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? James Mills is a bright 19-year-old man discovered hanging from a large tree. His death is automatically ruled self-inflicted. James' death haunts Detective Kim Stone. Why would a young healthy man end his own life? As Kim investigates, she discovers that James recently suffered a leg injury that prevented him from climbing trees. James was murdered, but who wanted him dead? One August afternoon, eight-year-old Grace Lennard skips into the garden of the childcare centre she attends and vanishes into thin air. Rushing to the scene of Grace’s disappearance, Detective Kim Stone finds a chilling piece of evidence: the engraved heart bracelet belonging to Melody Jones – the little girl who was taken from a playground exactly twenty-five years ago. 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. But it is in the tender moments in this book that I think the real power lies. In the people who make their presence felt in Kim’s life, sometimes in poignant ways, other times in humorous ones. The closing chapter has an emotional resonance you will find hard to ignore and in which we, for once, see part of Kim’s vulnerability laid bare to those she holds dearest. What an ending.

Hidden Scars is a procedural/mystery about a chain of murders covered up as suicides. Stone’s team investigates, exposing the brutal practice of conversion therapy. Better and better… I absolutely loved this latest instalment of DI Kim Stone and couldn’t put the book down from the off, grabbing any moment I could to read on. 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. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for sharing this outstanding book with me. As you follow along with the series, the characters become family. I am excited to read book 18.As such a massive fan of this series, the minute the 17th installment of the Detective Kim Stone series fell into my inbox I had a little jig, punched the air and then pressed the big red stop button on the world. Two months on from her near-fatal assault by twisted killer Symes, Kim is feeling the need to return to work, despite knowing she’s neither physically nor emotionally ready for it. Her team are being nominally led by the clueless and lazy but glory-seeking DI Burns, who is only interested in cases which will advance his career. When Kim discovers that he’s forced Stacey to stop investigating the apparent suicide of a young man, she can’t help but get involved, introducing her to the murky world of sexual reorientation clinics. 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’sinstincts tell her something isn’t right. Why, when his mother is told, does she not break down in tears? And how could Jamie have climbed the tree with a recent injury?

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? 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.Outstanding… It is like visiting old friends when you read a book in the Detective Kim Stone series.’ NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