Hidden Scars: A completely gripping crime thriller with a nail-biting twist (Detective Kim Stone Book 17)

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As Cher types up letters about overflowing rubbish bins in a job she hates, she dreams of Michael Hunter. He’s gorgeous, smart, funny and he’s about to become her new boss. But he barely looks at Cher except to ask for a coffee refill. How can she get him to notice she’s the perfect girl for him? 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. When a 19-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. Angela Marsons is the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of the DI Kim Stone series and her books have sold more than 5 million in 7 years.

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.It’s rare that I assign a mystery a full five stars. But this one deserves it. Great pacing, fabulous character development, lots of humor and an ending I did not see coming.

Finished it in 24 hours. Who would have thought that the 17th book in a series could raise the bar even higher.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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 who attended the clinic so afraid to speak of what happens there? And where did the faded restraint marks on Jamie’s wrists come from? She first discovered her love of writing at Junior School when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s”.

A completely gripping crime thriller with a nail-biting twist

I fell even more in love with Stacey in this book, she was definitely the shining light in this story and really stood out. Her tenacity and skills are second to none and after being constantly being belittled and made Tea Girl by DI Burns whilst Kim was recuperating it was the case she needed to make her shine again. Kim’s first case was of a nineteen-year-old boy, Jamie Mills who was 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. The twists and turns just kept on coming in this one and I didn’t anticipate any of them! This series truly just gets better and better and I know I’m not alone in wanting the next instalment the second I reach the end of Angela Marson’s latest brilliant offering.

There are two mysteries: one involving the staged suicides, the other involving a missing husband. There are some surprising twists and turns, and I was especially caught off guard by the case of the missing husband. 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. As with most of the books in this series, there are separate cases going on, which may or may not turn out to be connected. An author as experienced as this shouldn’t have to resort to coincidence to hold her plots together. Also, and I know I sound like a broken record complaining about this every time, a serial killer turning up in every book is just too unlikely, and the increasingly untenable no-Covid setting also stretches credibility, but these are my only criticisms and will certainly not stop me eagerly awaiting the next one. that would have made it impossible for him to climb the tree. Leaving Kim with the only other feasible conclusion that it must have been murder. Kim is in no doubt that she must take charge of her team and visits Jamie’s parents where she learns that they had sent him to a clinic to ‘cure’ him of his sexuality. The picture Jamie’s mother paints of her son is much different to the one told by his friends.

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. It was great to see Stacey finally be allowed out of the office and have a case of her own, Things develop with Penn and his home life and a secret is revealed at the end of the book. One I had to say I hadn't particularly noticed. I think this topic resonated with Marsons because she really flexed her writing skills in some sections. She went beyond the usual police procedural stuff and got a lil deep with it, which is nice to see. But then in some parts the writing was pretty lol. There's one paragraph where she starts FOUR sentences in a row with "Megan". And no, it wasn't a style choice, it was just basic writing. 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. 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.