Release date: November 14, 2019

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station.  She’s about to meet her team for the first time.  The victim of her next case is about to meet his killer…

When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene.

Searching the victim’s home, Kim discovers a little girl’s bedroom and a hidden laptop.  Why is his sister relieved to hear he’s dead – and where is the rest of his family?  

As Kim begins to unearth the dark secrets at the heart of the case, D.C. Stacey Wood finds a disturbing resemblance to the recent murder of Lester Jackson.  But that’s not all Stacey finds …

She’s convinced there is a link between the victims and a women’s shelter run by Marianne Forbes, Lester’s niece. A child of the care system herself, Kim knows all too well what it means to be vulnerable. Could Marianne be the key to cracking this case?

With the killer about to strike again, Kim is in deep water with a rookie squad.  Inexperienced Stacey is showing signs of brilliance but struggling to hold her nerve and, while D.S. Bryant is reliable and calm, D.S. Dawson is a liability. With his home life in pieces, his volatile behaviour is already fracturing her fragile new team.

Can Kim bring Dawson in line and pull her crew together in time to catch the killer before another life is taken? This time, one of her own could be in terrible danger…

Discover where it all began for Kim and her team. An absolutely heart-stopping mystery thriller that will keep you glued to the pages, reading late into the night.  Perfect for Kim Stone fans and new readers to the million-copy bestselling series.

A detective hiding dark secrets, Kim Stone will stop at nothing to protect the innocent.

Review:

You know what I never realized that I needed in my life? A prequel to the Kim Stone series and after having read First Blood it was exactly what I was craving and I didn’t even know it. Good thing Angela Marsons is far more clever than I am and anticipated what this series needed well ahead of all of her fans, I swear she’s such a keen and crafty author, bravo once again 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

This follows the team, as we know them, but way back when they worked their first case together. Yep, you get to see Kim meet everyone for the first time; Bryant, Stacey and Dawson all meet each other and the boss for the first time and their first case was quite the head scratcher. It was just as dark, disturbing and deranged as the rest of the series and of course it kept me guessing, and second guessing myself the whole way through. Marsons never pulls any punches and she sure didn’t here either.

There was something almost sweet and tender about seeing these well loved characters during a vulnerable time as they all start work together for the first time. Of course going back to see Dawson was incredibly bittersweet knowing what I now know, I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten so teary eyed reading a thriller before, but there you have it. Seeing the very beginnings of their various relationships forming was eye opening and really fun, if you’ve ever wondered what Bryant thought of Kim after a first impression or how Stacey found her niche within the team this will answer all of those burning questions and then some.

Longtime fans of the series are going to be just as thrilled about this prequel as I am, it was incredible and has every element that I’ve come to know, love and appreciate in a Kim Stoke book. Hurry and go grab your copy now so I have someone to chat with please, and if you’ve been ignoring my constant urging for you to read this series for years now go ahead and listen to me already 😝

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.