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Angela Marsons
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Silent Scream: An edge of your seat serial killer thriller (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Angela Marsons (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 50,413 ratings
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Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood…

Years later, a headmistress is found strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country. But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed.

Detective Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades. As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?

An absolutely gripping, darkly compelling, and nail-bitingly tense mystery thriller that will keep you racing through the pages long into the night. A Kindle Chart #1, multi-million-copy, international bestseller, Silent Scream turns fans of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid and Mark Billingham into Angela Marsons addicts.

Watch out for more from Detective Kim Stone.

A detective hiding dark secrets, Kim Stone will stop at nothing to protect the innocent. Silent Scream is the first book in the series.

What readers are saying about Silent Scream:

‘I absolutely loved it!… one of the best crime thrillers I've read in a long time, and that includes… authors such as James Patterson!’ Fiona's Book Reviews

‘Completely mind-blowing… I devoured this book in 24 hours and was sad to have finished it… I couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

‘Wow… fantastic… gripping… hooks you in from chapter one… you won't want to put it down once you start.’ Little Northern Soul

‘I found myself biting my nails numerous times… to say that this book is brilliant is an understatement.’ Relax and Read Reviews

‘Silent Scream gets 5 stars from me – if you finish a crime thriller feeling like you just need to have a lie-down and a cup of tea to get your breath back, then the writer has done their job. Angela Marsons, I still don't have my breath back.’ Reading Room with a View

‘How will I be able to review a book that I loved so much?… undoubtedly one of the most talented writers I’ve read… pacey, gripping and so intense and you will adore Kim. She’s one of the most memorable characters I’ve encountered in a book.’ This Chick Reads

‘Twist, after twist after twist! It constantly has you guessing, on the edge of your seat and shocked throughout. A real page turner. I did not expect the outcome at all!’BTPBookClub, 5 stars

‘Marsons for me is the QUEEN of this genre. She knows how to add the human touch to each story and I just adore her. Bloody FABULOUS.’ Postcard Reviews

‘Wow! Just wow! This book just blew me away… I LOVED and ADORED this book and I am chomping at the bit to get onto the next already!’Amazon reviewer, 5 stars

‘The Kim Stone series is one of the best crime series ever written.’ Book Addict Shaun

‘The D.I. Kim Stone books are nothing short of brilliant.’ Nigel Adams Book Worm

‘Just wow. This is police procedural at its best… It is complex, intriguing, and the writing hooked me in completely.’ Rachel’s Random Reads
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  1. Book 1 of 20
    Detective Kim Stone
  2. Print length
    418 pages
  3. Language
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  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    February 20, 2015
  6. File size
    2062 KB
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  1. ‘Edmund Burke called it right when he said, all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"DI Kim Stone is the most fascinating character to arrive on the scene since Val McDermid gave us Tony Hill." —Mark Edwards, author, Follow You Home

About the Author

Angela Marsons is the author of the D.I. Kim Stone series, which includes Evil Games, Lost Girls, and Play Dead.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00S5K0CAU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture; 1st edition (February 20, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 20, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2062 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 418 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 50,413 ratings

About the author

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Angela Marsons

Angela Marsons

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Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 5 million in 7 years.

She lives in Worcestershire with her partner and their 2 cheeky Golden Retrievers.

She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read "Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people's".

After years of writing relationship based stories (The Forgotten Woman and Dear Mother) Angela turned to Crime, fictionally speaking of course, and developed a character that refused to go away.

She is signed to Bookouture.com for a total of 28 books in the Kim Stone series and her books have been translated into 30 languages.

Many of her books, including Blood Lines, Dead Souls, Broken Bones, Fatal Promise and Dead Memories reached the #1 spot on Amazon on pre-orders alone and the translation of Dead Souls, La Verita Sepolte, recently won the prestigious Primo Bancarella award.

