Blurb:

When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.

As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave cont6thains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.

Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.

But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy – and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?

An addictive, sinister crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat.

Review:

In the acknowledgements for Dead Souls, Angela Marsons writes that when writing the novel, she wanted to place Kim Stone in a different situation, and also see how her team managed on their own. She achieves both of these things with aplomb and as a result, we get to know each member of the team better as individuals and I really appreciated this opportunity.

One of the central themes in Dead Souls is hate crime. This makes the novel difficult to read at times and Marsons employs some good techniques to encourage the reader to look at their own prejudices. Although it is uncomfortable, it is incredibly relevant to a society which seems increasingly intolerant, perhaps more so now than when it was first published. Marsons approaches these issues with admirable sensitivity and it adds an extra layer to her already impressive writing.

There are two strands to Dead Souls, and I was interested to see if, and how, they would be connected. As the novel reaches its conclusion, the tension builds brilliantly and it becomes clear that the perpetrators pose a very real threat. I was on the edge of my seat as I was reading, praying that their victims would survive.

Dead Souls is available from Amazon.