First Blood: A completely gripping mystery thriller (A Detective Kim Stone Novel)

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First Blood: A completely gripping mystery thriller (A Detective Kim Stone Novel) Page 28

by Angela Marsons


  The dead don’t tell secrets… unless you listen.

  The girl’s smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess.

  Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. A ‘body farm’ investigating human decomposition, its inhabitants are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime.

  Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It’s clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work – but just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next?

  As local reporter, Tracy Frost, disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer’s secrets – but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim…?

  The latest utterly addictive thriller from the No.1 bestseller Angela Marsons.

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  BLOOD LINES

  Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 5

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  How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?

  A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up.

  When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.

  Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bringing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.

  As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…

  A totally gripping thriller that will have you hooked from the very first page to the final, dramatic twist.

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  DEAD SOULS

  Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 6

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  The truth was dead and buried… until now.

  When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.

  As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.

  Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.

  But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy - and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?

  An addictive, sinister crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat.

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  BROKEN BONES

  Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 7

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  They thought they were safe. They were wrong.

  The murder of a young prostitute and a baby found abandoned on the same winter night signals the start of a disturbing investigation for Detective Kim Stone – one which brings her face to face with someone from her own horrific childhood.

  As more sex workers are murdered in quick succession, each death more violent than the last, Kim and her team realise that the initial killing was no one-off frenzied attack, but a twisted serial killer preying on the vulnerable.

  At the same time, the search begins for the desperate woman who left her newborn baby at the station – but what looks like a tragic abandonment turns even more sinister when a case of modern slavery is uncovered.

  The two investigations bring the team into a terrifying world of human exploitation and cruelty – and a showdown that puts Kim’s life at risk as shocking secrets from her own past come to light.

  A gripping new crime thriller from the Number One bestseller – you will be hooked until the final jaw-dropping twist.

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  DYING TRUTH

  Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 8

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  How far would you go to protect your darkest secrets?

  When teenager Sadie Winter jumps from the roof of her school, her death is ruled as suicide – a final devastating act from a troubled girl. But then the broken body of a young boy is discovered at the same school and it’s clear to Detective Kim Stone that these deaths are not tragic accidents.

  As Kim and her team begin to unravel a dark web of secrets, one of the teachers could hold the key to the truth. Yet just as she is about to break her silence, she is found dead.

  With more children’s lives at risk, Kim has to consider the unthinkable – whether a fellow pupil could be responsible for the murders. Investigating the psychology of children that kill brings the detective into contact with her former adversary, Dr Alex Thorne – the sociopath who has made it her life’s work to destroy Kim.

  Desperate to catch the killer, Kim finds a link between the recent murders and an initiation prank that happened at the school decades earlier. But saving these innocent lives comes at a cost – and one of Kim’s own might pay the ultimate price.

  The utterly addictive new crime thriller from the Number One bestselling author – you will be gripped until the final shocking twist.

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  FATAL PROMISE

  Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 9

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  Eeeny meeny, miney, moe. Who lives, who dies only I know.

  When the body of a doctor is discovered brutally murdered in local woodland, Detective Kim Stone is shocked to discover the victim is Gordon Cordell – a man linked to a previous case she worked on involving the death of a young school girl. Gordon has a chequered past, but who would want him dead?

  As the investigation gets underway, Gordon’s son is involved in a horrific car crash which leaves him fighting for his life. Kim's sure this was no accident.

  Then the body of a woman is found dead in suspicious circumstances and Kim makes a disturbing link between the victims and Russells Hall Hospital. The same hospital where Gordon worked.

  With Kim and her team still grieving the loss of one of their own, they’re at their weakest and facing one of the most dangerous serial killers they’ve ever encountered. Everything is on the line. Can Kim keep her squad together and find the killer before he claims his next victim?

  The killer is picking off his victims at a terrifying pace, and he’s not finished yet.

  From multi-million-copy number one bestseller Angela Marsons comes another absolutely nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat crime thriller.

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  DEAD MEMORIES

  Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 10

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  She ruined their lives. Now they’re going to destroy hers.

  ‘Someone is recreating every traumatic point in your life. They are doing this to make you suffer, to make you hurt and the only possible end game can be death. Your death.’

  On the fourth floor of Chaucer House, two teenagers are found chained to a radiator. The boy is dead but the girl is alive. For Detective Kim Stone every detail of the scene mirrors her own terrifying experience with
her brother Mikey, when they lived in the same tower block thirty years ago.

  When the bodies of a middle-aged couple are discovered in a burnt-out car, Kim can’t ignore the chilling similarity to the deaths of Erica and Keith – the only loving parents Kim had ever known.

  Faced with a killer who is recreating traumatic events from her past, Kim must face the brutal truth that someone wants to hurt her in the worst way possible. Desperate to stay on the case, she is forced to work with profiler Alison Lowe who has been called in to observe and monitor Kim’s behaviour.

  Kim has spent years catching dangerous criminals and protecting the innocent. But with a killer firmly fixed on destroying Kim, can she solve this complex case and save her own life or will she become the final victim?

  The heart-stopping and totally addictive new crime thriller from multi-million copy number one bestseller Angela Marsons will have you completely hooked.

