Our fierce, all attitude and no forgiveness detective inspector Kim Stone is back, and this time she is thrown into a world revolving around mothers. A mom is found by her daughter brutally murdered, a pattern which continues and throws Kim into the world of child pageants. Meanwhile, Tink is back, requesting Kim’s help on her own case that she can’t let go. This case too revolves around mothers, a mother-son relationship to be fair. With all of these cases, will Kim finally have to face the remnants of her own past and mother figures?

Just as dark and harrowing as previous books, @angiemarsons does her best at crafting mysteries to intrigue us. It was sad not see as much of some favorite side characters, like Stacey, but equally great to see Tink again! I love her youthfulness and determination and really hope she joins Kim’s team permanently. She really is an asset to them. My favorite part of this book was the surprising lighthearted joviality that the team had, making fun of the precinct’s talent show. It’s rare for this series to go for a comedic tone, and it was just what the book and series needed! If you like police procedural or well planned mysteries, Angela Marsons’s D.I. Kim Stone series, starting with Silent Scream, is for you!

Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for an ARC of this book!

Kim and team find themselves in the middle of investigation where pageant moms are being murdered. It’s a tangled web to unweave for the team to track the murderer before another mom dies!
Great book! Always look forward to this series.

Kim Stone and her team dive into the world of child beauty pageants. The victims all have daughters who participated in these pageants as young girls. But it’s not all glitter and glam—Marsons exposes the dark side of the pageant world as the killer strikes again.
One of the standout aspects of this book is the exploration of mothers and their relationships with their daughters. These relationships are far from perfect and often complicated, adding a deep, emotional layer to the story. It even prompts the team to reflect on their own mothers, making the narrative even more relatable.
Meanwhile, a body is pulled from a nearby waterway, identified as a man who had been missing for two years. Penn and the new trainee, Tiff, visit the woman who reported him missing, only to encounter a situation that sets Tiff’s instincts on high alert. Kim, always encouraging her team to trust their gut, gives them the freedom to follow the clues wherever they lead. But will they find the answers they’re looking for?
I couldn’t put this book down and ended up reading into the early hours of the morning. If you’re a fan of the Kim Stone series or just love a good detective thriller, "Guilty Mothers" is a must-read. Angela Marsons continues to deliver suspense, complex characters, and twisty plots that keep you on the edge of your seat.

How is this book 20 already? And how am I still this invested in Kim and the team? This is an outstanding police series. With great lovable characters that also show their flaws. All of the team members grow from book to book and it’s the balance of the characters to the case that make this a must read series.

Mothers and their children. A complicated relationship that sometimes goes awry. And interestingly how what looks like a similar relationship or situation can be so different. I love the research the author did to bring the good, the bad and the ugly of child beauty pageants to life. What made me think of Jon Benet Ramsey was flipped to have the mothers being killed. It looks like a daughter fought back and killed her Mom, but it turned out to be much more complicated when there is a string of deaths.

I liked that the side case was a grown man and his mother. So similar but different than the main case and for long time readers knowing about Kim and her mother’s relationship ties these cases into the team. This case fascinated me and I always love reading about Penn.

And to break up the tension, the team needs to add an act to the police variety show. They have no volunteers. It gave a little break to the intenseness of the current cases.

I was not one step ahead of the team and fell for the red herrings and twists. It kept me on my toes and gripped to the book.

This is one of those series that doesn’t get a lot of accolades in the main stream book community, but definitely should. If you aren’t reading this series, you should definitely give it a try. It is one I am always recommending.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Guilty Mothers' by Angela Marsons.

OMG!!! SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO US ANGELA!!!! JUST WOW!!!! Seriously love, love LOVED this book!!!! Although, shouldn't be so shocked, it is Angela Marsons and Kim Stone after all!!!! Anyway, on with the review shall I....

Angela's style of writing is absolutely fantastic. She has a way in which she completely absorbs the reader into the book with vivid and graphic descriptions that have you completely lost in the plot. It is the type of book that when you finish you look around and wonder where you are and how is nobody else reacting to the bombshell that has just been dropped!!! One of the most heart racing, nail biting, actually stopped breathing book I've EVER read!!!! I mean how on earth do you do it Angela??? Every single book is more heart racing than the next and this has absolutely smashed it!!! This epic series is the best I have ever read. I mean nobody can beat Kim and the team!!

