Lost Girls: A fast paced, gripping thriller novel (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 3)

Another awesome Kim Stone novel. When I read the description for Lost Girls, I almost didn't read it. The plot sounded old and worn out. Boy was I wrong!The action started and didn't end. Kim's heart is in the right place. Even her 'bad' decisions are the right ones. Angela has humanized Kim in a way that makes us hope everything will work out for her in the long run. An incredibly strong character with an amazing team who works alongside her. Supporting characters you'll either love or hate with no in between!Some sections are hard to read. Typically, I'm not a fan of these types of stories, but they weren't overly blatant and it made you root for Kim that much harder.Angela took an old idea and made it new again.Four out of five stars because some of the scenes were a bit out there. But a good read nonetheless.

The book is a very slow read with the actual story only really starting 40% into the book. The main character Maudie, comes across as a not very nice, stupid and irresponsible character, she is very weak and the reader has to endue her resorting to alcohol at the first sign of any stress and actually even without the stress. She is obviously an alcoholic. She is incredibly clumsy and always seems to be spilling wine, vodka or tea all over the place. It is difficult for the reader toHer closest friend goes missing when Maudie is 10 years old while their families were on holiday in Cornwell. It is a mystery why Maudie seems to blame herself for her friend’s disappearance as does her missing friend’s mother.

Yes - I am reviewing Lost Girls and yes, this motivated me to go the gym A LOT. This book has nothing to do with weight loss, obesity, working out, or anything of the such - so let me explain.... I have a Kindle that use for the gym and read (in large font mode) while on the elliptical or bike (large font setting really helps!). The book I read for the gym - I have a rule I can only read it at the gym. Lost Girls was so good and such a page turner - I was pleading with my husband to swap gym nights with me so I could go to the gym even on Friday evening so I could keep reading this! Even when my time was over on the elliptical/bike, I was adding extra minutes so I could keep reading this. I just couldn't put it down. I've read a lot of good books (including the first two Kim Stone novels which are also great) but this is the first time in a long time I can remember so excited to get to the gym purely so I could keep reading this! My only caveat - I do have two little girls - so some of the storyline with the little girls did hit me in the gut/stomach and made me cringe (sign of good writing of course) and found myself some nights excited to get home and go immediately check on my girls in their sleep and give them a hug. I also love the detective's dog now written in a bit too and hopefully will see more of him in coming books!

Surprising no one, Angela Marsons does it again. I started reading this book during downtime at work earlier and I just finished it. It's now four in the morning. So hard was it to put this book down. These books work as standalone but do yourself a favor and start from the beginning because they're all fantastic reads.Kim Stone is a complex, fascinating, extremely flawed but likeable character. Asked to lead a case by someone she knew as a child in the foster care system, she's in charge of a violent child abduction case with two nine year old best friends being taken. The parents of both are contacted with chilling text messages informing them they're going to play a game. The couple that offers the kidnappers the most money will see their daughter alive again. The couple with the lower offer will not. The parents of both children are very close which definitely adds an interesting element. Would you be able to see the money as only a way to ensure the safety of your child and not sign the death warrant for her best friend? The book is a wild ride that is told from many different perspectives: our hero, Kim Stone, members of her team, the parents of the girls, and the girls themselves. There is a twist at the end that I did not see coming at all and I'm usually one to guess somewhere around the middle. Definitely a recommended read and a recommended series. I can't wait to read the next one.