To receive news of upcoming releases follow this link http://angelamarsons-books.com/email/

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
50,413 global ratings
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5 Stars
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This was my first time reading an entire e-book. The story was engrossing enough to take my mind off how different it was from reading a real book. I'll be looking for more from Angela Marsons.
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Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery crime story with a strong female character
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2015
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This was a really good read. It follows pretty well the crime, mystery genre. The story is based on Kim Stone, a lead detective of a investigative team in Britain. Kim Stone is a tough cookie and has a hard time with authority, but she gets the job done. This particular case hits her a little too close to home as it involves the murder the hidden burial of 3 girls who were in the care system in Britain. Kim too had been in that care system, but she at least lived to tell about it. The story is good and the story line is also good and has a couple of twists in it. You like Kim and her team and the characters are fleshed out during the story--somewhat--as this appears to be a crime series--I assume that they are fleshed out further as the series continues. Anyway, I enjoyed this book and will probably continue reading it. I would recommend it--especially if you like detective stories. I like stories that involve a strong female lead, and this one has it. Kim is likeable and empathetic and compassionate, and I myself was surprised at who the bad guy was in the end. So, I would call that a good story, because I a not often surprised. I could certainly detail more about the story line, but I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone. Again, I would recommend the book. It was well written and enjoyable.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyable
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2016
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I read most of the 5-star reviews, and most of the 1-star reviews before purchasing this book. To say the least, they are diametrically opposed, and I can't understand why. I will address the most prevalent critiques.
1. The quality of writing: I am a confirmed member of the grammar police (not that my grammar is without fault, but obvious flaws stand out for me), and I am one of those readers that tends to find themselves rewriting a book in their minds whilst reading less-than-perfect writing. This book began that way for me, and I was, within the first 3 or four chapters, in agreement with the 1-star reviewers, and then strangely, the writing seemed to improve. Either, the author improved as she progressed through the book, or, and I think this is more likely, the story was good enough for me to overlook what was not an absolutely terrible writing style. That should be a big plus in favour of giving this book a try.
2. The protagonist is an unlikeable character: This was a common feature of both the 5-star and 1-star reviews, but I must say that I am vociferous in my dismissal of this as a valid critique. The central character is a homicide detective, who has a jaundiced view of the world (not surprising for people in this line of work, I am sure), and accordingly is a hard, uncompromising lady, whose only thought is solving the murder at hand, regardless of the fall-out she leaves in her wake. I personally thought that it was at worst, not out of place in a crime novel, and unless you are particularly critical, should not be a reason not to buy this book
3. Following on from point 2 - the characters were poorly developed: I suppose there is some merit in this, but they were not so poorly developed that the book has no substance. You would again, have to be a really harsh critic to say, hand-on-heart, that your enjoyment of this book would be compromised by this fact.
4. The story was full of cliché's: I suppose there were some common themes, found in most crime novels, but hey, it's a crime novel - of course there will be similarities.
5. The criticism that the authoress does not have a full grasp of the inherent nature of psychopathy: 5-star and 1-star reviews alike, drew attention to the fact that psychopathy is an ingrained trait from birth, and not the result of circumstance or upbringing, the quintessential 'nature vs nurture' argument. I have done a little reading in this regard for my own personal education, and it seems as if 0.8% of all people are born clinically psychopathic. If this stat is true, then, out of a world population of 7 billion, there should be at least 56 million psychopaths around the world. In order to make this point more relatable to American readers, there are approximately 260 million people in the USA, and this would means there are at least 2.08 million psychopaths in the USA. if this was true, and all of them were full blown criminal monsters, the number of serial murders would be astronomically high. The reading I have done suggests that the dearth of such villains in relation to the statistic, is that circumstance does have an impact on whether these psychopathic individuals turn criminal, as opposed to merely having no conscience, and becoming what we know more commonly as 'Type-A personalities'. Therefore, I believe she got it substantially correct.

Now for the story line - circumstances lead to the discovery of a body buried in a filed, that sets the protagonist into action, dead-set on solving the crime. The victim was a ward of a girls welfare institution, and as the protagonist herself was in and out of foster homes, she identifies intimately with the victim. She doggedly investigates the crime and, when the case is finally solved, despite me having spotted the killer about half-way through, the twist should surprise most people. I can't say the book was "unputdownable", but, I really looked forward to carrying on with the story every chance I got. There cannot be many more better recommendations this for a book.

I would definitely recommend it to everybody, who is not a scathing critic.
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Lizzy C
3.0 out of 5 stars A tale from the Black Country
Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2015
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There were a few things I liked about Angela Marson’s thriller, Silent Scream. One was its setting in the Black Country in the West Midlands in England. It’s not an area I’m familiar with, and the author’s use of dialect had me searching to hear examples of it on Youtube. (I found a video of an elderly couple talking and it was like listening to a foreign language.)

