Reviewed by annieb123 on
Deadly Cry (originally released in the UK as Death Score) is the 13th procedural in the D.I. Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons. Released 11th Nov 2020, it's 345 pages (print edition) and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
This is a procedural thriller mystery with a returning cast of characters and a well engineered and engaging story. Although it's the 13th in the series, it works pretty well as a standalone. I haven't read many of the books in the series after the first few and had no trouble following the plot and keeping the characters straight. The buildup and denouement were well done and satisfying. All in all, an immersive and engaging read. I liked the interoffice politics within the police departments which were supposed to be supporting one another but wound up mostly getting in each other's way.
I did find the subplot with the reality blogger/influencer/tell-all "star" a bit slow moving and it felt "tacked on" at the time, but I understand why the author did it that way and that not all parts of every story need to be action action action all the time.
All in all I found the book an engaging read and recommend it to fans of the police procedural as well as fans of the D.I. Kim Stone series. There's much to like here, especially for fans of the earlier books in the series.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 3 February, 2021: Finished reading
- 3 February, 2021: Reviewed