Another superb installment in the Kim Stone series.
Angela Marsons really stands out from other writers of police procedural thrillers with her wit, humour and just great story telling.
In this one we see a slightly softer, more subdued Kim who is dealing with her own demons but it doesn't take long before she's back, kicking the backsides of those that deserve it and championing those that need her.
A brave subject to tackle as usual but I love that she never shies away from difficult story lines.

Book 17 already in the Kim Stone series and there is no real sign of the quality dropping.

Kim is just back from her rehab after her last case nearly cost her her life and she has been advised to ease herself back in.

However when some suicides are reported and appear suspicious, Kim finds herself drawn back in again and into the murky world of a “conversion clinic” that helps people cure themselves of gayness(I kid you not and they do exist in real life unbelievably). When the suicide victims are all linked back to the clinic Kim and her team begin to uncover some even darker goings on there.

I loved this one overall. A really dark subject matter that I thought was handled very well overall and got the balance right between entertainment and treating the subject with the seriousness it should be.

I flew through this one and it felt a lot shorter than it was, always a good sign in a book.

We do get to see the more human and restrained version of Kim here and it’s all the better for it. She’s still not her old self, still traumatised physically and mentally from her last case but she soldiers on to try and save the day.

So why not 5 stars if I enjoyed it so much? Well I didn’t really care for the Stacy storyline here. Without going into details for fear of spoilers, I thought the resolution of that story arc was a little silly.

Overall though this is a fantastic read. A really serious subject matter that I think is handled with care, enough to entertain but also enough restraint to treat it with the seriousness it should be.

Roll on book 18.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Every Angela Marsons book I read, I think she can't top this one but they just continue to get better and better. In this one Kim is supposed to be taking things easy after nearly dying in the last book. However she has to step in quickly as her team are all being mismanaged by her temporary replacement. The pace of this book draws you in and the ending has twist after twist right up to the final sentence.

This is my first Detective Kim Stone book, but it won't be the last. Kim's return to active duty after suffering a horrific attack turns out to be a fast return to the need for her skills. Kim is a genius detective and a good human being. I loved this thriller read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

Just loved loved Angela Marsons!
This is an especially emotional and difficult period for Kim as she’s just barely out of her harrowing experience of being beaten in the last book, not forgetting her PTSD. Lots of personal problems for the members of the team, which makes the story so real. It just flows through. It’s fast paced, well written, full bodied characters and simply engrossing.
Always a pleasure to read Angela Marsons series with Kim and her team.
Absolutely brilliant !

Well, is this the best one yet? It probably is and boy oh boy is that a lot to live up to. Every book in this series is an absolute storm of a read, just like being on one of Kim’s bike rides. The ups, the downs, the sheer joy. I loved the people who came to Kim in this book, actual friends, who knew not to offer sympathy but to just be there. I also loved that the only way she could take charge again was when her team was threatened. This series takes a standard police procedural trope and makes it so much more. Totally brilliant.

How did we get to book 17 so quickly? It seems like yesterday I was reading book 1 and waiting patiently for the next installment.
So we're 17 books in and Stone is still going strong. Every single book in this series has been " my favourite so far!" But this one really is! I loved the subject matter and the way Angela dealt with it. Lots of new highly likeable characters as well as the usual suspects who have become like old friends. Another great book, well done

I absolutely love this series. 17 books in and each one is even more thrilling than the last. There are many long running series of books that I've given up on because the writing changes and the stories become weaker. Not this series though. Utterly brilliant.

Angela Marsons just keeps getting better and better. This is book number 17, but it’s got the level of excitement that often only a debut novel has! I love Kim Stone and her team, she’s such a bad arse boss.

Still slightly battered and bruised from her recent near death experience DI Kim Stone has only been allowed to return to work on the condition she takes it easy but she soon realises that her temporary replacement has the entire team up in arms. He refuses to even consider that the recent death of a young man found hanging is anything but suicide but when there is another suspicious death Kim decides enough is enough and takes over.. This is a very emotive case for all involved especially Stacey who is finding it particularly hard to deal with the attitudes of some of the families. Add to this the fact that Kim is refusing to acknowledge her PTSD and the worry this is causing Woody and Bryant and the fact that Penn has problems at home you would be excused for thinking that the case would never be solved. But as always teamwork prevails and they get the job done. This is another 5 star read by Angela Marsons, she always manages to get the fine balance between the thrill of the case and the personal stories of the detectives just right. I look forward to the next book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Another great instalment in the series. I never even bother to read the blurb when a new Kim Stone book comes out - they rarely disappoint.

The book deals with an interesting topic which had me googling once I’d finished - do places like this or treatments like this actually exist?! Well yes they do.

There is the usual suspense, chases, banter between characters and overall keeps you guessing.

Without wanting to sound repetitive

I love Angela Marsons
I love Kim Stone
I love this book!

Book 17 in the series and I am still as excited about the series and the stories as I was on book one.

Easy to read, fast paced and gripping.

The characters are well written and work so well together. I don’t want to give away any spoilers…just read the book.

