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cheryl59's review against another edition
4.0
Once again Angela Marsons has written an amazing book, although it took me a little longer to get into this one, once I was in I didn't want to put it down until the last page. Pitting Kim Stone against Alex Thorne a previous adversary was inspired and a great read.
xherdanjackiri's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rachyc85's review against another edition
5.0
Book 5 in the series and my love for DI Kim Stone is getting bigger by the chapter. I am not in the slightest bit ashamed to say that I am obsessed with the Inspector and her shenanigans. She is fierce and fiery with a heart of gold. Quick-witted and sharp, she gets the job done. Her team complement her wonderfully and the dynamic between them all is spot-on. Straight on to book number 6 because I cannot wait to find out what they get up to next!
elvang's review against another edition
5.0
Angela Marsons has done it again. This series continues to impress as the author refines her lead detectives and adds complexity to her stories which makes them impossible to put down and a pleasure to read. Spoiler warning if you have not read the last couple of Kim Stone books in the series stop reading this review. Much that happens in this novel feeds off of previous novels in this series.
Wow. What a gripping tale with multiple storylines running throughout. Kim and her team are hunting down the killer of a wealthy television personality and a drug addicted hooker. Both die from a single knife wound to the chest. How they are connected puts every member of DI Stones team to work. I love how Kim’s team are finding their feet as they follow their leads. Stacey is aces at digging up details on the Internet to help advance these cases. Bryant teams with Kim on most of their interviews and acts as a calming force and runs interference when her need to solve cases gets her into trouble with her superiors. Dawson works the field and in this novel feels he is taken for granted as a valued team member.
A nemesis from a previous case adds a whole other level of tension and complexity to this challenging case. Alexandra Thorne is now in jail following her arrest in a previous novel but she is far from caged. Her manipulative skills and her knowledge of Stones past add another layer to this addictive read. If parallels can be made to classic novels, Thorne is the Moriarty to Stones Sherlock Holmes. She is a brilliant sociopath. Her genius is almost unstoppable. How she manipulates events which directly involve DI Stone is a thing of beauty (and horror) to watch. Will Kim Stone be up for the challenge, pitting wits against an evil mastermind?
An awesome read from beginning to end. Marsons is at the top of her game and Blood Lines will be a tough act to follow. Loved it.
ARC received with thanks from Bookouture via NetGalley for review.
Wow. What a gripping tale with multiple storylines running throughout. Kim and her team are hunting down the killer of a wealthy television personality and a drug addicted hooker. Both die from a single knife wound to the chest. How they are connected puts every member of DI Stones team to work. I love how Kim’s team are finding their feet as they follow their leads. Stacey is aces at digging up details on the Internet to help advance these cases. Bryant teams with Kim on most of their interviews and acts as a calming force and runs interference when her need to solve cases gets her into trouble with her superiors. Dawson works the field and in this novel feels he is taken for granted as a valued team member.
A nemesis from a previous case adds a whole other level of tension and complexity to this challenging case. Alexandra Thorne is now in jail following her arrest in a previous novel but she is far from caged. Her manipulative skills and her knowledge of Stones past add another layer to this addictive read. If parallels can be made to classic novels, Thorne is the Moriarty to Stones Sherlock Holmes. She is a brilliant sociopath. Her genius is almost unstoppable. How she manipulates events which directly involve DI Stone is a thing of beauty (and horror) to watch. Will Kim Stone be up for the challenge, pitting wits against an evil mastermind?
An awesome read from beginning to end. Marsons is at the top of her game and Blood Lines will be a tough act to follow. Loved it.
ARC received with thanks from Bookouture via NetGalley for review.
soovailyn's review against another edition
3.0
Mini-Review:
This story did not feel like an original tale. It seemed to be a rinse & repeat of the previous story about Alex with minor changes in details. If this was the first book of the series, it would have been fine but it's not. I was disappointed in the overall plot and the lack of progression to the series.
This story did not feel like an original tale. It seemed to be a rinse & repeat of the previous story about Alex with minor changes in details. If this was the first book of the series, it would have been fine but it's not. I was disappointed in the overall plot and the lack of progression to the series.
casacostello's review against another edition
4.0
As good as ever - I never get bored of this series. 4.5 stars - just a warm Cozy blanket of a book (with added violence thrown in for a good measure)
bernluvsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars for Blood Lines
I love this series & the character of Kim Stone. Unfortunately, this is my least favorite installment to date. It's not a bad read. It still has all the elements I have to come to love and expect from Marsons. I simply wasn't as into the case in this book as I have been with the other books though I think it was because I had high expectations.
I was psyched when I saw Dr. Alex Thorne was back - having previously enjoyed the back and forth power plays & mind games between her and Kim. That aspect of the book was definitely interesting and kept me reading. Alex is one hell of a sociopath/villain. I enjoyed delving deeper into Kim's life and how it shapes who she is. I also appreciated gaining more insight into her relationship with her team who I have come to regard as favorite characters.
I just wasn't overly impressed by the whodunnit in this book. I expected more based on all the emphasis put on the precise knife wounds, the lack of emotion displayed in the kills and the nonexistent leads which sent the team reeling. With that build-up, the killer simply didn't add up for me. I expected something bigger and definitely more sinister.
Aside from that, this was still a solid book in the series. It offered invaluable insight on Kim & included some great cat and mouse moments with Dr. Thorne. As always, looking forward to what the next book brings our way in what is definitely a top notch series.
I love this series & the character of Kim Stone. Unfortunately, this is my least favorite installment to date. It's not a bad read. It still has all the elements I have to come to love and expect from Marsons. I simply wasn't as into the case in this book as I have been with the other books though I think it was because I had high expectations.
I was psyched when I saw Dr. Alex Thorne was back - having previously enjoyed the back and forth power plays & mind games between her and Kim. That aspect of the book was definitely interesting and kept me reading. Alex is one hell of a sociopath/villain. I enjoyed delving deeper into Kim's life and how it shapes who she is. I also appreciated gaining more insight into her relationship with her team who I have come to regard as favorite characters.
I just wasn't overly impressed by the whodunnit in this book. I expected more based on all the emphasis put on the precise knife wounds, the lack of emotion displayed in the kills and the nonexistent leads which sent the team reeling. With that build-up, the killer simply didn't add up for me. I expected something bigger and definitely more sinister.
Aside from that, this was still a solid book in the series. It offered invaluable insight on Kim & included some great cat and mouse moments with Dr. Thorne. As always, looking forward to what the next book brings our way in what is definitely a top notch series.
kmmi_booklover's review against another edition
5.0
Another 5* book from Angela Marsons! The whole D.I. Kim Stone series is outstanding and Blood Lines keeps with this tradition. This crime novel has a lot going on, but as usual everything ties up in the end. I love that there is not just one plot line, but several going on at one time. Although all the books in this series can be read as standalones, I highly recommend that this one be read after Evil Games since it revisits the character Alex Thorne. This series is one of my absolute favorite crime series, so really just read them all!
meera01's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t like this book as much compared to others in the series primarily because of bringing back one of the villains from a previous book. I felt as if I was reading a bad tv series that does the same thing when they run out of new story lines. But I stuck with it and in the end it turned out better than I thought it would because of the main mystery and how it was resolved.