than previous books
and just as gripping, it's a cliche but this really is the best book in the series yet, and that takes some doing as each book has been an exceptional read.

Angela Marsons takes a bold step in my humble opinion and changes the dynamics in Kim's team, as she is forced to work a separate case to her colleagues. In Dead Souls her team come into their own and you feel like you get to know each character in the team as individuals foibles and all and rather that distract from the plot, it actually gave a fresh approach to the series. Of course Kim Stone still has a large part to play and she's still one of my favourite crime series detectives, as she doesn't hold back with her thoughts or opinions, throughout this series she has always come across as a control freak, but in Dead Souls she has to allow her team to make decisions for themselves which may just make or break the team.

Dead Souls deals with a very topical and disturbing subject, which at times made for an uncomfortable read, but at the same time it's one that grips you by the throat and doesn't let you go to the last heart pumping chapter. As you would expect Angela Marsons masterfully builds on the suspense and intrigue, so much so I really couldn't swipe the pages on my kindle quick enough as I attempted and failed miserably to guess where this dark and thrilling tale was leading. It's obvious from the off the author has researched the subject of this novel in great depth which makes for an authentic and disconcerting read.

What I like about Angela Marsons is that she writes stories that challenge and shock, she isn't afraid to push the boundaries of what we expect. She writes with grit, enthusiasm and passion and manages to deliver on all fronts. Would I recommend this book? Hell yes I certainly would, and personally I'm off to hibernate until the next book in this thrilling series is published.

This review maybe altered slightly and edited prior to publication on my blog the book review café

Wow!!
My excitement of a new Kim Stone book is always accompanied by a feeling that it can't possibly be as good as the last.
Yet again Marsons has proved me wrong; breakneck pace and a writing style that outshines everything in the crime genre made this another unputdownable offering.
Kim working out of her comfort zone and the rest of the team being given more focus in the storyline were clever additions to a timely yet harrowing plot.
From the first page to the last the pace of writing and sense of urgency are relentless making it impossible to not read just the next chapter, then the next, and the next. I simply had to read this book in one sitting, 28 solid hours of brilliant writing and I'm already desperate for the next instalment.
Angela Marsons really is queen of the police procedural/ crime genre and Dead Souls is another perfect example of that well deserved title.

Well worth more than five stars!! WOW this was a dark one that literally kept me on the edge of my seat!! I found it so hard to put down and finished it in record time simply because of this!! Such a reality of current day news stories to relate to in this book!! If its possible Angela Marsons just got better!! Thank you Netgalley!!

Although I read the first Kim Stone years ago, I read this and am reviewing this as a newbie. Everyone else on GR seems to have been riding this train for a long time with no attempt to bail. I quite understand why now.

DI Stone and her team have been separated, Stone forced to work with a frenemy and DS Bryant left in charge of the children. Evidently without Stone's leadership that is what they seem to turn into while Stone is co-leading a team investigating old bones dug up in a field. DS Bryant and crew are investigating a spate of hate crimes. In that weird co-incidence that seems to happen in detective stories, the two investigations seem to parallel each other before merging in the worst way possible.

Marsons has shown some sad prescience in her subject of hate crimes. She manages to teach, not preach through a dark horrific double tale divided by 30 years. One victim's story from 30 years ago was extremely difficult to read. Marsons has no problem imagining the terror and sadness of the victims.

The scene where Stacey tells Bryant and Dawson of her preference for overt racism over the stealthy kind was priceless. Having lived south most of my life, I've learned the language of code and it MAKES ME CRAZY. Dawson and Bryant are shocked to the core to realize what Stacey's life has been like.

So here is a bit of a quibble for me. Maybe I would know more if I read the other books in the series (I will, I promise), but all I know about Stone is she has a dog and likes motorcycles. Does she like boys? Girls? Cooking? Traveling? I know even less about the other characters.

I'm sorry to be inserting myself so much into this review, but I think armed response teams are about the stupidest idea to come down the pike. The British police forces needs to understand this is a new world they are facing and arm their officers, especially in the cities. There could have been, in real life would have been, a lot more deaths in that field waiting for a response team.

Clever and tight plotting, characters who intrigue but don't overwhelm. What more can you ask for?

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Absolutely brilliant! The Kim Stone series gets better and better. I feel that I know Kim and her team personally. There is tension, shock and humour in all the right amounts. Angela, I hope you are already started on book 7 - I am looking forward to it already.