I needed something good to take my mind off my recent bad luck with some of my reading choices, and I decided to turn to DI Kim Stone because this series hasn't failed me yet. After a shocking previous sequel, I wasn't sure what Hidden Scars would have in store for us... Thankfully it hits less hard close to home this time around, but that doesn't mean that the case itself is less shocking. I learned a thing or two about conversion therapy along the way, and I was appalled by just how far those treatments would take things... Make sure to brace yourself for twisted ride that mixes the well known banter with great police work.

Before I continue, I have to stress that this is definitely a series to read in order both because you will find major spoilers for past events and you won't be able to fully understand the dynamics between the different characters. Hidden Scars in particular has major spoilers for the previous book, and since that one is one of the strongest (and most shocking) of the series it would be a shame to ruin the full effect of the plot twist bombs. Hidden Scars gives us some time to let our poor fragile hearts recover after book sixteen, and this healing process is also reflected in main character Kim Stone. It's obvious she isn't ready yet to return to work after everything that she's been through, but her incompetent replacement DI leaves her no option but to rescue her team.

One of the things that makes this series works so well for me is its cast of characters. Kim and the rest of the team feel like old friends, and it's always so great to meet up with them again. The banter itself is brilliant too, and I like how it balances out the more serious topics. There are some developments on a personal level in Hidden Scars, but thankfully nothing with a negative impact this time around. My poor heart says thank you! The writing itself is extremely engaging and the pace is fast, making you turn those pages like there is no tomorrow. Make sure to clear your schedule before you start reading this book, because it's hard to stop reading once you're past the first couple of pages.

The main case in Hidden Scars is another fascinating one, and focuses on the LGBT community and conversion therapy. I felt like I was being educated along with the main characters, and I simply couldn't believe how far those conversion treatments would go... Utterly appalling, and it's shocking that this can actually happen even today. There are some strong inspiring messages as well, and I liked how they added a positive note. Stacey once again investigates her own case at the same time; an aspect I always like of this series because detectives never have just one case demanding their attention. What I can also say is that I never saw the full truth behind both cases coming, and especially the missing husband resolution came as a total shock. Very successful plot twists indeed!

All in all Hidden Scars turned out to be yet another very satisfying DI Kim Stone sequel, and I already can't wait to see what happens next. I do have to say that I'm keeping fingers and toes crossed a certain doctor won't be popping up again any time soon... But I know that I'm in the minority when it comes to my opinion about that character.

It may be book 17 in this series but ist just as amazing and gripping as all the other ones. This is one of my favourite series, it is so good to see Kim back with her team after her brush with death. They feel like family they all work so well together. I was gripped from the first page and I couldn’t put it down, couldn’t read it quick enough. I can’t wait for the next instalment, please don’t keep us waiting too long. I 1000% recommend this book series and author

This is one of the very best series in crime fiction. It may be seventeen instalments in but each new novel feels fresh, new and different. At the start of Hidden Scars Kim Stone is on sick leave and her team is falling apart under the leadership of her non-simpatico replacement. Luckily she soon returns and the status quo is restored. Great plotting, excellent characters and a real sense of place. Superb!

Hidden Scars is the 17th Detective Kim Stone book and with every new novel in this series I am finding it harder and harder not to just scream from the roof tops how amazing this series is. I read a fair amount and much of what I read are the next instalments of a favourite series. However, this series, is one that blows we away every time .I am totally engrossed by the end of the first page. I am always deeply impressed with the originality of this writer and how you can truly say the story feels so new, fresh and engaging. The characters feel like friends you haven’t seen for ages but a few sips of your cup of tea and it feels like it was only yesterday you last read all about them.
In hidden scars we pick up with the team under a new ‘boss’ who is satanising in for Kim whilst she is recovering for her injuries that left her as near to death she has ever been and emotionally wrung out. On her first morning back she walks into the ‘bowl’ and there is no sound, the closed door should have alerted her but she’d agreed to take it slowly and let D I Burns finish any outstanding work and she would step up when ready. But life had not been good for her team whilst she’d been away, no cases on the board just a name that was rubbed off as soon as the DI came in and all of her team doing busy work and Stacey had been treated like the team skivvy with scut work and tea making. Trying her best to ignore the voices in her head Kim goes out to see why Stacey feels Jamie Mills suicide needs another look and why Burns is ignoring her. 24hours later Kim has removed Burns, dressed him down in front of her team and returned everything back to ‘normal’. Thankfully in time to stop Stacey requesting a transfer. With Bryant at her side and the team investigating Kim heads off to see the parents of Jamie Mills as she has a niggling feeling in her gut. Why would. seemingly happy, healthy young 19 year old suddenly take their own life, seemingly hanged from a tree he couldn’t possibly have climbed,? And why don’t his parents seem grief stricken ? On further investigation it appears that Jamie's parents were disgusted by his sexuality and had sent him to a clinic to turn him straight. They are so incensed they don’t even wish his murder to be investigated or his body to be autopsied for evidence. As the team begin to investigate a second murder set up to look like is discovered and what’s more both young people had stayed at the clinic Exodus Plus.
Angela Marsons has really out done herself , the topic of gay conversion clinics and the appalling damage they have done and still do to young people is beyond comprehension. To take up such an emotive topic and handle it with such grace and dignity just shows the depths of this novelist’s writing. Definitely a book not to be missed.

