Twisted Lies: An absolutely gripping mystery and suspense thriller (Detective Kim Stone Book 14)

Kim and her team are working a murder case like none other. The victim was tortured horribly before he died. Kim will come to realize that this case will be one of her most challenging. And then the body count rises...This is the 14th novel in the fabulous D.I. Kim Stone series. If you haven't yet started the series.... why haven't you? I have been remiss in keeping abreast of this series due to review commitments, but vowed that this year I would try to catch up.The series just seems to go from strength to strength. I highly recommend though that this series be read in order to fully realize its brilliance and appreciate the evolving dynamic between the characters.This time out, the book deals with death by torture. The victim's family vanish the day they learn of the husband/father's murder - making it all the more difficult for Kim's team to investigate.There are some really graphic torture scenes in this novel that might bother the more squeamish reader. Thankfully, Angela Marsons balances her disturbing subject matter with liberal doses of witty sarcasm which I thoroughly enjoy.As I devoured this 14th novel in the series, I felt even more invested in the characters than I was with the previous thirteen titles. I will certainly recommend the series to all lovers of gritty crime fiction. I have now read the first fourteen novels in the series, and I look forward to catching up with Kim's exploits, as the series now comprises nineteen books. Oh, and in case you didn’t already guess… “Twisted Lies” is very highly recommended by me.

Can a killer be both crazed and methodical at the same time? That seems to be the case in Angela Marson’s the 14th installment of her addicting Detective Kim Stone series, Twisted Lies. The day starts out with a ride-along with Kim’s not-so-favorite reporter, Tracy Frost, but that ends abruptly when they come upon the first victim. Kim and DS Bryant are appalled at what they see, and Frost is sent back to her office. The victim has been cruelly tortured over many hours. A word from the outset – some descriptions are gruesome, and there are several victims throughout the book, each killed by a different medieval form of painfully inflicted punishment. In the first case, the deceased’s wife and her sister have little to say to the inspectors and barely show any emotion. Later, when Kim returns, the home has been cleared out.As the murder cases mount, so do the questions. Why will no one give any straight answers? What are the families hiding? And who is the mysterious “sister”? Above all, what does the killer want? Apparently, he is seeking information, which is why he is torturing his victims. What is so important that he is willing to kill? He’s obviously not too far off his rocker because his methods require organization and planning.While I was in no way a fan of the gory details of the methods used in these murders, I was enthralled by the mystery. Once the secret was revealed, there was still the question of who.One could read this as a standalone, but it’s quite helpful to know the characters. I’m amazed at how different Kim Stone is from the early books. She’s now quite a capable “boss,” as Bryant calls her. She’s encouraging Stacy in her professional development, and she’s actually showing – dare I say it – a wee bit of empathy toward her nemesis, Tracy Frost, who has also thawed significantly in this episode and is fairly likeable. Maybe the thaw is due to the hot water she finds herself in when she dares to go out on a limb and act ethically for a change while pursuing a story. This is at least a 180-degree turn from previous books, and it will be interesting to see how the Stone-Frost relationship progresses from here. The banter and collaboration between Stacy and Penn is fun to see, once again. They make a good team.In usual Marsons’ style, Kim has some hairy moments toward the end and – well, it’s tempting to say more, but I won’t! There are some lovely twists here and there and a big teaser at the end, which has me itching to read number 15, Stolen Ones.4.5 stars rounded up

Una novena policíaca con un argumento original. Entretenido y trepidante. Es el primero que leo de esta serie y no será el último

Ormai Angela Marsons è per me una certezza, trame mai banali, personaggi che si evolvono, colpi di scena, storie che fanno riflette e ciliegina sulla torta il personaggio di Kim Stone che è malgrado il suo carattere ispido empatico e carismatico.

Love these books !