Book 11 in  this fabulous series. Aren’t you the lucky one I hear you say. You still have so many books to look forward too. Well, no. Somehow I missed this one and found him on my Kindle. I decided to read it because in a couple of weeks a new one will be published. This story will help me pass the time, counting down to the next instalment. 😊

DI Kim Stone. She really is something. She is very straightforward, although some will call it rude. She is funny, while some might call it sarcastic. She loves her team, though she does not always show it and she is driven. Very driven.

She has shortcomings, but hey who does not? You just have to love her.

The book has very short chapters and all of them end on a small cliff hanger. If you think you will know what’s happening in the next chapter, is mistaken. The author alternates two cases and by doing this she makes you wait a bit longer. One case is dealt with by Kim, Bryant, Stacey and Tiff. Tiff being a new temporary member of the team, because Penn is busy trying to solve a murder, together with his old colleagues.

The first chapter was quiet brutal. I was happy I was not reading it on a full stomach. 😉

Every parent is happy when their children are good at something. It might be maths or history, or they can be very good at playing an instrument or be very sporty. There is nothing wrong with being proud. Some parents though push the boat a bit too far out. They forget to let their children be children in stead of becoming robots or they forget they have other children who need attention too.

Stimulation: yes. Being pushy: no!

A great book with some shocking revelations. 5 stars

Thank you

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Detective Kim Stone is rather disturbed when she happens upon the latest murder scene. This time it is a 60ish woman found tied to a chair with an X carved into the back of her neck. The woman's name was Belinda Evans, and when her sister Veronica arrives, Kim hopes that she can begin to find answers. However, two more bodies are found, in a similar fashion.

As the title hints, it has something to do with children. Oddly enough, it is even more so related to the fact that the victims are all involved in child psychology. Currently, there are tournaments involving gifted children. How could people that work with children end up murder victims?

Meanwhile, one of Kim's team members, Penn, is determined to find the killer of a young man, so this leaves Kim short of help at times. So, with numerous suspects and an unending collection of clues, Kim really has her hands full. With the three murders so far, Kim works as fast as possible to prevent any future victims.

Child's Play is the 11th book in the D. I. Kim Stone series. I started with the 8th title and am more than impressed with Angela Marsons' writing style. The cases are intense and the twists and turns that come along are more than enough to keep any serious mystery reader captivated.

The series is going strong, and I really enjoy Kim. As a matter of fact, I really loved the previous title, Dead Memories, and I found this read to be even more intense. One thing that stood out for me in this book is seeing how Penn is blending in with the team. As the newest member, he was not welcomed at first (I am referring to book 9, Fatal Promise). He is doing better, but has been called back to his previous precinct to further investigate the murder of the aforementioned young man.

Each book in the series does deal with new crimes, so this could do well a a standalone. However, when reading police procedural novels, or crime thrillers, I often love the teamwork that I see. When you have a new team member, like Penn, it makes the family-type environment prove its worth. Because I read so many of these, this is very important to me. I cannot help but think of some television dramas I watch on Network TV, because that is exactly what this book and series reminds me of. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for Kim.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

Please see complete series review on my blog at - https://www.robinlovesreading.com/2022/06/series-review-kim-stone-series-by.html

Also, please enjoy my YouTube video review of all seventeen books in the series thus far - https://youtu.be/6XMz0AviJZk

Amazing book! Angela Marsons never fails to deliver, and I love the character of Kim Stone. Such a flawed heroine!

Child's Play is the 11th book in the D.I. Kim Stone crime-thriller series by best-selling author Angela Marsons

I’ve missed some books in this series, not sure how that happened but it’s not harmed my enjoyment of this Detective series lead by DI Kim Stone.

A very detailed chase for the serial killer. Trouble is this is going back decades so not an easy plight.
It’s got to be sorted though…..and soon.

I love the dialogue and the banter between them and also seeing how Kim has progressed from book 1 to now in her personal self.

I love Angela Marsons’ books. She never disappoints and I can never put them down. I’ve read all of the Kim Stone series and I would highly recommend them to anyone. From the first page you don’t want to put it down and I love the chapters are only a couple of minutes read, which keeps you reading into the early hours ‘just one more’…! This story was no different and I never guess who the killer is. I liked Tiff from this book and wonder if she’ll feature in the next one. I savour Angela’s books and don’t want to get to the end of the series. Thank you for accepting my request and I’ll be first in line for her next book. 10*

Another great read from the author. A great plot premise and not one I have ever seen before. Can't wait for more!

I have read all of the Kim Stone books, and this really is one of the best crime series of recent years. I look forward to every new release, and the books just get better and better.

I love this series. I tell everyone I know about it and this book was another great addition. I love all the characters and I can’t wait for the next one. I’m running out of words to say how amazing this series is!

