Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons id the seventeenth book in the brilliant Detective Kim Stone series and this is a series that has been five stars from book one. When Detective Kim Stone returns to work after two months being beaten almost to death by the monstrous Symes in the previous book.
She has told the all her Psychologists etc what they want to hear, so she can get back to work, she is so not ready! But, we all know her to well - Don't we!?!

Her boss DCI Woodward keeps telling her to take it easy HaHaHa.......we all know she wont! Detective Burns has been ‘looking after’ Kim’s team in her absence - But no one can be as good as her. Kim's team has always been loyal to her and are painfully waiting for her return. Detective Burns only has one agenda and thats to advance His career. So, all Detective Kim Stone will need to do is, sit back and watch things from a distance before she leaps into action!

A young lad called Jamie is found hanging from a tree. Detective Burn's writes it off as a suicide. Kim is not happy that he came to this conclusion, She goes to the scene to see things for herself. No way physically could Jamie climb that tree by himself. Detective Burns had done the minimum amount of investigating to come to the conclusion it was suicide and he is destroying the morale of her team. Which has lead Stacey looking for a transfer. She is fed up being treating badly by Detective Burns and waiting for the right moment to hand her letter in.

1.......2.........3.......... Detective Stone is watching and waiting for the moment she takes her team back! Any second now she will be kicking his butt and taking back her team. 1,.......2......3.........YES! Her team breathe's life back into the office again and are all happy having her back!

Kim and her team are called out to another victim, thats dressed to look like a suicide and is then found to be murder. They all learn that both of the young victims has been patients at "The Change" - a facility that promises to cure people of being Gay. With a quick tour of the facilities they find nothing untoward, but they have been kept away from the treatment areas and this is where the real damage occurs with the patients

Will Kim and her team find more about The Change and what goes on between closed doors........Before someone else is killed and dressed like a suicide?

WoW, this book is so good from start to finish. All Angela's books have been a 5 star's and this one was no different it was brilliant!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Kim Stone!!! It was so nice to see her again. At first, I was wondering how she would lead this case but It seemed I had forgotten this was Detective stone. She would find a way around it somehow. The suspense was on point. The reveal was top notch. I want more!!!!

In a genius, balancing-beam maneuver, Marsons once again successfully sets off a novel with a deafening bang.

Kim Stone, back from the dead, returns to Halesowen police station after a few months of recovery therapy sessions. DCI Woody instructs her to ease into the job --- but how can a police officer do that when there is a serial killer on the loose?

I was instantly hooked by the in depth, extremely real way with which the author narrates. She begins the story with blood and gore. Something which may sound off-putting, but definitely is not. I have found that is the way with her novels. Marsons leaves you searching for more, asking so much in as early as the first page of her story.

I've missed DI Kim and the team so much! And extremely proud of Kim's strength and her love for the team amidst the things that she has gone through. Safe to say this brought me a number of teary-eyed moments throughout the story.

Marsons manages to concretize yet again the bond of Kim's team while setting up the scenes of an exciting page-turner. I was intrigued by the direction the plot went about halfway into the story and commending Marsons for a job well down, tackling a sensitive issue in an artful way by the end of the story. I have to say this is the most heartwarming and wholesome Kim Stone novel yet.

The story was over far too quickly in my opinion --- it's that good! And, Angie, we need more!

A line hook and sinker opening, finale over finale, plot twist after plot twist --- you have been warned...to enjoy yet another artfully crafted chapter of Kim Stone's journey.

#17 in Marsons solid Kim Stone series, this one picks up 2 months after the last book ended in which Stone briefly died, before being resuscitated and is now dealing with the physical and emotional aftermath of that....hence the title for this one. Young people are being murdered, young people who are gay and have attended a "conversion therapy" clinic to try and "cleanse" the gay out of them. A very disturbing, very topical plotline that kept me guessing. Thanks to Net Galley, Bookouture and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Another great read from this incredibly talented author!

DI Kim Stone is back, fragile on the inside but just as tough on the outside she is plunged into an investigation that touches on issues very much of our day! First job is to get her useless replacement shunted to somewhere where he will do less harm. Once dispatched the team investigate a supposed suicide.

