My rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads rating: 4.81 with 744 ratings (as of 5/14/2022)

When Detective Kim Stone rushes to the scene of a house fire, she’s shocked to discover it’s claimed the lives of two teenage children and their parents. But this tragedy is not quite as it seems. Each body is marked by a gunshot wound and the mother, Helen Daynes, is holding the gun.

The case sparks painful childhood memories for Kim who suffered at the hands of her own abusive mother. As she begins to untangle the dark web of secrets within the Daynes family, Kim and her team discover Helen had a history of clinical depression. But could it have driven her to murder her loved ones?

Then Kim uncovers a tiny, vital clue in Helen’s bedroom that throws the investigation wide open. Could someone else have killed the Daynes family?

With the case only just underway, a deadly threat is made to Kim’s own life. Years ago, she rescued two little girls from the clutches of a dangerous psychopath who has just escaped prison and is coming for her.

A witness protection officer glued to her side, Kim must bite back her fear, as she keeps digging into the Daynes’s background and soon hits upon a shocking secret from Helen’s past that could crack the case. With the remaining family members in danger, Kim is under pressure like never before.

The monster circling Kim raises the stakes when he threatens the life of another innocent victim. He’s leading Kim straight to him. Forced to go against direct instructions from her superiors, will that one fateful decision cost her more than her job? …Synopsis from Goodreads

200 Word Review

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

I am a member of the Bookouture Book Club on Facebook. It is a group where people discuss what they are reading with other readers. Many, many, many readers suggested reading Angela Marson’s Kim Stone series. I read several and enjoyed them. When I was given the opportunity to review her latest Stone novel, Six Graves, the 16th in the series, I jumped at the chance. To give a fair and honest review, I finished reading the rest of the series before starting this book.

Kim Stone is an independent, troubled detective who does not let people get close to her. She is incredible at her job, but her family and social life are nonexistent. She is passionate about her work and dedicated to her team and each case. The current one appears to be a murder/suicide, but Stone is not convinced. With a witness protection officer protecting her, can Stone uncover the truth before she is the victim of murder herself?

All of the previous Stone novels are solid 4-stars. Marsons outdid herself with Six Graves, and it is a 4.5-star novel. The story grabs you right away and keeps you guessing throughout.

Marsons is on my must-be-read list.

This review was published on Philomathinphila.com, Smashbomb, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble on 05/22. When available, the review will be published on Scribd.com and, using Overdrive, will be rated in 9 libraries.

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Police Procedural, Crime Fiction
Print Length: 424 pages
ISBN: 9781838887384
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: May 12, 2022

Purchase at Amazon *** Barnes and Noble