This book was amazing as is normal for this author. There is nothing that she writes that isn't first class.

The character has grown over so many books that you just know that Kim stone is going to be around forever.

Another excellent read from Angela Marsons. Kim Stone is a great character, I love her acerbic comments. The team are on the trail of a ritualistic killer, plenty of twists and turns, a great read.

I love all Angela Marson's books - they are just thrilling and engrossing. Her stories are always well crafted, moving at a fast pace and keeping your interest throughout.

Yet another wonderfully thrilling Crime story from angela marsons that shocks, delights and enthrals from start to very end.

I adore the fact that every one of this authors books has shocks and surprises in store from the first to the last page, and even if you think you know who did it, even if you’re CERTAIN... you’re going to be tripped up somehow. Whether because you’re wrong, or because the why is such a reveal that it’s beautifully and disturbingly believable!

And enthralling read from start to end, I was far from disappointed!

This is the 11th yep 11th book in Angela Marsons' DI Kim Stone series, and I highly recommend it. All of the books are unique and interesting and there is only one or two that did not live up to the high standards that I have set for Marsons' as an author. You also need to start at the beginning as the characters are shaped throughout the books; Silent Scream, Evil Games, Lost Girls, Play Dead, Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Dying Truth, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories.

D.I. Kim Stone and her team are back and the killer really is a Child at Heart:

Kim Stone is summeded to a very disturbing scene. An older women tied to a swing with barbed wire, with an X cut into the back of her neck. The victim is a retired child psychologist, who was known for taking on tough cases and tough case studies. Then two more bodies are discovered with the distinctive X mark as well as having a history of working with children. Kim and her team are on the hunt for a serial killer, one that appears to have links to gifted children. Could Kim and her team finally met their match. This is a game of Cat and Mouse you do not want to loose.

The best part about this book was that I was not able to figure out who the murderer was. I went back and forth between many people within the book and I can say by the end of the book that I got it wrong. Trust me, I do typically figure books out before the end of a book, it's my super power, but I did not see this one coming. Marsons is able to achieve this through her well thought out plots, storytelling and really having the reader in the thick of the investigation with Kim and her team. It is very rare that something is kept from the readers and when it is it is to add suspense to the book. Marsons' is a master of red herring and really showing what detective work is like, following the evidence set before them and where this information leads the investigation.

I do like when there is more than one case occurring within the book as I think that speaks to how detective work occur, you never really have one case on your desk. I just wasn't a fan of Penn going off on his own back to his old squad, even though I get that he was in charge of the case that is now before the courts. Really that whole case could have been a whole book to itself. I did like that it showed more of Penn as a character and the squad that he came from and how much he was appreciated there, but how he feels he is more at home with Kim's team. I just felt that as a whole that Penn story was very disjointed from the other characters as it only involved Penn and no one else.

One Character that I really with there would have been more Alison Lowe in this book. I like her preservative, her constantly reading her coworkers, as well as how she pushes Kim's buttons, constantly. I get she cannot be in every book, but I actually thought she was going to be a permanent member of the team after the last book and I missed having her there. Though I will admit I did like the addition of Tink, add some overeager cheerfulness to the mix and I look forward to see what Kim does with that in the long run, if she is allowed to stay (Please let her stay Marsons).

Well 11 books in and I'm still a huge fan of this series and Marsons's work. It takes a lot to have a reader stick around this long and to keep each book refreshing with new mysteries to solve. Does this have some similar elements to some of her other novels, Yes, but Marsons' creativity with the plot and mysteries makes it new once again. I always look forward to reading her novel and I am looking forward to book 12.

Enjoy!!!

Absolutely enjoyed from start to finish, u didn't want the book to end. Highly recommended, if you like books that keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat.

As always with this series, this is another brilliant addition. No.11 in the series and it shows no sign of letting up from being one of the best crime series around at the moment

This is the only series I read when I need strong book after couple of failed attempts .
Angela character Kim is the best character that I read for a while, also the other characters are really good , alot of extra information about them, it made me like them more.
There is two different cases going in the same time, I actually found it perfect mix of strong background and good build up.

It is well written and I would read the next book in the series soon.

CHILD’S PLAY (D.I. Kim Stone Book #11) by Angela Marsons is another great addition in this British police procedural thriller series. Besides the main crime plotline, Ms. Marsons gives Penn his own side sub-plotline on an old case with his previous team.

Kim is called to the scene of a horrific murder with an elderly woman tied with barbed wire by her wrists to a swing and stabbed through the heart. When Keats discovers an “X” on the back of the woman’s neck during autopsy and another body is discovered laid over a chalked hop-scotch with the same marking on his neck, Kim knows they are looking for a ritualistic killer.

