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Guilt by Degrees

A Rachel Knight Mystery by Marcia Clark

Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark

Review: Rachel Knight, a member of the Special Trials Unit of the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, takes on a nearly impossible assignment: prosecute the killer of a homeless man, a crime that has no suspects or motive, in Guilt by Degrees, the second legal thriller in this series by Marcia Clark.

The case was nearly thrown out for lack of intent to prosecute when Rachel stepped in to accept it. Her legal partner, Toni LaCollier, and Detective Bailey Keller, agree to help her get started. The dead man, known only as "John Doe" to the courts, is finally identified as Simon Bayer … and in an apparently bizarre coincidence, he is the brother of slain police officer Zack Bayer. Bayer's wife Lilah was prosecuted for the crime, but was found not guilty just two months earlier. Could it be possible these two cases are linked? How? Why? The answers to these questions are apparently to be found in the streets of LA, where vagrants, beggars, and the homeless are in possession of the information Rachel needs.

This intense and riveting thriller has creatively drawn characters racing against time in the context of a convincing law-and-order driven investigation. There is a good balance between nerve-racking scenes of danger and light-hearted banter between friends. But it is the solid murder mystery at the core of Guilt by Degrees, and the enemy that Rachel Knight is forced to face, that is its most strongly developed element, one that elevates it into the top tier of legal thrillers to be published this year. This is a book not to be missed.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Guilt by Degrees.

Acknowledgment: Mulholland Books provided an eARC of Guilt by Degrees for this review.

Review Copyright © 2012 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved

Location(s) referenced in Guilt by Degrees: Los Angeles, California

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Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark

Guilt by Degrees by A Rachel Knight Mystery

Publisher: Mulholland Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0-316-12953-4
Publication Date:
List Price: $25.99

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Page Author: Lance Wright
Site Publisher: Mysterious Reviews

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