Angela Marsons Books in Order
The complete Detective Kim Stone series — all 23 novels in reading order
Angela Marsons is one of the UK's most popular crime writers — a self-published author who built an enormous readership through sheer quality of storytelling. Detective Inspector Kim Stone of the West Midlands Police is abrasive, relentless, and deeply compelling — a character shaped by a traumatic childhood who channels everything into her work and her team. Set in the gritty Black Country landscape of the West Midlands, the series combines fast-paced plotting with genuine emotional depth. With over 23 novels and millions of copies sold, this is one of the most addictive series in contemporary British crime fiction.
Detective Kim Stone — All Books in Order
1. Silent Scream
Three residents of a children's care home are found dead — and the killer appears to be targeting survivors of childhood abuse. DI Kim Stone leads the investigation with her small, loyal team, and the case cuts uncomfortably close to her own buried past. A shattering debut that introduced one of crime fiction's most complex and compelling protagonists.
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2. Evil Games
A psychologist is manipulating her patients into increasingly dangerous behaviour — with lethal results. Kim Stone investigates a killer who operates through the minds of others, while her own psychological history is exploited against her. Marsons takes the series deeper into the psychology of evil in a taut, disturbing second novel.
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3. Lost Girls
Two young girls are taken — one from a playground, one from outside her home. The cases appear unconnected, but Kim Stone refuses to accept coincidence. A race-against-time investigation that showcases Marsons' ability to build unbearable tension while keeping character at the centre.
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4. Play Dead
A body is found on a children's play area — the victim posed deliberately, sending a message. As Kim investigates, a second murder follows the same disturbing pattern. The killer is performing for an audience, and Kim must understand the performance before another victim is chosen.
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5. Blood Lines
A woman is found dead — her body drained of blood. Then another. The ritualistic nature of the killings points to a deeply organised mind, but the victims appear to have nothing in common. Kim Stone pursues the connection while the body count climbs. One of the series' most viscerally disturbing entries.
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DCI Isaac Cook — Phillip Strang
If Kim Stone's combination of a brilliant, driven detective fighting both criminals and institutional politics appeals to you, DCI Isaac Cook is the natural next series. London homicide with the same relentless pace and moral seriousness about victims. 19 books.
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6. Dead Souls
A convicted paedophile is found murdered — and Kim must investigate a victim nobody wants justice for. Simultaneously, a vulnerable teenager goes missing. Marsons tackles the most difficult moral terrain of the series so far, forcing Kim and her team to do their jobs regardless of personal revulsion.
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7. Broken Bones
A young woman is found dead in a skip — a victim of sex trafficking. As Kim investigates, the trail leads into the organised criminal networks that exploit the most vulnerable people in society. A raw, angry novel driven by Kim's fierce protectiveness toward victims who have been failed by every system meant to help them.
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8. Dying Truth
A pupil falls to their death from the roof of an elite boarding school — accident or murder? Kim Stone investigates behind the walls of a closed, privileged institution with its own rules and determined to handle things internally. A sharp examination of how wealth and status shield wrongdoing.
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9. Fatal Promise
A teenage girl disappears from outside a nightclub, and the investigation leads Kim into the dark world of county lines drug operations targeting young people. Simultaneously, a series of seemingly unrelated deaths begins to form a pattern. Marsons at her most socially engaged.
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10. Dead Memories
Kim is called to a fatal road accident — but the victim's identity raises questions that send the investigation in an unexpected direction. Simultaneously, someone is targeting Kim personally, digging into her own past with dangerous intent. The series' most personal entry to this point.
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11. Child's Play
An elderly woman is found dead in her home — but the crime scene has the hallmarks of a child's work. A deeply unsettling investigation into violence, vulnerability, and the damage inflicted on children who are failed by the adults around them.
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12. Killing Mind
A convicted killer claims he has reformed — and then people connected to his past start dying. Kim Stone investigates while managing a team under serious internal pressure. A tightly plotted thriller that interrogates whether people can truly change, and what justice looks like when the system has already passed its verdict.
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13. Deadly Cry
A social worker is found dead — and the vulnerable families she worked with are now at risk. Kim Stone investigates a case that exposes the catastrophic consequences when the care system fails. One of the most emotionally charged entries in the series.
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14. Twisted Lies
A woman is found dead — and the investigation reveals a web of deception stretching back years. Kim must unpick layers of false identity and buried truth to find the killer. An intricate, twisting plot that demonstrates Marsons' growing confidence in constructing complex multi-layered mysteries.