Another body is found, who was the killer’s first victim positioned by a Snakes & Ladder game in his home with the “X” on the back of his neck. All three victims are tied to a yearly gifted children’s competition which is occurring this weekend. Kim, Bryant, Stacy and a temp called Tiff are all on site and hope to catch the killer before there are any more deaths.

At the same time, Penn is off when he is needed to testify on his last case tied to his old unit. The case begins to fall apart and Penn has to rework with case. Something is not right and Penn finds not only himself, but his brother in danger.

Even with this being the eleventh book in this series, I am never bored, always glad to get back to favorite characters and looking for the next book to come. This book’s two plotlines do not intersect and therefore you get two dramatic solutions. The investigations in this series are as interesting as the resolutions because they always are intense and intriguing. All the main characters feel like they could walk off the page and feel like a second family. The secondary characters are always fully fleshed with interesting back stories and motives.

I can once again highly recommend this book and the entire series. It is a definite MUST READ!

I always enjoy a visit with DI Kim Stone and her team. And this is no exception. Kim is investigating the death of a middle aged woman, knifed and left entwined with barbed wire on a swing set. The victim, Belinda Evans, is one weird bird and her relationship with her sister, Veronica, is really odd. Meanwhile, Penn is involved with a court case from his last case with his old team. And it’s going to Hell in a handbasket.

I’ve got to give Marsons credit. Her stories are always well crafted, moving at a fast pace and keeping your interest throughout. I love learning more about the team as she continues to develop each character. Things always feel real in her stories, especially dealing with the bureaucracy. “Sir, you have to take the shackles off...my team is losing the will to live. Stacy is looking for a part time job, and Bryant is on the brink of divorce. And if that wasn’t bad enough, I’m actually cleaning my house.”

The plot involves child prodigies and a tournament that tested their skills. Marsons does a great job of exploring the whole phenomenon of gifted children, including their social challenges and need for attention, the parenting choices made in raising them, and the effect on their siblings.

This can be read as a stand-alone but given the strength of these books, I really recommend starting at the beginning and savoring them all.

My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.

Another brilliant offering by Angela Marsons.

As an author Marsons goes from strength to strength. Each novel is so distinct from the others. Her storylines are always intriguing and Child's Play is no exception.

I thought it would be difficult for Marsons to top the last Kim Stone novel, Dead Memories, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Child's Play delves into family dynamics, explores how families faced with the extraordinary can react and takes us on a thrilling, time sensitive race to find a disturbed killer.







Blurb
Finally we’re playing a game. A game that I have chosen. I give one last push of the roundabout and stand back. ‘You really should have played with me,’ I tell her again although I know she can no longer hear.
Late one summer evening, Detective Kim Stone arrives at Haden Hill Park to the scene of a horrific crime: a woman in her sixties tied to a swing with barbed wire and an X carved into the back of her neck.
The victim, Belinda Evans, was a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. As Kim and her team search her home, they find an overnight bag packed and begin to unravel a complex relationship between Belinda and her sister Veronica.
Then two more bodies are found bearing the same distinctive markings, and Kim knows she is on the hunt for a ritualistic serial killer. Linking the victims, Kim discovers they were involved in annual tournaments for gifted children and were on their way to the next event.
With DS Penn immersed in the murder case of a young man, Kim and her team are already stretched and up against one of the most ruthless killers they’ve ever encountered. The clues lie in investigating every child who attended the tournaments, dating back decades.
Faced with hundreds of potential leads and a bereaved sister who is refusing to talk, can Kim get inside the mind of a killer and stop another murder before it’s too late?
What I think
I know I'm in safe hands when I open an Angela Marsons' book and just settle down for the ride. I am delighted to tell you that Child's Play lived up to my expectations and I fnd this particularly surprisong as this is Marsons' eleventh book and I have yet to be disappointed.
Never having been a gifted child, more of a plodder, like Marsons, the idea of how child prodigies live their lives, how much control they have over their lives, how it impacts on them as adults and how their families are affected is so intriguing. Throw in murders with a cryptic sign, family dynamics that are distingtly 'off' , feuding sisters, a tournament for gifted children and the fear of another murder happening soon and we are gifted another tightly plotted, intriguing and thrilling read.
A new addition to Kim's team is pleasing, the existing team are humanised by their ongoing personal lives and I loved the lovely role reversal with Kim being able to relate more to a witness than her sidekick. Detective Penn's subplot allowed us more insight into his character.
Marsons is one of those authors that blends darkness with a healthy dose of humour and that is a quality I love in her writing. She doesn't veer away from the horror of life, but rather balances it out with lightness. The prologue was chillingly dark and had me hooked from the start.
So .... bring on Book 12, is all I can say