Book Review: Lost Girls, by Angela Marsons

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?

The latest utterly addictive thriller from the No.1 bestseller Angela Marsons.

***

I have to raise my hand in the air with shame and admit that I am late to join the Angela Marsons party, and haven’t read the first two D.I. Kim Stone books. Not for lack of wanting, I assure you, I just simply never seemed to get round to them. But, with the third installment being released today and a #BookoutureThriller feature running, I knew it was time to make time. I can now proudly put my hand on my heart and say I am on the band wagon. Angela Marsons is a genius.

I’ve never really been much of a thriller reader until I started blogging and couldn’t help but be tempted by a few when there was major hype going round, and I really have found a new respect and love for the genre over the last year. This book has just upped that even more.

Two young girls, best friends, are kidnapped. The families, who are also close friends, bond together as the police begin to investigate, all desperate to see the girls returned safely. That is, until the stakes are changed, and the kidnappers pit the families against each other for the lives of their daughters. All relationships throughout the families are suddenly tested to their very limits as emotions are pulled and twisted through this wicked scheme.

But while the families are struggling to keep it together, D.I. Kim Stone keeps her steely resolve on the case, with only one option in her mind: return both girls home safely.

So let’s just get this out there: I LOVE KIM STONE. Kim is one bad ass mother fucker, and a truly awesome heroine. This bitch is not backing down. She is strong-willed, courageous and thoroughly resilient. She never takes her eye off the ball for a single second and never loses her determination to deliver both girls home, she refuses to settle for just one of them. Her character may be guarded and at times just damn right prickly, but she’s had no easy life either. However, there is a huge heart hidden beneath the walls she has built to protect her, and I absolutely adored her.

I also particularly loved the relationship between Kim and her colleague Bryant. The closest thing she has to a friend, Bryant is the one person who seems to be able to get through to Kim, keeping her in line when she needs reigning in, but also being able to bring out glimpses of the softer character within her, resulting them being the perfect dynamic duo, and balancing each other out wonderfully.

Marsons kept the pace running consistently throughout so you are hooked by every single page – I eventually fell asleep at about half 3 on my sofa while reading this last night, unable to put it down! The plot was just brilliantly planned and executed, with plenty of twists to keep you absolutely gripped. I loved that we read from the point of view of the kidnappers as well, feeding us little bits of what felt like ‘behind the scenes’ action, giving us a glimpse of what was going on but never giving the game away.

I’m totally an Angela Marsons convert now and will be seeking to read the first two Kim Stone books as soon as possible. If you haven’t joined the fan club yet then you really need to get your act together like me and get this book right now – you’ll thank me later.

Rating:

Release date: 06 November 2015
Publisher: Bookouture
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