Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Detective inspector Kim stone and her team : Bryant, Stacey and Penn are asked to assist in the case of two missing boys. Heading to Blackpool they are met with distrust and dislike by the team there, who don’t appear to be taking one of the disappearances seriously. But Kim has a second case- 59 identify this team for corruption. They are thrown head into a case that is one of the most shocking yet.

Wow wow wow. This was far too good. My kindle has not been out of my hands since I started it. Exciting, shocking and satisfying. Kim is such a strong, take no crap character. It was good to see even more just how straight and morally a good man Bryant is. These characters are all written well and I feel like I know them. This was hard to read at times due to the nature of the case they investigated and the descriptive nature, but it was treated sensitively.

The book was fast paced, well thought out and enjoyable and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read "Little Children", the 22nd book in Angela Marsons' 'Detective Kim Stone' series. I have read all of them, and reviewed a great number - and I've enjoyed every last one of them, this book being no exception.
It's a little quiet for DI Stone's team right now, after the events that led to the capture and conviction of The Jester; and then Kim is called into the Boss's office with a request: her team is to be seconded to Blackpool - at the request of one of her boss's old classmates - ostensibly to help in the search for two missing boys, but also to investigate allegations (anonymous) of misdeeds involving another team of detectives.
Needless to say, Stone is not happy; and neither is the team that they are sent to assist. But DI Stone and her loyal team - Bryant, Penn and Stacey, are determined to make the best of things, even if it goes against every investigatory tool in their toolboxes.
And to further complicate matters - at least for Kim, anyway - Steve Ashworthy is determined to bring her down with an explosive exposé, while her nemesis Frost seems to have truly gone off the deep end (but in a fun way). But Kim deftly navigates both of the situations.
It rapidly becomes apparent that there is something not right with the investigations. First of all, even though the missing boys are similar in age, stature, etc, and they both disappeared suddenly, they are being treated as separate investigations (one, a runaway; one an abduction) and Kim's team are instructed to investigate only one - and roadblocks are put up for them at every turn.
For the longest time, they are stymied, until a phone call brings Stone and Penn back to their home precinct with the discovery of a body. And this body takes them down a rabbit hole which eventually links up all three cases, with a truly shocking outcome.
Simultaneously, the team begins to get to the heart of the possible corruption in the local team.
Absolutely riveting in its intensity, this entry in the series continues to shock and disturb - while also continuing the stellar work of DCI Stone and her team in getting to the bottom of the most difficult of cases.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of Little Children by Angela Marsons
What a rollercoaster of a story. It’s amazing from start to finish. Definitely the best book I’ve read in a long time.
Kim Stone and her team are sent to another force to help out with two cases of missing teenage boys, and to look into corruption accusations.
And that’s just the start, the story builds and builds, the tears have streamed down my face and I feel like I’ve been through the wringer.
That’s just reading it, heaven knows how Angela got through writing it.
Please Angela Marsons don’t ever stop writing.
You’re brilliant. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#NetGalley #Bookouture #LittleChiildren #AngelaMarsons #DetectiveKimStone.

Another brilliant read in the Kim Stone series.
Kim and her team travel to Blackpool to help in the search for 2 missing boys. They find the police force there to be very laid-back and unconcerned about the missing boys. They also uncover police corruption, racism and misogyny in the force.
The fate of the boys is shocking and heart-breaking and the twist at the end shows how far corruption has risen in the force.
A dark but realistic plot that makes compelling reading. The best book of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review,

'Did you hear about the boy who went missing in Lancashire?' 'There's another"

Kim's team are sent to Blackpool to help find missing children and secretly solve the whispers about corruption and violence in the local police force.
Missing boy Lewis's family say he's just run away and will be back with his tail between his legs but are they wrong?

You'd think being book 22 of a series it would get boring and repetitive.. NOT A FAT CHANCE
I couldn't put the book down! I just had to know what was happening next even if it meant lack of sleep
My heart hurt for the victims and I felt rage about a certain slimey character but best bit is BARNEY is in there and he makes it all worth it no matter what
4.5 stars from me and I can't wait for book 23

Another brilliant book in the Kim Stone series, full of tension, missing boys, murder, corruption, and shocks. It kept me guessing and turning the pages until the satisfying and shocking ending. Fantastic!

📚✨ 5⭐ Read!
Little Children by Angela Marsons had me hooked from page one! Two boys go missing and DI Kim Stone is sent to uncover the truth—except the truth is buried under cold stares, secrets, and silence.

Kim is fierce, focused, and so human. The tension builds fast, and the twists? 😱
Couldn’t stop reading!

If you love dark crime thrillers with real emotion, this one’s a must.

#CurrentlyReading #5StarRead #AngelaMarsons #KimStone #CrimeFiction #ThrillerBooks #Bookstagram #BookReview #GrippingReads #DetectiveSeries #BookLover #PsychologicalThriller

Kim Stone's at the seaside. But it's not all ice cream, chips and kiss me quick hats...

