This is the latest outing for Detective Kim stone and her team, and it doesn’t disappoint.

What appears to be a “routine” suicide turns into a suspected murder, and when another body is found, there appears to be a link to Unity Farm, the home of a community led by the charismatic Jake Black.
As Kim and her team delve into the workings of the cult, they uncover disturbing evidence of its’ methods, and also become involved with a specialist in removing people from such communities.

Alongside this, Bryant is dragged back to his first murder case, following a parole hearing, and the subsequent events make him question what is really justice.

All in all a very satisfying read, and further development of a new member of the team.

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

I do enjoy a new Kim Stone book and Killing Mind is – once again – thoroughly compelling. Twelfth in this deservedly popular series, it can easily be read as a standalone. For me, however, much of the enjoyment of Angela Marsons’ new books comes from catching up with the police team again.
As usual, Kim is totally on the ball, discovering – at odds with Keats, the almost never-wrong pathologist – that Samantha Brown’s death is murder, not suicide. This eventually leads to the revelation of exactly what Samantha has been up to recently – no thanks to her parents, who are obviously lying to the police. This discovery paves the way for a fascinating investigation into a seemingly harmless retreat.
I’m a self-confessed Kim Stone fan. While I think I might be petrified to actually meet her (her disposition hovers “somewhere between aggressive and hostile”), I love that she’s tough, no-nonsense, razor sharp and doesn’t suffer fools. In Killing Mind we see a few glimpses of Kim’s notoriously guarded heart. She seems intuitively in step with friend and colleague, DS Bryant, who’s being eaten up by a parole hearing – and shows understanding and flexibility that I’m not sure the Kim Stone of old would have been capable of. There’s definitely some progress along Kim’s EQ journey! (I love that Bryant continues to act as a foil for Kim, shielding others from her. He’s often sent out with her to make sure she doesn’t offend or upset.)
Kim is also almost motherly towards Tiff, who’s back on the team and unwittingly placed in danger during the murder investigation.
There are some fascinating insights into cult psychology in this book. Marsons really brings alive just how insidious they can be, making them almost impossible to leave. Killing Mind is highly disturbing in parts and features some horribly tense moments after Kim initially underestimates the dangers of the cult.
Reliable Bryant, with his huge heart, heaps of compassion and decency, goes far beyond the call of duty in this book. He feels guilty that a heartless rapist wasn’t imprisoned many years ago and went on to rape and murder a second victim. There are some interesting parallels between the main case and Bryant’s sideline investigation, and Marsons seamlessly intertwines the threads of both stories. Interestingly, Bryant is called upon to make a huge moral choice – will he choose black and white justice like the good policeman he is? Or justice that serves the innocent?
As the bodies mount up, I was drawn into the story with its wide variety of complex characters, all with interesting back stories. The author’s characters are always believable and three-dimensional, often testing both your emotions and moral compass. I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for the murderer, and when Kim’s team finally catches onto the truth and arrests are made, it doesn’t really feel like a victory,
The chapters are short and compelling making this is a book I found extremely difficult to put down. Fabulous!!

Another fantastic read in this series. A superb series with a brilliant cast of characters. It's not just Kim Stone as the lead detective that makes this series so successful , but also her team who are both friends and colleagues. The plot was riveting and nerve wracking. An apparent suicide is later discovered to be murder which in turn leads to investigating a Cult. A gripping plot in which I had no idea how it was end. Highly recommend this 5 star read

KILLING MIND. ANGELA MARSONS

I have been lucky enough to be in to this series since it started, and here, in book 12, we have the best one yet.

Where Angela Marsons manages to pull new, original, and gripping plots from, whilst keeping us engaged in her cast of central characters, is a mystery but long may it continue.

Detective Inspector Kim Stone works out of Halesowen Police Station. A perfect place to set a crime series as it sits right on the edge of the Black Country and the rambling countryside, giving Angela plenty of scope to have realistic crimes in real areas.

This book stretches across both. Vulnerable people are being recruited around Dudley and introduced to a “retreat” at the remote Unity Farm.

