Play Dead (Detective Kim Stone)

by Angela Marsons

[Leah]

If you read my blog, you’ll know I am a big fan of Angela Marsons. I’ve loved all three of her books in her D.I. Kim Stone series (and if you don’t believe me, here are my reviews of Evil Games & Lost Girls). Angela’s one of my new favourite authors, and each Kim Stone book sees me brimming with delight to read it, although I like to wait to read it, because I know I’ll then have to wait a few months for the next one. It actually makes me ecstatically happy to know we’ll be getting at least 16 D.I. Kim Stone books in total (and before you raise your eyebrows and open your mouth to say that’s a lot of books, there are 23 in the Stephanie Plum series, and that still amuses me and delights me and I’m only up to book 11).

What intrigued me most about Play Dead was the mention of the sometimes odious Tracy Frost. She genuinely got on my wick during Lost Girls, so to see her put in a position of weakness, of needing Kim’s help to help her, was weird to say the least. For me and Kim. But it actually helped me see Tracy as less odious, and as an actual human being instead of a reporter with no ounce of sympathy or compassion. I’ll whisper it: But I hope she’s back in book 5, and after Lost Girls, I never thought I’d say THAT.

You’ll be un-surprised to hear I loved Play Dead. Of course I did. Any book that features Kim Stone will always be a winner in my book, and while she’s still prickly, that’s what I will always love about her. She’s no-nonsense, she wants to get these cases finished, and the perpetrators put behind bars. She’s not even content to solve just one case now, she has at least two on the go, and she battles so fiercely, it’s hard to believe she doesn’t go home at night and just collapse, dead with exhaustion. I would love to be that passionate about my job.

The lovely Daniel was back in Play Dead, a welcome return after no appearances in book two or three, and I can tell this is going to be a slow-burning romance (I mean, there’s 12 more books, so they can’t get married *JUST* yet), but it was nice to see him again, to show he hasn’t been forgotten and left the Kim universe forever. I’m very excited for book five, I feel like we’re being fed more and more info on Kim’s past with each book and she clearly had quite a story to tell, but I’m content to learn it in bits and pieces. I also want to know more of her squad, because I loved them. Bryant, in particular, continues to be hilarious, because he’s just the polar opposite of Kim and he’s just the perfect partner basically. Angela Marsons is such a good writer, and I feel like I’m repeating myself with each book, but it’s true, she’s fabulous, and if you haven’t read her Kim Stone books, I do now know what you are waiting for, because you’re missing out.