Finally we’re playing a game. A game that I have chosen. I give one last push of the roundabout and stand back. ‘You really should have played with me,’ I tell her again although I know she can no longer hear.Late one summer evening, Detective Kim Stone arrives at Haden Hill Park to the scene of a horrific crime: a woman in her sixties tied to a swing with barbed wire and an X carved into the … an X carved into the back of her neck.
The victim, Belinda Evans, was a retired college Professor of Child Psychology. As Kim and her team search her home, they find an overnight bag packed and begin to unravel a complex relationship between Belinda and her sister Veronica.
Then two more bodies are found bearing the same distinctive markings, and Kim knows she is on the hunt for a ritualistic serial killer. Linking the victims, Kim discovers they were involved in annual tournaments for gifted children and were on their way to the next event.
With DS Penn immersed in the murder case of a young man, Kim and her team are already stretched and up against one of the most ruthless killers they’ve ever encountered. The clues lie in investigating every child who attended the tournaments, dating back decades.
Faced with hundreds of potential leads and a bereaved sister who is refusing to talk, can Kim get inside the mind of a killer and stop another murder before it’s too late?
The addictive new crime thriller from multi-million copy, number one bestseller Angela Marsons explores the dark side of child prodigies and will have you absolutely hooked.
Read what everyone is saying about Child’s Play:
‘The must-read thriller for the year. Fabulous characters and well written. I can’t wait to read more by this author.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘I have nothing but praise for this amazing series, 11 books and counting and the series keeps getting better with each instalment. I highly recommend this series to all fans of original high-quality mystery thrillers.’ Bookish ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Angela Marsons pushes the limits again to bring us the best of crime fiction! To me, reaching a point where you trust an author this much with your precious time, is invaluable… This is why finding your happy place, your go-to people, your – rather deadly – dreamland is the best feeling in the world and I must thank Angela Marsons for never letting me down…’ Chocolate’n’Waffles ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Loved loved this book, Angela has done it again, just brilliant…. This story is great, pulls you in from the first page and never lets go…Get it, read it, you won’t be disappointed.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘The quality of Angela Marsons writing has never diminished over the entire series.The release of a Kim Stone novel is an event to look forward to. Full of engaging characters and humour this series is fast becoming one of my favourites. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars because it certainly deserves it. Excellent and I happily recommend it and the series to anyone.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Superb!!…one of the best openings to a book I have read…DI Kim Stone is one of my favourite all time characters in this genre…This is one of the best books in the series and as this is already book 11 in the series that says a lot as not a lot of authors can keep producing books this strong and so well written – very, very highly recommended!!’ Donnasbookblog ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow Wow!!! How did I not see any of that coming!…I could barely put the book down…’Rachel’s Random Reads ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
‘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
more
I hope by the time I have 11 books written in a series, I am as good a writer as Angela Marsons. Great reading! Cheers Lynda L. Lock (Isla Mujeres Mystery novels.)
Child’s Play (Kim Stone #11) by author Angela Marsons is a shocking suspense featuring DI Kim Stone in another non-stop thriller. The book opens with an eerie brutal murder. I won’t post spoilers, but there are two cases which overlap and have Kim’s team without Penn to help find a killer. What was the true relationship between the sisters, Veronica and murdered Belinda?
I like Kim’s sarcastic wit as the search for a psychotic murderer progresses. There is such an interesting element to this book. I was fascinated by the information regarding the lives of child geniuses and creative prodigies. I was pleasantly thrilled that not only were there two cases to solve, but the background behind the reason for the current murders was eye-opening. If you are a fan of this series, I think you are gonna love Tink!
Publication Date: July 11, 2019
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
DI Kim Stone and her team face another challenging case, this time one involving former child prodigies. Kim and Bryant are called to the scene of Belinda Evans, a 61-year old academic and former college professor of child psychology. She’s tied to a swing in Haden Hill Park, stabbed to death and secured by barbed wire. Unfortunately, she’s only the first victim of this type macabre killing and it takes a while for connections to be made. The team is hampered somewhat by a new policy limiting their active work hours and new member, Austin Penn, returning to West Mercia for the trial of a case he worked on before his departure.
