Another winner in this excellent series! This time, Kim knows whodunit because he came to her to give a cryptic confession, but she doesn’t seem to be able to prove it. In the afterword, the author explains how her fascination with true crime made her consider the interrogation techniques that the police use to get the bad guys. We readers know how awesome Kim is but this baddie is no slouch, so he is almost – almost – as good as her. I always love the dynamics between the characters (and this time we also get Allison and Doctor A!) but the interaction with a powerful adversary is also great. Another character coming back is the psycho we all love to hate, Alexandra Thorne (please, please just move to Mars!) and I fear that this is not the last we’ll hear from her. There are unexpected twists and a very suspenseful ending. As expected, this is a solid procedural.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/ Bookouture!

4⭐️
One the 25th anniversary of missing Melody Jones a man walks into the police station claiming knowledge of her whereabouts at the same time that another young girl Grace is snatched.
There are 2 threads running in the book. Evil psychiatrist Dr Alex Thorne is in prison and wanting revenge against Kim.
Both of them are playing head games with Kim who is a control freak.

It’s good to see the team characters again and their developments.
Penn is a favourite character for me, and he has more issues to overcome with his guardianship of his brother. Stephen Harte is an unusual character that to some degree had my sympathy.
It was great to see a character name pop up that I know from the crime book world, another author Noelle Holten, even her description fits 😊

My minor nit pick for me is the MI5 expert section felt a bit dry, a bit text book style in its presentation. Also some of the getting the specialist information to the reader felt a little clunky.

Another entertaining easy read from one of my go to authors. I’m sure fans of the series won’t be disappointed.

This is book fifteen in the series and I got addicted to it in the last year. I love a good police procedural story and this is one of the fees that I can’t stop reading because the heroine, Kim Stone is such a complex character with so many layers that needs to be unveiled.
The author has a real gift in crafting a must read book and I highly recommend it.

When Steven Harte came into the police station to help with the disappearance of Melody Jones twenty five years ago no-one was sure to treat him as a witness or a suspect until an eight year old girl was taken from a day care centre. This puts DI Kim Stone's team into action do they try to find out who has taken Grace Lennard although there are no clues on the CCTV or do they try to find out if there are any similarities to the Melody Jones case.
As time goes by and Grace is not found the team discover that there were other young girls taken at different intervals and two of them were released without harm which baffles them even more.
This is another brilliant read by Angela Marsons in the Kim Stone series well written with many ways that could lead you to believe you know what is happening until he final few chapters lead you to the surprising ending. This book is guaranteed to keep you reading until the finish.

You want to know what absolutely kills my soul??? That more people haven’t discovered Angela Marsons and her books. I’m beyond obsessed and EVERYONE needs to read the Kim Stone series. And this is coming from someone like me, who totally prefers to read standalone books. There are VERY few series that I read. So I’ll just say that you can absolutely read any of these books and be just fine. You won’t be lost. But I honestly know in my heart of hearts that you NEED these books in your life. I’ve never once heard of someone who doesn’t love them! So let’s just dig into Stolen Ones and I’ll say that once again, I’m completely blown away and love that I wasn’t sure of who was at fault and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Then it didn’t. And then it freaking DID!!! I won’t give spoilers but this isn’t a spoiler and I was SHOCKED at the ending here!!! Yet another reason I’m obsessed with the messed up, twisted mind that resides in Angie’s skull! This will obviously go on my list of favorite books of 2021!!!

If book 15 is the first book in the series you are reading like I did, don't fret, you will still enjoy this mystery. Yes, starting at book one and working your way through is my preference as the character development builds, the back stories, they all play into the next book and the story impacts you in a different way.
There are two parallel stories running in this book, The exceptionally devious and manipulative Alex's story is a continuation from other books and you are left wondering what her next move will be in book 16.
While Detective Kim Stone is dealing with Alex she also has a new case on her hands to solve, with the main suspect in the station from the beginning leaving her to play his game and put the pieces of the puzzle together, she is delivered a twist she did not anticipate in trying to find out what happened to a young girl who went missing 25 years ago.

Loved it; Angela Marsons and Kim Stone never disappoint! I was hooked from the first few pages and it accelerated very fast into a book I couldn’t put down!

