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Die Schuldigen
Perfect mothers. Perfect daughters. Perfect lies.
After her husband’s death, Dahlia Kincaid and her 14-year-old daughter Mia move to the exclusive lakefront community of Blackthorn Shores, Michigan, hoping for a fresh start. It feels like a miracle. Lakefront views. Immaculate homes. And a coveted spot in the elite circle of neighborhood mothers. Even Mia is welcomed by the popular girls.
For the first time, Dahlia dares to believe they’ve finally found belonging.
Then one of the girls is found dead after a neighborhood slumber party.
The police suspect murder. All eyes turn to Mia. Blood stains her clothes. Fresh scratches mark her arms. And her story keeps changing. Every new piece of evidence cuts deeper. Every lie Mia tells makes Dahlia wonder what else her daughter is hiding.
As suspicion mounts, the mothers who once embraced Dahlia turn wary and watchful. Rumors sharpen into accusations. Mia withdraws, shutting Dahlia out. Desperate to protect her, Dahlia begins her own hunt for the truth, digging into the secrets buried beneath the community’s polished façade. But every answer she uncovers brings her closer to losing both her daughter and the life she’s fought to build here.
One thing is someone in Blackthorn Shores is a killer. But as Dahlia closes in on the truth, her worst fear isn't that the killer will escape—it's that she already knows who it is.
From USA Today bestselling author Kyla Stone comes a propulsive domestic thriller perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena, and Freida McFadden.
After her husband’s death, Dahlia Kincaid and her 14-year-old daughter Mia move to the exclusive lakefront community of Blackthorn Shores, Michigan, hoping for a fresh start. It feels like a miracle. Lakefront views. Immaculate homes. And a coveted spot in the elite circle of neighborhood mothers. Even Mia is welcomed by the popular girls.
For the first time, Dahlia dares to believe they’ve finally found belonging.
Then one of the girls is found dead after a neighborhood slumber party.
The police suspect murder. All eyes turn to Mia. Blood stains her clothes. Fresh scratches mark her arms. And her story keeps changing. Every new piece of evidence cuts deeper. Every lie Mia tells makes Dahlia wonder what else her daughter is hiding.
As suspicion mounts, the mothers who once embraced Dahlia turn wary and watchful. Rumors sharpen into accusations. Mia withdraws, shutting Dahlia out. Desperate to protect her, Dahlia begins her own hunt for the truth, digging into the secrets buried beneath the community’s polished façade. But every answer she uncovers brings her closer to losing both her daughter and the life she’s fought to build here.
One thing is someone in Blackthorn Shores is a killer. But as Dahlia closes in on the truth, her worst fear isn't that the killer will escape—it's that she already knows who it is.
From USA Today bestselling author Kyla Stone comes a propulsive domestic thriller perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Shari Lapena, and Freida McFadden.
491 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 495 reviews
February 21, 2026
This needed to be shorter. I lost interest during the last third of the book and I couldn’t wait for it to be over. Also had a young adult vibe to it at times that felt silly and annoying.
March 2, 2026
This book started off very strong for me, but felt too long. I started to struggle with the later half and just wanted to finish it rather than caring what happened.
January 9, 2026
Will write up a review once my internet is fixed..
Pretty little liars..secrets and lies..
This book goes to show that whatever this author writes, I will read, because this is a genre she’s not known for writing.
Like a puzzle with missing pieces which we had to put together bit by bit with very little to go on other than what this fierce mother uncovered as she strove to clear her daughter’s reputation.
Pretty little liars..secrets and lies..
This book goes to show that whatever this author writes, I will read, because this is a genre she’s not known for writing.
Like a puzzle with missing pieces which we had to put together bit by bit with very little to go on other than what this fierce mother uncovered as she strove to clear her daughter’s reputation.
February 15, 2026
While this book has an interesting storyline, there are so many characters that it makes it difficult to follow and remember who is who. Six mothers and their six daughters, with husbands, siblings and other neighbors thrown into the mix. It was a lot to try to keep up with.
March 22, 2026
Pathetic
This started out good but the moms and the daughters got on NY last nerve and I couldn't wait to finish. Juvenile, stupid decisions coupled with repetitive sentences made this a very boring unsatisfying read.
This started out good but the moms and the daughters got on NY last nerve and I couldn't wait to finish. Juvenile, stupid decisions coupled with repetitive sentences made this a very boring unsatisfying read.
May 22, 2026
Very predictable….and I was more annoyed with protagonist Dahlia than feeling sorry for her.
February 7, 2026
Whoah! Page Turner!!
February 14, 2026
Ehh
It was ok.
