Wow, I can’t believe Guilty Mothers is the 20th book in the Kim Stone series! This is one of my favorite series of all time! I already felt sad for the girls in beauty pageants before I read this book. The emotional pain that the little girl must endure when forced to perform by overly assertive and aggressive mothers who couldn't cut it themselves. It really is heart-breaking.
Great plot that is convincing and believable. Loved the plot twists, the characters and the twists and turns of this book. Once again, this is a fast-paced thriller with a lot of suspense. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Angela Marsons for an ARC of "Guilty Mothers".

Wow....Angela has done it again. A fantastic storyline with many twists set around the theme of beauty pagentry.
I recommend this series to everyone it gets better with each new book.

This was a very solid story but it didn’t quite grab me like the previous stories. I love the characters and I’m always happy to return to this world but I felt the story could be stronger.

This is the twentieth Kim Stone book and as is the usual fantastic read. This one is linked to the world of child beauty pageants. A mother dies and her daughter is arrested but when a second mother is killed then it’s more than a simple case of Matricide. The tale keeps you hooked every step of the way and all of the team are back.
I can’t wait for book 21 as it’s like catching up with family as well as solving a crime.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#GuiltyMothers #NetGalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DI Kim Stone is back 🎉 I get so excited for a new instalment and the latest didn’t disappoint 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Angela Marsons still manages to keep it all so fresh. A new engrossing case that will just have you on the edge of your seat) trying to figure out all the pieces 🧩 and our usual fun, quirky team at the centre of it all. I just LOVE all the characters! Bryant just has my ❤️

If I had to sum up in 3 words: Twisted, Thrilling and Fast paced!

Another page-turner from the master crime writer. Love all the twists and turns and an insight into the world of beauty pageants. Hooked to the end. Just fabulous. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC and to the author for writing a fabulous story.

It seems to be an open & shut case. A body lies on the kitchen floor covered in knife wounds beside her is her daughter clutching a knife. However the daughter seems to be in no state to be questioned & whilst waiting for her to be in a state to give answers another woman is found killed in similar circumstances. Both victims have objects in their mouths that link them to the world of children's beauty pageants. This case leads the team to think of their own sometimes fractured relationships with their mothers- Kim has only awful memories but even she realises that in her past she did have a 'real' mother if only for a short time.

This is the twentieth book in the series & fortunately Angela Marsons shows no sign of stopping. The lives of the characters develop more & the cases continue to baffle. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- already looking forward to the next one!

I absolutely love all of Angie Marson's Kim Stone books and this latest installment did not disappoint! This time the world of beauty pageants provide the background to the murders which Kim must solve. There were plenty of the twists and turns I've come to love in these books and they certainly kept me hooked right to the end.

As always an absolutely brilliantly written story by Angela Marsons. Kim Stone is such an interesting character.

Guilty Mothers by Angela Marsons is the "WoW"............20th book in the excellent Detective Kim Stone and one of the best series you can read. This has been a series that had me gripped from the very first book Silent Scream back in 2015. Can't believe this latest book is book twenty!!! and it is another 5 star read. If I could give this more stars I would.

Guilty Mothers has so many twists and turns throughout I found it hard to put it down, I just wanted to read the next page/pages to find out what happens next, before I knew it I was on the last page!!! and ended up reading it all in one sitting.

I highly recommend this series - another excellent book from start to finish.

Big Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I am so glad I got to read the latest book in the Kim Stone series, I absolutely love this series! This is book 20! So the series is going strong.
The main plot of this one is to do with beauty pageants, one mother is murdered and her daughter is found next to her with the murder weapon, then when another mother is murdered the realise they are being targeted specifically, but what for?
You get a glimpse into what it may be like for a child entering beauty pageants, and how some parents take it more seriously than others, and how each child can have a different experience.
There was also a sub story going on, with Tiff, one of the new characters. I actually really enjoyed the sub story, and I was probably a bit more invested in that story than the main one. I wanted to know how that one would turn out more and also found the storyline itself a little bit more interesting.
All in all though, I did thoroughly enjoy this one and I can never wait for the next one to come out! This is my favourite series, and I hope there are many more Kim Stone books to come.

I've been taking my dog to training classes. Apologies, and sympathies to anyone that has tried this and struggled, but I can assure you that it's no special skill on my part. She's a natural. After she had breezed through the beginners and intermediate classes, and also enjoyed being part of an obedience display team for a local fete, the trainers were quick to ask me if I wanted to enter her into a Kennel Club 'Good Citizens' exam.

