Bookouture and NetGalley introduced me to Angela Marsons with Dead Memories. I broke one of my reading rules for this book, never start a series out of order. Many of my book-loving friends told me that these could be read in any order, which was technically true, but I did miss out on understanding all of the backstories. Since I loved the book, I ordered all the others, and have grown quite fond of Kim Stone and her team.
Fast forward to Book 12, Killing Mind. A case that initially seems to be a suicide is a murder, and there will be more than one. The discovery of a body in a lake and the manner of death makes Kim and her team wonder how these deaths are related. There is a connection between the victims, Samantha and Tyler since both lived at Unity Farm. Many believe this is a community that helps people, and some believe a cult operates behind closed doors.
Kim's team works seamlessly together and this is another is a long line of fresh and entertaining reads. I don't say that lightly since social distancing and self-isolation is making my usual reading enjoyment, somewhat challenging. After putting four books aside, I was able to lose myself in this story, and that was a good thing.

When Samantha Brown is found dead with her throat cut and the knife in her hand, Detective Kim Stone and the pathologist, Keats rule the death a suicide. Something is bothering Kim about the scene though and when she meets the parents and realises she’s being lied to, she checks the photos of the scene and soon realises it was murder.
Soon after a young mans body is found in a lake, also with his throat cut, surely these 2 bodies are linked.

When the team discover that both Samantha and Tyler Short went to Unity Farm, they have to look into the farm in more detail. Surely it can’t be just a retreat, can it? Kim makes the decision to send Tink in undercover to investigate the farm, will she regret her decision?

With the case ongoing, Bryant isn’t focussed on the case since finding out that Peter Drake has been given parole. When a prostitute is found murdered, the team involved arrest Drake immediately. Can it really be so cut and dry? Kim sends Bryant to help with his knowledge of Drake.

There are some great characters to get to grips with in this story. The author has obviously done a lot of research on cults and how they work and prey on people.
This is a gripping crime thriller that leaves you desperate for answers. Angela Marsons has done it again, high praise for an amazing writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Angie Marsons has done it again with another fantastic Kim Stone novel - all the favourites are there along with her.
The body of Samantha is found - her throat slit with a knife in her hand. THe death is classed as suicide but things don't seem to be ringing true for Kim stone - after she realises this is murder and not suicide, they are on the hunt for the killer. Another body shows up and has a link to the first body ..a place called Unity Farm - a place for lost people, wanting to escape their own lives. But did these people know each other and why were they killed.
As normal this novel is fast paced and keeps you wanting to read on an on - it kept me up into the small hours.
Cracking read as always

I always know I’m in for a treat when I pick up one of Angela Marsons’ books and Killing Mind just drew me in right from the minute I saw the cover and read the blurb! That chilling prologue gave me the killer hook alert I crave and immediately instilled terror into my heart! I was so glad I wasn’t working the next day as I knew this was going to be a read way past your bedtime kind of read and I was not wrong.
The blurb tells you enough of the plot and so I won’t be telling you any more than that!
The blurb tells us that the plot is centred on a strange cult and I have to admit this gave me a little shiver of excitement, there is something darkly fascinating about cults and they provide an excellent backdrop for crime fiction. Killing Mind covers this theme perfectly, with just the right amount of information it’s both intriguing and through provoking without being an information dump.
Angela Marsons creates all the feels for her characters; I’ve got to know them over this series, so much so that when I pick up a book, I feel like I’m stepping right inside the station and into the heart of the investigation with a team I have grown to know and to love.
Kim Stone, ah what can I say, this woman rocks! If anything ever happens to me, guys can you ensure that Kim is on the case. She is tenacious and while she might portray herself as a woman with a heart made of stone, underneath it all her dedication to giving the dead both a voice and justice is second to none.
Yes she’s a tough cookie and yes she doesn’t suffer fools gladly but she also has her team’s backs every step of the way.
DC Stacey Wood is another character who completely engages me, her razor sharp mind combined with that real sense of down to earthiness makes her a character I’d very much like to hang out with in real life.
DS Penn is really coming to the fore now, he has grown on me since his first arrival and we didn’t really know how to take him. He is a man with his own personal challenges going on but he is definitely a real part of the team now and his relationship with his brother, Jasper, will seriously melt your heart!
In Killing Mind we are also reacquainted with PC Tiffany, whom you may remember meeting before and what a bloody brilliant character she is. The part she plays undercover was just superb, I had my heart in my mouth all the way through and I definitely think there is a much bigger role for her to play in future books.
And of course Bryant, how can anyone not love Bryant. He is Kim’s trusted sidekick and if truth be told, I think he goes a long way to keeping her sane. In Killing Mind, something from his past is bothering him and I loved this element of the storyline and the conflict it brings him towards the end.
. As well as placing you in the heart of her story through characters and plot, she also sets her readers a perfectly painted picture so they have no choice but to immerse themselves in the stories she weaves and this was most definitely evident in the visuals of the scene that met Kim and Bryant when they turned up to confirm a suicide were totally authentic, I could see the picture in my head and smell what Kim could smell too, this is just another thing Angela Marsons excels at.
I can’t believe this is the twelfth book in the Kim Stone series, every book reads as fresh and new as the last, it really is a series I don’t think I will ever tire of reading. So please Angela…can I have some more!