That alone wouldn’t come on Kim’s horizon but, when a girl is found dead that does. At first inspection it looks like a suicide but something pricks at Kim’s mind and she looks a bit deeper. Before long she is convinced the girl has been murdered and that the scene has been staged.

Why did the girls social media footprint end 3 years ago. Why are her parents behaving suspiciously when they talk to the Police.

Meanwhile more bodies are found and some tenacious work by one of the team manages to link the finds with people who went missing under dubious circumstances

Eventually Unity farm becomes the focus of inquiries but how can the team penetrate the façade that the owner puts up of an innocent retreat.

I’m not taking this any further because I don’t want to give the plot away. Needless to say it’s a gripping story, and for those of you who have read the other books you know that nobody is safe and that not all of the books have a happy ending.

This made this book even more suspenseful. There were time when I caught myself holding my breath. There were other times when I exclaimed out loud, prompting raised eyebrow from my wife.

Did I enjoy the book? Hell yes!!

Pages: 430
Publisher: Bookouture
Available now.

another great Kim Stone novel. The team is coming together and doing stuff on their own also. Love this book. To different cases to be sloved.

After reading Book #11 Child's Play I really thought it couldn't get better. And, of course, I was mistaken! Angela Marsons comes up with another impressive plot and a new series of questions to ponder.
When the body of 21 year old Samantha Brown is found, everyone, including DI Kim Stone and forensic pathologist Keats, is convinced it's a clear case of suicide. No signs of struggle, no forced entry, the flat was locked from inside. The method may be unusual -the victim cut her own throat with a knife and bled to death, but not impossible. Kim breaks the news to Samantha's parents and here it is ...a fleeting phrase that suggests that they were not particularly sure Samantha was ready to live on her own. Something keeps bothering Kim about the crime scene, something she understnds only by looking at the photos and doing a little forensic experiment. Samantha's case gets reclassified as murder. Kims' team discover that Samantha stopped using social media three years ago after a particularly bad relationship break-up. Her parents give evasive answers and it quickly becomes apparent they are hiding something.
When a second body is discovered in a nearby park lake, Kim's team start looking for connections which lead them to the Unity Farm, an incospicuous spiritual commune. Samantha's parents are convinced it is a cult disguised as a spiritual retreat and wellness centre, but Kim is not convinced. After all, Samantha was an adult free to make her own life choices and capable of making independent decisions. Kim visits meets Jack Black, the man who founded the Farm. jack tells her a bit about their activities designed to provide shelter and help to vulnerable people in need of emotional support. In his opinion, Samantha didn't want to leave, she got snatched by force. Who did it? and is there really more to the Unity Farm than meets the eye? Kim decides to send one of her own, an undercover police officer to get an insider view. The only problem is that undercover operations usually take a lot of preparation and special training. Surely, the Unity Farm can't be that dangerous when all they need is just a one day reconnaissance mission?
As usual in Kim Stone novels, we also have another subplot. This time it is Bryant, Kim's right hand. He is haunted by one of his first cases, a brutal rape and murder of a 15-year old teenager Wendy Harrison. The perpetrator has served 26 years and has been granted parole. He is about to leave the prison, but Bryant and Wendy's father are convinced Drake is going to kill again.
Every member of Kim's team is unique and contributes to the investigation in their way. As this case isn't as close to home for Kim as the previous one was, we get to see a much calmer, more detached version of her. She notices everything and is there for every member of her team, as a true leader.
It is obvious that a great deal of research has gone into this book which taps into our universal fear of being manipulated, especially when we are vulnerable due to grief or emotional turmoil. Bryant's subplot comes with its own ethical dilemma: is it possible to find approach to and rehabilitate every criminal or some minds are bound to remain evil forever? I just loved the title which reflects brilliantly both storylines and their big questions which get merged seamlessly in the end.
Finally, can it be read as a standalone? Yes. I enjoyed meeting the team and seeing the developments in their lives, but the book has an engaging plot, clear focus, and flawless writing style that can be enjoyed without having read the previous instalments.
Highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Angela Marsons keeps up the good work! It can be rare that an author can sustain a character over so many books. Kim is developing more as a person as the series progresses though she is still ornery as heck which I love. this mystery was based on a cult and was fascinating to read about. I continue to really enjoy this series. It is one of my favorites.