Initially, I said no. All I had ever wanted to get from training was a happy and controllable dog, and if she didn't quite match up to what someone else had decided was a 'standard' for good behaviour, that really didn't bother me. However, we kept on going to classes for no other reason than she clearly enjoyed it - they reward her with food for being a good girl, after all - and after she'd aced just about everything else the classes had to offer, the trainers managed to persuade me to enter her for the 'Bronze' and 'Silver' level tests.

When the day came for the bronze test, I was surprised to find myself feeling nervous. No matter how much I told myself that it really didn't matter whether she passed the test or not, it somehow did. It felt as though, if we failed, I'd have let my dog down. Thankfully, though, Bonnie had no such concerns and passed all the excercises without a care in the world.

I didn't have time to get nervous for the silver test, which was on a midweek evening after work only a few days later. But I did struggle not to get annoyed. Because I knew full well that she could do every single exercise much better than she did that night. Turned out though that - much to my relief - she had still done well enough to pass. But one of her classmates hadn't. And his owner was so upset that she drove away immediately and didn't reply to my commiseratory text for three days.

Whilst this was going on, I felt fortunate to be reading Guilty Mothers, the latest instalment in the DI Kim Stone series. For two reasons. Firstly, it's a new book by Angela Marsons, and I always feel fortunate to read those. And secondly, because the book explores the subject of beauty pageants, and I could quite understand how a parent, convinced that their child was good enough to win the competition, would be crushingly disappointed if they didn't do so. And resolved to try doubly hard next time, perhaps failing to notice that this was at the expense of the child's own happiness. As ever, Angie Marsons is able to explore the subject sensitively and compassionately, with the added spice of multiple murder.

And of course, we get to meet Kim and her team again. Opening each new book in this series feels like meeting up with an old friend that you now only see maybe twice a year, but each time you're able to start chatting as though you last saw each other a week or so ago.

Most of my quibbles about this book are small and insignificant. For example, I was glad that I jumped straight into it without reading the blurb, because in hindsight I think it gives rather too much away. This time round, though, I have to say that I also had a couple of slightly bigger issues.

I said earlier that the subject of child beauty pageantry was explored sensitively and compassionately, and it is. The trouble is though that, in demonstrating that there are some children who enjoy it and others who are pushed to the point that they hate it, the book felt reminiscent of Child's Play from earlier in the series, which essentially does the same thing about child prodigies. I'm not saying that the Guilty Mothers felt like a copy of the earlier book, or that the writing felt lazy in any way. It absolutely didn't. But it did seem that there are a finite number of ways in which even the great Queen Angie can convey what is basically the same argument.

My other problem was with the way the main storyline progresses. Put very simply, and hopefully avoiding spoilers, it lacks the suspenseful 'race against time' element that this author can do oh, so well. At least, that is, until the very end, where to be brutally honest, it felt too little, too late. Instead, we have Kim and Bryant with no leads other than a link to beauty pageantry and thus a wish to learn more about it. But without the suspense, it felt - and this is the first time I've thought this whilst reading an Angela Marsons novel - a little bit lecturey.

I actually enjoyed the sub-story more. That too features a parent and child relationship, but it's one in which I was able to feel a stronger emotional connection. Angie also manages to add that important element of suspense by having the case investigated by new addition Tiffany ('Tinkerbell'), who it was good to see given more of a key role. Would she be able to work out what was really going on in time? Please, let her see the signs ...

Let's be clear. Guilty Mothers is very, very good. Even if it had been the first book in this series that I had read, it would easily do enough to have me reading the next one just as soon as I could. The fact that it's the 21st only makes that resolution even stronger. My summing up is one that looks ridiculous written down, but if you're a regular reader of this series you'll hopefully understand. And if you aren't, well, you really should be. But Angie Marsons' best books are able to leave me feeling completely blown away. I only enjoyed this one very much indeed. I don't really mind if the next book in this outstanding series reminds me of a previous one, but if that's the case then please, Angie, can you make it Lost Girls?

My thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for the digital ARC of this book, which was published on 30th May. I will publish my review on Goodreads, Amazon and my social media pages.