Another aspect I enjoyed was the narrator, D I Kim Stone. Stone has a complex history; she’s short on people skills; and she has an obsessive-compulsive streak that makes her a pain to work with, but gives her an advantage as a detective. She’s tenacious and, although she does her best to hide her emotions, she has a soft streak. I can see her making a good series character.

Set with the task of solving a number of murders, Stone does a pretty good job. So does the author in weaving a tale with multiple layers of childhood trauma, exploitation, self-delusion and greed. While the story kept me engaged, I found the writing in parts too reliant on dialogue; I would’ve liked to experience more of the physicality of the Black Country, through more visual descriptions and a greater appeal to the senses. The plot was reasonable, with a number of surprises, but too often the characters seemed to lack emotional depth. There was one action at the end, in particular, I found totally unlikely given the supposed nature of the character. (Risking a mild spoiler, I’ll just say it had to do with a medical device.)

Having said that, the author gives glimpses of more interesting writing:

One day the names of these three [murdered] girls would be plastered across a Wikipedia page. It would be a link from the main article depicting Black Country history. The triple murder would forever be a blemish on their heritage. Readers would skate past the article describing the achievements of the Netherton chain makers who had forged the anchors and chains for the Titanic and the twenty Shire horses that had pulled the one hundred tonne load through the town. The metalworking trade that dated back to the sixteenth century would be forgotten in the face of such a sensational headline.

Overall Silent Scream is competent, with flashes of something really interesting.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Stephan Berg
5.0 out of 5 stars Coole Story und Charakter
Reviewed in Germany on December 13, 2020
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War auf der Suche nach einer neuen Reihe für meinen Kindle, nachdem ich alle Michael Connelly Charakter (Harry Bosch, Lincoln Lawyer) gelesen habe.
Für den ersten Band (englische Version) der Kim Stone Reihe kann ich nur die anderen Rezensionen bestätigen. Coole Story, interessante Protagonisten und durchaus amüsante Dialoge mit schönem englischen Humor. Kann die weitere Lektüre kaum erwarten. Kaufempfehlung für alle, die Spaß an der detailreichen Darstellung von Polizeiarbeit und Psychogrammen haben.
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Cliente Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Really good
Reviewed in Brazil on June 28, 2016
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Kim is so damaged and so focused on her work, that she even notice how great she can be to others. Really hope she open a little and find a guy who sees life a little more hopeful.
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coccotoro
5.0 out of 5 stars Silent Scream
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2016
Verified Purchase
I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture.

All I can say is that this crime novel, “Silent Scream” by Angela Marsons was amazing, and I was very surprised to see that this was her debut novel. As an avid reader of crime, suspense , mystery, psychological thrillers, I will say that this is the BEST novel in this category that I have read this year. If I hadn’t had other obligations, I would have read this novel in one sitting.

A headmistress is found strangled to death, but her death is one of many! Then, human remains are found on the grounds of a former children’s home, Crestwood, and then D. I. Kim Stone, assigned to the case is on the hunt for a killer who’s been active for years, but in doing so she will have to come to terms with her own past.

"Kim would not fail these girls because damn it, they mattered to someone. They bloody well mattered to her."

In this very dark and atmospheric police procedural, the author has done a fantastic job of creating characters that are real and totally believable, with all their faults and merits. We can totally relate to Kim, and we are drawn further into the story. I love the way Kim's own past is revealed over the course of the book, information is disclosed on a need to know basis. So many twists and turns to this novel, and the ending will have you in awe. I also like that there is a balance between the crime investigation process and the character portrayal.

"Even the darkest secrets can’t stay buried forever…

Five figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult-sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made. Their secrets would be buried, bound in blood …

Years later, a headmistress is found brutally strangled, the first in a spate of gruesome murders which shock the Black Country.

But when human remains are discovered at a former children’s home, disturbing secrets are also unearthed. D.I. Kim Stone fast realises she’s on the hunt for a twisted individual whose killing spree spans decades.

As the body count rises, Kim needs to stop the murderer before they strike again. But to catch the killer, can Kim confront the demons of her own past before it’s too late?"

They all shared a secret but was it worth killing for?