Angela Marsons has hit the ball out of the ground with this latest addition to her Kim Stone series! A superb plot with our favourite team of detectives honing their interview skills as the clock ticks down in the search for an abducted child.

On the 25th anniversary of the disappearance of seven year old Melody Jones, two things happen. Firstly, a man called Stephen Harte presents himself at the police station claiming to have information about Melody. Secondly, another little girl, eight year old Grace Lennard disappears from a daycare centre. Linking the two events is the discovery of Melody’s bracelet at the centre.

It soon becomes clear to Kim that Stephen Harte is playing some sort of game with her, which he is determined to control. With the clock racing against Kim and her team before they have to release him from custody, Kim brings in behaviouralist Alison Lowe to spy on his interviews for lies and deceptions and feed her hints on how to interview him. It makes for a fascinating account of interviewing techniques and the ability to read body language to look for deception and lies.

Meanwhile, sociopath Alexander Thorne, is still taunting Kim from her prison cell. Alex’s time behind bars has only served to make her more ruthless and practiced in the art of manipulating others. Now she’s focussing on her upcoming parole hearing and using all the tricks she knows. Will she be released to once again become a thorn(e) in Kim’s side?

The pace of the novel is excellent, keeping the tension high as one discovery after another is made by Stacey, Bryant and Penn working frantically behind the scenes while Kim tries to crack Harte. The final twist was totally unexpected and shocking. It’s always a delight to read a new book by Angela Marsons and this one is especially good.

4.5 rounded up.
Kim Stone keeps getting better and better. I love how Marsons is allowing her to be a bit more vulnerable. In this case a man comes in with information about a crime and it leads the team both down a trail of some older crimes and the current crime. And I have to say I did not see that ending coming!
I was given a copy by Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Really enjoyed this book. It did take me a while to get head around characters and back plots as I hadn't read previous books. Even so it was an easy read and very enjoyable. I found it very interesting and can't wait to start the series to read more by Angela Mason.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion

The Stolen ones starts with Steven Harte, a pillar of the community. Always giving money to charity and helping others less fortunate, walks into Halesowen Police station asking to speak to D.I. Kim stone. He claiming to know what happened to Melody Jones that was abducted 25 years earlier. Kim thinks it is a prank as at the same time Kim has been called to investigate the disappearance of Grace Lennard with some similarities. Are the two linked in anyway? Kim and her team go out of the way to investigate and pin the crime on Steven Harte. When details emerge, that other girls have disappeared in a similar way. Things are not all as cut and dried as they seem.
As if D.I. Kim Stone hasn’t got enough on her plate, she is summoned to prison as Alex Thorne wants to see her. Doctor Alex Thorne thinks that she can wind her way and get Kim to do her bidding to help her get early release from prison. But Kim doesn’t take the bait which winds them both up.
Wow the Queen of Crime is back again with Stolen Ones the 15th book in the series. I have loved the series from the first book and Ms Marsons never disappoints with the quality of her writing and her fresh, original plots and the usual characters that we all know and love. This is another gripping thriller with twists and turns ending that I didn’t see coming.
Wow can’t wait for book 16 to see what happens between Kim and Doctor Alex Thorne…

How is this Book #15? As with the previous 14, I loved this book. Kim Stone and her team are fabulous. They work their behinds off to find the bad guys (and girls). Lots of twisted people in this book including the infamous Dr. Alex Thorne. I even chewed off a couple of nails which I haven’t done for a long time. Please write the next book fast. Oh and I loved the mention of another fabulous Author. Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

I honestly don’t know how Angela Marsons keeps up the quality of her writing. Loved the premis of this one and had no idea how the story would turn out. Fabulous plotting and great characters. Do we have to have Alex back though? I thought her story arc was over and done with. I appreciate that she is fun to write, but I don’t want this series to become predictable around mind games between the two. This is a page turning treat for crime fans.

25 years ago, Melody Jones was taken from a playground. The police were not able to find her. Now, 8 years old Grace is taken. A man walks into the police station claiming to have information on both cases. DI Kim Stone and her team sense something is off and play by Kim’s rules. They soon discover a link between several missing girls in the interim period, some were returned a year later and some never found at all.
Dr Alex Thorne also reoccurs, Kim’s arch nemesis.
Another gripping read by Angela Marlon’s, it’s hard not to love Kim’s ‘stoney’ personality! I devoured this book in one sitting and can’t wait for the next instalment. A gritty and pacey storyline, with well developed characters.
5 stars!

