Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the world of crime fiction, Angela Marsons’ “Guilty Mothers” emerges as a beacon of dark intrigue and psychological suspense. The twentieth installment in the Detective Kim Stone series is a tempest that sweeps the reader into the eye of a relentless storm.

Marsons crafts a narrative that is as intricate as it is ruthless, with a plot that coils around the reader like a constrictor. The story opens with a scene that is both harrowing and haunting: Sheryl Hawne, lifeless, with her daughter Katie at her side, clutching the murder weapon. It’s a tableau that Detective Kim Stone knows all too well—yet, in this case, the truth is as elusive...

As the investigation unfolds, Marsons delves deep into the competitive and often cutthroat world of beauty pageants, exposing the lengths to which mothers will go to ensure their daughters’ success. It’s a world where appearances are paramount, and the pressure to triumph can fracture the psyche, leaving behind a path of destruction.

The prose is sharp, with each word meticulously chosen to drive the narrative forward with precision. Marsons’ Kim Stone is a protagonist who commands respect—not just for her tenacity and intellect but for her deeply human flaws and the demons that she battles. The supporting cast is equally compelling, adding layers of complexity to a plot that is as unpredictable as it is engaging.

“Guilty Mothers” is a testament to Marsons’ ability to weave a tale that as disturbing as it is captivating. With a killer whose motive is as twisted as the crimes they commit, the reader is left questioning the very nature of guilt and the sins of the mother.

This book is a must-read for fans of the genre and a perfect entry point for newcomers to the series. Marsons has once again proven her mastery of the crime thriller, delivering a novel that is sure to resonate with readers.

Happy publication day to book number 20 in the Kim stone series!

Another great book. I love that these books always have short chapters which keep you hooked in and wanting to keep reading. Love as always being able to continue getting to know these characters. I really enjoyed the theme around pageants and the different experiences both children and parents have with them. This book series remains such a comfort read and as always is a pleasure to be able to read them

Highly recommend.

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

Another absolute corker of a read. The twentieth book in the Kim Stone series. I loved each and every book in this series. To me, the author can do no wrong. I look forward to the next book each and every time I finish one. It's a series I've followed from the beginning. Its a series I really can not get enough of. If Angie Marsons wrote a book a week I'd happily read it.

I love spending time with Kim and her team. I feel over the series I have really gotten to know these characters and almost feel like I'm part of their lives. The characters created in this series are first class, the cream of the crop. I have to be honest most of this series I have not read the blurb before starting it. I'm very confident that i'll enjoy it. I have not been disappointed at all.

Murder and mayhem, in the latest case for the team. As always everything is thrown at finding the clues, finding the culprit. Finding the who and the way.

What do you think of when you hear pageant. For me it's girls dressing up and having fun. For Miss Marsons, its murder and death, the book does not hold back. You want murder, you want the mystery you want the details. Its all here. All here in the pages of this book. Pages you will not be able to turn quick enough. When a woman is found murdered it seems like everything is cut and dry. A quick easy case with the killer caught. However when a second body is found it's clear that the suspect could not have done it as they were in custody. The tangled web needs unwinding and we have just the team to do it.
They as always throw everything they can at the case. When the clues start appearing they finally have a motive and can focus on getting the killer before anyone else is killed.

I have to say this time around I enjoyed 'Tink' coming into herself. She's growing and she could be an amazing part of the team going forward. Maybe we should get a spin off series of her joining and starting out in the force.
Sorry, got carried away a little there.

I found the story behind the mother daughter relationship a little tough having just lost my mother. However this also helped me in realising just how lucky I was to have a mother that loved and cared and cherished every moment of me. It's sad to think that there are mothers that are loving and caring. I think the mother daughter relationship was written very well in this story.
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Absolutely smashed it again with this instalment.

Women are being bruttally stabbed to death and the only link among them is that their daughters took part in the pageantry circle. Kim and her team will relentlessly dive in the investigation to solve the cases at the same time they are deeply touched by the death of the mothers each one relating to their own personal circumstances. At the same time a corpse in found on a pond and the identification and the mystery surrounding that death will lead to another investigation also involving a mother/son relationship. Guilty Mothers has an engaging plot, it's easy to read and easy to relate to some of the characters as their lives is told in the story. Highly recommended!
I thank Ms. Marsons, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC

The Kim Stone book’s are one of my favourite series, I was so excited to read this.

I love the main character of Kim and I have enjoyed seeing how she has developed over the twenty books. She has definitely opened up and is more friendly with her team than she was at the start, although there is still some of her famous sass popping up every now and then when its needed especially when Tracy Frost turns up.
As well as Kim, I enjoy catching up with the whole team and enjoy their dynamics.