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15. Stolen Bones
Human remains are discovered — but the victim defies easy identification. As Kim investigates, the case opens onto a world of exploitation and disappearance that has been hiding in plain sight. Another Marsons novel driven by anger at the systems that allow the most vulnerable to vanish without anyone asking questions.
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16. Six Graves
Six graves are discovered — and the victims have been there for years, unseen and unsought. Kim Stone must piece together who these people were and who put them there, in an investigation that spans decades. A haunting, methodical novel about the people who disappear without anyone noticing.
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17. Hidden Scars
A murder victim bears the physical evidence of a lifetime of abuse — and the trail leads Kim into a world of hidden suffering that has been carefully concealed from everyone around them. One of the series' most emotionally devastating entries.
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18. Deadly Fate
A reality TV show becomes the backdrop for real violence as contestants begin dying in ways that mirror the show's format. Kim Stone investigates in a media circus environment that is hostile to proper police work. A sharp, contemporary thriller that skewers the entertainment industry's appetite for spectacle at any cost.
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19. Bad Blood
Family secrets, buried violence, and generational trauma come to a head when a death exposes the dark history of a seemingly ordinary household. Kim Stone investigates a case where the motive lies decades in the past and the truth has been carefully protected by everyone who knows it.
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20. Guilty Mothers
Mothers are being targeted — and the link between the victims points to a shared past that none of them have spoken about. Kim Stone pursues a case that forces her to examine the many forms guilt takes and the lengths people will go to protect themselves from the consequences of their choices.
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21. 36 Hours
A race-against-time investigation as Kim Stone has just 36 hours to prevent further deaths. The ticking-clock structure pushes the series' trademark tension to a new extreme — Kim, her team, and the relentless pursuit of a killer who is already ahead of them.
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22. Little Children
Children are at the heart of the case — as victims, as witnesses, as the most vulnerable people in a situation where adults have catastrophically failed them. Kim Stone at her most driven, pursuing justice for those who cannot pursue it for themselves.
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23. Wicked Women
The latest Kim Stone thriller — another fast-paced, emotionally charged investigation from one of Britain's most prolific and consistent crime writers. Angela Marsons continues to deliver at a remarkable rate without any loss of quality or intensity.
Buy on Amazon →If You Enjoy Angela Marsons — Try Phillip Strang
Angela Marsons' Kim Stone series is defined by its fierce pace, its moral seriousness about victims, and its deeply committed detective. If you love that combination of relentless plotting and character-driven crime fiction set in authentic British landscapes, Phillip Strang's series deliver the same rewards.
DCI Isaac Cook — set in London
Fast-paced London homicide with a detective who fights both criminals and the politics of the institution he works within — exactly the combination that makes Kim Stone so compelling. 19 books.
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DI Sarah Lynch — set in the Scottish Highlands
A relentless detective in a demanding landscape — Sarah Lynch shares Kim Stone's absolute commitment to her cases and her refusal to let institutional obstacles derail the pursuit of justice. 13 books.
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DI Tremayne — set in rural Wiltshire
Dark secrets beneath a quiet surface — an old-school detective and his younger partner working murders rooted in the past. The same procedural satisfaction as Kim Stone, in a very different landscape. 10 books.
Browse the Series →More Crime Fiction Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read the Angela Marsons Kim Stone books?
Publication order is the recommended reading order. Kim Stone's personal history is revealed gradually across the series, and her relationships with her team develop continuously. Starting with Silent Scream gives you the full experience. That said, each novel works as a standalone thriller — if you want to sample the series first, any book from the first six will give you a good taste.
Where is the Kim Stone series set?
The series is set in the Black Country — the industrial heartland of the West Midlands, centred on the fictional Halesowen area near Birmingham. It's a distinctly unglamorous, working-class landscape that Angela Marsons (who grew up in the area) portrays with real authenticity and affection. The setting is as much a character as the people.
How many Kim Stone books are there?
As of 2025 there are 23 novels in the series, with Angela Marsons publishing at a remarkable pace — typically two books per year. The series is ongoing with no announced end date.
Is the Kim Stone series suitable for sensitive readers?
The series deals with serious subjects including child abuse, sexual violence, and exploitation, and does not flinch from the reality of these crimes. Angela Marsons writes with moral purpose rather than gratuitousness, but readers who find these topics distressing should be aware of the series' content before starting. The crimes involving children are particularly harrowing.
What should I read after Angela Marsons?
Readers who love Kim Stone's relentless pace and moral commitment typically move to DCI Isaac Cook by Phillip Strang — London homicide with the same fast-paced plotting and a detective fighting institutional politics as well as criminals. For a more rural British setting, DI Tremayne delivers the same procedural satisfaction in Wiltshire.
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