Somehow in the vast scheme of things, the world is still rotating on its axis when Angela Marsons releases another edition in her Detective Kim Stone Series. And we slip into a reader's paradise.

We are swept from August of 1996 gazing through an open door of a small bedroom. There's a fuzzy brown bear tucked on the pillow of the bed. We note this strange presence before the page is turned and we are suddenly centered, once again, in the present moment........

Then we are jarred by a phone call received by D.I. Kim Stone in the Halesowen Police Station. There's a child missing from a nearby daycare. An alarm had sounded at the daycare and all the children were brought outside into the fenced area. When the all-clear was sounded, eight year old Grace Lennard was not among them. Upon reviewing the security video, the back gate was open and Grace could be seen exiting. The beginning of a parent's nightmare.

Then Kim is notified that Steven Harte, a millionaire philanthropist, is waiting downstairs. He claims that he may have information on the missing girls that have vanished over the years. With not much to go on, Kim agrees to see him. But the interview seems to be more of a cat and mouse routine with Harte holding back and only peaking Kim's interest. There's nothing definitive to connect Harte to any of these disappearances at the moment. And yet, Harte has created a habit of just dropping by to see Kim. What's up with that?

Kim's team, DS Bryant, DC Stacey Wood, and DC Penn ban together to find the missing Grace. And strangely, they keep laying out similarities to cases of abduction from 25 years ago. Two of those girls were released by their captor unharmed. The rest were never found. And they're video taping Steven Harte each time he comes into the station. Something just might pop from that.

Angela Marsons is a wizard when it comes to sorting out crimes of all persuasions. This is #15 in the series and it's one of the best. She gets knee deep in the psychology of body language and verbal cues as we sit alongside the team. It's pure genius as the reader is allowed access into the team's thought processes.......leaving us to wonder which cards she's holding back in the meantime. And when the "meantime" comes, it's a brilliant shocker.

Now add to this piping hot stew the fact that Kim's ol' nemesis, Dr. Alex Thorne, is up for parole. Kim knows a ton of monkeys about the so-called "reformed" sociopathic psychiatrist. But will the goose be on the loose once again? Wowzers! Stay tuned, boys and girls, because #16 can't get here fast enough.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Bookouture and to the talented Angela Marsons for the opportunity.

This is book #15 of the Kim Stone series. Whilst part of a series, it can be read as a standalone book, but I would recommend reading the other books of the series for better understanding of the storyline! I always get excited when I hear there is a new Kim Stone book due out! I wait eagerly every time to pick up the story of our favourite Black Country detective again, and whilst we are 15 books into the series, it just keeps getting better and better! Stone and her trusted crew are back on the case of a missing child, Grace Lennard. When Steven Harte walks into Halesowen Police Station with information pertaining to Melody Jones, who went missing 25 years before, Kim can’t dare to believe that not only are the two cases linked, but that Steven Harte is telling the truth. This sets the team off on a chase to find out the truth about what really happened all those years before.

This book starts straight into the action when little Grace Lennard goes missing. Immediately my heart jumped into my throat, as it does with any missing child, and I’m instantly hooked into the storyline. Kim has to be my favourite character…EVER, but the storyline had me wondering if she might be reaching the point of how much she can cope with! Her interviews with the mysterious (and seriously weird!) Steven Harte were genius, and I was willing her to keep on the right side of cool throughout! The thought of Stone having to patiently smile sweetly instead of slapping the cuffs on and dealing with the consequences later did make me chuckle! And if we think Kim didn’t have enough on her plate, Dr Alexandra Thorne is back, playing her evil mind games with Kim from her prison cell. Whilst the ex-psychiatrist and very much current sociopath sends shivers down my spine, it’s fabulous to have her back and I can’t wait to see if we see her again!

The storyline twists its way throughout the book, making sure you keep turning those pages as fast as you can! The plot is filled with red herrings, dead ends and more loop the loops than a rollercoaster, and yet despite all this it’s such an easy-to-read book with everything laid out uncomplicatedly! There’s no “I don’t get that” and “what did she mean by that?”, everything is so fantastically written that even with a fast-paced plot, I managed to keep up with Every. Single. Word! Of course, the Queen of Crime keeps the major plot twist under wraps until she’s ready to let you have it, and I seriously didn’t see it coming until it smacked me right in the face!