The case the team are investigating in this book involves mother’s of pagent children being killed violently, the whole book centres heavily around the mother daughter relationship and different examples of it both positive and negative and Kim reflects on her relationship with her own mother, bringing her backstory briefly into focus.
Alongside the main crime, Tiff is investigating her first case with Penn for help. It’s great to see how she has changed from when she was first introduced but manages to stay definitely ‘Tink’. The crime they are investigating involves another parent child relationship, this time a mother and son and allows Tiff to spread her wings and try and learn to trust her gut.

Really enjoyed this book and already looking forward to the next in the series.

This is the 20th book in the Kim Stone series and I swear they just keep getting better. I do recommend reading them all in order because there are a lot of characters to keep track of. Seeing the team grow and adapt to everything they've been through is beautiful but you may be confused if you haven't read the previous installments. It's not a hardship though because there isn't a single bad book. I really enjoyed getting to see more of Tink in this book. I hope we get more of her. She's so lovable. The team is my favourite thing about this series.

I love that we always get a controversial topic woven into the crimes and this time it was beauty pageants. It was such an interesting element to the murders. We also get to see more of Kim's vulnerable side when she faces her feelings towards her own mother. As for the investigation, there are plenty of twists and turns to suck you in. I had no idea who the killer was and the reveal was both shocking and a little heartbreaking. As always I look forward to more Kim Stone adventures

As I start to write my review on this the 20th book I have been thinking back about the other books in this series and how much I’ve enjoyed every one of them. Yes you read that right, we are now onto book number 20. A lot of times with series, be it book series , tv series etc the stories go stale and we can lose interest. But honestly with this series each book just keeps on getting better and better. This is one of those series where I don’t even need to read the book blurb to decide if I want to read it or not. Guilty Mothers is an unputdownable police procedural read that had me gripping my kindle so tightly as I frantically read this absolute page turner. The main subjects of this book are beauty pageants and toxic mothers. It really is an eye opener of a read and honestly once you start reading it you’re In for a rollercoaster of a ride. Again as in all the previous book I love Kim and her team and it’s great to see Tiff developing more as a character. The whole team are working hard together to solve not only one murder but several. When the killer was finally revealed , I was completely gobsmacked. So all I can say to finish off my review it’s a corker of a read and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Book twenty in the Kim Stone series hasn’t disappointed. It was a brilliant story that explores
the sensitive subject of child pageants.

With every book I’m blown away with another great complex storyline that keeps me reading to find out the characters fate.

I know what I’ll get with any of the Kim Stone series, a gripping storyline, loads of twists, murders and an unexpected culprit!

The whole of Kim Stone series has been one the favourite crime series I’ve read. Kim Stone is a kick-arse detective with a dedicated team. The characters are all well developed and with each book we get to delve deeper into their lives and find out more about them individually and J think this is why every new book is just as fresh as the last.

I loved the parallel cases in this one, with one of the newer team members Think. Both had great pace and as always loved revisiting Kim and the rest of her team.

With every book we are left bereft as we know it’s going to be a few months before we get our next fix! Can’t wait for book 21!

Detective Inspector Kim Stone and her team are back ready and primed to dig into a new case when a body is pulled from a local fishing lake.

However, when the call comes in from trusted M.E. Keats. Their destination is not the fishing lake. It's actually a house in Stourbridge and what they find on arrival leaves both Bryant and Kim shocked and confused to say the least.

As mother of one Sheryl Hawne lies in a pool of blood in her kitchen. Her daughter Katie by her side covered in her mother's blood and holding the murder weapon. What's more Katie is not acknowledging the forensics or police officers at the scene. And when she is asked to provide her clothing for forensic analysis, she returns dressed in a ball gown.

But, Kim and Bryant soon learn Katie used to take part in pageants and although it's clear she did the deed. Kim wants to know, why?

Yet, It's really not that simple as whilst Katie is in custody, another mother is murdered. A mother whose daughter also took part in pageants as a child.

And now the hunt is on for a killer who has a big head start.

So, the team begin to delve into the disturbing world of child pageantry and mother and child relationships. Which is what is really at the heart of this story and it causes Bryant, Stacey and Penn to consider their own relationships with their mums and Kim to struggle. As her own mum tried to kill her and murdered her twin.

And honestly I was completely gripped, and I loved how the body in the lake thread was seemlessly woven into the story and how the team pulled together to help CID hopeful Tiff get answers.

And with a shocking twist and a killer I did not see coming. Guilty Mothers is a story that I stayed up way to late to finish as I just had to find out what was going to happen next!

I would thoroughly recommend Guilty Mothers and the DI Kim Stone series to all.

