Author | Angela Marsons
Publisher | Bookouture
Source | Review Copy
Pages | 320
Purchase | Amazon
My Rating |5/5
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?
It's no secret that it is in fact Angela Marsons who corrupted my reading passion from chick-lit & romance and got me hooked on crime thrillers with a psychological twist. I fell head over heels in love with this addiction when I read her debut novel Silent Screams, and now, after reading Lost Girls - A D.I. Kim Stone Novel #3 I'm hooked again.
The thing with addiction is you are left with the question of; "Can I ever get clean?" and I have to say - if Angela continues writing the way she does - I'm done for! There's no way I can ever become 'clean' from this genre.
Lost Girls had my heart beating so fast and launching itself in my mouth I was almost begging the tormentors to stop and at the same time, I was desperate for Kim Stone to find the evil buggers and get them locked up!
I do firstly have to say that the ending - Angela - You did GOOD - REAL GOOD there! I did not expect that!! I was kept on the edge of my seat right up until the very end and then like a hit of something naughty - the come down leaves you feeling out of sorts (which is why I recommend having more than 1 of Angela's books to hand - that way you can continue your addiction reading feast immediately!).
When 2 girls go missing, best friends and under the age of 13 your heart really does begin to break. We see it all too often in the news, and Angela captures this torment spectacularly. I was close to vomiting at times when I read about the kidnappers stripping the children 'naked' and then getting the clothes left in their parents garden - whilst Kim Stone and her team are there I might add - ahem! However, apologies if this is a 'spoiler' for you, but I have to reassure you that the young girls weren't fully naked, they still had their swimming costumes on! It's not much but it does give you a sense of relief and reassurance. Perhaps?
As with any crime thriller with a psychological twist, I strived to work it out and crack the case - but Angela is just too good for me. I can't even begin to build a theory because Kim Stone comes along and smashes it to pieces when she connects the dots quicker than a bomb disposal expert can cancel the wiring of a timed bomb!
Lost Girls had a brilliant ending - one that left me breathless, screaming OMFG! in shock at exactly just who was involved in this awful crime, and one that also brought peace and solace to some families in the story.
Like I said, I had to start book 4 after this one because I simply was left wanting more. Excellent Work Angela! You've done it again!
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