Dead Souls (Kim Stone #6), by Angela Marsons
Dead Souls by Angela Marsons
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve followed Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone series from the beginning, and “Dead Souls” was, so far, its best instalment.
What sets this entry apart is the fascinating dynamic created by forcing Kim Stone to work alongside her long-standing nemesis, Tom Travis, and his team. This unexpected partnership generates tension throughout the story, while Kim’s own team tackles separate cases that eventually interweave.The culmination, involving the abduction of one of Kim’s team members, had me perched on the edge of my seat.
Marsons has always excelled at pacing, but here she’s outdone herself. The narrative flows with the precision of a well-oiled machine, never feeling rushed yet maintaining a constant sense of urgency. While the subject matter is undeniably dark—dealing with xenophobia, racism, and hate crimes—it doesn’t descend into the gratuitous territory that sometimes plagues contemporary crime fiction.
It feels almost eerie to have read this in January 2025, considering a convicted felon, an insurrectionist spared jail and disqualification from office by his election, is about to become president of the USA in less than a week. and his “tech bro” is openly supporting Nazis in Germany and the UK.
Back to fiction, though: The character development continues to impress, with both familiar faces and new additions being rendered in compelling detail. I particularly appreciated how Marsons uses the team’s separation to spotlight individual character growth while maintaining the series’ distinctive group dynamic.
Comparing this to previous entries in the series, such as “Broken Bones” or “Evil Games”, “Dead Souls” shows a marked evolution in both storytelling sophistication and thematic depth.
For readers new to the series, while this book can stand alone, I’d recommend starting from the beginning to fully appreciate the character relationships and their development. However, long-time fans will find this a particularly rewarding entry that pushes beloved characters into new territory while maintaining everything we’ve come to love about the series.
Five stars out of five.
