Play Dead

Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller, Book 4

By: Angela Marsons

Narrated by: Jan Cramer

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

The dead don't tell secrets...unless you listen.

The girl's smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess.

Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. A "body farm" investigating human decomposition, its inhabitants are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime.

Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It's clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work - but just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next?

As local reporter, Tracy Frost, disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer's secrets - but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim?

The latest utterly addictive thriller from number-one best seller Angela Marsons.

©2016 Angela Marsons (P)2016 Bookouture

A rush to print

I've been a fan of Angela Marsons and her original plots and antisocial character Kim Stone -- so much so that I preordered this novel when I saw it was pending.
But the thought did niggle in the back of my mind that all four DI Stone books have come out rather quickly: the first was published in Feb 2015.
Play Dead is noticeably weaker than the others -- perhaps it was a rush to print because the story itself is interesting. It's some sloppy writing that puts me off, plus soggy psychological dabbling and, worst of all, Marsons gets out her soap box rather more often than is bearable for a thriller. She has always been prone to a dash of preachiness but it gets let off the reins here.
All the faults can be laid at the feet of indulgence, a lack of writing discipline. If it comes from writing at speed as I suspect, then it can be corrected. If it's a career development then that's a sad loss to the murder thriller genre.

Not Marson's best

There was too much reliance upon prior novels. I had to keep reminding myself of what happened in previous books to make sense of this one. Definitely needs to be read in order of publication.

Great addition to the series

Angela Marsons has crafted another great suspense/thriller. This book does work as a standalone novel, however I recommend listening from the beginning of the series. There are plenty of twists and turns to the story to make one feel as those they're on a roller coaster.

Another great Detective Kim Stone thriller!

British author Angela Marsons continues to release very high quality police procedural novels in her Detective Kim Stone series. Play Dead is a serial murder mystery. English actor Jan Cramer is a rising star in the audio book narration field. She is simply superb. I highly recommend this novel and the others in the series.

This book is GREAT!!

This book is a great read! Storyline was great! Performance by Jan Cramer was great!!!

Predictable

Predictable plot. Unbelievable police work. Terrible accents from narrator. Managed to finish so gave it 2 stars based purely on that.

VERY Slow

I couldn't enjoy this book. I'm actually confused by the rave reviews. This book starts tremendously slow and even after 3 hours of listening I still was unable to garner any type of interest. Returned this immediately.

D. I. Kim Stone does it again

Another British crime thriller from Angela Marsons. D. I. Kim Stone race against the clock to find a serial killer who is dumping his bodies at a body farm. As usual, the "who" in "whodunit" is a surprise.

There is no "I" in team

There was not much interaction with the other team members in this story. It was all Kim, Kim, Kim. In Marson's past stories I enjoyed knowing a little bit more about the other members of the team and even just hearing their voices as they investigated on their own. Listening to Jan Cramer, as Kim, spout out orders to her team gets a bit annoying in large quantities. Does she really only have one tone of voice - a bark?

The story line was interesting and kept me listening in spite of the narration. I didn't feel that "page-turning" dramatic crescendo though so maybe the writing was off too.

If you like Detective Stone, you may want to skip this one. Have you ever had a neighbor's dog bark continually for an hour? Yeah-it's like that.

Great series!

My favorite part about this series is that, even when you're sure you know who the culprit is, there's always a surprise in the end!

DI Kim Stone is a amongst the best!

The fourth Kim stone book is no disappointment. Fast paced, great story, believable characters. I listened in a day, I was hooked till the end. One of the best thriller writers around and Kim Stone is here to stay. If you are wondering if this book is for you, it is!!!!

Infuriating narration

I tried really really hard with this one and it may well have had a good plot, but I just couldn't make myself listen beyond chapter 18. I've heard Jan Cramer read two more recent books which were OK, but I think she must have been more of a beginner on this one. I could perhaps forgive her for making everything that comes out of the ballsy female DCI's mouth a dislikable stroppy bark, but not for almost unerringly emphasising the wrong word in every sentence.

Gripping

Did not want this novel to end but wanted to hear everything come together. No spoilers in this review. Just start at book 1 and enjoy all four. Looking forward to the next one.

great book

a great story with some twists and turns, deffo worth the listen, kim stone at her best again !

Gripping serial killer thriller Dc Kim stone IS BACK

Bloody amazing! I had to re start this a few times as I was listening at night time and that was a mistake.
I listened through completely last night to the end.
WOW it was awesome I wanted the narrator to read faster !

The characters were fantastically bedded in in early which is important especially in an audiobook.

Bodies keep appearing in the same place all with the same 'MO' in varying degrees of decomposition .
Kim Stones team take it on in they're totally awesome way, I love the way the comedy is shown throughout the case and maybe even a little breakdown of Kim's hard wall surface?

I didn't solve who the perpetrator was which is kick ass because I like it when I ' believe' I have everything that fits and I don't. A maze of tunnels to investigate down and follow leads

This book is an awesome addition book 4 to the series but also a stand alone like the others.


Can you tell I love the Kim Stone series? 😊
Solid 5⭐️from me and roll on the next one 🌹

excellent read

amazing read again. couldn't put it down . can't wait for the kim stone book

excellent

really enjoy kims charachter. there is a lot to her but its balanced really well

Perfection amongst pages

Another stunning and chilling tale by the talented Angie Marsons. Well crafted and terrifying, the author is in the top ten of writers, fans of the crime and mystery genre should read without a doubt.
Whilst the subject matter is twisted a small degree of sadness for the protagonist remains. Without such an upbringing, would this person have become so monsterous? A question the reader will ask themselves once the terrifyingly creepy finale is long over.
Also available on audible, narrated by the ever brilliant Jan Cramer. Perfect for these dark Winter evenings.
Thank you Angie, for once again submerging your readers into a dark and gripping tale with remarkable twists.

Great story !

a great read.... very gripping and I have downloaded another of her books because it was so good! great performance too.

excellent thriller ....

loved it ...more for the faint hearted or if bugs bother you ...there is nothing wrong with the narrator but i feel she is not the right person for this type of story ...