A little too juvenile for me.
A lot of girl drama and cruelty. And there was a lot of redundancy, and predictable. It just wasn't for me.
It was ok.
A little too juvenile for me.
A lot of girl drama and cruelty. And there was a lot of redundancy, and predictable. It just wasn't for me.
October 17, 2026
I could not stop listening to this story!
First, after taking a look at the reviews for this book before writing my own review, I am surprised to see some of the poor reviews. This just goes to show that not every book is for every person and someone's 1 star read is someone else's 5 star read. I hope everyone takes reviews left here with a grain of salt. If I can tell my reader friends one thing, pick up the book if it interests you, no matter what the reviews say and make your own decision if the book is for you or not!
Rant over.
With that said, I listed to this story and randomly found it as I was going through the audible library. If Brittany Pressley is narrating it, I'm reading it! Listening to the preview sold me and I'm so glad to have stumbled on this story. Kyla Stone is a new to me author, and I'm definitely going to be checking out her backlist and anything new that she writes.
If you like rich people behaving badly, stories where everyone seems to be perfect on the outside but you slowly learn that just about everyone has a secret they are keeping, then this story is for you! I will say that at one point I was convinced I knew who did it, but then I started to believe this certain character who said, "it wasn't me", (that's not a spoiler, plenty of characters made this claim!) but then I was bamboozled!
This is a quick read/listen and kept me interested to the point I couldn't stop listening until the story ended. I started it late at night and finished it the next day. If you like a good popcorn thriller, this is for you!
First, after taking a look at the reviews for this book before writing my own review, I am surprised to see some of the poor reviews. This just goes to show that not every book is for every person and someone's 1 star read is someone else's 5 star read. I hope everyone takes reviews left here with a grain of salt. If I can tell my reader friends one thing, pick up the book if it interests you, no matter what the reviews say and make your own decision if the book is for you or not!
Rant over.
With that said, I listed to this story and randomly found it as I was going through the audible library. If Brittany Pressley is narrating it, I'm reading it! Listening to the preview sold me and I'm so glad to have stumbled on this story. Kyla Stone is a new to me author, and I'm definitely going to be checking out her backlist and anything new that she writes.
If you like rich people behaving badly, stories where everyone seems to be perfect on the outside but you slowly learn that just about everyone has a secret they are keeping, then this story is for you! I will say that at one point I was convinced I knew who did it, but then I started to believe this certain character who said, "it wasn't me", (that's not a spoiler, plenty of characters made this claim!) but then I was bamboozled!
This is a quick read/listen and kept me interested to the point I couldn't stop listening until the story ended. I started it late at night and finished it the next day. If you like a good popcorn thriller, this is for you!
October 11, 2026
Not amazing but not bad.
I found this story overall to be a bit long winded and predictable in some ways.
I really didn't like any of the characters and found them really shady, for good reason.
I thought the book was done at about 80% but I think that last 20% was the best part.
Decent read.
I found this story overall to be a bit long winded and predictable in some ways.
I really didn't like any of the characters and found them really shady, for good reason.
I thought the book was done at about 80% but I think that last 20% was the best part.
Decent read.
March 12, 2026
This book pissed me off almost the entire time I was reading it.
January 28, 2026
Enjoyed the book. Kyla is very good at building up the atmosphere - who are the people, how their houses and themselves look like. It makes you to pay attention to the details and actions of the characters. However she manages very well to mislead us dipping some hints in a slow pace. She keeps the excitement up during the conversations and action scenes describing the situation during the dialogue which puts the reader into the middle of the action. The flash-backs are very well timed - you always understand why it was needed at that exact moment. I did not get the point of the last chapter initially, but it made total sense in the end.
May 18, 2026
Ugh. I really wanted to like it :( it dragged on and had a lot of redundancy
June 18, 2026
The book was juvenile and more like a young adult drama with too much going on.
May 27, 2026
I honestly don’t know if this book just wasn’t for me because I’m not a mom, or if I genuinely didn’t like it. The women in my book club seemed to connect with Dahlia’s desperation to protect her daughter, Mia, while I spent most of the book screaming, “WHY DON’T YOU JUST TELL YOUR MOM WHAT HAPPENED?” 😅
The story follows Dahlia after a girl is found dead following a neighborhood slumber party and all signs seem to point toward her daughter, Mia. As the investigation unfolds, Mia becomes more secretive, the other mothers turn into a pack of judgmental vultures, and Dahlia starts digging into the secrets hidden beneath the surface of their seemingly perfect community.
The problem? Every single character made me want to pull my hair out.