Eleven year old Noah vanishes from the pier. Twelve year old Lewis disappears from the arcade.

And when Kim meets Lewis's mother, something really doesn't add up...

But then a child's body turns up back home...

Another brilliant addition to this excellent series

Birds of a feather.....

There's a certain trait to Evil that aligns itself with others of the same nature. Beware.

You'd think that when you've reached the 22nd book in a series that it would become repetitious and dry. Certainly not the DI Kim Stone Series in the hands of the talented Angela Marsons. Marsons has outdone herself in Little Children. Although the subject matter is heavy, Marsons injects the element of hope that carries this storyline to its very conclusion. She's a master of what she does and it's evident here.

Back to that Evil. Two young boys, Lewis and Noah, are missing. One is a suspected runaway and the other may well have been abducted. They're both twelve and eleven respectively. DI Kim Stone is called in by her boss. She and her team will be assisting another team out of Blackpool. So travel they must. Kim figures that within a few days they will have had enough information to turn over to the Blackpool team. Then her team could return home. Not so fast, Kim. There's much bigger fish to fry within this case......and what a case it will turn out to be.

Little Children is a mindblowing read from Marsons. It was a brilliant move to transport our team of Bryant, Stacey, and Penn into a placement of jagged proportions. There's not the familiarity of the West Midlands station and the Black Country. Kim and her team know fullout that there is treachery within the ranks of the Blackpool team. But proving it outright is not within their grasp at the moment.

In addition, Little Children is an emotional read as more details rise to the surface. Once can only envision this Evil that truly lurks on an even larger scale in our own present times. Read "A Letter from Angela Marsons" at the end of this novel. Angela Marsons, you are one brilliant author. Bravo, Angela Marsons, just bravo.

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.

Oh my goodness, definitely worth the wait for this book.
A rollercoaster of multiple plots all seamlessly and believably tied up with a thrilling set piece end.
Kim and her colleagues are working out of their comfort zone with another area’s team in Blackpool Is there corruption or incompetence getting in their way ?
That’s something Kim and her team have to navigate whilst also trying to find the missing children.
Why are these children targeted and how?
I was certainly surprised at some of the developments as the storyline progressed, totally gripping.,
If you haven’t read any of the Kim Stone series before run out and start reading them now !

Not only is this, for me, the best story in the series, it might well be one of the best crime fiction thrillers I’ve read
Angie Marsons has a way of finding new and intriguing ways of gripping me as a reader.
This story is set against a crime I would never have thought of, but its realism would make me naive to think it couldn’t happen, and in some form it probably does happen.
A seed she planted many books ago, when she killed off one of the main characters means that no one is ever safe, and that also adds to the tension.
I flew through this story, and can’t recommend it highly enough.

Little Children, is the twenty second book in the Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons. This is a excellent series but this one works as a standalone but why would you want to miss out on all the other books. This novel delves into the dark world of children abduction as well police corruption.

Twelve-year-old Lewis Stephens disappears from a seafront arcade in Blackpool, followed a week later by the vanishing of eleven-year-old Noah Reid from the nearby pier. There are no witnesses, no clues to what happened and by all accounts no urgency from the local authorities. Detective Kim Stone, is asked to pay a visit with her team to Blackpool to help out, pulled from her usual West Midlands patch and thrust into unfamiliar, hostile territory. She’s been sent to assist in the investigation but also to quietly assess whether the whispers of police corruption in the local force hold any truth.

Kim Stone, is an uncompromising officer and not afraid to confront people when she believes they are in the wrong, whoever they are. Her first impression on her arrival in Blackpool was that something was not sitting right. Why is everyone so quick to dismiss Lewis’s disappearance as a runaway case? and why do his family show such little concern?

The tension unsurprisingly builds between her team and the Blackpool officers and they face much resistance, secrets, and evasive answers. With no explanation offered, an anonymous list of suspicious cases arrives and it is clear that someone within the police is not only obstructing the investigation but is actively working to protect dangerous people. The list exposes a corrupt officer but proving it will be difficult and possibly put the West Midland team at risk.

When a boy is found dead in Kim’s own jurisdiction the tension is raised again, his body battered and discarded like trash. It is clear that the criminals they are hunting are far more calculated and ruthless than they imagined.

This is a fast paced novel that is full of emotion and doesn’t away from the realities of crime. Great characters and intriguing plot that is very well paced. I read this novel in one sitting as I could not put it down. I really enjoyed this one and thought it is possibly the best book to date in this series.

Little Children is a must read for anyone who already follows this series but is well worth reading if you are new to this author.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Kim and her team are sent to Blackpool to assist with missing boys. They are not at all welcomed. They have also been tasked with finding out who reported corrupt police officers.