Sheryl Hawne has been brutally murdered and her daughter Katie is still holding the knife when police are called to the scene, this seems to be a straightforward case but Kim and the team need to work out why this has happened, they discover that Katie used to take part in child beauty pageants, Sheryl was a fiercely competitive mother and Kim thinks this may be the catalyst behind it, that is until another woman is murdered while the suspect was in custody, again the mom entered her daughter into child beauty pageants, but what else links these murders and can the team work it out before another daughter loses her mother?

Marsons is back with book twenty in the Kim Stone series and this time the crimes committed are aimed at mothers that have wronged their daughters and someone is determined to make these women pay. Alongside this the team have another historical case that they need to solve and it was good to see the return of Tiff (Tink) Moore to get to the bottom of it, with Penn as her partner. Guilty Mothers is another highly intense, action packed instalment in this series, where every new book is as fresh and exciting as the ones that have come before and Marsons never disappoints. The whole child pageantry and narcissistic mothers plot is so well crafted by this author and the research involved in this is evident in spades. Another fabulous read from the Queen of Crime that will no doubt smash the charts and I can't wait for book twenty one!

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

As usual with all of the previous books in this amazing series I devoured it in almost one sitting.

The joy of a new Kim Stone book is like a present that you cannot wait to unwrap and this, like it’s predecessors, does not disappoint. Set in the world of childhood pageantry brutal murders take place. The link to the mums and daughters who were part of that world and those that inhabited it with them is under scrutiny. Alongside this a terrible domestic violence situation is developing under the guise of a helpful son.

Great writing, engaging plot and most importantly all of our favourite characters to catch up with. I cannot recommend this book and the series enough and have done so many times.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book.....

oh man this book i couldnt put it down... so full on tension and intrigue and covering some pretty serious issues

the first murder was bloody and gruesome but when kim and her team arrived they thought it was all done and dusted with the perk already in their hands..... but life has a way of kicking you in the teeth when the second murder happens and its identical to the first murder

so their perp they have arrested couldnt be the one

time is against them and with a quite a few suspects in the pool they can only hope that something gets shaken up

but what comes out is a total surprise and not even suspected... but with a murderer to find kim and her team are up against it

what a read .... i was on the edge of my seat for most of this book and at one point i had tears falling down my face.... wow just wow

cant wait for the next book in this wonderful series

Starting with an open and shut case, the brutal murder of a mother, with her blood-covered daughter by her side, still holding the murder weapon, Detective Inspector Kim Stone soon found out things weren't as straight forward as they seemed. The second brutal murder immediately had Kim reassessing her thoughts - a deep investigation involving Stacey, discovered both deceased women had been involved with their daughters in beauty pageants when the girls were young. Would Kim and her team find the killer before more women died?

Meanwhile a body had been pulled from a nearby waterway, that turned out to be a man who'd been missing for two years. Penn and the new trainee, Tiff, went to the house of the woman who had reported him missing, only to be confronted by a situation that had Tiff's antennae vibrating. Always encouraging her team to follow their gut feelings, she gave Tiff and Penn free range to follow the clues. But would they get the answers they needed?

Guilty Mothers is the 20th in the DI Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons and it was another exceptional addition to the series. Kim, Bryant, Stacey, Penn and Tiff - a great team, always determined to get the answers for the victims. I'm loving this series and wonder what Ms Marsons will come up with in her next Kim Stone book. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I had to DNF at 46% no matter how hard I tried to stick with it, I just couldn’t get my head around all of the characters and the side stories about past events that I’m assuming happened in previous books in the series which confused me. I understand that this was my own fault as I haven’t read any of the other 19 books in the series however in my defense I thought these would be considered as interconnected standalones so I would be able to at least read this one without reading any of the others but unfortunately I was too confused to grasp what was going on.

Due to me not reading the first 19 books in the series I feel it wouldn’t be fair to share my review on Goodreads or Amazon so I will only be sharing my experience here.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review

Guilty Mothers is the latest tense thriller in the DI Kim Stone series by Angela Marsons, and Angela Marsons has crafted another belter of a thriller. It is always brilliant catching up with Kim and the team and I raced to read my copy, and once again, Angela Marsons did not disappoint.

Kim Stone is facing a very complex case. In the opening pages, the body of a woman is discovered and soon another victim is found. It soon appears that these women have a surprising connection and this is what makes the case so fascinating, and there are many surprises along the way for the team, which leads them down a path in a way they never would have expected.

The tension was really strong right the way through this book. I could feel the pressure on Kim and her team to solve this case, and bring the right person responsible to justice, but, like always, there was still some room for humour, particularly between Bryant and Kim, which I really liked, as this always adds some light hearted moments to the books. I’ve always been fascinated by parents who want to enter their children into pageant contests, particularly in America, where it is hugely popular, and it’s something I’ve not seen explored before in crime fiction. I could certainly see why it might anger some people, particularly the children involved as it seems, it can be to me, quite an exploitive industry. The women, who have been murdered, have each been particularly forceful in pushing their children into entering pageant contests and they are determined for their children to succeed, so much so, that it takes over their entire world.

