Joined in 2023 
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This time Kim and company are investigating murders staged as suicides and it takes them inside the world of conversion camps. In her last investigation, Kim came very close to death and has been absent from work for two months. On the lighter side I always enjoy my time with Kim, Bryant, Penn and Stace and I devour any new information revealed about who they are and what makes them tick. Up against a sociopath who seems to know her every weakness, for Detective Stone, each moveshe makes could be deadly. 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.
But this book was amazing, and although it's touted as "can be read as a stand-alone", I totally disagree. This is one of Angela Marsons’ real skills – she manages to engage the reader’s interest on both on each investigation that whilst one may take a back seat for most of the book, there is enough attention given that it always had me wondering ‘what if’? year old Jamie Mills was found hanging from a tree, his death made to look like suicide, but Kim quickly determines he was murdered. 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.The Queen of crime, Angela Marson has done it again, with Hidden Scars the 17th book in the Kim Stone series. 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. The author has brilliantly captured that turmoil, the conflict within Kim that affects her in ways that occasionally upset the rhythm of the team. They are only taking cases where there could be publicity and headlines that could advance the career of Burns.
After investigation of the clinic, the clinic run by the Gardner family, claim that patients come of their own accord and are free to leave at any time. In some respects these are formulaic police procedurals, with similar elements and tropes repeating in each book, but you can’t really blame Marsons for giving her fans what they want. The final chapter answered the long awaited question of Bryant’s name and I loved that it ended on a lighter note.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. I was hooked on this storyline,and how the team work together and great to see stacey on the forefront of this book. Hours before, Steven Harte had walked into Halesowen police station and confessed to having information that would lead Kim to Melody. Angela Marsons remains one of my favorite mystery authors, and her publisher, Bookouture, always publishes the very best novels.
I swear, every book in the DI Stone series puts me through the emotional wringer but in the best possible way. He ignores cases that should be further investigated as he is waiting for a high-profile case that will lead to his advancement and glory. But with a killer firmly fixed on destroying Kim, can she solve this complex case and save her own life or will she become the final victim?One thing that does happen exactly as we expect is the camaraderie and the team spirit between our main characters. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime.
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