Book Review - Guilty Mothers by Angela Marsons - #BlogTour

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Title: Guilty Mothers

Author: Angela Marsons

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 30th May 2024

Rating: 5 Stars

She lies on the floor, her blue eyes wide and unseeing, arms outstretched as if begging for help. Kneeling next to her, wearing a purple sequinned ballgown and holding a knife in shaking hands, is her daughter…

In a quiet kitchen, where two mugs wait by the kettle to be filled, Sheryl Hawne lies in a pool of blood. Her only daughter, Katie, is found at her side, still clutching the murder weapon and apparently incapable of speech. To Detective Kim Stone, the case seems open and shut. But Katie is in no state to be questioned, so Kim and the team must dig deep to understand what triggered this brutal act.

Soon, they learn that Katie participated in beauty pageants as a child, and her mother kept a shrine to her achievements. As Kim gazes at the golden trophies and shiny rosettes, she is forced to wonder if this was what set Katie on the path to murder…

But then Kim receives a shocking call. Another woman is dead. And with Katie safely locked up, she cannot be the killer. The second victim also entered her daughter in pageants, and a broken tiara is found thrust down her throat. Someone clearly feels that these mothers are guilty – and that they deserve to die. Forcing back the memories of her own monstrous mother, Kim vows to find justice for these women, no matter what pain they caused.

Now more than a day behind their killer, Kim races to learn more about a competitive world where appearances are everything and mothers will go to any lengths to ensure their daughters triumph. Buried somewhere in this dark past is the key to unlocking the case… but will Kim be able to find it before another family is destroyed forever?

The twentieth book in the international, multi-million-copy bestselling series, Guilty Mothers will have you glued to the pages. Fans of Karin Slaughter, Val McDermid and Robert Dugoni will devour this gripping crime thriller.

I can't believe we are twenty books into this amazing series already. Feels like only yesterday I was sitting down and devouring the first DI Kim Stone book which had me hooked for life! 

I adore this series, and Guilty Mothers is another wonderful addition to it. 

Not only do we have the main case which is set within the world of childhood beauty pageants, Tink is also back and has asked Kim for help with a situation which  was heart breaking.  In fact this side storyline held my attention and had me possibly even more invested than the main one.  And seeing Tink work with Penn was a fresh dynamic and interesting to see. 

Stacy is back to her best after her ordeal in the previous book, which I was very happy to see, and the Kim and Bryant partnership is a enjoyable and brilliant as ever. 

It is a far more complex case than it first seemed, but then again it would have been a very short book had the person standing over the dead body, holding the murder weapon, been guilty! So I was sort of glad when the body count rose, as it meant we got to see Kim's team do what they do best! 

This was one of those rarer crime books where I did have sympathy for the murderer, but there is no excuse for what they did. I loved hearing about this world which was so unfamiliar to Kim. 

I was hooked on this book and couldn't read it fast enough.  I didn't remotely guess correctly, and I was over the moon with the way the case that Penn and Tink were working on was resolved and dealt with. 

Another wonderful addition to this addictive series. 

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.