A really interesting mystery revolving around various maternal relationships.

There were two key themes in here: 1) how the pageant life affected different mother-daughter relationships and their broader families; and 2) the power dynamics in mother-children relationships. The mystery was fast enough paced that it kept me guessing and reading.

I deducted a star because there were certain times when ideas were so explicit and spelled out for me, which I dislike in books. There was one part where they were educating Bryant on the patriarchy, which led to Bryant admitting he was part of the "all lives matter" crew, and this whole conversation just felt a little weird to me. It also seemed odd that the female boss's second in command didn't fully believe in the patriarchy or racism.

Otherwise, lots of good things here that will have you reflecting.

This was my first Angela Marsons book, and I would consider reading more. It's not my favourite style, but the mystery itself was interesting.

Another excellent book in the Kim Stone series. It may be book 20 but all have been brilliant 5 star reads. Angela manages to keep writing fresh excellent stories while still references the background of the characters. Her style of writing is so easy to read and very hard to put down. Although this can be read as a standalone I highly recommend you read the series in order as they are all so good. I 1000% recommend this book/series and author.

Amazingly brilliant as always love all Angela Marson books she is my favourite author and never disappionts x

WOWZA!

Angela Marsons delivers yet again (seriously, when doesn't she deliver?) with Guilty Mothers, the 20th book in the DI Kim Stone series!!!!! As with the other books in the series, this book was gripping, thought provoking, shocking and hard to put down. This series is a MUST read for me. I love the camaraderie between Kim and her team, their banter, their humor, their detective work, the cases they investigate, and Angela Marson's wonderful writing. Plus, the character development that has occurred in this series has been wonderful to read. I enjoy the balance between the characters’ personal lives and their detective work. Having said that, this book is mainly focused on the case(s) Kim and her team are investigating.

Things aren't always pretty in the world of beauty pageants. The focus to be perfect, to stand right, to walk right, to weigh the right amount.... For some it is a fun experience, for others it is a highly competitive and brutal experience. In Guilty Mothers, the Stage Moms/mothers of former child pageant contestants are being murdered. As Kim and her team begin to investigate, they learn that walking on the stage was not always a walk in the park for the child pageant contestants.

I always found child beauty pageants to be icky and creepy: putting make up on children, parading them around in high heels and wearing not always childlike costumes. This book shows the mother's drive to have their daughters win, the focus on being perfect, the impossible beauty standards, and having to be judged. There is a lot of food for thought in this alone.

In another case, a man's body has been found in a fishing lake. Did he fall in, how did he die? He has been reported missing and when Tiff visits the woman who reported him missing to inform her of his death, she gets an uneasy feeling about the woman's son...

The book has many themes, the main one being about Mothers/Motherhood and the relationships between mothers and their children. Readers of the series are aware of the relationship that Kim had with her mother as a child and see the relationships that the characters in this book have/had with their mothers. This book also touches on competition, relationships, trauma, jealousy, abuse, and loss.


There was a nice amount of tension, twists, and reveals in this book which had me turning the page and wanting more. There is a lot going on in this book and Kim and her team are kept very busy as they investigate whodunit. They will have their hands full but will not be deterred.

Gripping, shocking, thought provoking and hard to put down!

Here we have another wonderful read from Angela Marsons with book number 20 in the brilliant Kim Stone series.
If you haven't read this series then I totally recommend that do you and although this can be read as a standalone book I highly recommend that you read the previous books in the series to get the back story.
This time out Kim and the team are investigating the murders of the mothers of young beauty pageant entrants from several years previous. As with all her books Angela weaves a twisting tale with red herrings thrown in here and there to keep you guessing to the end.
Highly recommend, 5 ***** read.

I can't quite believe that I have now read 20 books featuring the brilliant Kim Stone, but I have and every single one has been a five star read!

Guilty Mothers explores the world of child pageants when the most recent murder Sheryl Hawne is found dead in her kitchen. Her daughter Katie is chief suspect as soon as it is known that she has long harboured resentment regarding the treatment that had been metered out by her mother determined to win all the prizes. Then Kim realises that it might not be the open and shut case she first thought.

Then a body is found of a man reported missing two years ago to be investigated with Tiff leading the way with her suspicions.

In true Kim Stone form, she is also trying to appease Woody by putting in a contestant for the talent show! And it is this kind of detail that makes this series so very appealing. There really is not a better police procedural series on the block.

This is the 20th Kim Stone novel and Angela Marsons delivers consistently excellent work with this being no exception.
I'm not sure where she gets her great ideas from but each manages to feel fresh and new whilst still adhering to the back story.
One of my favourite writers of police procedural thrillers and another installment that I struggled to put down.

Twenty volumes in and Kim Stone’s cases are just as suspenseful. For once, Kim and her team get an easy case, a woman stabbed to death and her estranged daughter standing over her with a bloody knife. Easy, right? Well, going by the 19 previous novels, it’s probably too good to be true. This is soon evident when a second woman turns up dead and they realize that the victims were pageant moms, taking them down the rabbit hole of a world as bizarre as it is lucrative. As usual, the plot is twisty and full of brilliant dialogues. We also get Tiff (or Tink) back, trying to get her own career off the ground. She has a bad feeling about a case and she asks Kim for help. I loved this subplot, that was just as interesting as the main investigation. As you can tell from the title, this story is about mothers. Bad mothers, clingy mothers, selfish, narcissistic and regular, imperfect mothers. The author recently lost hers, so many of the dialogues about moms are especially poignant. The usual humor is not missing, though, which lightens up what could have been a sadder novel. I read this in one day, so all I can say is that this is an excellent entry in a great series.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Bookouture.

