Ruth Galloway
mystery
Series · police procedural
DI Kim Stone
The DI Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons has 23 known books (23 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Silent Scream (2015). Wicked Women is the latest book with a fully recorded publication date.
- Books
- 23 known books (23 novels)
- Published
- 23
- First published
- 2015
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Mystery & Crime
Start here: Silent Scream (2015)
— then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Silent Scream
Angela Marsons self-published "Silent Scream" in 2015, launching the DI Kim Stone series before it became one of Bookouture's biggest digital-first crime successes; at 393 pages, it introduces the driven, closed-off detective and her Black Country major crimes team out of Halesowen. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Silent Scream - Book 2:
Evil Games
At 383 pages, "Evil Games" (2015) is the second DI Kim Stone novel, continuing Angela Marsons's fast, twisty procedural set in the West Midlands, where Kim leans on her patient longtime partner DS Bryant while clashing with cautious superiors. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Evil Games - Book 3:
Lost Girls
"Lost Girls" sits between "Evil Games" and "Play Dead" in the DI Kim Stone series, appearing in 2015 as Angela Marsons continued the Halesowen-set procedural's pace of short chapters and emotionally dark cases involving vulnerable victims. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lost Girls - Book 4:
Play Dead
The fourth DI Kim Stone novel, "Play Dead" (2016, 400 pages) continues Angela Marsons's Black Country procedural series, following Kim and her small, loyal team through another high-stakes, issue-driven case. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Play Dead - Book 5:
Blood Lines
"Blood Lines," the fifth DI Kim Stone novel, runs 388 pages and appeared in 2016, continuing Angela Marsons's series-long thread of Kim's unresolved trauma from her childhood in the care system shaping her judgment on the job. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blood Lines - Book 6:
Dead Souls
Published in 2017 at 416 pages, "Dead Souls" continues the DI Kim Stone series' continuous timeline, part of Angela Marsons's steady two-to-three-books-a-year pace through the West Midlands-set procedural. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Souls - Book 7:
Broken Bones
DI Kim Stone continued with "Broken Bones" in 2017, positioned after "Dead Souls" and ahead of "Dying Truth," maintaining the series' fast pace and its strong sense of place in the Black Country rather than the more familiar London or Scotland crime settings. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Broken Bones - Book 8:
Dying Truth
At 384 pages, "Dying Truth" (2018) is another entry in Angela Marsons's DI Kim Stone procedurals, built around the pace-over-puzzle-plotting style and emotionally dark cases that define the series. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dying Truth - Book 9:
Fatal Promise
"Fatal Promise" sits between "Dying Truth" and "Dead Memories" in the DI Kim Stone series, appearing in 2018 as Kim continues to solve cases through sheer refusal to let go, protecting her small team against cautious superiors. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fatal Promise - Book 10:
Dead Memories
"Dead Memories" sits between "Fatal Promise" and "Child's Play" in the DI Kim Stone series, appearing in 2019 and continuing Angela Marsons's run of fast, twisty, Halesowen-set procedurals. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Memories - Book 11:
Child's Play
The eleventh DI Kim Stone novel, "Child's Play" (2019, 352 pages) continues Angela Marsons's series, in which cases often involve children or vulnerable victims and Kim's own damage is never fully resolved from book to book. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Child's Play - Book 12:
First Blood
"First Blood" sits between "Child's Play" and "Killing Mind" in the DI Kim Stone series, appearing in 2019 as part of Angela Marsons's steady multi-book-a-year output for the Black Country procedural. Alternative text for cover: Cover of First Blood - Book 13:
Killing Mind
At 374 pages, "Killing Mind" (2020) continues the DI Kim Stone series, maintaining Angela Marsons's emotionally intense, short-chapter approach to British police procedure in the West Midlands. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Killing Mind - Book 14:
Deadly Cry
Published in 2020 at 398 pages, "Deadly Cry" continues the DI Kim Stone series' single continuous timeline, following Kim and DS Bryant through another Halesowen major-crimes investigation. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Deadly Cry - Book 15:
Twisted Lies
At 350 pages, "Twisted Lies" (2021) is a DI Kim Stone novel by Angela Marsons, part of a series built on pace and emotional intensity rather than classic puzzle-plotting. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Twisted Lies - Book 16:
Stolen Ones
DI Kim Stone continued with "Stolen Ones" in 2021, positioned after "Twisted Lies" and ahead of "Six Graves," continuing Angela Marsons's run of issue-driven procedurals with a strong Black Country identity. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Stolen Ones - Book 17:
Six Graves
