Crime and thrillers and a massive genre and make a good portion of book sales. So deciding on a new author to read can be quite labour intensive, there are so many to choose from. Having never read anything by Marcia Clark previously I came across Guilt by Degrees which sounded interesting and intriguing, I was swayed by the fact that she was the lead prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson murder case so knew that she would have a very good working insight and understanding of the law so had good hopes for the book.
Guilt by Degrees is the second novel in Rachel Knight series (there are four books in the series: Guilt by Association, Guilt by Degrees, Killer Ambition and The Competition).
Rachel Knight is a Deputy District Attorney in the Special Trials Unit based in Los Angeles. When she takes on a new case looking into the murder of a homeless man, it seems like an impossible investigation as there are no reliable witnesses and even fewer leads. With the help of her best friend Detective Bailey Keller, they start to investigate but someone is watching their every move and they are soon warned off the case.
But Rachel is determined to get to the bottom of the case and it soon leads to another murder two years previously; the brutal axe murder of a LAPD police officer. The two cases seem to be connected, but the alleged killer was acquitted by jury in the first murder.
With two murders to investigate, her life and her career in jeopardy as a she becomes part of a psychopath’s obsession. She is going down a very dangerous path and will need to discover and unravel a complex story to reach the truth. The more she delves, the deeper she gets, slowly revealing more layers to the story and showing just how smart and dangerous her opponent is.
Overall, Guilt by Degrees is a very entertaining legal thriller / crime novel, superbly written with absorbing characters, plenty of plot twists and packed with suspense. As Marcia Clark was a high-profile criminal lawyer and the lead prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson trial, she certainly knows all the legal ins and outs and procedures, which come through in her writing. She writes in such a way that is a pleasure to read and the legal terms used are not stuffy or boring, but still accurate.
With its short chapters and wonderful characters, it is a fast read and one that keeps you turning the page, leaving you reluctant to put the book down. With excellent plot twists that keep the story moving without becoming confusing and losing the story, you are kept guessing right until the end. If you like authors like James Patterson and John Grisham, you will love the Rachel Knight series by Marcia Clark and will not be disappointed with Guilt by Degrees.
I can highly recommend this book and Marcia Clark.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £17.99 (Hardback) / £7.99 (Paperback) / £2.99 (Kindle)
For more information, visit marciaclarkbooks.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.
