At the end of a rare relaxing weekend, Kim Stone gets a call from Keats, meaning that there is another murder to solve. This time Kim and her team must find out why Sandra Deakin, a psychic who claimed to have the ability to talk to the dead, has been brutally murdered. The trail leads to a group of women who hired Sandra for a fun evening of readings that turned more serious than any of them want to admit.

Deadly Fate is another good entry in the DI Kim Stone series, throwing Kim and her team into the realm of psychics and psychic phenomenon. Familiar characters appear and new ones are developed in this well written story that isn't quite as absorbing as previous novels in this long-running series. Several subplots, including one involving a stalker, distract from the main plot but most come together in a satisfying and emotional conclusion. Overall, Deadly Fate is a fast paced narrative that is entertaining right to the end. ( )

Deadly Fate by Angela Marsons is a complex novel. I always look forward to reading this author’s twisty novels. There is plenty going on in Deadly Fate. Someone is committing gruesome killings, there is a John Doe whom Kim would like identified, and a stalker who takes a fancy to a member of Kim’s team. The murderers have the team delving into the world of psychics. Kim even brings in a consultant so they can understand how psychics work. It was fascinating getting a look “behind the curtain” at see how psychics operate. The story grabs you right from the beginning. There is plenty of tension and suspense as Kim, Bryant, Stacey, and Penn work to catch the killer. Tink is back to help the team. She is such a sweet woman. Barney makes a couple of appearances as well. I was able to solve the main mystery before the solution was revealed. I had fun following the team as they interviewed suspects and searched for clues. There is a good twist that many readers will not expect. Kim has Penn working to identify a John Doe that Keats brought to her attention. Kim does not like unidentified bodies, which is a fact Keats knows. Stacey finds herself in a dangerous situation. Stacey is at the forefront of this book. I was surprised at how Stacey handled the situation. The author did something unusual at the end. She left Deadly Fate with a cliffhanger. It is going to be a long wait for the next book. I like how Kim and her team work together. You can tell that they have worked together for a while. They know each other’s quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. I like the scene between Kim and Tink at the end. Deadly Fate is the eighteenth DI Kim Stone novel. It can be read as a standalone, but you will be missing the backstory on Kim and her team. It helps to know Kim’s history. I do want to warn readers that Deadly Fate contains graphic violence (the killer was brutal) and foul language. There is some repetition of details as well. I enjoyed reading Deadly Fate, though, I was disappointed with the ending. Deadly Fate is a tense tale with macabre murders, a serious stalker, psychic predictions, a John Doe dilemma, a call center killing, and a determined detective. ( )