Review will appear in my blog post publication

Oh boy another humdinger of a read from an author at the very top of her game who always gives the reader the crème de la crème of crime fiction for their enjoyment.

Kim and the team are called to what at first looks like a suicide but on reflection Kim has doubts about that verdict and when reviewed later the case becomes one of murder.

The case leads to a retreat called Unity Farm, run by the charismatic leader, Jake Black, but is all as it first seems and what happens if the cult is betrayed ??

Really liked that as a secondary story we find out about a past crime that Bryant was involved in and how it finally played out for him.

So this outstanding and addictive novel adds another gripping page turner to the already fabulous Kim Stone series.
Full of catch your breath suspense, spine chilling tension and a wonderful cast of intriguing characters Angela Marsons has most definitely "Done it Again"

LOVED IT !!
A five star read and one I highly recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC for my honest review.

I read several series, but this is one of my favorites, so I jumped at the chance to read it. And for the most part, it's of the same quality as the books that came before. I've grown to care for Kim and her team, so unlike with other books, I don't mind when things get personal. If I had one small quibble with this book, then it would be that the scenes where Kane expounded upon cults kind of dragged. But that's a very small quibble. Overall, I enjoyed the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me a copy for review.

12th in the series and just as good with no signs of slowing or losing the momentum of an absolute must read Detective series

With one victim found dead in. bed with her throat cut and one victim in a lake with the same injury what was originally thought of as a tragic suicide soon leads to something more sinister that DI Kim Stone and her team know they need to stop

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This focussed mainly around the activities of a cult, but there was an entirely separate thread concerning the release of a murderer from prison, whom Bryant feared would re-offend. This was an unnecessary distraction from the main plot, and none of the chain of events made any sense to me. Bryant made enormous leaps of logic and characters acted in puzzling ways that had to be explained away afterwards.

The main plot was better, and there was a real atmosphere of menace when Tink was sent in undercover. There were however entire chapters where Kane held forth on how cults work, which read like the fruits of the author's research that she couldn't bear to discard. I suppose the revelations at the end made sense mostly, but

SPOILERS

if Sheila was helping Kane extract people, why didn't she let her daughter know she was safe? Did Kane actually know what he was doing? Stacey seemed a lot better at his job than he did.

Not one of my favourites in this series.

What an intense read! Another electrifying crime procedural by Angela Marsons,. I was enthralled by this book from the very first chapter. It amazes me that Ms. Marsons after 12 books is able to keep the plots fresh and captivating. I have always been so curious about cults, and how people get entangled with them, so this peak peaked my interest and have me entranced.
Excited to see where Kim Stone and her team encounter on their next case.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley
#killingminddetectivekimstone

Kim and the team is back, yaaaaay! When the team are called to a suicide everything seems as it should, sad, horrific but not suspicious. Quickly the team realise there is more to the case and the suicide is in fact a murder. Bryant is distracted by an old case he is emotionally tied to the victim and family so his eye isn't on the ball, nor Stone. Determined to get to the bottom of the case Stone puts an agent under cover to breach Unity Farm, a cult the victim is associated to. Everything looks rosey on the suface but when one death becomes two Stone knows she needs to act fast and some decisions she may come to regret!

Aw I do love Stone and the team, the investigation is always interesting, not heavy laden with details. The team have an emotional bond, to each other and invest time and emotion into those who loose their lives and those left behind. For Stone having a tough persona she is one of the good uns and looks out for her team and makes sure victims get justice.