Angela Marsons explores the motives of the killer really well in this book, and it is clear to see the emotion and the trauma they have gone through, which is there for all to see in the way their victims have been killed. There is certainly the sense that Kim and the team are racing against time to find the killer before they kill again, and I was turning the pages faster and faster as I neared the end.

Guilty Mothers is another brilliant novel in the Kim Stone series. I really, really enjoyed it.

Guilty Mothers by Angela Marsons  is the 19th 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: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
DI Kim Stone learned to be tough.  Her mother, who 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):
The team is called to a blood-thirsty murder.  Sheryl Hawne lies dead on the floor of her home, multiple stab wounds evident.  Her only daughter, Katie, was found with the knife in her hands, but she seems to be in shock.  At the jail, her behaviour is bewildering.  However, when another woman is found dead, it soon becomes evident that Katie is not responsible for the death of her mother.

They soon learn that Katie and her mother had been part of the child beauty pageant world when Katie was just a child, and her mother kept a shrine of all her daughter's achievements.  The second woman to die was also the mother of a pageant child.

As the team starts looking into the pageantry circuit, they find that it isn't all as glamorous as it seems.  The relationships of parent and child were different in each case, and the grown-up children continue to have different relationships with their mothers.  Between the children themselves, and even between the mothers, things could be tense, if not out-right vindictive during the pageant season.  However, it quickly becomes apparent that someone is considering these mothers guilty of something, and killing them seems to be the solution.

Kim and her team reflect on their own relationships with their mothers, and are determined to find justice for the pageant mothers, no matter what they have done in the past.

In the meantime, Penn and Tink look into the death of a man found in the lake, which leads them to a strange relationship between a mother and son.




My Opinions:
I was thrilled to get this new Kim Stone thriller.  Just a word up front....you really need to read these books in order.  Yes, at book 20 you may find this a little daunting if you are new to this author, but it will be well worth your time. The characters continue to grow with each book, and their past cases have a lot to do with it.  Okay, enough preaching.

This book is basically about the complicated relationships between mother and child.  It looks into child beauty pageants and how that can form a unique (and sometimes horrendous) relationship between parent and child.  It is also about how it relates to the rest of the family members.

The whole subject of child beauty pageants is quite controversial, and whenever I think of one, I think of the death of JonBenet Ramsey who was only six when she died.  I don't believe the case was ever solved, but that child's face haunts me....the fancy dresses, the make-up, hair style....all to make a six year old look beautiful.  This book looked at the struggles some children are forced to endure for their mother's narcissistic attitude.  The depriving of food, friends, and constant practicing to be perfect is more than any small child needs.

So, in one way this was a really emotional read.    Reading about some of the atrocious actions some mothers put their children through is horrendous.

But the book was so interesting, as Marsons did her research into the pageantry world to create a compelling story.

Again, Marsons nailed it!  Can't wait for Book 21 to see what she brings to me next!

When a crime series has been going as long as this one (20 instalments already!), there is the possibility of stagnation and repetition; happily that is not the case here as Angela Marsons always finds ways to refresh the characters and introduce new plots and themes. The world of pageants is certainly a new area for me and it offers a fascinating series of crimes. Very enjoyable.

I guess this series is like my adult Babysitters Club series bc I would have never guessed that I would have been 20 book in and still not tired of these characters! This book started off strong and then stalled a little for me due to all the "teaching". This wasn't one of my favorite of the series but I was still solidly entertained and still love reading about Stone and her team. Keep them coming Marsons!

This is book 20 in the Kim Stone series. Can you read this as a stand alone, yes! But are you doing yourself a disservice if you do? Yes again! This is an outstanding series and with 20 books to read already waiting, it is well worth a go.
Each book is building on the backstory of Kim and her team and family plus has a brilliant new criminal storyline too.
This book delves into the world of child beauty pageants, a type of domestic violence, and the messy world of family relationships.
I read this book in a day, love the writing as always and think Kim Stone needs to be round for a good while longer.

Wow!
What an intense and gripping read!
In Guilty Mothers we are taken into the world of beauty pageants. How far will mothers go to get their daughters that win?????
DI Kim Stone and her team are busy trying to figure out what is going on.
Author, Angela Marsons, once again delivers a fast paced thriller that kept me reading late into the night.
I am excited to read the next book in the series!
*I highly recommend reading the Detective Kim Stone series in order. There is so much backstory to the main characters that is important to know.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.