As always there are twists and turns all nicely integrated with details about the detectives private lives; so good to have a catch up.

This is without doubt my favourite of all my favourite crime fiction series.

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Hidden Scars’ by Angela Marsons.

This is Book 17 in Marsons’ popular D.I. Kim Stone series of police procedurals set in the West Midlands. I have read a number of books in this series (and plan to eventually read them all) and found them excellent. Even though there are some ongoing threads, mainly linked to characters, each book can be read as a standalone.

Following the events of ‘Six Graves’, DI Kim Stone has been away from her CID team for two months leaving DI Burns in charge. On her first day back in the office she sees that the only thing on the board in the incident room is the name Jamie Mills. There’s no photographs, details, or lines of enquiry.

She then overhears Burns instructing DC Stacey Wood to ‘take that boy’s name off the board’. Kim’s instant reaction is anger for the boy being referred to by no name. When Stacey raises an objection Burns snaps: ‘The plods informed the family and we ruled it a suicide. Job done.’

This isn’t the way Kim runs her team and she isn’t at all pleased with Burns’ attitude. Kim knows that Burns is more interested in waiting for the next big case that will assist with his career than asking the right questions.

So Kim begins to investigate Jamie’s death on her own and soon reveals enough inconsistencies to get it reclassified as a murder. Add to this another unknown victim is discovered linked to the first.

This allows for Kim to stride back into the squad room and confront Burns just as he is rubbing his hands in glee about the expanded case: “we might finally have a case worth investigating.” The dressing down that Kim delivers to him was very satisfying to read. I was almost as jubilant as her team members.

After this Kim and her team focuses on the case and they progress down some dark and disturbing pathways before uncovering the motive and whodunnit. No further details to avoid spoilers.

I have come to consider Angela Marsons a ‘must read’ crime writer as her police procedurals are just so good that I can’t put them down. Also, in ‘Hidden Scars’ she addresses a sensitive social issue as well as delivering another page turner.

Highly recommended.

Review:

It was so good to have Kim back with the team, and to have another great investigation to get my teeth into. Kim is quite a complex character and having returned to work after her last case, she’s struggling. Coupled with the fact that her team are at their wits end having had an obnoxious ĐI enforced on them, whose only concern is self gratification and promotion. He doesn’t do his job properly and Kim is spitting feathers!

Young people are being murdered, but the crime is made to look like suicide. The team hear if a clinic which “cures people’s sexual desires” and Kim is sure it’s not what it seems.

Then another man, an accountant with links to the clinic goes missing and his wife is frantic.

All in all the team really have their work cut out, and it was once again, as always, tightly plotted and well written. I whizzed through it in a day.

My thanks to Angela, the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC. I can’t wait for the next one.

DI Kim Stone returns to work two months after being beaten almost to death by the monstrous Symes in the previous story. She has told the psychologists what they want to hear but is she really ready to get back into the saddle? Her boss DCI Woodward wants her to take it easy for a while. DI Burns has been ‘looking after’ Kim’s team in her absence - or has he?

When young Jamie’s death is written off as a suicide Kim is not so sure and has to see things for herself. When she realises that he could not physically have the climbed the tree that he was found hanging from she is livid. Burns has done the minimum amount of work and destroyed the morale of her team, to the point where Stacey is looking to transfer out after being treated like a glorified dogsbody/coffee maker, while he waits for a case that will advance his career.

Kim lasts one day before booting him out and taking back the reins to the utter relief of her team. Another apparent suicide is found to be murder and they learn that both of the young victims has been patients at the Change - a facility that promises to cure people of being gay. A quick tour of the facility finds nothing untoward but they have been kept away from the treatment areas where the real damage occurs.

This book highlights the dangers and utter pointlessness of gay conversion therapy and the incredible damage it can cause. It was tautly plotted and the characters shone under Kim’s guidance after her return. The insidious nature of societal judgement is highlighted and the eventual killers, although definitely in the wrong and evil and, and…. Are also victims of society’s expectations and judgements.