Angela Marsons has done it again!! She is the master of suspense, and writes wonderful thrillers. If you haven't read any of her other books you can pick this one up and enjoy it as is, but read all of her books, you can't go wrong!!

It had seemed so simple. Get in, get the information, get out. But now they were getting inside her mind and she didn’t know how to stop them…

What begins as an apparent suicide, in the prologue of the 12th book in this series, soon becomes evident to Kim and the team that it's anything but when she visits the deceased girls parents to break the bad news, then, when another body is discovered in a nearby lake with the same MO, and both people are linked to a place called Unity Farm, Kim and her team know that all is not as it seems and investigations begin into finding out just what is going on behind the doors of this so called 'retreat for people seeking an alternative way of life' and what they uncover shocks them to their very core.

Kim decides to send in an undercover officer that we've met in a previous book, Tiffany, or Tink as she's affectionately called by Kim, to try and delve a little deeper, but with Bryant distracted by another case that he was involved in earlier in his career, has Kim made the right decision and can she protect Tink properly once she enters the retreat? The retreat in question is, in fact, a cult which preys on the lives of those that are emotionally vulnerable, using their coercive powers to manipulate their minds, cutting them off from those they hold dear and making them believe the retreat is the only safe place to be.

I've yet to read one of Kim's books in this series that hasn't made me close my kindle and say 'Wow, that were bostin' (Black Country speak for 'that was brilliant') and this latest was no exception. Angie Marsons is the Queen of Suspense and she packs her books with suspense and intrigue by the bucketload. She brings her characters to life and immerses the reader so deeply into the story that you feel you're living the horror with them. I love all the characters in these books, they each have their own characteristic traits and foibles and I especially loved getting to learn more about Tink in this story and seeing a softer side to Kim at times, as the series progresses. I hope the Kim Stone series continues to run and run, as I can't imagine not reading about this kickass detective for many more years to come.

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval. I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

I have read every single book in this series and it continues to go from strength to strength.

Kim Stone is a tough cop and decent human being. She has a great team around her, all of whom have their own quirks, and the make up of the team really adds to the story. Tiffany makes a reappearance in this one, and it is nice to see her back. Bryant is struggling with something from a past case, which adds to the layers of this story too.

A young woman is found with her throat cut. Cut and dried suicide, right? Well, perhaps not. Kim starts to question her decision and when more bodies turn up, all roads lead to Unity Farm. Of course, Unity Farm is filled with happy people just doing their own thing and not bothering anyone else, it is clear......however, nothing is ever as it seems!

Fabulous book, as usual, by this author and I don't think I took a deep breath the whole time I was reading it. Looking forward to the next one :)

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Killing Mind’, the twelfth in the Detective Kim Stone series written by Angela Marsons, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Detective Kim Stone is called out to the body of Samantha Brown to confirm it’s a suicide but on her visit to see the parents she feels there’s something they’re not telling her and starts to believe she was murdered. Then the body of Tyler Short is pulled from the lake at Himley Park with similar injuries and a link with Samantha leads Kim to consider they were involved in a cult at Unity Farm. Kim realises that to get the killer she needs more information and takes the risk of sending a police officer to infiltrate the cult and discover the truth.

I never tire of reading about Kim, Bryant, Stacey, Penn and their newest recruit Tiffany ‘Tinkerbell’ who in ‘Killing Mind’ are searching for a killer they believe is connected with a cult at Unity Farm, whilst Bryant is also dealing with a heinous crime he was involved in when he first joined the police force that has stayed with him ever since. From page one I’ve been gripped with the dramatic story, through each twist and turn, trying to guess the identity of the killer yet unable to, until the thrilling conclusion. This is another unbelievably addictive thriller that proves Ms Marsons’ amazing ability to introduce drama and suspense into each page. I couldn’t stop reading and was unable to put my Kindle down until I’d reached the end. I can wholeheartedly recommend this thriller and am hoping for a thirteenth.