A crime thriller about a case of double child kidnapping that presents a different dynamic of a police investigation. The author weaves numerous scenarios into the investigation dynamic that both the reader and Kim's team are required to wade through as they try and solve the crime and bring the children home. Ms. Marsons does a very good job of taking the reader on a journey through a crime investigation filled with complications (as seen through Kim's eyes), team dynamics (two new members) and crime solution intrigue (why a double kidnapping? ).The third book in the DI Kim Stone series starts with the kidnapping of two young girls, childhood friends Charlie Timmons and Amy Hanson. With the exception of the above, I prefer to let Ms. Marsons take the reader on a journey through the scenarios. Ms. Marsons exposes more of Kim's childhood history, adds two new members to Kim's team dynamic and adds a twist to what starts out as a conventional child kidnapping (if child kidnapping can be termed conventional). The journey is fast paced, intriguing, emotional (good and bad) and builds to a conclusion that allows the reader to use their imagination (Kim with a social life??).At the end of the book "Evil Games", the reader is left to wonder about the personal security of Kim's emotional building blocks. Compared to "Evil Games", this book does little to satisfy the readers appetite for more of "Who is Kim?". What this book does do is present a unique child kidnapping scenario and adds to Kim's team dynamic. The readers' imagination is tweaked and we are left with "What is next?" and asking for more. A really good read, highly recommended and I eagerly await the next installment.

This is a terrific crime thriller ... but, if you are upset by acts relating to abduction, humiliation and physical violence towards children under the age of ten and / or young animals, then parts of this novel may not be to your liking.Three things really impress me about this novel; its plot, characterisation and how well it is written. It has an intricate and complex plot containing plenty of red herrings to mislead any armchair detectives. The plot follows D.I. Kim Stone and her team of detectives as they try to find the kidnappers of two young girls before one of them dies.Characterisation: all the main characters in the story are vividly portrayed and their reactions to the circumstances they find themselves in strike me as being totally credible. For those of us who have read the earlier novels featuring D.I. Kim Stone and her team, there are some interesting new characters to get to know, one of whom is even more stubborn and uncommunicative than our heroine, Kim! It is however, not essential to have read the earlier novels featuring D.I. Kim Stone before this novel. We are provided with snippets of information relating to Kim Stone's past that help explain why she acts the way she does. However, for those of us who have read the earlier novels in the series, more aspects of Kim Stone's character and background are revealed.The novel is, in my opinion, very well written. It is very easy to visualise the various situations the characters encounter. However, it is also very effective in depicting some horrific acts which certainly had me wincing and wanting to "look away now" (as television news announcers are prone to say before airing some potentially upsetting items). Fortunately, these scenes are relatively short and infrequent, so if you are easily upset, you could skip a couple of paragraphs and continue reading the story.So, overall, if you enjoy intelligent, fast-paced, police procedural crime thrillers, then I would highly recommend this novel (providing of course you are not put off by stories relating to the abduction of young children).

Imagine the pain of knowing that your child has been abducted. Knowing that she and her best friend are alone, scared and in grave danger whcih you can do nothing about. Now imagine being locked in a bidding war with your own best friends in order to secure your child's safe release. Would you be willing to pay any price to get your daughter back, even if that meant that the other child may never come home?This is the dilemma facing the Timmins and Hanson families in Lost Girls, the third instalment of the Kim Stone series. Although outside of her area of expertise, Kim is specifically requested as Officer in Charge by one of the parents, and although not everyone agrees with this decision, she demands to take on the case, bringing to it her usual dogged desire for justice. Her passion is heightened by the fact that the case involves children, an emotional trigger for her which is not helped by the appearance of a face from her past. Aided by her trusted team, and a few new characters, Kim sets about investigating the disappearance of the girls, including looking back over a similar case from the previous year, one which did not have a favourable outcome. She is determined that she will not fail and will bring both girls back alive. Is there anyone brave or foolish enough to try and prove her wrong?Lost Girls is an emotional rollercoaster of a book. Taking us swiftly between the POV of the investigating team, the perpetrators of the kidnapping, including a very violent man with no discernible conscience, and the two scared young girls, Marsons creates a fast paced story, neither too gratuitous or too simplified in terms of violence, and yet maintaining the tension and keeping the reader guessing as to just who the mysterious third suspect may be. The creation of tension between the parents, who start the story united in their despair, only to be torn apart by the unsub's cruel games, as well as the limited tolerance of Kim for the behaviour analyst and negotiator that she feels are foisted upon her, ring true to both the characters and the story. Bryant remains on hand to challenge Kim when the tension gets so high that she looks set to unravel, and this shows another aspect of their friendship, extremely well observed in terms of him being the only person who Kim would likely listen to and get her back on track (with a little help from her new furry best friend).The descriptions of the area and the depiction of gang life inside the dodgy housing estates of the black country, provide a side story which allows Dawson his moment in the spotlight, and the overall story gives you a little more insight into Kim's past, one which we already knew was painful and traumatic. I really like Marsons writing, partly because I know the areas she describes so well (I will admit having a little smile to myself as I drove past the Pure Gym by the Merry Hill) but also because the story flows well, taking the reader along for a fast paced and yet bumpy ride. And I like the characters that she has created, the attention to detail in describing their own peculiarities. I do admit, that while some may find the titluar character a little prickly and hard to bond with, I kind of identify with the character of Kim Stone, although I hope I do manage a more occasional display of good humour with my own team. That said, owever Marmite she may be, I firmly believe that after three books, this is a character that you have to respect. What I really like though is that there is no sense of Kim Stone being a person who has to be the 'tough woman in a man’s world' which can be all too prevalent and easy to slip into when trying to write a strong female character. It is purely that this is how she is, no apologies, just a character who is unable or willing to change and doesn’t give a damn who knows it. Sometimes that is enough, that there is no other motivation to be the best other than it is what she wants to be, and for these books at least, it most certainly is just that.