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  CHILD’S PLAY

  Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 11

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  Finally we’re playing a game. A game that I have chosen. I give one last push of the roundabout and stand back. 'You really should have played with me,’ I tell her again although I know she can no longer hear.

  Late one summer evening, Detective Kim Stone arrives at Haden Hill Park to the scene of a horrific crime: a woman in her sixties tied to a swing with barbed wire and an X carved into the back of her neck.

  The victim, Belinda Evans, was a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. As Kim and her team search her home, they find an overnight bag packed and begin to unravel a complex relationship between Belinda and her sister Veronica.

  Then two more bodies are found bearing the same distinctive markings, and Kim knows she is on the hunt for a ritualistic serial killer. Linking the victims, Kim discovers they were involved in annual tournaments for gifted children and were on their way to the next event.

  With DS Penn immersed in the murder case of a young man, Kim and her team are already stretched and up against one of the most ruthless killers they’ve ever encountered. The clues lie in investigating every child who attended the tournaments, dating back decades.

  Faced with hundreds of potential leads and a bereaved sister who is refusing to talk, can Kim get inside the mind of a killer and stop another murder before it’s too late?

  The addictive new crime thriller from multi-million copy, number one bestseller Angela Marsons explores the dark side of child prodigies and will have you absolutely hooked.

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  DEAR MOTHER

  A gripping and emotional story that will make you sob your heart out

  Three sisters. Three childhoods ruined. One chance to heal the scars of the past.

  After their death of their cruel and abusive mother, estranged sisters Alex, Catherine and Beth reunite once again.

  Alex, the youngest, is a bitter, unhappy woman who refuses to face the horrors of her childhood. Finding solace in a bottle, her life is spiralling dangerously out of control.

  Eldest child, Catherine, has strived for success, despite her difficult upbringing. But behind the carefully constructed façade lies a secret that could shatter her world forever.

  Beth, the middle child, bore the greatest burden. But having blocked out the cruelty they suffered, she remained with their mother until her death. Now she must confront the devastating reality of the past.

  Brought together as strangers, the sisters embark on a painful journey to heal themselves and each other. Can they finally put their terrible childhoods to rest and start over?

  An emotional, heart-breaking and compelling novel for readers of Diane Chamberlain, Amanda Prowse and Kelly Rimmer.

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  Previously published as The Middle Child

  THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN

  A gripping, emotional rollercoaster read you'll devour in one sitting

  Two ordinary women. Two damaged lives. One friendship that would save them both

  Kit Mason has lived a life of unimaginable pain. An ex-prostitute, she has fled the clutches of an abusive pimp and now finds herself living hand to mouth in a new city, without anyone to help her.

  Frances Thornton seems to be living the perfect life. A lawyer from a privileged background, her perfect façade hides the painful secrets that still haunt her.

  Brought together by their attempts to conquer their addictions in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, the two women strike up an unlikely friendship.

  But can they find strength in each other – or will the demons of their past catch up with them?

  A compelling, moving and ultimately uplifting novel about overcoming the very worst life can throw at you and starting over. The perfect read for fans of Jodi Picoult and Amanda Prowse.

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  Previously published as My Name Is

  Acknowledgements

  Never have I needed more to acknowledge the role my partner, Julie, plays in every part of the process of writing the Kim Stone books. Not once has she ever sighed heavily, spoken harshly or shrugged off my need for meetings, confidence boosts and pep talks. She is honest and open in her opinions and will never allow the words ‘I can’t’ to come out of my mouth. She is involved in the process from the moment an idea is born to the moment the book is finally complete. She is my absolute partner in crime.

  Thank you to my Mum and Dad who continue to spread the word proudly to anyone who will listen. And to my sister Lyn, her husband Clive and my nephews Matthew and Christopher for their support too.

  Thank you to Amanda and Steve Nicol who support us in so many ways and to Kyle Nicol for book spotting my books everywhere he goes.

  I would like to thank the team at Bookouture for their continued enthusiasm for Kim Stone and her stories and especially to Oliver Rhodes who gave Kim Stone an opportunity to exist.

  Special thanks to my editor, Claire Bord, whose patience and understanding is truly appreciated and has never been more important to me on both a professional and personal level than in recent months.

  To Kim Nash (Mama Bear) who works tirelessly to promote our books and protect us from the world. To Noelle Holten who has limitless enthusiasm and passion for our work.

  Many thanks to Alex Crow and Jules Macadam for their genius in marketing the books. I still need a translator for Alex’s explanatory emails as there are many words I don’t understand. Also to Natalie Butlin who works hard to secure promotions for the books. To Leodora Darlington who works hard on the books behind the scenes and to Alexandra Holmes who looks after the audio production of the stories. Huge thanks also to Peta Nightingale who sends me the most fantastic emails.

  A special thanks must go to Janette Currie who has copy-edited the Kim Stone books from the very beginning. Her knowledge of the stories has ensured a continuity for which I’m extremely grateful.

  Thank you to the fantastic Kim Slater who has been an incredible support and friend to me for many years now. Despite writing outstanding novels herself, she always finds time for a chat. Massive thanks to Emma Tallon who has no idea just how much I value her friendship and support. Also to the fabulous Renita D’Silva and Caroline Mitchell without whom this journey would be impossible. Huge thanks to the growing family of Bookouture authors who continue to amuse, encourage and inspire me on a daily basis.

 

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