Angela kicks it out of the ballpark each and every single time!!! How can someone write so many epic, addictive and gritty books yet come up with unique storylines that shock the reader constantly!!! Angela is the absolute queen of crime and if you have never read any of her books then what on earth are you waiting for!!! You are seriously missing out!! The storyline is an absolute rollercoaster ride through a multi layered adventure park set in the world of horror, supernatural, medium and crime!!! There's never just one case with Angela but so much going on, not too much to get you confused but just the perfect amount to keep the pace continuous. The majority of chapters end on cliff-hanger so keeps reader addicted and turning pages. Although this book is the 20th book in the epic Kim Stone series it can easily be read as a standalone. The murders and crimes are unique and morbidly intriguing. I was on the edge of my seat, biting my nails whilst feeling my heart pounding into the silly hours of the morning as this is one book that cannot be put down so clear your diaries before picking it up. It fills you with all emotions from fear to laughter, tension to shock. You would think there would be only so many ways to kill someone but Angela brings new ways to kill her characters of each and every time. If Angela ever decides to go rogue then lock your doors and hide as she has absolutely everything covered!!! The evocative descriptions and Angela's amazing writing skills will have you trying to hunt out the killer/s and the truth with Kim and Bryant while your heart is pounding throughout. My heart was in my throat the whole way through from the epilogue to the very last sentence. I just could not believe what I was reading. As always the last chapter had me absolutely gobsmacked and I absolutely LOVED IT!!! Well done Angela, I'm getting harder and harder to shock but you had me hook, line and sinker!!!! I seriously NEED to see these amazing books on the big screen!! I was absolutely LANDED to discover that these amazing books are actually going to be made into a series and I really cannot wait to see them and to read the next addition in my favourite series with my favourite characters ever!!! The fact that Angela always researches her topics and police procedurals absolutely shines through these books and I want to say a HUGE WELL DONE for that.

Why are you still reading this? Don't bother!!! The book is much better than any of my words can describe so cancel your plans, put the kettle on and get stuck in to this absolutely page turning must read now!!!

These characters have become like very close friends to me and each time I meet them it feels like I haven't been far from them for long. Kim and her fierce attitude, Bryant who is the angel (at times) on Kim's shoulders who (sometimes) manages to calm her down and make her see sense, the hatred for Tracy Frost and so much more. . It isn't all crime and sadness in Angela's books though and it had me giggling on several occasions which is brilliant considering it's a crime novel. Kim's attitude really does make me smile and laugh out loud. Angela creates fantastic team dynamics with memorable characters who work together brilliantly and perfectly. Each character is unique and has strong personalities and they just are completely unforgettable. I absolutely adore the pathologist Keats and how the sarcasm between him and the team and his attitude. Stacey and Penn are also strong team members and I love how they work so well together and yet wind each other up constantly. Angela has brought these characters to life over this series and I have yet to meet a team and group of people I like so much. I genuinely miss them between books.

A MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS ANGELA MARSONS!!! As always you have done the research and you have created what I can guarantee will be one of the best read books ever!! I hope your busy writing cause I cannot wait to get my hands on your next success!!! Seriously what are you waiting for guys??? Stop reading this and get your copy now!!!! This is exactly why you and this series are my favourite author and series!!! You are absolutely amazing and I hope you are busy on your next success because I'm missing the gang already!!!

Overall an absolutely amazing psychological thriller of epic proportions that will keep your heart pounding all night. This is one of the best books I have ever read!!!! An absolute MUST READ!!!

#GuiltyMothers #DetectiveKimStone #AngelaMarsons #AngieMarsons #Bookouture #BookoutureAnonymous
@AngelaMarsons @AngieMarsons @Bookouture @BookoutureAnonymous

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I absolutely adored this amazing book - still as fresh and original and wonderful and addictive as Book 1 in this series. The series just gets better and better. Love how the author tackles serious social issues in her wonderful stories without once losing track of the tight plot or sacrificing pace. The characters come alive and I love how they shine in each book in the series and claim a piece of the reader's heart. In this book I loved how Tiff persisted in her hunch and her pairing with Penn. I also love the exploration of the mother child relationship - just wonderful, hard hitting, thought provoking and beautifully and sensitively handled, as with every one of this author's stories, while never really losing sight of the plot. And there were so many, many twists and turns in this one - so much mystery. Different people, different issues, each handled with such heart. What I like is that she makes us feel even for the murderer, see their point of view. This author is unique and just wonderful - she deserves every accolade and more.

Guilty Mothers (Detective Kim Stone Book 20)
An utterly addictive and nail-biting crime thriller
by Angela Marsons

This gripping thriller, the 20th in the Detective Kim Stone series, starts with a shocking scene: Sheryl Hawne lying in a pool of blood, her daughter Katie holding the murder weapon. It seems like an open-and-shut case until another mother is murdered while Katie is in custody.
The story dives into the dark world of child beauty pageants, and I found myself on edge, eager to uncover the killer's motives. I love how the team, including Kim, Bryant, Stacey, and Penn, work together to solve the case. The addition of Tiff brings a fresh dynamic that keeps the plot exciting.
The tension is palpable throughout, and Marsons' exploration of parent-child relationships adds depth to the story. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end, making it impossible to put it down. I highly recommend Guilty Mothers to all thriller fans.

Very grateful to the publisher @ for this copy, opinions are my own.

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.