EXCERPT: I will not feel the fear. I will not feel the fear.

I repeat the words to myself over and over in my mind. The fabric that cuts a tight line across my mouth prevents me from saying it out loud.

My hands and feet are numb, caused either by the cold or the ties that bind me tightly to the chair, I'm not sure which.

The goose bumps on my skin are raised and my breathing is shallow. I know how to control these physical reactions to the fear that is running around my brain. I have been taught.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: When Detective Kim Stone is called to the home of Samantha Brown, she finds the young woman lying in bed with her throat cut and a knife in her hand. With no sign of forced entry or struggle, Kim rules her death a tragic suicide.

But a visit to Samantha’s parents rings alarm bells for Kim – there’s something they’re not telling her. And, when she spots a clue in a photograph, Kim realises she’s made a huge mistake. Samantha didn’t take her own life, she was murdered.

Then a young man’s body is found in a local lake with his throat cut and Kim makes a link between the victim and Samantha. They both spent time at Unity Farm, a retreat for people seeking an alternative way of life.

Beneath the retreat’s cosy façade, Kim and her team uncover a sinister community preying on the emotionally vulnerable.

Sending one of her own undercover into Unity Farm is high risk but it’s Kim’s only hope if she is to catch a killer – someone Kim is convinced the victims knew and trusted.

With Bryant distracted by the emergence of a harrowing case close to his heart, and an undercover officer in way over her head, Kim’s neck is on the line like never before. Can she protect those closest to her before another life is taken?

MY THOUGHTS: D.I. Kim Stone loses vital evidence at the beginning of Killing Mind, the 12th exciting installment of Angela Marsons series. Not something I can ever remember Kim doing previously . . . This certainly makes for a brilliant start to the book.

Kim is dedicated, single minded, doesn't have a life beyond her dog and her motorbikes, neither of which get much of a look in here, because bodies keep appearing. Or rather, Kim takes the bit between her teeth and finds more bodies. And every one is connected in some way to Unity Farm, a retreat with a charismatic leader. A retreat, or a cult?

My one ripple of discontent with Killing Mind is that I felt that I was being (over) educated about cults. A lot of the information was repeated, more than once. But while I felt that the amount of information may have been overkill, it was also quite frightening to see it explicitly laid out just how they target the vulnerable.

The characters were interesting. Bryant is not running at full throttle, his attention diverted by an old case. Stacey and Penn are there, but aren't as prominent as usual. Even Kim didn't seem to be as 'in your face' as usual. It was good to see Tinks back. I enjoy her character and we get to know her quite a lot better in Killing Mind. I am looking forward to seeing more of her in the future. And then there was the man dressed in black driving the white SUV. He was a revelation.

Overall, Killing Mind seemed a little more muted than previous books in the series. That is not a criticism, just a personal observation. I enjoyed this book, as always, and am eagerly awaiting the next. Well, the next 4 really. Get writing Angela.

❤❤❤❤

#KillingMindDetectiveKimStone #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Angela is the author of the Kim Stone Crime series. She 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.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Killing Mind by Angela Marsons for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Another thrilling adventure for Detective Kim Stone and her team. A woman is found dead in her bed and the detectives determine the case as a suicide, but is it? After further investigation, the case is reclassified as a murder. Just as Kim feels that the family is hiding information, another body is found murdered in nearly the same manner. When Kim and her detectives find out that both of the dead were acquainted, it leads her to the Unity Farm. The farm is billed as a retreat, but Kim fears that it is a cult that once you join there is only one way out. After sending in an undercover operative, Kim worries that her decision was the right one. Kim Stone is a strong and determined detective that doesn’t give up until the guilty are found. An absorbing and intricate mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Killing Mind is the twelfth instalment in the bestselling Detective Inspector Kim Stone series by crime fiction royalty, Angela Marsons. This set of books is one of my firm favourites, and although each instalment works perfectly as a standalone, thrillseekers will not want to miss out on a single one of the team's gruesome adventures.