If I had to summarise this book in one sentence it’d be: a quintessentially British detective story focused on murder in the pageant world.

This is my first time reading this author / Kim Stone series and I can definitely see how one could become addicted to the series if you enjoy the book.

Things I like:
- Short, fast chapters
- Drawn in from the beginning
- Interesting character developments, such as the journey Katie went on
- I found learning about the pageant world surprisingly interesting (although I’m not sure how factual it is)

Things I didn’t like:
- Too many characters
- I personally didn’t love the talent show aspect to the book, but I can see if you’re into the series how this might add to the book.

Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone series is the epitome of excellence.

The writing and characterisation is superb

Unable to put the book down. A real page turner. Engrossing from start to finish.

Fantastic new instalment in the Kim Stone series. A gripping police procedural based around mothers. The importance, impact and fragility of mother daughter relationships. A classic whodunnit in relation to various pageant girls' mothers being murdered. Explores topical themes, including the impact of beauty expectations.

A side story, based on police instincts, also kept the pace up. Also about a mother, but in relation to her son.

As always, I enjoyed the teams banter and Kim's sass.

Highly recommend this series. Please check TWs online

This book is a look at the dark side of beauty pagents. Detective Kim Stone and her team are investigating the brutal murders of several women, all mothers of beauty pagent daughters. Another case involves a body found in a lake. Was it an accidental drowning or was he pushed? This was a fast paced police procedural full of twists and turns that kept me glued to my kindle until the satisfying ending.

Another fantastic book by Angela Marsons and featuring Detective Kim Stone in her 20th outing. I devoured this on a long-haul flight!
A mother is found murdered in what seems like an open and shut case - the daughter is found sitting next to the body, holding a knife and covered in blood. But something is not right - the daughter seems to be suffering from a mental breakdown and gives quite a show at the police station.
Then another mother is found murdered - it can’t be a coincidence, and it can’t be the daughter from the first case, as she was with the police at the time.
Then Kim finds out that both daughters took part in beauty pageants - could this be the connection?
Can Kim and her team find out who killed these two mothers before any more are killed?
Thai book explores the trials and tribulations of beauty pageants and the cost to both children and their families.
A great read - thanks to #bookouture and #netgalley for the advance copy.

The 20th book in the D.I. Kim Stone series. I still get excited for each new book.
Anyone who has read a Kim Stone book will need no convincing to read this.
Anyone who hasn’t started this series really needs to, it is amazing. Start at the beginning with book 1, Silent Scream.
They are fast-paced and effortless to read, I always race through, unable to put the book down. Angie Marsons has the knack to hook me in from the first page, and the short chapters are perfect for ‘just another chapter’.
I feel that I learn something with every book. This time it’s the world of childhood beauty pageants, and the different attitudes of mother and child react to them. Some fondly remember those days, and some hate the memories.
There is a second story running alongside, where the body of a man was found in a lake. This was fascinating, and what seemed a simple case to solve became a much deeper insight into family life. Tiff, who had helped in previous cases, felt there was something amiss and Kim allowed her to follow her instincts with help from Penn.
Fabulous as always, I love Kim Stone and her team. The banter, the caring between them. They are all such different characters and I love them more with every book.
I recommend this book 100%, and all the others in the series.
Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy in which I give my honest opinion.

Another fantastic read in the DI Kim Stone series. Book 20 and it’s still as brilliant and gripping as ever. I could never get bored of Kim or her team.

This book tells the story of young girls and beauty pageants and pushy narcissistic mothers. Many decades later someone decides to kill some of the mothers. Throw in another mother relationship between a mum and son who likes to control and abuse his mum, it was definitely worth a read.

I have always loved the dynamics of the team, still not over certain deaths from many books ago, but this lot have years of material left of which I eagerly await them.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Detective Kim Stone and the team are back to investigate the murder of a mother, savagely stabbed to death, with her grown up daughter sitting at the murder scene with the knife. Case closed. However, another mother is murdered and the autopsies reveal trinkets from both daughters childhood pageant days. There is a killer out there with reasoning behind their revenge and the clock is ticking before another victim is found.
As always, this book delivers a great plot and the camaraderie within the team is first class. Kim’s dry humour keeps them in check and closely knit. Any fan of this book should defo treat themselves to reading the entire series. Superb!!

Love it! Love this series so much, Angela is a fantastic writer and I hope there is much more to come.

Another exceptional read from Angela Marsons!! I am running out of words to describe how great this series is. This latest is as good as all the others. An absolutely brilliant series and this latest is a welcome addition, I would say the best yet. Page turner of a book, keeping you hooked from the first page to the last. 5 stars all the way.

Book 20 looks at the not so pleasant side of children’s beauty pageants. Whilst not my favourite of the Kim Stone books, it was marvellous to have Kim and her team back in my life.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and of course the author for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 20th instalment in the DI Kim Stone series, 'Guilty Mothers' lives up to the standard set by the previous books in the series. This novel delves into the realm of child beauty pageants, revealing a world far beyond the glittering façade of sequins and smiles. Has a good pace and gripping plot, I read this in one sitting!