Silent Scream – Grab This Book

Evil Games – Angela Marsons

The greater the evil, the more deadly the game …

When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work.

With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Kim soon finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment.

Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deeper than ever before to stop the killing. And this time – it’s personal.

Thanks to Bookouture for my review copy which I received through Netgalley

After a strong debut appearance in last year’s Silent Scream DI Kim Stone returns in Evil Games and it is a well named book!

There is a lot going on for DI Stone, a successful operation which her team worked hard to pull off is now under jeopardy. A violent rapist is attacked yards from his home, despite his previous crimes Kim and her team need to ensure he receives their best efforts in finding his attacker.

As investigations proceed Kim finds herself coming into contact with a dangerous sociopath. Her own personal traumas still haunt Kim so facing an adversary who has the skill (and the inclination) to undermine a person’s weaknesses for entertainment places her in a vulnerable position.

Kim tries to explain to her colleagues that the sociopath (no spoilers) is not all that they may appear, however, her suspicions seem so unlikely that she struggles to convince anyone that there is substance to her suspicions. It seems that Kim’s own lack of social skills make her an unlikely candidate to identify issues in someone else’s behaviour.

Two books into a series and Angela Marsons has established a lead character that you will fully get behind. Readers cannot fail to engage with DI Stone and, despite her obvious character flaws, you know why she behaves the way she does and it just makes you root for her more.

Evil Games are just that – Kim is facing an ‘Iago-esk’ opponent who can manipulate the weak and vulnerable. These victims are turned into weapons by the sociopath and set off back to their tormented lives to lash out and harm others – just to see what they do. It is quite troubling reading at times but Angela Marsons handles it brilliantly – my sense of injustice was roused many times during Evil Games.

Evil Games is highly recommended. I grudged any time that I had to stop reading it and was disappointed when it ended – if that is not a sign of a good book then I am not sure what is!

Evil Games is published by Bookouture and is available now.

Angela Marsons is on Twitter: @WriteAngie

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off

March 3

Silent Scream – Angela Marsons

When a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the death marks the beginning of a spate of gruesome murders that shock the Black Country.

But as human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past – before it’s too late?

My thanks to Bookouture for my review copy which I received through Netgalley.

It is easy to see why Silent Scream has received such a positive reaction and commanded so many great review scores, Angela Marsons has delivered a gripping crime thriller and introduces us to a fabulous lead character in DI Kim Stone.

Former employees of a Children’s Home are being murdered. The Home its-self stands on the site of a proposed archaeological dig and when the ground is finally broken the first ‘find’ it yields is the body of a young girl. However, this is not a discovery that provides any historic value as the girl’s body has been in the ground for less than 10 years. Could there be a connection between the young girl’s death and the recent spate of murders? It is up to DI Kim Stone to find out.

Stone provides great entertainment value – she has no social skills, a love of motorbikes and we learn that her personal history overlaps too closely with the Care Home deaths (a factor that is teased out well throughout the book). I felt the author did a great job with Stone’s dialogue as she comes across as focused, determined, impatient and just plain rude yet still is an engaging figure.

I have mentioned in previous reviews that I enjoy when crime novels feature a strong team that support the lead character. We have the makings of such a team here. Stone works closely with DS Bryant and their respective styles compliment each other well with their classic good cop/bad cop attitudes. There are two other team members, Dawson and Wood, who were largely kept in the background through Silent Scream – I expect they will feature more heavily in future outings.

Reading Silent Scream was a treat. Events tick along at a nice fast pace, the small group of suspects (and potential victims) are well defined and there are some clever plot twists that will make you re assess your early guesses at the identity of the killer.

I would have no qualms recommending Silent Scream to anyone that enjoys a good murder mystery and would score it 4/5.

You can follow Angela Marsons on Twitter: @WriteAngie

Category: From The Bookshelf | Comments Off