Dead Souls Angela Marsons

Written from the heart.

It’s a note I’ve never written before when I’m reading a book to review; but it’s there in my note book, right in the centre of the page.

It’s been over written several times so it really stands out, and I can remember every page I was reading when I went over it, because that’s how it felt reading this book.

The book starts off with, what most people wouldn’t class as a crime, a young man’s suicide. The thoughts he goes through, the logic he uses, are so well written that although it’s a short chapter, it’s one which will live with me for a long time.

That suicide is investigated by Kev Dawson and Stacey Wood. Kev is the alfa-male Sergeant and Stacey is the slightly introvert Detective Constable, who does most of the on-line investigation work, from the office.

The scene is bad enough but the suicide note brings out emotions in Stacey that she keeps hidden from her colleagues. The death is suicide, but why did this young lad take his own life. Stacey can’t leave it, and starts to look into the victim and his life.

Meanwhile some bodies have been found in a University Archaeological dig in a field of a farm that straddles the borders of the West Midlands, and West Mercia Police Forces boundary.

Until the bones can be identified, and a date of burial put on them, they must be investigated as a murder scene. DI Kim Stone and her old adversary from the neighbouring force DI Tom Travis argue at the scene over who will take ownership of the investigation.

The next day the argument is solved. The bosses have decided on a joint investigation with Stone leaving her team to work with Travis and his team on the bones found in the dig.

The tumultuous relationship between Kim Stone and Tom Travis is one of the main threads through the book and adds a cracking dynamic to the story.

As Kim is away her trusty Sergeant, and sidekick-partner, Bryant is forced to work with Kev Dawson. Two men doing the same job with totally different approaches, and attitudes. Another tumultuous partnership.

Bryant and Dawson start to investigate several crimes that appear to be race driven and in doing so come across the horrible side of society. The violent racist, bigoted minority which causes so much pain to innocent people.

Becoming deeply involved with the investigation they don’t notice that Stacey is beginning to become secretive and withdrawn as she looks into the young suicide victim’s life.

The deeper she looks into why the lad might have committed suicide, the more bells are rung about her own life.

When Bryant and Dawson deliberately try to stop her becoming involved with the race crimes, “to protect her”, she becomes more and more withdrawn and struggles with memories from her past.

The parts of this book which are written from Stacey’s point of view are stunningly written. Again, that note was over written “written from heart”

Meanwhile in West Mercia, Kim and Travis are looking into the Landowner, and his tenant, of the field where the bones have been found. As they are doing so the bones are being examined by Dr A. One of Angela Marsons peripheral characters that deserve their own book. The interchanges between her and Kim Stone provide that bit of humour every dark story needs; and this is a dark story.

Three sets of bones were found during the dig, and they’re recently enough buried to launch an active murder investigation.

There are three story lines in this book. The relationship between the 2 DI’s Stone and Travis, as they investigate the murder of the people found buried in the field. The relationship between Bryant and Dawson as they investigate the violent race crimes. Finally; Stacey Woods journey into the life of a young suicide victim, and the effects it has on her.

Will the relationships work. Will everybody come out of this in one piece, either emotionally or physically.

This book had me hooked from the very first page and had me enthralled all the way through.

The last dozen or so chapters had me holding my breath so often I was exhausted at the end; and what an ending.

The end of this book is full of twists and turns, and I defy anybody to see the results coming.

I read all the time. It’s my escape from reality. There are several authors I look forward to reading when I know they have a new book coming out.

Angela Marsons is at the very top of that list.

This is the best book I’ve read, by the best author on the shelves at the moment.

I really can’t wait for the next one.

Another superb book featuring Kim Stone, this time dealing with the very unpleasant subject of hate crime, and brilliantly handled by the author. The book has several threads running through it and you wonder how they are all connected but as you near the end it all fits together perfectly. Can't wait for the next one.

So. Let's be honest. If there is a new Angela Marsons book out, then you know I'm going to be somewhere reading it. I have pretty well devoured every book she has written since I finally picked up Silent Scream a little over a year ago. February 6th 2016 to be exact. I hoofed through the whole thing in one night and pretty much the only thing that has changed since then is the length of my hair and the content of the books I am reading. Because when I picked up Dead Souls there was no way I was going to stop reading until I had finished. And believe me when I say that it's not just a me thing - it really is that good.

