Book Review: Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark

Guilt by Degrees
Author: Marcia Clark
Series: A Rachel Knight Novel
Publication: Mulholland Books; 1 edition (May 8, 2012)

Description: Someone has been watching D.A. Rachel Knight--someone who's Rachel's equal in brains, but with more malicious intentions. It began when a near-impossible case fell into Rachel's lap, the suspectless homicide of a homeless man. In the face of courthouse backbiting and a gauzy web of clues, Rachel is determined to deliver justice. She's got back-up: tough-as-nails Detective Bailey Keller. As Rachel and Bailey stir things up, they're shocked to uncover a connection with the vicious murder of an LAPD cop a year earlier. Something tells Rachel someone knows the truth, someone who'd kill to keep it secret.

Harrowing, smart, and riotously entertaining, GUILT BY DEGREES is a thrilling ride through the world of LA courts with the unforgettable Rachel Knight.

My Thoughts: Rachel Knight's next baffling case starts out with the murder of a homeless man. She is in court waiting for her turn with the judge when the case before hers goes belly up due to the sheer incompetence of the prosecutor. When the judge dismisses the case, Rachel decides she wants justice for the homeless victim and refiles.

Now Rachel and her friend Bailey have to build a case to get justice for the homeless guy. But nothing is simple. It takes a while to identify him and then they learn that he was the brother of a police officer who was butchered in his home a year earlier. The main suspect was his beautiful wife Lilah who also happened to be a lawyer. She was acquitted and then disappeared. Rachel and Bailey really want to find her and talk to her.

Meanwhile, Lilah has started a new secret business venture. It seems that she is in the business of digging up dirt on people and selling the information she finds. When Rachel starts to get close to finding her, she decides that Rachel has to go which leads to a couple of attempts on her life.

I liked the fast-paced action in this one. I also liked the realistic investigative techniques that Rachel and Bailey use. Rachel is also dealing with a romantic crisis as her current boyfriend is getting too close to the secrets Rachel wants to keep buried in her past. I liked that Rachel spends a lot of time meeting in various restaurants that all sound good and make me wonder if they actually exist in the LA area.

I recommend this series for fans of police procedurals and thrillers.

Favorite Quote:

Though no victim is ever just a chalk outline to me, the colors unique to each one fill in slowly, over time, painted layer by layer with the memories and feelings of their loved ones, until ultimately a picture with depth and nuance emerges.

I bought this one July 23, 2014. You can buy your copy here.