Kim and her team are called in to investigate an apparently clear-cut case of suicide whereby the young female had her throat slashed from ear to ear within the confines of her own flat; the pathologist believes this to be the case as does everyone else. However, Kim has been dancing this jig for some time and knows she should trust her gut when she can't help but feel that there is something she's missing. She decides it’s worth checking out the pathology photographs to allay her fears but they prove she was indeed correct; Samantha Brown had been murdered in cold blood. Kim also believes the victims family is being less than forthcoming and that they know more about their daughter's demise than they are letting on. Then a body of a young man is discovered in a nearby lake with his throat cut in a similar manner and when a link to Samantha emerges, Kim will get more than she bargained for in an investigation that plunders increasingly dark depths of a location known as Unity Farm.

I am so glad this series continues in superbly gripping fashion and I’d go as far as to say that this was one of the most compulsive episodes to date. Those interested in cult influence, their methods of attracting and recruiting members and indoctrination will find this fascinating and chilling in equal measure. It’s sophisticated, well thought out and totally addictive; there was no way I was putting this down and carried it around everywhere I went from the opening page right through to the closing. What an exquisitely exhilarating read! The signature short chapters build suspense that leaves you breathless and the steady supply of intrigue, misdirection, and twists and turns had me eating into the page count at an Almighty rate. Marsons is a dream of a crime writer who somehow NEVER disappoints. She is undoubtedly an incredible talent and to those who have not had the pleasure of reading her words, I urge you to give this a go. An absolute must-read. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

All hail Queen Angela! Yet again Angela Marsons has written a fantastically gripping thriller. 12 (yes 12! Already!) books into the Kim Stone series and the only thing getting boring is me harping on about how bloody fabulous they are. I literally sat down with this at five on a lockdown Sunday evening and all my family got out of me until I read the last word at 11pm was the occasional grunt. I was that hooked. All the team are back apart from....well no I'm still not ready to talk about that several books on. Still traumatised. But those who are continue to be fleshed out as characters we can really care about and Kim...well dare I say it? She seems almost *whispers* quite happy. It's an unexpected and welcome change to a character I've come to love. So just to clarify - I really quite adore this series. Keep them coming please Queen Angela!

Well this one was something completely NEW! When we get to book 10+ in a series, it’s always a worry that it just won’t be as good as the older ones. Angela Marsons has totally delivered on bringing us an amazing new instalment!

Kim Stone and team are back with a different type of case - it centres around a CULT! Yes 🙌🏻😬 I am always freaked out by these type of stories, so was pretty much on edge throughout the whole book. Full of unexpected twists, lies and manipulation ... you won’t be disappointed - it’s out this week, so get ready 👀 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another absolutely brilliant instalment of the Kim Stone series. Angela surprises me with every book and I do not know how she comes up with so many fabulous storylines. Bravo!

Angela Marsons never fails to deliver and the Kim Stone Crime Series gets better and better. In this book, Kim is faced with what seems to be the suicide of a young woman, even though the cause of death is a little unusual for a suicide nothing suggests murder. so the body is removed and the next of kin informed. Kim then has a flash of brilliance and realises that they have missed one vital clue which points towards murder. As the story unfolds they discover that their victim had been drawn into a cult whose charismatic leader is much more dangerous than they could ever imagine.

What an excellent police procedural.
It's gripping, full of twists and turns, and kept me turning pages as fast as I could.
It's the second I read in this series and I'm sure there will a lot of others.
Kim is an amazing character, fleshed out and intriguing, and I liked her team and the other well thought characters.
The plot is well crafted and I liked how the author did a great job in talking about cults and deprogramming.
It was a great read, I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This series never fails to disappoint! I love this series. It is powering on! This book investigates a cult. I enjoyed learning more about the psychology of cults. There was not much development of the characters. Most of this book stayed with the murder mystery and I never picked the murderer!
Bring on the next in this series!