DEADLY FATE

4 stars out of 5

Something like four story "threads" push the needle toward the highly entertaining end in this, the 18th book in the series featuring Detective Kim Stone. Resolutions happen by the end - well, except for one, which no doubt will be a focus in the next installment (I can't wait)!

The overarching story here is the gruesome murder of local psychic Sandra Deakin in a church cemetery. Her last appearance alive was at a "reading" for a group of women who, upon further investigation, aren't coming clean about their experiences with and feelings about the dead woman. Several other folks, in fact, are less than glowing in their description of Sandra and others who ply the psychic trade. But who among them, if anyone, would go so far as to kill her?

Meanwhile, one of Kim's colleagues finds the dead body of a homeless man under an underpass. Natural causes or not, something triggers the thought that something's not quite right here, requiring further investigation (even if it's mostly off the books). Also meanwhile, a case involving a missing boy that's been closed for years grabs Kim's attention, and as someone always intent on finding justice, she just can't let it pass without further investigation. And as if all this weren't enough, another of Kim's close colleagues becomes the center of someone else's attention - but it's a spotlight that isn't welcome.

Needless to say, there's plenty of action in this one, and I daresay that series fans will be happy. As for me, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-release copy to read and review. Good job!

Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons (Bookouture, May 2023); 414 pp.