Evil Games

My rating: * * *

Goodreads Description

When a rapist is found mutilated in a brutal attack, Detective Kim Stone and her team are called in to bring a swift resolution. But, as more vengeful killings come to light, it soon becomes clear that there is someone far more sinister at work. With the investigation quickly gathering momentum, Kim finds herself exposed to great danger and in the sights of a lethal individual undertaking their own twisted experiment. Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, each move she makes could be deadly. As the body count starts to mount, Kim will have to dig deep to stop the killing. And this time—it's personal.

My Review

Although this is the second novel in the D.I Kim Stone series, you definitely don't need to read the first book to be able to enjoy this story. In fact, I don't remember any specific reference in this second book to the first one, and I had read the first book years ago and didn't actually remember a thing about it. This in no way detracted from this read for me.

Evil Games grabbed me right from the first chapter and held my attention pretty much right until the end. No, I wasn't chewing my fingernails off, nor was I falling over myself to get home and pick up the book, but I was enjoying the read and I wanted to keep going. This book has a number of "baddies" and they were really awful. On the opposite end, it was great to catch up with Kim Stone and her team again, and to learn more about Kim's background, which sounds truly awful in itself. I really do like Kim, although, if truth be told, I find some of her mannerisms and her inability to bond with others, a little bit strange. And sometimes she comes across as pretty unlikable, but she's the type of character that tends to grow on one. She's definitely a tough nut that takes no sh!t from others. I do like that about her.

Overall this was a good read. I'm not quite as besotted with the Kim Stone series as other readers in the UK seem to be, but I've enjoyed the two books that I've read. I also read this second book while in a serious reading slump, and so again, that might have impacted on my enjoyment of the book. I do recommend this book however, as it did keep me interested enough to get to the end, even in my reading slump!

My Rating: * * *

Publication Date: April 2017 (UK)

Genre: Crime Procedural

Format: Paperback

Source: My own purchased copy.