The kids were awful. The parents were awful. The friendships were toxic. The communication was nonexistent. Every major conflict felt like it could have been solved if somebody would sit down and have one honest conversation. Instead, everyone lies, hides things, keeps secrets for no reason, and makes the absolute worst decision available at every opportunity.
The twists were fine, but I never found myself shocked because I was too busy being irritated with everyone involved. The book leans heavily into the “everyone is hiding something” formula, and after a while I stopped caring who the killer was because I disliked the entire cast. Even when new revelations came out, my reaction was less “OMG!” and more “Of course you’re hiding that too.”
The saddest part is that the one person I actually liked was Mia’s dad…and he’s dead. 😅
I kept waiting for a character to redeem themselves and give me someone to root for, but it never happened. By the end, I wasn’t invested in the mystery nearly as much as I was invested in finally being done with these people.
Not a terrible book. Not the worst thriller I’ve ever read. But between the frustrating characters, the endless secrets, and my inability to relate to the central mother-daughter dynamic, this one just wasn’t for me.
I can already tell this one is going in the same category as my “I don’t like anyone in this book and wish they’d all seek therapy” reviews. 😂
*** I had also figured out that Rowan had something to do with the death of Leah. Mia was just there when Chloe, Rowan’s daughter, pushed Leah from the cliff. Chloe told her mom and Rowan went back and finished the job. That wasn’t shocking.
The story follows Dahlia after a girl is found dead following a neighborhood slumber party and all signs seem to point toward her daughter, Mia. As the investigation unfolds, Mia becomes more secretive, the other mothers turn into a pack of judgmental vultures, and Dahlia starts digging into the secrets hidden beneath the surface of their seemingly perfect community.
The problem? Every single character made me want to pull my hair out.
The kids were awful. The parents were awful. The friendships were toxic. The communication was nonexistent. Every major conflict felt like it could have been solved if somebody would sit down and have one honest conversation. Instead, everyone lies, hides things, keeps secrets for no reason, and makes the absolute worst decision available at every opportunity.
The twists were fine, but I never found myself shocked because I was too busy being irritated with everyone involved. The book leans heavily into the “everyone is hiding something” formula, and after a while I stopped caring who the killer was because I disliked the entire cast. Even when new revelations came out, my reaction was less “OMG!” and more “Of course you’re hiding that too.”
The saddest part is that the one person I actually liked was Mia’s dad…and he’s dead. 😅
I kept waiting for a character to redeem themselves and give me someone to root for, but it never happened. By the end, I wasn’t invested in the mystery nearly as much as I was invested in finally being done with these people.
Not a terrible book. Not the worst thriller I’ve ever read. But between the frustrating characters, the endless secrets, and my inability to relate to the central mother-daughter dynamic, this one just wasn’t for me.
I can already tell this one is going in the same category as my “I don’t like anyone in this book and wish they’d all seek therapy” reviews. 😂
*** I had also figured out that Rowan had something to do with the death of Leah. Mia was just there when Chloe, Rowan’s daughter, pushed Leah from the cliff. Chloe told her mom and Rowan went back and finished the job. That wasn’t shocking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2026
As a mother to a teen daughter that turns 14 in just weeks, this is one of my worst nightmares.
I devoured this in less than 24 hours. I was constantly changing my thought on who the guilty one was. I need not expect that last chapter. Oof it was rough, but this was such a good read. I was constantly changing my mind on what I thought happened and who did it.
I love Kyla's Edge of Collapse & other apocalypse series, but this locked in that I will read anything she writes.
I devoured this in less than 24 hours. I was constantly changing my thought on who the guilty one was. I need not expect that last chapter. Oof it was rough, but this was such a good read. I was constantly changing my mind on what I thought happened and who did it.
I love Kyla's Edge of Collapse & other apocalypse series, but this locked in that I will read anything she writes.
August 14, 2026
this book should have been at least 100 pages shorter, the mom doesn't do one singular thing that makes any sense or in anyway actually protects her daughter
I should have dnf'd
I should have dnf'd
May 29, 2026
Girl dies at a rich girl sleepover. All the girls turn on one girl who was the dead girls’s best friend. All about mothers and what they’ll do to protect our children. The mother of the girl who’s framed works to try and find evidence that her daughter is innocent. Turns out all the girls were bullying. The dead girl and one mother daughter duo in particular were making fake accounts and bullying her and actually pushed her off the balcony making the best friend think that she did it and then the mother actually bash the girls head. The good mother finds out the truth and helps too for her daughter.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2026
This was a fast paced read, but the inconsistencies in the story drove me nuts. One paragraph will say “they went upstairs.” The next paragraph says “and then they went upstairs” when they were already up there. This happened a lot. The main character also “wiped her sweaty hands in her pants” throughout the entire book. Maybe switch it up a bit instead of repeating the same phrases over and over.
