Lost Girls (DI Kim Stone, #3) by Angela Marsons

Brenda’s review

I started the DI Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons a few years ago and read the first two. I enjoyed both dark stories, and I am not sure why I haven’t read anymore. I guess those new and shiny ARCs always got in the way. What a mistake that was. Now at 13 books in the series, the author and the series are still going strong. So this year, I have decided to challenge myself and catch up on this series.

A few years later, after Lost Girls is written, the plot is still original with two young girls’ kidnapping. An intriguing and terrifying edge of your seat game begins for our twisted kidnapper. The families must bid for the release of their child, and only one will come home. It opens up the question of what a parent will do to save their child and explores if a parent would sacrifice a friend’s child to save their own.

Lost Girls is a sharply written story with a well rounded main female character with strong characters who support her throughout the story. I love DI Kim Stone, who isn’t that easy to warm up to! Her determination and no-nonsense attitude make her a prickly character; however, she is nicely balanced with a caring side to her. She has a vulnerable side to her that she hides from the people around her, and we start to get to know that side as we see bits of her past.

That ending had me grasping my kobo and clicking the pages as fast as I could as Kim races against time to try to save the girls. I loved the twists and turns that left me me surprised in the best way.

After finishing up the previous one Lost Girls, I continued my series challenged and dived into Play Dead. I am glad to say this one was just as good, and I love DI Kim Stone even more!!

My favorite thing about reading a series is seeing our main character grow with each book and with the other characters as a result of her environment or job. Here we see more into the supporting characters as they add depth and layers to the story and the crime. I loved seeing Tracy return, and she finds herself over her head and in danger. Tracey and Kim’s dynamics added some tension and excitement to the story for me.

Two exciting storylines are perfectly paced throughout the story and weaved together for a thrilling twisty end to the story that I didn’t see coming.

I highly recommend this series.