I really enjoyed this relevant and contemporary story. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

The subject matter of this book is hard hitting and hard to believe that these practices to go on in modern times. Another fast paced, unputdownable read.

Also love the name reveal at the end!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Hidden Scars' by Angela Marsons.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Angela Marsons, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 9th November 2022.

This is the eleventh book I have read by this author and it is the seventeenth book in the 'DI Kim Stone' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read the first 7 books in the 'DI Kim Stone' plus the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth book which I loved and would recommend. Sadly I haven't had time to read from the 8th book until the fourteenth but will definitely be making time to as I LOVE KIM STONE!!!

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated 'that this book is' A compulsive page-turner that will have your heart hammering in your chest and leave you absolutely reeling when you discover the explosive final twist. If you're a fan of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid, and Robert Dugoni, you'll love Hidden Scars.' I am a fan of all three of these authors especially Karin Slaughter so am looking forward to see if it lives up to this statement. I am also a MASSIVE fan of Angela Marsons and the Kim Stone series and if this is half as good as the rest it is sure to be a great read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue and 83 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in West Midlands, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. I have actually visited the West Midlands on several occasions so am looking forward to see if I recognise anywhere.

This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective with the main protagonists being Detective Kim Stone, Detective Penn, Detective Stacey Wood and an unknown narrator. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.

'Hidden Scars' discusses some topics that may trigger some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Angela discusses/includes sexual assault and hate crime.

OMG!!! SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO US ANGELA!!!! JUST WOW!!!! Seriously love, love LOVED this book!!!! Although, shouldn't be so shocked, it is Angela Marsons and Kim Stone after all!!!! Anyway, on with the review shall I....

Angela's style of writing is absolutely fantastic. She has a way in which she completely absorbs the reader into the book with vivid and graphic descriptions that have you completely lost in the plot. It is the type of book that when you finish you look around and wonder where you are and how is nobody else reacting to the bombshell that has just been dropped!!! The cover IS Kim Stone for me and the name and synopsis suited the plot perfectly.

Most heart racing, nail biting, actually stopped breathing epilogue I've EVER read!!!! I mean how on earth do you do it Angela??? Every single book is more heart racing than the next and this has absolutely smashed it!!! This epic series is the best I have ever read. I mean nobody can beat Kim and the team!!

The storyline is an absolute rollercoaster ride through a multi layered adventure park set in the world of horror and crime!!! There's never just one case with Angela but so much going on, not too much to get you confused but just the perfect amount to keep the pace continuous. The majority of chapters end on cliffhanger so keeps reader addicted and turning pages. Although this book is the 17th book in the epic Kim Stone series it can easily be read as a standalone. I haven't had time to read from books 7 until 14 and I cannot wait to get back to her previous books I never had any point felt I'd missed out something to do with the book. Anything that had been mentioned from previous cases were explained with just the right amount of information, not too much to bore those who have read every book and just enough so new readers know what's happened. The murders and crimes are unique and morbidly intriguing. I was on the edge of my seat, biting my nails whilst feeling my heart pounding into the silly hours of the morning as this is one book that cannot be put down so clear your diaries before picking it up. It fills you with all emotions from fear to laughter, tension to shock. I was not expecting that ending at all on both cases. I was absolutely speechless and actually shouted OMG to which my partner looked at me stupid!!! This is one of the most heartbreaking cases I have ever read and the 'Change' clinic made me feel physically sick. I would love to think that what goes on in this book and the hate crime is unrealistic but sadly it is something that goes on every day. My heart was in my throat the whole way through from the epilogue to the very last sentence. I just could not believe what I was reading. As always the last chapter had me absolutely gobsmacked and I absolutely LOVED IT!!! Well done Angela, I'm getting harder and harder to shock but you had me hook, line and sinker!!!! I seriously NEED to see these amazing books on the big screen!!

If you have been affected by any of the crimes or prejudice in this book please tell someone. Victim support offer support to victims and survivors of hate crime and being attacked verbally, mentally or physically because of your sexuality is exactly that. Please talk to someone about it you can even contact myself just please talk and don't be alone.

