Bad Blood: An absolutely gripping and addictive crime thriller (Detective Kim Stone Book 19)
£2.80
When Detective Kim Stone races to the crime scene, there is no body waiting for her: the paramedics are desperately trying to save the victim’s life. But there is something very strange about the way the man was found, his arms raised above his head, his legs spread apart. When he dies on the way to the hospital, Kim is certain she’s on the hunt for a killer… but all evidence at the scene has been destroyed.
The dead man, Eric Gould, seems ordinary, until the team dig into his past. As a teenager, he was locked away for attacking his girlfriend, and Kim suspects he was hurting his fiancé now. Was someone trying to stop history repeating?
Then another man is found on the verge of death, his bones broken to force him into an unnatural shape. The team realise the killer is sending a message – the victims’ bodies are spelling out their sins. As boys, they were both part of a group of six who bragged about their terrible crimes. But they were children then, and when she sees the grief on the faces of their loved ones now, Kim swears to find answers.
Is someone finally getting revenge… or do they think these men are still dangerous? The killer is threatening to strike again, and the only way Kim can crack the case is by tracking down the rest of the six first.
But then a revelation about what one of her team is suffering makes Kim understand why people take the law into their own hands. Do these victims deserve what’s coming to them? Or is there even more to fear from their brutal killer?
Unputdownable from start to finish, Bad Blood is a brilliantly gripping crime thriller with a reveal you’ll never see coming. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Robert Dugoni and Val McDermid will love the latest compulsive read from multi-million-copy bestseller Angela Marsons.
Can be read as a standalone.
See what everyone is saying about Bad Blood:
‘Fantastic read!… gripping, twisty, turny and very VERY addictive!… had me hooked and I loved every single word! What more can I say other than fab, fab, fab!’ Stardust Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I loved this book!!… brilliantly additive page turner!… quite possibly the best crime thriller I have read this year… very highly recommended!’ Donna’s Book Blog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Oh boy! Angie Marsons knocks another Kim Stone story out of the park!… So many great twists and turns, and stunning reveals!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Once again I read this in record time and I am lost for words to describe how engrossing this book is!… I love everything about this series… cracking read that I highly recommend!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow, what can I say, Angela has nailed it again… I love Kim and her team and don’t think I will ever tire of reading the next one!!… Edge-of-the-seat stuff that kept me hooked all the way through.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Fantastic… I read this in one sitting, ignoring my family and the clock ticking way past my bedtime. Stunningly good.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wowser! I get so excited every time a new book in this series comes out, and they never disappoint. Absolutely loved this book, binge read it in one weekend. Fantastic!’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Positively one of the best series… I have loved Kim Stone from the first book… Oh. My. Gods! Bad Blood was insanely good!’ @our.bookish.reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Absolutely BRILLIANT!!! Kim and her team are back and wow what a return!!… Love, love, love this book!’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Additional information
| Publisher | Bookouture (15 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2124 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 415 pages |
by Jacob Collins
Bad Blood is another addictive read in the brilliant Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons. Whenever there’s a new Kim Stone novel out, it always shoots straight to the top of my TBR pile, and I read Angela’s latest book in just a couple of greedy sittings. This book does touch on some previous storylines that occurred in previous books in the series, but it can still easily be read as a standalone.
Kim’s colleague, Stacey is given more of a prominent role in this story, and I really liked that, as she is a fantastic character. Kim has noticed that Stacey has been a lot more distant lately, and there is clearly something bothering her. We get to see this clearly through the chapters told from Stacey’s point of view, and Angela Marsons takes a deep dive into her world. We can see the emotions Stacey is going through really well in this book, and there were times when I really was hoping she would talk to someone.
With the discovery of a body, and the victim having links to Stacey, Kim and the team immediately have a suspect who they need to rule out. This is what makes the book so tense and it is especially tense for Stacey. Kim begins to realise she’s been keeping important information from her, which may have an impact on the case. But it is clear that the person who has been found dead didn’t have a wide fan base, and his girlfriend’s family, especially, did not like him, and they make their feelings quite clear and plain for Kim to see. This made me wonder, who else could possibly hold grudges against this man and for what reasons.