What more can I say other than…I LOVED IT! There are some great authors and books out there at the moment, but I’m sorry everyone, this author pips you all at the post with every book released. The characters are fabulous – the good guys are good; the bad guys are seriously bad! The plots are fast paced and full of thrills, chills, tension and suspense! And, as I say every time, I know all the places throughout the book and can picture them perfectly in my mind (some of them are only down the road!). If you haven’t read any of these books yet…then why not?! You will not find a better police procedural thriller read, nor a gutsier, bolshie and wonderfully likeable character than our very own Kim Stone! Highly, HIGHLY recommend!

Angela you have done it again, another fabulous book in this series. Once I started reading i could not stop. Looking forward to reading more.

4.5 stars! A new crime thriller by author Angela Marsons is always a compelling treat and I put everything else aside to read it. It is hard to believe that this fresh new mystery is the 15th in the Detective Kim Stone series and I was surprised to learn from my records that I have read every one of them since 2015. I am a big fan and admire the way that the author makes each crime case different and intriguing. The book can be read as a stand-alone mystery, but new readers will enjoy also reading previous books in the series.

Kim Stone was wounded emotionally by a traumatic past. At first, she had difficulty relating to other police officers and was considered rude. Kim's personal growth makes her character an outstanding read. The personal and interpersonal growth of the team shows great character development. She shows great empathy for crime victims and determination in bringing the guilty to justice. Her trusted team is cooperative and trusts Kim's leadership, each one assigned to work they do best.

Millionaire and philanthropist, Steven Harte, walks into the police station and demands to speak to Detective Kim Stone. It has been 25 years since young Melody Jones disappeared without a trace. Harte drops subtle, tantalizing clues that he knows something about Melody's abduction. There is something in his detached, calm manner indicating that he is enjoying playing mind games and controlling the interview. There is a slight hint that another little girl may be missing, giving Kim an uneasy feeling.

Sure enough, 8-year-old Grace Leonard has just vanished from daycare. An item that belonged to Melody is found at the scene of Grace's disappearance. What is the connection? Harte also alludes to other missing girls. His comments are assured and he is controlling the interview but has said nothing definite that would give grounds for his arrest.

Kim's boss, DCI Woodward brings in a former MI5 trainer specializing in interview and interrogation techniques. The team finds him dull and pedantic. His textbook-style lecture gives them no confidence that it will have much effect on Harte's enjoying his game-playing role. They call in the behaviourist Allison Lowe. She specializes in observing minute clues to a criminal's behaviour and reactions to questions. The earliest missing girls were released unharmed, but after Melody, no trace of them was ever found. Now bones of little girls are being uncovered. Some suspicion falls on a former sex offender and owner of a construction site where children's bones are being uncovered. His company was financed by Harte. The realization that prior to Melody's abduction, the captive girls were released unharmed but afterwards the victims were murdered. There is now a rush to find little Grace before she is killed. Interesting facts about the Stockholm syndrome and the lesser-known Lima syndrome are discussed. Do they play a part in this case?

Meanwhile, the evil, psychopathic psychiatrist, Dr. Alex Thorne, is in prison with a hearing for her release coming up. She is determined to make this happen and manipulates prisoners and a guard, no matter who is harmed in the process. She draws Kim into her schemes by indicating that she knows something in Kim's background of which even Kim is unaware. Will Kim be able to resist this diabolical woman and concentrate on finding Grace?

Tension and suspense continue to mount in this compulsive thriller. There are many twists and turns and a surprising motive. Recommended! Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in return for an honest review.

This latest in the series has the team working to find a kidnapped young girl, whom has been taken because the kidnapper mistakenly thinks her mother has been physically abusing her.
Then it appears there have been other girls missing throughout the years. Is the man who appeared at the police station a kidnapper and a murderer?
I enjoyed the plot twists and turns and the re-introduction of Alexandra Thorne again into the storyline and cannot wait for the next twisted plot in the series! Top marks Angela Marsons ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was interesting and an easy read. I would try to read the other books in the series before reading this one as it took me a while to get into the characters and the various subplots. However I managed and really enjoyed this book, I really wanted to know how it all got resolved.

I read this in one session in an afternoon given that I wanted to know.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.