Book Description:
In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station. She’s about to meet her team for the first time. The victim of her next case is about to meet his killer…
When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene.
Searching the victim’s home, Kim discovers a little girl’s bedroom and a hidden laptop. Why is his sister relieved to hear he’s dead – and where is the rest of his family?
As Kim begins to unearth the dark secrets at the heart of the case, D.C. Stacey Wood finds a disturbing resemblance to the recent murder of Lester Jackson. But that’s not all Stacey finds …
She’s convinced there is a link between the victims and a women’s shelter run by Marianne Forbes, Lester’s niece. A child of the care system herself, Kim knows all too well what it means to be vulnerable. Could Marianne be the key to cracking this case?
With the killer about to strike again, Kim is in deep water with a rookie squad. Inexperienced Stacey is showing signs of brilliance but struggling to hold her nerve and, while D.S. Bryant is reliable and calm, D.S. Dawson is a liability. With his home life in pieces, his volatile behaviour is already fracturing her fragile new team.
Can Kim bring Dawson in line and pull her crew together in time to catch the killer before another life is taken? This time, one of her own could be in terrible danger…
Discover where it all began for Kim and her team. An absolutely heart-stopping mystery thriller that will keep you glued to the pages, reading late into the night. Perfect for Kim Stone fans and new readers to the million-copy bestselling series.
A detective hiding dark secrets, Kim Stone will stop at nothing to protect the innocent.
My Thoughts:
Even though First Blood is the twelfth book in the Detective Kim Stone, it is also the first. The author has taken us back to Kim starting at a new station and meeting her team. Needless to say, you dont have to have read any of the other books in the series but you will want to after you’ve finished this one.
Obviously being the newbie on the block and having to make her mark isn’t easy. Kim is finding it hard to adjust to the team as much as they are to her. I was definitely waiting for fireworks to happen!
The case that Kim and her new team are working on, well all I can say is that the author has really excelled herself this time. The murders are gruesome but will give the reader food for thought and had me feeling a mixture of emotions. I did have concerns how a new team who arn’t used to working together were going to solve this case. Especially one such as this one.
This is a novel that not only has a brilliant serial killer storyline but also sees the team getting to know each other. Without a doubt it is a learning curve for them all and is an eye opener for Kim as she sees just what they are capable of. Fair to say there are a few surprises in store and OMG when they work out who the killer is! So did not see that coming. I had to go back and reread what I had just read as totally took my breath away.
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First Blood has to be one of my favourite storylines within this series. There is so much I want to say about it but can’t as I don’t want to give anything away. It has been very cleverly done and I really mean do clever. I loved watching as Kim, Dawson, Bryant and Stacey come together as a team. It makes for a compulsive read that I couldn’t put down. Bravo!
My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
First Blood is available to purchase from Amazon.
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