The tension really begins to pick up when the killer strikes again, and it becomes a race against time for Kim and her team to track them down, to stop them targeting someone else. But is it possible that Kim can find the killer’s next intended victim, before the killer does? The plot gets even more intriguing here as Kim delves into what is motivating the killer, and what the potential link there is between their victims. It does feel as though this killer will stop at nothing to achieve what they want, and this is what makes them really dangerous.
There is an intense finale as Angela Marsons wraps the novel up. Bad Blood is another excellent novel in the Kim Stone series, and once again I’ve now been left eagerly waiting for the next book in the series.
by Spicewalker
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about this series? 19 books in and Ms Marsons is every bit as crafty and devious with her crimes as she has ever been, the story just as adrenalin fuelled and compelling as we could wish for. Add in a touch of personal jeopardy for one of the team – we hate to see them suffering, but at the same time it gets our dander up and makes me, for one, completely invested in the story – and the recipe for an attention grabbing, sleep stealing, boster of a read is right there in front of us. And this is one heck of a case, one that definitely didn’t lead us in quite the direction I was expecting.
Now, if you have read the previous book (and if not why not), then you know which of the team might be in a little bit of a muddle. And that is the polite way of saying that one of them is knee deep in a whole pile of doodoo. Things have escalated since our last outing with very stark consequences. I don’t want to say too much about that as it may spoil things for people not quite up to date with the series, but it’s fair to say that events lead to distraction, which, in turn, lead to mistakes being made. The whole plot line, which loops in and out of the main investigation, taking more of Kim’s time than she might have liked, has a really emotional edge and carries on a very topical element from the previous book. It’s all too common and believable and given everything that has been in the headlines over the past few years, probably all too relatable for many readers too. Well handled by Angela Marsons, this part of the book really does hit you in the gut for many reasons, and had me questioning just how far people might go to seek revenge.
Which actually ties in very nicely with the main investigation to be fair. It’s fair to say that the victims are not necessarily all of good repute. Of course it takes some time for that to come to the fore, and as we learn about each victim in turn it is hard to see what connects them. They seem very different in both character and fortune, but one thing that is not different is the level of violence meted out on them by the killer, or killers, in this case. I actually found myself very intrigued by the case really quickly, the author being adept at creating a very puzzling, and sometimes slightly grotesque (but not gratuitous) set of circumstances in which her victims are dispatched. that’s certainly the case here, the killer playing a canny game which makes it hard for the team to capture any evidence, forensic or otherwise. And with someone delighting in playing games with the team, it’s not hard to think that this might be the one who gets away>
I love the pacing and tension throughout the books in the series, and it is definitely a doozy of a book in that sense. With everything going on with the team member, and the potential repercussions of that, plus the escalating violence that Kim, Bryant and co are faced with, it really is one of those books that captures your attention and doesn’t let go. There is a lot of anger, an outlet for the aforementioned tension amongst the team, but it is not necessarily directed where you might think. But in spite the seriousness of what is going on, and the case they are investigating, there are those classic lighter moments, such as when Kim heads off on a tangent to try and drag one of their more friendly, and tolerated, consultants into the case. It was classic Kim Stone and made me chuckle.
It’s those kind of moments, the blend of light and dark, that Angela Marsons always nails that make this such a brilliant series. When the case calls for the need to be serious, you can guarantee that Kim is all focus and resolve, as are the team. But just when that intensity threatens to overwhelm, we get those moments of humour, never at the expense of the victims, but just to reset the balance. touch, allow us a breather before she leads us further into the case. Towards the end of the book there is a real escalation of tension and jeopardy and I am beginning to wonder whether Angela Marsons loves her lead character after all as she really keeps putting her through hell. After this I think she needs a nice long break, of her choosing rather than enforced – that never ends well – with just her Barney and a little less violence. Then again, that’s exactly the kind of thing to send Kim round the bend so, as you were.
Another absolute cracker of a read that fans of the series will love. And as we’re on book 19 now, I’m assuming that talks are already well underway about books 27 onward, right Bookouture?