The #Bookvent Calendar 2022 – Day Twenty Two

#Bookvent – Celebrating my top reads of 2022

So we have arrived at day twenty two of my #bookvent calendar, and the point that officially marks the start of my final countdown. The three titles over the next three days officially form my top three reads of 2022, with my top read of the year being published on Christmas Eve so watch this space. For now, it’s a focus on my twenty second selection, a book from a long running series, one of my all time favourites. I know the author watches every year to see if they made my ‘nice list’ so I like to think it is fitting revenge making them wait this long as, with this book, they have been very, very, naughty. I don’t think I’ve been this on edge since the totally unforgivable events of book eight. They know who they are and if you’ve paid attention to my blog reviews, you do to. My day twenty two pick is …

Six Graves by Angela Marsons

It’s a typical teenage bedroom with posters covering the walls and clothes littering the floor. But the girl lying on her bed, wearing a delicate chain around her neck, is lifeless. A circle of red stains her white vest top. How had the girl’s mother looked down at her sleeping child and pulled the trigger?

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, but it just makes her more determined to uncover the truth. As Kim untangles Helen’s past, she finds a history of clinical depression. But did it drive Helen 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?

Just as Kim feels she’s making progress, a deadly threat is made to her own life by a dangerous psychopath from her past. Biting back her fear, she keeps digging. And when Kim hits upon a shocking secret that changes everything she thought she knew about Helen, she realises that the remaining family members are in grave danger.

Kim is under pressure like never before, and the monster circling her is getting ever closer. Four bodies already. Four graves fresh in the ground. Who will be next? Can Kim find the killer and save herself before it’s too late?

An absolutely nail-biting mystery thriller that will have you gasping out loud. You won’t come up for air until you’ve reached the breathtaking final twist. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Mark Billingham and Robert Dugoni will love Six Graves.

I genuinely cannot decide if Angela Marsons loves her readers or hates us all. I mean, what the actual heck. She seems to delight in putting us, and her protagonists, through the ringer and if you can read this book and not feel punch drunk by the end of it, you really aren’t much of a fan. That opening scene … I mean – why? Well, I know why because I read the rest of the book but still. This is one hell of a rollercoaster ride, full of threat, tension, and the kind of humour and camaraderie from the team that I have come to love. Kim Stone is one hell of a character and, supported by Woody, Bryant, Stacey and Penn, we have one of the best teams in police fiction history. This story is dark, twisted, and, in parts, eerily reminiscent of a previous case, one which Kim has every reason to take to heart. It’s the kind of book that can be read as a stand alone but is better served if you read the books that come before it to fully appreciate all the complicated relationships that flow through the narrative. It’s a test of nerves, not just for the characters but for the readers too, and whilst steeped in tragedy and threat, overflows with banter and moments to make you smile too.

Then there is that ending. A shocking, emotional and intense as the prologue which led us in jaw-dropping fashion into the story to begin with. The moment where we are forced to think of misdemeanours past (book eight anyone?) and is it nigh on impossible for anyone with a soul, or anyone who loves these characters, to keep their tear ducts in check. I could feel myself welling up and I’m fairly certain Ms Marsons gives not one iota of care to the mental health of her audience or she wouldn’t keep doing this to us … Meh. Who am I trying to kid. It’s exactly why I love this series so much. That and the local setting which makes me smile every single time. Fast paced, intense reading that kept me completely glued to the page right through the night. Classic Kim Stone and I loved it.

You can read my full review right here.

Happy #bookvent reading all

Jen