DI Kim Stone continued with "Six Graves" in 2022, positioned after "Stolen Ones" and ahead of "Hidden Scars," part of the series' steady output since Angela Marsons's 2015 self-published debut, "Silent Scream." Alternative text for cover: Cover of Six Graves - Book 18:
Hidden Scars
The eighteenth DI Kim Stone novel, "Hidden Scars" (2022, 381 pages) continues Angela Marsons's series, in which Kim's unprocessed grief over her twin brother's death continues to shape her instincts on and off the job. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hidden Scars - Book 19:
Deadly Fate
Published in 2023 at 380 pages, "Deadly Fate" continues the DI Kim Stone series, maintaining Angela Marsons's pattern of fast-moving, dark cases centered on Halesowen's major crimes team. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Deadly Fate - Book 20:
Bad Blood
DI Kim Stone continued with "Bad Blood" in 2023, positioned after "Deadly Fate" and ahead of "36 Hours," part of the ongoing Bookouture series that has seen Angela Marsons's publishing contract repeatedly extended. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Bad Blood - Book 21:
36 Hours
DI Kim Stone continued with "36 Hours" in 2024, positioned after "Bad Blood" and ahead of "Little Children," continuing Angela Marsons's long-running West Midlands procedural. Alternative text for cover: Cover of 36 Hours - Book 22:
Little Children
"Little Children" sits between "36 Hours" and "Wicked Women" in the DI Kim Stone series, appearing in 2025 as Angela Marsons's Bookouture contract continues to extend the series further. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Little Children - Book 23:
Wicked Women
DI Kim Stone continued with "Wicked Women" in April 2026, positioned after "Little Children" as the latest entry in Angela Marsons's ongoing, Bookouture-published Black Country procedural series. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wicked Women
Key facts about the DI Kim Stone series
The DI Kim Stone series has 23 books on our list. Since all 23 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Silent Scream, since it opens the publication order in 2015. Evil Games is book 2, from 2015. Lost Girls is book 3, from 2015.
Play Dead is book 4, from 2016. Blood Lines is book 5, from 2016. Dead Souls is book 6, from 2017.
Broken Bones is book 7, from 2017, while Dying Truth is book 8, from 2018. Fatal Promise is book 9, from 2018.
Dead Memories is book 10, from 2019, while Child's Play is book 11, from 2019. First Blood is book 12, from 2019. Since the list above shows all 23, you can find the rest there.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions.
Wicked Women is the latest book with a full release date, out on 14 April 2026. The catalogue marks it as ongoing, yet no next book has a date so far.
The books came out between 2015 and 2026, while their length runs from 350 to 456 pages. That is a run of 11 years.
Angela Marsons has 26 books on our list. This is the only series by them we track, while the author page lists the rest. We shelve the books under police procedural.
About the DI Kim Stone series
DI Kim Stone runs a Black Country major crimes team out of the fictional West Midlands town of Halesowen, and Angela Marsons builds the series around her: a driven, closed-off detective shaped by a horrific childhood in the care system and a twin brother's death she has never processed. Kim solves each case through sheer refusal to let go, clashing constantly with cautious superiors and protecting her small, loyal team -- particularly DS Bryant, her patient longtime partner -- while her own trauma resurfaces in ways that shape her judgment for better and worse. Marsons writes fast, twisty, emotionally dark procedurals with a strong regional identity, self-published in 2015 before becoming one of Bookouture's biggest digital-first crime successes.
The appeal is pace and emotional intensity over classic puzzle-plotting: short chapters, high stakes, cases that often involve children or vulnerable victims, and a lead whose damage is never fully resolved book to book. It's for readers who want their British police procedurals fast-moving and issue-driven, with a strong sense of place in the Black Country/West Midlands setting Marsons uses instead of the more familiar London or Scotland backdrops.
Frequently asked questions
How many DI Kim Stone books are there?
There are 23 DI Kim Stone novels as of Wicked Women (April 2026), starting with Silent Scream (2015). Angela Marsons is contracted through 36 titles.
What order should I read the DI Kim Stone books in?
Publication order, starting with Silent Scream (2015). Each case is self-contained, but Kim's backstory and relationships with her team develop gradually across the series.
Is there a new DI Kim Stone book coming?
No specific next title or date has been confirmed as of August 2026, but the series is contracted through 36 books and Angela Marsons has published two to three new entries most years, so further books are expected.
Do I need to read the DI Kim Stone books in order?
Not strictly for the individual mysteries, which are self-contained, but Kim's traumatic past and her relationships with DS Bryant and the rest of her team are revealed gradually, so reading in order gives the fullest picture.
Is DI Kim Stone a standalone series or connected to other books?
It's a standalone Angela Marsons series set in the fictional West Midlands/Black Country town of Halesowen, distinct from her other Bookouture crime series.
If you like the DI Kim Stone series
Last updated