Although this is the seventeenth book in the series I had would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

These characters have become like friends to me and each time I meet them it feels like I haven't been far from them for long. Kim and her fierce attitude, DCI Woodward and his stress ball, the hatred for Tracy Frost and so much more. My heart absolutely broke seeing how Kim was suffering because of what happened to her in book 16 (I'm not telling so you will have to grab a copy but let me say that if it affects the absolutely fierce Kim then it's big!). It is just heartbreaking to see Kim not herself. Never seen her looking and feeling so broken for lack of a better term. It's like seeing your mother cry. Strong woman, not something you want or expect. It isn't all crime and sadness though and it had me giggling on several occasions which is brilliant considering it's a crime novel. I love it when authors put some comedy in these novels as it lightens it up at times and Kim's attitude really does make me smile. Angela creates fantastic team dynamics with memorable characters who work together brilliantly and perfectly. Each character is unique and has strong personalities and they just are completely unforgettable. Randomly, its always important for me to like the pathologist in any police procedurals and to click with them as much as the main police team. Their relationship with the main protagonist is also important to me as reader. In this case the pathologist is Keats and how I love the sarcasm between him and the team and his attitude. Stacey and Penn are also strong team members and I love how they work so well together and yet wind each other up constantly. I must say I missed Leanne from the last book (again you'll babe to pick up a copy but it's worth it just to meet Kim's match!!) I absolutely love, love, loved Leanne and her and Kim together were absolutely fantastic. I genuinely never thought that anyone could annoy Kim as much as Leanne but Leanne definitely managed that one. I was in tears laughing at some of their conversations, especially the Toaster!!! 😂 😂 😂 Angela please make Leanne a more permanent member of the team I cannot wait to see these two at it again!!! DI Burns a complete and utter @r$3h0I3 and clapped myself when Kim told him where to go. I honestly wanted to throttle him the way he was speaking to the team especially Stacey, absolutely couldn't stand him and was on edge when Stacey pulled out the envelope screaming in my head for Kim to come out of the office!! I absolutely loved the teams effort to get Kim back including the hilarious Keats and especially the lovable Bryant. Some of the other characters that made an impact on me and are unforgettable include River Harris who had me in stitches and Ted who I absolutely adores and I have loved Kim's random meetings with him through the series. Ted is such a caring, funny man who's relationship with Kim has developed since she was a child and she started seeing him for counselling. Ted is the only one who can read her like an open book. Angela has brought these characters to life over this series and I have yet to meet a team and group of people I like so much. I genuinely miss them between books.


A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS ANGELA MARSONS!!! As always you have done the research and you have created what I can guarantee will be one of the best read books ever!! When are you going to bring Kim to the big screen??? I hope your busy writing cause I cannot wait to get my hands on your next success!!! Seriously what are you waiting for guys??? Stop reading this and get your copy now!!!! This is exactly why you and this series are in my top 2 authors and series!!! You are absolutely amazing and I hope you are busy on your next success because I'm missing the gang already!!!

Overall an absolutely amazing psychological thriller of epic proportions that will keep your heart pounding all night. This is one of the best books I have ever read!!!! An absolute MUST READ!!!


Some of my favourite quotes in this book include the following:

😂 Way too many for me to include!!! I'd end up adding the whole book and giving too much away


Genres covered in this book include Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Police Procedural, Women Sleuths and Psychological Fiction amongst others.


I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid, Carol Wyer, Robert Dugoni and page turning, heart pounding, non stop, unputdownable crime books that will shock you!!!!


374 pages.

This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle and £8.79 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVE LOVE LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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EXCERPT: The hammer rises in the air.

It falls with unflinching certainty.

The sound of bone cracking fills the silence. Then a moan, a gurgle as blood begins to pour from the hole in her head. In this light it appears black. The glistening richness of the liquid is caught in the lamplight as it escapes like lava from a volcano and runs down the line of her hair.

I am horrified by what I see and yet liberated too. There is no more indecision. No more doubt. We are beyond the point of return. It cannot be undone.

