Lost Girls by Angela Marsons

13^th March 2023.

Wow, what a story. This is the third book in the DI Kim Stone series and it left me drained by the end. It’s a difficult read because of the kidnapping of two young girls, but compulsive. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Kim Stone may be driven and totally committed to finding and saving the girls, but she’s not the most experienced officer for the job.

The tension is unrelenting throughout. The kidnappers have an agenda and plan. The parents put their trust in Kim. But they’re always playing catch up. And the kidnappers are doing their best to pit the two families against each other by holding an auction. Whoever bids the most will have their daughter returned.

At times, the tension was almost unbearable. The police officers and parents go through the mill. Any lead, no matter how small or obscure, is chased down as the minutes and hours tick away.  But slowly, Kim manages to get closer to the kidnappers. But is she too late to save the girls?

Everything about this story is so well written. The characters are vivid, sharply drawn and realistic. Kim’s vulnerabilities are exposed, threatening her resolve, but she digs deep to keep going. The police investigation, often fraught with conflict, tiredness, mistakes and lack of progress, adds to the tension. The raw emotion from all sides is deftly handled and never over the top.

The climax is a tour de force, crowning a masterful, original story.

Description

Two girls go missing. Only one will return.

The couple that offers the highest amount will see their daughter again. The losing couple will not. Make no mistake. One child will die.

When nine-year-old best friends Charlie and Amy disappear, two families are plunged into a living nightmare. A text message confirms the unthinkable; that the girls are the victims of a terrifying kidnapping.

And when a second text message pits the two families against each other for the life of their children, the clock starts ticking for Detective Kim Stone and the squad.

Seemingly outwitted at every turn, as they uncover a trail of bodies, Stone realises that these ruthless killers might be the deadliest she has ever faced. And that their chances of bringing the girls home alive, are getting smaller by the hour…

Untangling a dark web of secrets from the families’ past might hold the key to solving this case. But can Kim stay alive long enough to do so? Or will someone’s child pay the ultimate price?