Another brilliant book from Angela Marsons. Kim Stone and her team continue to be fantastic and show depth to their characters,
Love love love this series absolutely brilliant and highly recommended

Guilty Mothers by Angela Marsons plunges readers back into the chilling world of DI Kim Stone, delivering an electrifying blend of mystery and emotional turmoil. This 20th instalment sees the seemingly clear-cut murder of Sheryl Hawne spiral into a complex web of deceit as another victim surfaces, questioning the initial assumptions.

Marsons masterfully crafts a narrative that delves deep into the competitive and often unsettling realm of child beauty pageants. Through Kim Stone's investigative lens, we explore not just a murder case but the psychological impacts of these contests on participants and their ambitious mothers. The murder weapon symbolises the shattered dreams and distorted realities that the pageantry world can represent.

Kim's team, as ever, is a pillar of camaraderie and banter, providing light in the novel's darker moments. Their dynamic adds layers to the story, interweaving professional diligence with personal growth. The subplot involving a mysterious death at a fishing lake adds another layer of intrigue, hinting at underlying themes of familial relationships and hidden truths.

Marsons doesn't shy away from the gritty realities of ambition, jealousy, and the sometimes poisonous relationships between mothers and daughters. Guilty Mothers is a compelling addition to the DI Kim Stone series, packed with suspenseful twists and a deep, sometimes dark exploration of motherhood. It's a book that not only enthrals but provokes thought, making it a must-read for followers of the series and newcomers alike.

Another fab book by Angela Marsons. Great story line, great interaction with the characters. I love how with each book we are getting to know more about each character their lives and background. Easy to read book, with a good twist that i never guessed. Really enjoyed it cant wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.

I a huge fan of this series and have read the other 19 books which preceded this one. I also love the style of Angela Marsons and how she takes a member of the corps of characters to focus on in each adventure, shining a light on how they interact with Kim Stone and the storyline.

i very disappointed in this storyline however; it appeared to vacillate between militant feminism and real hatred of mothers. I can see the need to malign
the child pagent industry as it is today; but this plot line as a mystery was weak in comparison to previous efforts.

i was not only able to figure out the killer almost immediately, but the red herring "fantasist" character wasn't believable as the killer either.

i like the character of Tiff but she read a lot like Stacey. two characters with a cockney voice and low self confidence don't read well.

The talent show was a weird idea, and i just cant believe that Stacey couldn’t work a hula hoop despite being so smart. I can totally believe that Bryant sucked at magic and that Penn would be the "neighborhood champ" at Rubik’s cube.

I gave this a 3 star review based on the fact that I know the author can do better. Looking forward to adventure 21 for Kim Stone and her crew.

#20 in Marson's Kim Stone series that still seems fresh and original and always well researched. This one revolves around former child beauty pageant contestants and the mothers who "coached and inspired" them. One of those mothers is murdered with her now grown daughter standing over her with a knife. But the case is far from cut and dried and when another mother is found murdered, Stone and her team look into these beauty pageants and not all of what they find is pleasant at all. Could one of the former children be doing this or is there something else sinister at work here? A fascinating plot that was very well researched and had lots of suspects.....in fact there were so many characters that I had a little trouble keeping track in my mind of all of them. Many thanks to Angela Marsons, Bookouture and Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

DI Kim Stone and the team tackle child beauty pageants and mother/daughter and mother/son relationships as the team race around the Black counties investigating why and who is killing women who were once pageant mums. Is it someone from the feminist group? What about the support group? Or perhaps it’s one of the former pageant contestants.

At first I found myself disengaged from the book, thinking this might be the first Kim Stone book I didn’t like. But then as the action heated up I found myself turning pages as fast as I could read them. I especially loved seeing more of Tiff (aka Tink) become even more of a valuable asset to the theme. (I am also curious is Penn meant to be undiagnosed neurodivergent?) I appreciate the ability Angela Marsons has to tackle a different theme or topic each book and provide a far depth of knowledge without it feeling like a PowerPoint presentation. Overall this is another winner.

 Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

Like Angela, I lost my own mother fairly recently. I have a lot of complicated feelings about it, so this book was a little close to home. It ultimately ended up being kind of therapeutic for me, and just as soon as her books always are.

Angela Marsons keeps at with book #20. A murder brings them into the world of child pageants. Which leads to a few interesting conversations around sexism. A separate storyline is an accidental death of a man that peaks Tiffs radar and leads to an investigation. All while they are trying to find a talent for a police talent show.

I was given a copy by NetGalley. Opinions are my own.