ABOUT 'HIDDEN SCARS': While Jamie’s cold, lifeless body lay in the morgue, Detective Kim Stone stared at the empty board in the incident room and felt her anger boil. Why were there no photos, details, or lines of enquiry?

When a nineteen-year-old boy, Jamie Mills, is found hanging from a tree in a local park, his death is ruled a suicide. Detective Kim Stone’s instincts tell her something isn’t right – but it’s not her investigation and her temporary replacement is too busy waiting for the next big case to be asking the right questions.

Why would a seemingly healthy boy choose to end his life?
Why does his mother show no sign of emotional distress at the loss of her son?

Still mending her broken mind and body from her last harrowing case, Kim is supposed to be easing back into work gently. But then she finds a crucial, overlooked detail: Jamie had a recent injury that would have made it impossible for him to climb the tree. He must have been murdered.

Quickly taking back charge of her team and the case, Kim visits Jamie’s parents and is shocked to hear that they had sent him to a clinic to ‘cure’ him of his sexuality. According to his mother, Jamie was introverted and prone to mood swings. Yet his friend speaks of a vibrant, outgoing boy.

The clues to smashing open this disturbing case lie behind the old Victorian walls of the clinic, run by the Gardner family. They claim that patients come of their own accord and are free to leave at any time. But why are those that attended the clinic so afraid to speak of what happens there? And where did the faded restraint marks identified on Jamie’s wrists come from?

Then the body of a young woman is found dead by suffocation and Kim makes two chilling discoveries. The victim spent time at the clinic too, and her death was also staged to look like a suicide.

Scarred from an ordeal that nearly took her life, is Kim strong enough to stop a terrifying killer from silencing the clinic’s previous patients one by one?

MY THOUGHTS: If you haven't read any previous books in this series, do not start with this. To fully appreciate Hidden Scars the reader needs to know Kim's backstory and her relationship with her colleagues. Hidden Scars definitely will not work as a stand-alone.

Where to begin? Kim is haunted but resilient, especially when the future of her team is threatened by the incompetence of the DI supposedly holding it all together in her absence.

Kim's character continues to grow in Hidden Scars and the title of the book reflects Kim's circumstances as accurately as several of the other characters who feature. She reveals a certain vulnerability that we have not seen before and which takes a bit of getting used to.

Bryant is somewhat responsible for this, deciding that Kim has gotten away with far too much for far too long and gives her a lesson on the meaning and obligations of friendship. And Yay! - we finally learn his first name!

Penn is having to learn a few lessons too, relating to loosening the reins on his younger Downs Syndrome brother who is a bit more switched on than Penn realises.

And where would the team be without Stacey? Dogged and determined she often bears the brunt of the desk work due to her ability to pick up on clues in background information that the others tend to miss.

The mysteries are intriguing, and the main thread is interspersed with the viewpoint of an unknown person which doesn't quite make sense until almost the very end. The reason for this gobsmacked me! A great storyline and a great twist.

The main storyline includes a great deal of information on conversion therapy, to the point where several times I felt like I was being educated. And I was. I knew what conversion therapy was before I started reading Hidden Scars, but I really had no idea of the extremes to which it could be taken.

But the murders - some staged to look like suicide - are the main focus of the storyline. Marsons is an extremely clever writer, and I had to backtrack a couple of times to check on clues I had missed, but still I had absolutely no idea until the final reveal as to who was behind them. I loved the way the historical murder was also tied in.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#HiddenScars #NetGalley

