Title: Lost Girls (D.I Kim Stone #3)
Author: Angela Marsons
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 6 November 2015
Twitter: @WriteAngie
Website: http://angelamarsons-books.com/
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Blurb
Two girls go missing. Only one will return.
The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.
When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.
And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for D.I. Kim Stone and the squad.
Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the most deadly she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…
Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?
Review
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a review copy of Lost Girls.
Lost Girls is Angela Marsons’ third book in the space of less than 12 months. You might be concerned as to how quickly the series has been released, however I’m happy to say that you can push those concerns firmly to one side because all three books have been superb!
As soon as I started reading Lost Girls, I was totally gripped by the storyline and just could not put the book down.
First – the plot. I was immediately absorbed into the storyline. Marsons has a great style of writing which keeps the plot running at great pace. The plot to Lost Girls is the type which really gets into your head. There are two little girls that have gone missing, echoing a similar unsolved case a year earlier. The kidnapper is pitting the girls’ parents against each other – one girl will live and one will die. That decision will lie with the parents as the one to live will be the one whose parents put in the highest bid! As Kim and her team race to find leads and to make a link between the earlier and later crimes, we watch as the families of the missing children, initially so supportive and close, start to crumble inwards with both sets of parents turning against each other partly due to the guilt in hoping that if just one child is to survive it will be theirs! The reader is made to watch in a rather grisly manner as the relationships break down in such a quick and fascinating way.
Next – the characters. DI Kim Stone is a complex and interesting character. A great detective, she is pushed to succeed by her own tragic childhood (a time in her life that she still does not like to talk about). She aggressive, spikey, somewhat lacking in people skills and yet from her own team she inspires hard work and great loyalty. Kim is a very strong lead character, persistent and intelligent. She is all about justice – you just know that she won’t let the bad guy win. She is the women you would want in your corner in a situation such as this one! Her partner, and only real friend, is Bryant. They work well together and he understands her in a way that no one else does. For me, Bryant’s main purpose in the book is in how he manages to occasionally bring out a slightly softer side to Kim which makes her more likeable as a character. I also like the complete lack of sexual tension between the two. Theirs is a story of friendship, not of lust. The supporting characters are perfectly developed, particularly those of the parents to the missing girls are absolutely fascinating. Who knows how anyone else would behave in such a situation. Would you turn on your nearest and dearest? Would you take steps contrary to police advice? How far would you be prepared to go to ensure the return of your child?
Lost Girls is an interesting psychological study as well an absolutely gripping thriller. There is never a dull moment as the story races from one twist to the next. It is energetic, intense, gritty and enthralling, a real page-turner. By the last page, my nails were bitten to the quick (whatever that actually means!?) and I felt exhausted from the ride!
If you haven’t already tried any of the books in the DI Stone series, you really are missing out. Marsons’ writing really is going from strength to strength and I cannot wait until the next installment from DI Stone and her team.
About the Author
Angela Marsons is the author of Amazon #1 Bestseller SILENT SCREAM.
She lives in the Black Country with her partner, their bouncy Labrador and a swearing parrot.
She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.
After years of writing relationship based stories (My Name Is and The Middle Child) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.
She is signed to Bookouture.com in an 8 book deal.
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