The Unity Farm I thought was a really good and different angle to go with and into. This is book twelve in a series and it can be hard to keep things fresh. As well as crime, death, investigation - we get a look into a cult, how they get their claws into you, the "benefits" and pull for the members, control, the long reach it has and the horrific consequences it can have. Whilst this is a fiction book you only need to read into some of the well documented cases to see how well/close to reality this aspect of the book is! 4.5/5 for me this time, love Marson's creations, love the team and cannot wait to see what is next for them.

OMG OMG OMG bloody loved this book. Angela's books just get more amazing each time. I cant wait for the next one.

Another completely excellent book in the Kim Stone series!!
Kim leads her team in one of the strangest cases to date, when they are called by the pathologist Keats to classify a death as a suicide.
I stayed up to read “just one more chapter”, which led me to finish the whole book at 4.30am as this truly is one book you need to keep reading and not put down!!

Another great book from Angela Marsons and after 12 books she is one of my favourite authors. The only down side is once started it is hard to put down and usually finished within a couple of sittings. Fascinating read looking into the power of cults and human vulnerability plus the usual great team investigating.

With thanks to Net Gallery and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer * I am a massive Kim Stone fan. I have lapped up every single instalment of this series and was over the moon to be selected to read number 12 on Netgalley *

I always worry when a new Kim Stone is out that it won't be as good as the previous ones. That the ride will be over. I then start the book and within a few minutes I'm hooked and wonder why I was worried. I've no idea how Angela does it but 12 books in and Kim is as good as ever.

A young girl is found with her neck cut in her own flat. First look appears to be suicide but Kim has a feeling that all is not as it seems. A bit of investigation and Kim and her team are thrown into a hunt for a killer with links to a cult.

I don't know much about cults but this book seems to have been very well researched by Angela which adds to the plausibility of the story. It's worrying how easily one could be taken in by such a group.

Looking forward to book 13 (hoping it won't be unlucky for Kim) and please please can Stacey get married in this one!

Another fantastic installment in the Detective Kim Stone series. I am a huge fan of the series and always love to hear about Kim and her team. IThe plot is superb and the characters are as interesting as ever. Once again I demolished another Kim Stone book in a single sitting. A young woman is found with her throat slit, alone in her flat with no forced entry, it is though to be a suicide but something niggles Stone and she is convinced it is a clever murder. Then a young man is found in a lake with his throat cut and a link is found between the victims and furthermore, both spent time a a retreat which is thought to be a cult. Fast paced and engaging read. 5*

This is my first Angela Marson’s book. Yes, I know coming in at book 12 is a bit mad, but having finished it and loving it, I will be going back and reading them all. The Killing Mind took me down a rabbit hole into the world of cults and the effect they have on people’s minds. It didn’t matter that I was late to the series. I might have been missing some background on the main characters, but it in now way distracted from the story. The plot was excellent with so many questions going round in my mind. I had absolutely no idea who the killer was and was very surprised when it was revealed. the story is fast-paced and a definite page turner as everything unfolds. I really like Kim’s character along with all the others too, and I look forward to getting to know each of them better as I go back and read the series from the start.

As a crime novel, this one is definitely up there with all the top releases of the year so far and I have no doubt it will be a bestseller. The writing is fluid, the characters are well developed, and throughout reading, I felt as if I was watching one of my favorite crime shows on the TV. The writing brought everything to life and I can’t wait to delve into another of these books.

I'm always very excited when a new Kim Stone book comes out, and, once again, this did not disappoint! In this story Kim and her team are called to investigate the suicide of a young woman, who is found with her throat cut. When the body of a young man is found in a lake, also with his throat cut, Kim quickly realises that they have 2 murders to contend with. The link between them takes them to Unity Farm, a retreat, and it soon becomes obvious that something strange is going on here. This is a great read which will keep you guessing to the end. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

I have read every book in this series and once again I really enjoyed this book.Angela Marsons is the mistress of crime writing. I love the police team settings , I used to live in Halesowen and was a special constable at Halesowen police station,I can really identify with the team and the locations and I love the books.This was very believable and the psychology behind cults was very interesting .I am not giving anything away but this was a cracking book and all I can say is bring on the next book..

I am really enjoying this series, it gets better with every book. It has a fast paced story line with great believable characters. We get to see more of the characters personalities and back stories more and more with each book.
I look forward to reading more about Kim Stone and the team.

Angela Marsons has done it again, this is another excellent instalment in the Kim Stone series. I could not put it down! I love how she continues to come up with new, fresh, exciting and gripping storylines for these characters. Never predictable and always paced very well, I completed this in one sitting.