Now for fans of the Kim Stone series, you will know that she and her team have found themselves in some pretty tense and dangerous situations over the past couple of years. They are no strangers to grizzly deaths or hair raising investigations and, as you would expect with a title like Dead Souls, you can rest assured that this book is no different.

Actually. That's a lie. This is different. This book has a much darker tone to it overall, not so much so that it would put the ardent Kim Stone follower off, turn them away with graphic violence or unnecessary gore, but it is a very emotive and disturbing subject matter and there are elements which need to be handled in a sensitive and yet honest way. Angela Marsons tackles this with her usual flair, not trivialising the violence or the motives behind the violence and not playing it for shock value alone either. But shock it will.

From the get go there is an underlying menace, a sense that there is more than the eye can see. The very first act within the book is one which could be a trigger for some and one which many can probably identify with; an overwhelming sense of despair where there seems only one way out. Now this scene may be upsetting, it certainly sets the tone for the whole novel, but it is necessary for reasons that will become apparent as you read on. I won't say any more than that as this is a journey which the reader needs to go on for themselves.

Now aside from all the darkness, there are the usual moments of humour that we have come to associate with this series. Dr A for example is a real hoot, particularly as she delights in taunting Travis much to Kim's amusement. And even more that that, Bryant finds himself paired up with Dawson. You couldn't put two more different people together, well unless you count Kim and Bryant but there is a strange synergy there that just works. Bryant and Dawson - well there are moments between them that did make me chuckle. But beneath it all they are investigating a very disturbing crime and the compassion, frustration and determination which is inherent in the pair of them seeps from every page. They may have a very different approach to each other, but ultimately they both want the same thing - justice.

Marsons also manages to throw the team off kilter in this book, adding another, less obvious, layer of conflict to the novel. Kim finds herself paired up with DI Travis, the man who seems to be her nemesis. This in itself is not the conflict I'm referring to. Yes they rub each other up the wrong way, but this adds as much humour as it does tension at times. It is more the impact that Kim being separated from her team has on all of them. They have a spark when they are together, but that one little chink, that one small gap, and it puts everything on the line for one of them.

What I really enjoyed about the book was that not only did we come to learn the reasons behind Kim's problems with Travis, which were surprising to say the least, but that we got to see more of Stacey. She really comes into her own in Dead Souls. Previously she has been the one left behind, sat in the comfort of the station hiding behind her computer screen. Now she really steps up, making some serious mistakes in the process but ones which endear her to me even more than her wonderful Black Country accent. Her story is an emotive one and the case has very personal undertones for her. You cannot help but like this strong, determined, perhaps a little unsure Detective.

Angela Marsons has once again proven how skilled she is in creating tension. I could not look away from the book once I had started reading. I kind of had a sense of where it was heading, the harsh and brutal reality building with every page turn, as did the sense of dread. And from about 80% in I could feel my pulse rate rising, could feel my body tense as I willed the team to find the truth and to prevent what seemed almost inevitable. I swear that my heart was in my throat or as good as. That is the power of this wonderful lady's writing. One of the only people to make me cry she also takes me right to the edge of my very last nerve. Both from excitement and tension. Every. Flipping. Time.

This is not a story for the faint-hearted or for the easily offended. It is a very timely and perhaps sociologically relevant story, given all that has been happening across the globe. There is a grotesque realism to the way in which some of the story unfolds, but I mean that in a genuinely positive way. There is such passion in the way the subject is written that you can truly feel every bit of emotional energy that it clearly took to put these words on the page. In her letter at the end of the book Angela Marsons speaks of how difficult this book was to write, how parts of the research disgusted her, and I can fully believe it. To take such a vile subject and characters, such vitriol and make it breath. To completely avoid glorification of events and yet create such authenticity in the actions of the many hateful perpetrators in the book. To fully immerse yourself in the writing while keeping a safe and sane emotional distance from the hatred. That takes real skill and nerve. Ms Marsons has that by the bucket load.

This book is going to be a hit - no doubt about it. Everything you could expect from a Kim Stone book and just that little something more. Best. One. Ever... (so far ;) )

Dark, troubled and tension filled 5 stars. Big fat ones. Like massive. (Can I change my scoring system?) Ah well... I refuse to make them smaller ;)