June 21, 2026
Murder. Another reason why sleepovers are falling out of fashion.
January 28, 2026
I've read most of Kyla Stone's apocalyptic series and love them all. She writes in the thriller genre just as well.
The setting is a wealthy gated community that houses some mean girls along with some grown-up mean girls also known as their mothers. Ater losing their husband and father, Dahlia and Mia move to this community not because they are wealthy like the others but because they inherited a small cottage. They are welcomed into the community right away and are very thankful to be included in the established teen and mom cliques. After a sleepover becomes a tragedy Dahlia finds herself fighting to protect her daughter and wondering if they ever were welcomed.
A tense and twisty story that keeps you guessing until the very end. I continued to change my mind on who was to blame and didn't see the ending coming.
The setting is a wealthy gated community that houses some mean girls along with some grown-up mean girls also known as their mothers. Ater losing their husband and father, Dahlia and Mia move to this community not because they are wealthy like the others but because they inherited a small cottage. They are welcomed into the community right away and are very thankful to be included in the established teen and mom cliques. After a sleepover becomes a tragedy Dahlia finds herself fighting to protect her daughter and wondering if they ever were welcomed.
A tense and twisty story that keeps you guessing until the very end. I continued to change my mind on who was to blame and didn't see the ending coming.
February 3, 2026
A lot of people loved this book. It was not poorly written. But I found all the characters to be despicable. Without anyone to root for, I didn’t care who was blamed and/ or responsible.
August 21, 2026
1.5, didn’t gaf about anyone. put them all in jail for being annoying and wasting my time.
June 11, 2026
How anyone could give this more than 2 stars is beyond me. I listened to it. It was a long drawn out story that could have been 5 hours long instead of 11. Don't waste your time. After reading enough to get the gist of it, skip to the last few chapters. It was kind of obvious anyway.
January 30, 2026
2.5 - an interesting enough psychological thriller but not super believable and written rudimentarily
February 5, 2026
Figured out the twist within 75 pages that’s a record so this gets 3 stars because I was generous
April 1, 2026
the killer is chloe the daughter and the mom rowan
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 3, 2026
Everyone in this book sucks, but also I found it enjoyable.
August 14, 2026
Rounded up to 3.5
August 7, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4/5
The Guilty Ones was one of those thrillers that grabbed my attention almost immediately. The story wastes very little time pulling you into the mystery, and I found myself constantly questioning everyone’s motives. Just when I thought I had someone figured out, another twist would make me second-guess everything.
The atmosphere was one of the book’s strongest points. The exclusive lakeside community felt polished on the surface but full of secrets underneath, creating the perfect setting for a psychological thriller. I also appreciated that the story wasn’t just about solving a murder—it explored grief, motherhood, family dynamics, and how far people will go to protect the people they love.
The pacing stayed strong throughout, and the audiobook narration by Brittany Pressley made it even more immersive.
The reason this wasn’t a full five stars for me is that a few twists felt a little convenient, and I would have loved a bit more depth from some of the supporting characters. The ending was satisfying, but I wasn’t completely blown away the way I hoped I would be.
Overall, if you enjoy fast-paced domestic thrillers with unreliable characters, family secrets, and plenty of suspense, this is definitely worth picking up. I stayed invested from beginning to end and would absolutely read more from Kyla Stone.
The Guilty Ones was one of those thrillers that grabbed my attention almost immediately. The story wastes very little time pulling you into the mystery, and I found myself constantly questioning everyone’s motives. Just when I thought I had someone figured out, another twist would make me second-guess everything.
The atmosphere was one of the book’s strongest points. The exclusive lakeside community felt polished on the surface but full of secrets underneath, creating the perfect setting for a psychological thriller. I also appreciated that the story wasn’t just about solving a murder—it explored grief, motherhood, family dynamics, and how far people will go to protect the people they love.
The pacing stayed strong throughout, and the audiobook narration by Brittany Pressley made it even more immersive.
The reason this wasn’t a full five stars for me is that a few twists felt a little convenient, and I would have loved a bit more depth from some of the supporting characters. The ending was satisfying, but I wasn’t completely blown away the way I hoped I would be.
Overall, if you enjoy fast-paced domestic thrillers with unreliable characters, family secrets, and plenty of suspense, this is definitely worth picking up. I stayed invested from beginning to end and would absolutely read more from Kyla Stone.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 495 reviews