I: @angelamarsonsauthor @bookouture

T: @WriteAngie @Bookouture

#contemporaryfiction #fivestarread #crime #detectivefiction #suspense #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Angela is the author of the Kim Stone Crime series. She discovered a love of writing at Primary School when a short piece on the rocks and the sea gained her the only merit point she ever got.
Angela wrote the stories that burned inside and then stored them safely in a desk drawer.
After much urging from her partner she began to enter short story competitions in Writer's News resulting in a win and three short listed entries.
She used the Amazon KDP program to publish two of her earlier works before concentrating on her true passion - Crime.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Hidden Scars is the seventeenth instalment in the DI Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons and once again it was amazing in its brilliance. I adore reading about Kim and her beloved dog Barney who we see snippets of, her acerbity and her passion and relentless drive for always getting the baddie. This tale focuses on two appalling crimes, the first involving a teenager found hanging from a tree deemed to be suicide, but Kim reckons not. The second is the death of Sarah Laing who dies from suffocation but it looks like suicide. Kim has been absent from work due to harrowing events that caused her physical injuries, mental trauma and nightmares, but has now returned. The chilling and intense chapters kept me enthralled and entertained until the very last page. An exceptionally good tale with an ending I did not see coming and very highly recommended. I hope this fabulous West Midlands-based series just keeps on running.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Another fantastic book and story from Angela Marsons. I love following the story of the chariacters throughout all of the books by Angela. Kim Stone is brill. Story was very well written, i couldnt put the book down, i love how im always kept guessing right until the end of the book.

What a ride! Complicated mystery, strong characters, tapestry of red herrings and complex characters just blows you away. Series stays strong and fresh, but you can read as stand alone - then you will want to read them all!

Happy publication day!

Book number 17 in the Kim Stone series and it did not disappoint! The only series books I read and I just love the familiarity of these characters and getting to learn more about them. It was lovely reading about the team coming back together following the last book. The storyline was excellent and I found the discussions/topic around sexuality and conversion therapy very interesting especially as a mental health nurse. I love that in these books there is always multiple twists and turns which I never see coming! As always I would highly recommend this book and the other Kim stone books!

Highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to Bookouture & NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review "Hidden Scars" by Angela Marsons.
Here we are - book seventeen! The adventures of Kim Stone and her team continue, after the incredible and heartrending finale to book 16. (The only thing I regret is that it took me only one day to read this.... and then it was over. Sad, but anticipating the next one.)
Kim Stone is back to work - sort of - after a long period of recovery; but what she witnesses when she gets back to the office - the treatment of her team (especially Stacey Wood), the grandstanding of her temporary replacement, DI Burns (who we all will remember from the previous book is not in Kim's good graces), and the possible mis-representation of a murder as suicide.
When this becomes all too apparent, Stone takes back the reins of her team, and we are plunged into one of the most disturbing of cases.
In the course of the 'suicide' investigation, Stone and Bryant discover a darkness in the victim's family dynamic, and further find that he was a mostly-closeted gay man.
When a second suspicious suicide - this time a seemingly out gay woman - comes to light , and all of the facts do not add up, the team begin to get the sense that there is something sinister going on; and when a third body turns up - a probably closeted gay man - the clues begin to take the team down a dark alley, and into the world of 'gay conversion' versus acceptance.
At the same time, Stacey Wood is investigating a strange disappearance - one with some ties to the main story - a man who has simply up and walked away. But has he? The clues that Stacey comes up with all seem to point to him simply deciding to ditch his life. And a possible affair (however platonic) seems to clinch the deal. But, in a twist that you will never see coming, the actuality is much, much darker.
Can be read as a standalone, but I don't recommend it - there's too much back story that you absolutely have to know to totally understand Kim and Bryant and Penn and Stacey and all the other recurring characters in Ms. Marson's wonderful books.
Highly recommended.

I’ve been reading about Detective Kim Stone’s exploits for a while now so was excited to receive this review copy of her latest adventure.
In the last book Kim went through a very traumatic experience and she is still trying to come to terms with it in this one.
She returns to work to find her team in a dire state being led by Burns who is a terrible manager, a misogynist and a lazy investigator .
When a young man is found hanged he dismisses it as suicide without a thorough investigation and it is left to Kim to reopen the case and work out what is going on. Throwing DI Burn off the team , Kim takes back control and finds that they are investigating a series of murders connected to a “Conversion Clinic” where young members of the gay community are persuaded to alter their sexuality.
As well as this there is a mystery of a missing husband which Stacey is tasked with looking into.
As ever these two plot strands slot together well and Kim and her team need all their skills to work out what has been happening.
This was a compelling and interesting read about a subject I knew little about. As ever the story had been well researched and all my favourite characters were present and correct. We even get to find out Bryant’s first name in the last few pages of the book.
Recommended to all Kim Stone fans but could be read as a stand alone.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my advance copy.