This is the 3rd in the Kim Stone series and so far the best. It was quite disconcerting in places and there were many occasions when, just as I thought I had worked out where the story was going, it took a sharp turn around and headed off in a slightly different direction. The idea that two young girls had been kidnapped and held in terrifying conditions, whilst waiting as the two sets of parents tried to compete against one another for the sum they would pay to get their daughters back, was chilling enough. Then to learn that this had happened a short time before and it didn’t end well was really concerning. Add to that a few sub-plots and you get yet another great story from Angela Marsons. Needless to say, the ending was a fast paced page turner with plenty of sudden unexpected twists. I’ll be sure to get stuck into the next in the series soon.

Where do I even begin? Book three into this series and it just keeps getting better and better doesn’t it? I am blown away and absolutely loving this series.This case is a hard hitting one which relates to a similar case in the past, all containing children. As a parent these types of stories hit me even harder than ones without children involved, I can relate to the parents more. But OMG! Kim! That woman is sure a hero isn’t she? Always putting others first and even her own life on the line. It had my heart pounding, I was on the edge throughout and gasping for breathe towards the end. Those poor girls. A great outcome… A great result. A great team. A very twisted, cruel and unexpected suspect is found to be involved!You know when you find a great series on Netflix and binge it? That’s what this series is like for me I want to race through them all and enjoy them, but at the same time I don’t cause what will I do without Kim and her team? Its addictive. I think these books would make a cracking tv series. One of the best series I’ve ever read so far. Very impressed.I wonder what book four will bring… Oooh. I awarded a well deserved five stars and would highly recommend to you all…

This intense episode in the DI Kim Stone series had me glued to the page. When two children are kidnapped, Stone reluctantly enters the investigation which immediately adds to the tension. Time is of the essence in this novel and the stakes are high, which equals ‘big time page-turner.’I love Kim’s character. She’s guarded, she’s brave and she’s human. She’s a little curt but I actually admire that, especially when she tells it as it is. You’d definitely know where you stood with Kim. She’ll also stop at nothing to drive the investigation forward and Angela Marsons brings her character to life brilliantly.This story had me guessing from the beginning and, in the end, proved I was way off the mark with my theories. The ending was a killer! Not literally a killer, or maybe it was. Maybe I’m just throwing you off the scent! Either way, you’ll get nothing from me. Lips are zipped!If you want to know more, you’ll have to read the book. I promise, this one will keep you up at night, cause you to neglect your work and make you happy your train got pulled over for an hour because of a signal failure - true story. Hoorah for rail failures!An excellent and exciting police procedural that will keep you guessing.