I have made it no secret how much I love this series. I just adore Angela Marsons writing style. She always manages to grasp you and not let go until the book is finished.

I have been squeezing in reading this whenever I got the chance. Middle of the night feeds with the baby, cooking dinner whatever I could to read.

I always look forward to being reunited with Kim Stone and her team. This book was anxiously anticipated after the last book too, just to check in and make sure my fictional friends were okay!

As always this book did not dissapoint and had me turning the pages as quick as I could. The team are faced with a very tough case, that seems beyond anything you could believe could be going on in the world. I cant write too much in the fear of giving away spoilers, and no one likes a review with them!

So all I will say is, if your a fan of Kim Stone or any form of this genre of book you need to pick this book up and give it a read!

Until next time.... which I'm hoping won't be too long!

Book 17 is an utterly terrifying storyline but equally one that has been handled with care and compassion.

In lots of ways this book is more of an education in awareness than a typical crime fiction novel. The storyline came about through Angela’s own discovery of ‘conversion therapy’. In her undeniably skilful way she has taken the very real horrors and woven it into a storyline that the reader is thrilled to read and yet horrified to learn.

In this book DI Stone is challenged over the concept of sexuality, desire and nature. Is an individual’s sexuality something that can be changed? And why would you want or need to change your preference? Angela explores the nature of our society and culture and questions what drives us to change something so fundamental to our being rather than be taught how to embrace it? It’s a challenging and tricky subject to pick apart. Particularly when there are these vultures parading around as ‘doctors’, performing what can only be described as torture on vulnerable and insecure people just looking for acceptance.

Not something you’d think you’d get out of a crime fiction novel! But I think the very fact Angela is able to open up these discussions and pick apart debate whilst delivering a believable and honourable story is a commendable feat!

Alongside this narrative is Kim’s return to her team and the station. In true Kim style, she literally blags her way back and ultimately is not ready. Not ready to lead, not ready to fight for justice and not ready to deal with almost dying. There are some pivotal moments in this book for her and Bryant’s friendship which for the reader is heart warming to see. And to finally reveal his first name had me in a bit of confusion at first but that was a landmark moment for Kim.

As ever I absolutely loved this book and I’m always feeling a bit lost once it’s over. Kim Stone is by far my favourite fictional character and I just adore Angela’s writing. She always has me racing to the end even though I know I’ll be sad when I get there. If you’ve not read any of the series before and you’re considering starting then go for it! All of her books are linked in some form or another but equally can be enjoyed on their own. Be warned her books are like Pringles… once you start you won’t stop!

Thank you as ever to Bookouture and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Utterly brilliant, as fabulous as I have come to expect from this author and series.

And it's not afraid to tackle a tricky topic, in an eye opening way. The methods that clinics use to try to persuade people that they are straight are horrific, sickening and make for tough reading at times, as DI Kim Stone discovers a link between such a clinic and some victims whose deaths were staged as suicides.

Watching this investigation take place, it must have at time been as tough for the author to write as it was to read, and what is truly scary is that it's based on reality, these places I believe do exist and the people that run them are the sorts that should have died out with the dinosaurs, their views are that pre-historic.

Set a few months after the previous book, we see Kim returning to work, and at least initially this had a slightly different vibe to previous stories, as I wasn't sure if Kim was really up to much. What was also despicable is how her team has been treated in her absence, especially the nasty piece of work that took over in charge of the team.

From start to finish this book played on my mind and I think will stick with me for a time to come. It is another incredibly addictive story, in this ridiculously brilliant series, that I just can't get enough of I already want to read the next book, and just impressed that even after 17 books the quality is still so impressively high.

A must read not just for fans of the series, but also for everyone just due to the subject matter that is at the heart of it.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

Detective Kim Stone has returned to work after taking several months off as she recovered from her near-death experience at the hands of a killer. She thought it would be a slow process returning to the job, but her inept DCI stand-in made sure that wasn’t the case. Now her team has to quickly adjust to her return, as well, but they couldn’t be happier about it. They start by looking further into a suicide case that turns out to be anything but.

After another staged suicide victim is found, the team discovers a commonality in a clinic that both victims had been admitted to. A type of rehab, I suppose, but one that helps you recover from being gay. At first, no one can believe a place like this actually exists, but the team learns that facilities like these are sadly common. What’s not common is what former patients eventually reveal to them about their ‘treatment’ at the clinic. Kim is now fiercely determined to shut this place down, whether it’s connected to the staged suicides or not.

Even though she’s clearly been affected by her recent trauma, no one practices denial like Kim. But in some of the more poignant passages, she opens up to Bryant more than ever before and it’s quite emotional and sweet. And that unexpected reveal at the end – I didn’t even realize it was something I never knew before! This is such a great story and a perfect example of why this is one of the most popular book series out there.