4.5 stars

Hidden Scars by Angela Marsons is the 17th in the Detective Kim Stone Police Procedural series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Contains spoilers from previous books)
DI Kim Stone learned to be tough.  Her mother, who recently died of cancer, was being held in a home for the criminally insane due to actions that almost killed Kim, and resulted in her brother's death.  Kim had little to do with her.  Although Kim's social skills are lacking, her heart is in the right place, and her detective skills outstanding .  Her team consists of: Bryant, her right hand man and friend, and the person who voices concerns in a much more diplomatic way than Kim ever would; Stacey, who can find required information in a seemingly bottomless computer system; and  Austen Penn, who for some reason, enjoys attending autopsies.  


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Kim has been on leave, recovering from both the physical and emotional damage caused by her last case, where she was actually beaten to death before being rescued and brought back to life.  Although not really ready to take on a case yet, she finds herself jumping in when she realizes that her team is being run by Burns, the man who is partly responsible for her beating, and who just wants to solve big cases to improve his image.

Her first case will be heart-breaking.  19 year old Jamie Mills was found hanging from a tree, his death made to look like suicide, but Kim quickly determines he was murdered.  His parents just want the whole thing buried.  It turns out that Jamie was gay, and that is unacceptable to them.  They had sent him to a clinic to "cure" him of his sexuality.  It didn't work.

When another young woman's death also looked like suicide, it is quickly linked to Jamie's when it is discovered that Stephanie had attended the same clinic.

The Gardner family, who run the clinic are not very helpful, and insist their methods for curing homosexuality are legal and humane.  If so, why are patient's required to sign NDA's.  Kim's not buying it.

Meanwhile, Stacey is trying to find a missing accountant,  but feels it may just be a case of him leaving his wife.  But she may be missing something.

Even while devoting herself to the job, Kim is struggling emotionally.  She is feeling guilt over her neighbours abuse at the hands of the man who wanted to kill Kim.  More importantly, Kim is feeling guilty because she is alive.  Then there are the nightmares.


My Opinions:
I continue to deduct ½ of a star for these really outdated, unappealing covers.  But this book was amazing, and although it's touted as "can be read as a stand-alone", I totally disagree.  Please read every book - and read them in order.

Be warned, the topics covered in this book are dark, scary, and disgusting.  Homophobia and conversion therapy are never going to be light topics.  However, Marsons handled them very well, with a lot of sensitivity, while still being very forthright.

The plot was really good, and although one of the twists was expected, another was not.

The characters continue to appeal, and I particularly liked the interplay between Penn and Jasper.  The team is a family, and in this one Kim really admits that Bryant is a friend.  I also liked that both Tracy Frost and Ted Morgan made appearances at Kim's house to show their friendship, even though Kim has not really seen them as such.

One of my favorite things.....Bryant has a first name!!!!

Anyway, after 17 books, you would think they would be getting "old", but each books is fresh, and I can't wait for the next one!

Just brilliant! This author has done it again! It is an incredible skill, bettering perfection, but she does it effortlessly with every page turning book. She makes us cry, laugh, cheer, think, want to change. She makes us feel. Each book addresses a social issue, deftly, and brilliantly - nuggets of wisdom sprinkled throughout the book - but it is never at the cost of the story, which is as ever addictive and unputdownable. I highlighted so many quotes that I will revisit - this writer is unique in that she writes absolutely amazing crime stories with heart, while also making people think and want to change. Like Kim Stone, Angela Marsons is unique and I cannot wait for more from her. If you haven’t read this series, where have you been? Get the books now! I guarantee you will be hooked. Another masterpiece from this incredible author.

Cannot rate these books highly enough. I never read the blurb about the book just dive straight in and am never disappointed. The storylines are always well plotted and the team of Kim, Bryant, Stacey and penn feel like life long friends. A must read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc in exchange for an honest review.