I expect great things of Angie Marsons and I can't wait to read the next in the series, “Evil Games.” I will read anything by this author. She is that good!
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5.0 out of 5 stars A highly accomplished police procedural debut with a truly original feel. Recommended - a joy to read!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 9, 2016
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In an overcrowded marketplace it takes something remarkable to make an impact with a debut novel and Angela Marsons has achieved just that by combining a retrospective investigation into a series of murders ten years ago with a race against time to catch the perpetrator who is currently calling time on those who tried to keep their past well and truly hidden. Combining a gripping plot with a lightening fast pace, a wonderful sense of place and some sparky characters who stay with readers, this is nigh on perfection and the added empathy of Angela Marsons is the icing on the cake!

A haunting prologue sees a group of five amid the bleak and unremitting landscape of the Black Country making a silent pact as a body is buried in 2004. Silent Scream then cuts to the present day and a series of macabre killings, beginning with highly respected headmistress, Teresa Wyatt. With her home and purse left untouched, this is clearly no robbery gone awry with the victim an accidental casualty. Piecing together the last weeks of her life reveals a keen interest in the site of a potential archaeological dig on the now derelict grounds of a former children's home where she once worked, prompting D.I. Kim Stone to take a closer look at her concerns. As Teresa's death is swiftly followed by a fellow ex-colleague, head-chef Tom Curtis, this is the start of an enthralling race against time to catch a murderer. As well as the activity surrounding the current murders of those connected by their former employment at the children's home, the discoveries of human remains long buried on the site alerts Kim that this could be the work of two separate and very depraved killers.

It is D.I. Kim Stone's inability to hide her feelings and a genuine rapport and respect for her team that shines through and her innate empathy makes her a character to vie for. As once said, 'one of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised', and Kim has that in spades! Kim is a survivor with her own history of being treated inconsequentially by a brutal childhood and a life in and out of care homes, made to feel worthless. But rather like 'Baby' in "Dirty Dancing", nobody puts Kim in the corner! Her inspiration is derived from the memory of the death of her twin at the age of six and the feeling of failure as she watched his life extinguished. She strives to bring justice for those victims who cannot speak out for themselves and she doesn't beat around the bush or play politics. That these crimes reignite her own history makes this a personal journey for Kim Stone and her sensitivity with all those who have suffered is utterly sincere.

Kim Stone's genuine friendship with her sidekick DS Bryant and her encouragement towards DS Kev Dawson and DC Stace Woods adds a real warmth to Silent Scream and Marson's flair for characterisation is evident. The relationship with DS Bryant is inspired and he counters her upfront attitude with his genuine social skills, playing "nice" when Kim steps on plenty of toes! A particular highlight was DS Bryant's dissection of solving a crime into the different courses of a meal and the witty repartee between Kim and droll pathologist, Doctor Keats. The dialogue is excellent; sassy, smart and taking no prisoners where work is concerned, through to the a concern for the feelings of others whose life have been blighted by the 'facility'. Angela Marsons shows a real knack with her humanity in touching on a very distressing subject matter. As Kim racks up complaints and barely appeases her superiors, she never lets her team sacrifice themselves for her, even though everyone of them clearly would without a second of hesitation. At thirty-four, single, with a passion for restoring her Triumph Thunderbird, listening to classical music and being incapable of winding down, Kim Stone is refreshingly free of the now familiar demons of fictional detectives and all the better for it.

Plotted to perfection with an excellent rollercoaster finish, some well disguised twists keep the reader on tenterhooks until the very closing pages. A debut not to be missed; D.I. Kim Stone is on one heck of a journey and I look forward to accompanying her! As D.I. Stone and her team uncover a long buried mystery and their links to current events, there is more than enough originality to establish a very worthy place among the big hitters of the police procedural genre for Angela Marsons. A highly accomplished debut and a writer to watch out for.

Review written by Rachel Hall (@hallrachel)
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Mystery Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Debut
Reviewed in France on July 20, 2015
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What a stunning debut from a very talented author. I'm not surprised it has garnered a tonne of fabulous reviews since it was released.

Right from the word go I was gripped by the events which unfolded in the prologue.

DI Kim Stone is certainly a force to be reckoned with. She runs a tight ship with a very competent team.

With the body count rising and the list of suspects growing, there are plenty of twists and turns to this fabulous story. Which culminated in an ending that blew me away.

If you haven't read Silent Scream yet... why not?

A top novel from a top author.
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