Absolutely dark subject matter. But gosh!!! What a brilliant book! I am a huge fan of Detective Kim Stone and her crack team of investigators, they are family to each other, and I feel like they are extended family to me.

Very emotional, and I can feel Kim is highly affected by the missing boys. Especially Lewis. She has such a soft heart, but has a brittle shell which isn't impenetrable.

Loved this book, and have to admit I have read the series from the beginning and can not get enough. Already impatient for the next in the series!

5/5 stars.

Yet another gripping read from this talented author.
Had me up late into the night.
Great characters and an edge of your seat read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

I can’t believe this is the 22nd Kim Stone book from Angela Marsons! Where does time go and just how does she manage to keep this series so fresh. What a journey I’ve been with Kim and the team and every stop I reach in the journey, well, the experience just gets better and better!
Now, if you are new to the series (like where have you been hiding!) you can read all the books as standalones but honestly to get the very best buzz out of them, and to understand all those little nuances that bind Kim and her team together, I’d recommend you start at the beginning…I’m so jealous of all the new readers having 22 works of genius to look forward to!
As always the set up is sublime, we have Kim anxiously awaiting a TV feature about her. Is she about to be dragged through the mud again? Well you will have a wait to find out as we are swiftly taken back to a month earlier where Kim and the team have been sent off to Blackpool but not to build sandcastles or live it up on the Pleasure Beach! Nope, they have been sent to assist on a missing child case and at the same time dig for signs of police corruption.
Now, no spoilers but what follows is a harrowing tale which shook me to the core. But don’t worry, it’s not gratuitous but it will get all your emotions going. The team’s loyalty to Kim jumps out at every turn as they face some of the most difficult scenarios – oh Lordy, so much I want to say here but I don’t want to give anything away, you seriously need to read this and you will understand what I mean.
Missing children is a hard topic to cover in fiction but as usual, Angela Marsons does it with sensitivity while at the same time she keeps you teetering on the edge. Right from the outset I was wanting to punch a good few odious characters in this book, and my heart was breaking for the young victims.
To balance the dark but there are some laugh out snippets of light relief as someone we never thought Kim would keep in touch with, seems to have her rattled. Saying no more!

I love how Angela Marsons is able to take social issues and explore them through the eyes of her characters but never leaving her feeling as though they have just sat through a lecture. She takes all sorts of subject, emotional, controversial and topical and pokes about your head for a long time after you finish reading.
I feel like I’ve grown alongside Kim and the team and this is entirely down to Angela Marsons skill. Long standing series can quickly grow stale but not this one! I reckon we are going to be rooting for Kim Stone right up to retirement and beyond! Even out of the normal environment there is a real strength and camaraderie among them, you can see exactly how loyal they are to Kim and that’s down to her phenomenal management skills, she believes in them and she has grown them (lol sound like I’m doing her appraisal here - note to self-she’s not real!) Plot is perfectly paced - kept me turning the pages so much so I read it in one sitting. It will chew you up and spit you out!
It’s a belter!

This well written, exciting series just keeps improving. Book 22 featuring Kim Stone is every bit as fresh as the first in the series. I love the developing characterisation, especially Bryant and the trusting relationships within the team. A different location for this book, in Blackpool, and a hint of corruption within the force as the team investigate the disappearance of a young boy in this fast paced, exciting read, with a satisfying ending. I read this book over 24 hours and it is easily a 5* read in what must be one of the best in the crime thriller genre which I am sure fans will love. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

It astounds me how I think each book in this series is the best only for the next one to be even better if possible! I have devoured this book in one day as couldn't put it down.
When Kim and her team are asked to go to Blackpool to assist in an investigation they unravel not only what has happened to the missing boys but they are also investigating corruption! But as always we don't know the true nature of this until right near the end.
The Kim /Frost story in the background was so funny too

Holy cow this book! When I figured out what the bad guys were up to my eyes popped and I literally gasped out loud. This may actually be the most twisted Kim Stone yet!

I adore this series and this new book was just as amazing as the ones before it!
Kim and the team travel to Blackpool to find 2 missing boys, and of course, there's lots of drama along the way!

I love the characters and I always enjoy the way Marsons' writes....she creates such vivid imagery and fascinating storyline that mean I genuinely can't put the book down until I'm finished!

Possibly my favourite of the series so far, although I do think that after everyone! Definitely recommend

Kim and her team are off to Blackpool to assist in the search for missing boys, as well as to root out corruption within the force. The story is complex and nobody is beyond suspicion. Yes there’s murders, but this delves into the sordid world of illegal bare knuckle fighting between the missing boys, who have been cruelly taken from their families. The boys are used, abused and when no longer able to win their fights, disposed of. Kim needs the help of the other team to break up and arrest the criminals and to bring the boys home, but can she trust them. Not her usual style of writing, but this book has undoubtedly crowned her the Queen of Crime. Angela Marsons at her best.