I have to admit I needed a break from the tension of the last few books where the team members were at risk. It was nice to go back to the basics and see the team in action with lots of humorous moments as they struggle with the new work policy. You just knew they’d find a way around it and one of the remedies was the temporary addition of a new member, Tiffany, who Kim referred to as “Tinks” (think Tinkerbell). Tiffany loved the attention! The case was a real puzzler with any number of suspects and I was still surprised at the outcome. But as engaging as it was, the real thrills came from Penn’s old team as their case fell apart and he had to painstakingly, as only Penn can, revisit and analyze every aspect. The resolution sat me on my heels with unexpected thrills, angst and surprises.
This series never disappoints and I enjoyed everything about this story. Stacey Wood plays a significant role here and I like how she’s coming into her own, gaining confidence to go along with her innate talents. These characters feel like family so I’m invested in all that happens to them…the good, bad and ugly. And, they’re brought magnificently to live by the outstanding performance of the narrator, Jan Cramer, who just adds to my listening experience. Another book that was hard to put down.
CHILD’S PLAY (D.I. Kim Stone Book #11) by Angela Marsons is another great addition in this British police procedural thriller series. Besides the main crime plotline, Ms. Marsons gives Penn his own side sub-plotline on an old case with his previous team.
Kim is called to the scene of a horrific murder with an elderly woman tied with barbed wire by her wrists to a swing and stabbed through the heart. When Keats discovers an “X” on the back of the woman’s neck during autopsy and another body is discovered laid over a chalked hop-scotch with the same marking on his neck, Kim knows they are looking for a ritualistic killer.
Another body is found, who was the killer’s first victim positioned by a Snakes & Ladder game in his home with the “X” on the back of his neck. All three victims are tied to a yearly gifted children’s competition which is occurring this weekend. Kim, Bryant, Stacy and a temp called Tiff are all on site and hope to catch the killer before there are any more deaths.
At the same time, Penn is off when he is needed to testify on his last case tied to his old unit. The case begins to fall apart and Penn has to rework with case. Something is not right and Penn finds not only himself, but his brother in danger.
Even with this being the eleventh book in this series, I am never bored, always glad to get back to favorite characters and looking for the next book to come. This book’s two plotlines do not intersect and therefore you get two dramatic solutions. The investigations in this series are as interesting as the resolutions because they always are intense and intriguing. All the main characters feel like they could walk off the page and feel like a second family. The secondary characters are always fully fleshed with interesting back stories and motives.
I can once again highly recommend this book and the entire series. It is a definite MUST READ!
Being a child genius seems to be something great and every parent has to be proud of such an offspring, right? But after reading the latest case Kim Stone and her team has to solve I’m not entirely sure I believe that anymore. Nobody gives a second thought to the siblings of those children with high IQ’s or special talents. It can’t be easy always being overlooked and not feeling abandoned. Given these difficulties for the rest of the family members, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the motive for the murders. To some degree I can understand the resentment and anger. But shouldn’t it level out a bit when growing up and becoming an adult? This book will stay with me for a long time and makes for some good discussion.
I started this series on a whim and quickly fell in love with the characters. It’s set in England so it takes some getting used to with various phrases, etc. but each book deals with a crime/mystery that the detective female lead and her team strive to solve. Some events are chilling and others are sad but through it all the lead character remains true to herself despite having such a hard childhood. This is a great series!
Being the first book that I’ve read by the author, I didn’t knew what to expect and the fact that this story is part of a series worried me when I started reading but after a few chapters I just got so engrossed and realised that I don’t necessarily need to read the previous books to enjoy this great story.
It was a very interesting story, maybe the first of this kind that i’ve read, well written, great characters and interesting dynamics between them, some funny moments made up for the drama and heartbreaking situations in which the victims are dragged.
It opened my interest to go back and read the other stories as I want to read more and know more about each character for sure.
Looking forward to more books in the series.
The eleventh Detective Kim Stone novel is a very intricate and well-developed mystery. A woman has been murdered and tied to a child’s swing. When Detective Kim Stone and her team investigate the victim, they find that she was a retired professor, in her sixties, and had arranged to meet her killer at the park. This will seem to be the first murder involving children’s games, but the hunt is on for the killer before they kill again. When further evidence points to a long running tournament for gifted children, the investigation becomes even more complex. While this case is proceeding, Detective Penn is investigating the murder of a young man…the clues do not add up and the witness can’t be relied upon to be telling the truth. Ms. Marsons flawlessly alternates between the two main stories keeping the reader up to date as another attempted murder will lead to Kim’s violent encounter with the killer. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)