Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Unavailable
Guilt by Degrees
Unavailable
Guilt by Degrees
Unavailable
Guilt by Degrees
Audiobook12 hours

Guilt by Degrees

Written by Marcia Clark

Narrated by January LaVoy

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

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.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 8, 2012
ISBN9781611133912
Unavailable
Guilt by Degrees
Author

Marcia Clark

California native Marcia Clark is the author of Guilt by Association, Guilt by Degrees, Killer Ambition, and The Competition, all part of the Rachel Knight series. A practicing criminal lawyer since 1979, she joined the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in 1981, where she served as prosecutor for the trials of Robert Bardo, convicted of killing actress Rebecca Schaeffer, and, most notably, O. J. Simpson. The bestselling Without a Doubt, which she cowrote, chronicles her work on the Simpson trial. Clark has been a frequent commentator on a variety of shows and networks, including Today, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and MSNBC, as well as a legal correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

Related to Guilt by Degrees

Related audiobooks

Mystery For You

View More

Related articles

Reviews for Guilt by Degrees

Rating: 4.0899980000000005 out of 5 stars
4/5

100 ratings27 reviews

What did you think?

Tap to rate

Review must be at least 10 words

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    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.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Sorry about the late review! When I saw that the third book in this series is coming soon, I realized that this second installment was buried in my TBR pile; quite a shame, because it's a good book. Rachel Knight is a series I want to continue to follow.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An enjoyable read, especially if you want to read mystery/procedurals written by female authors and with empowered female characters. I would not call it "riotously entertaining" as one reviewer did, but it is a solid story, with well-developed characters -- the second in Clark's Rachel Knight series. Some good twists and turns, but Clark must have a marketing deal with various companies, because she drops more name brands in one book than I have seen in the last 50 I have read... oh, and the main character seems to really enjoy Pinot Noir, which is ok, because so do I.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Author: Marcia ClarkPublished By: Mulholland BooksAge Recommended: AdultReviewed By: Arlena DeanRating: 5Review: "Guilt By Degrees" by Marcia Clark was full of suspense, mystery and also a thriller intriguing read. We find thirty-four year old, LA District Attorney Rachel Knight and her friend, Detective Bailey Keller will investigate a homeless man murder and this will take them to a murder of a LAPD policeman. Trying to solve both of these cases will lead them into a dangerous path that will take them where "they will need to uncover a complex story to uncover the truth and risking their lives in the process." It seems the deeper they get into this investigation, both Knight and Bailey are seeing just how dangerous their opponent really is. You will find "Guilt By Degrees" to be a well written novel and enjoyable to read that will keep you turning the pages for more. Be ready for many twist and turns that will keep you trying to guess who this is as the story unfolds. This author writes a novel that is "fulled with mesmerizing details, characters that you can relate to, and an abundance of unbelievable plot diversity." If you are in for a thrill of a ride 'though the world of the LA court system'...you have come to the right place... for "Guilt By Degrees" will take you there and Yes, I would recommend this novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I can remember when Ms. Clark's first book, Guilt by Association, first came out and I must say, I was a little conflicted about reading it. Yes, I imagine few people know the law enforcement world of LA better than Clark, famous for her prosecution in the OJ Simpson case. But just because someone is well known, and maybe can get a book contract, does not mean they can actually write and I feared that was the case here. Well, I never did read that first book, but when I received a copy of her second, Guilty by Degrees, through Library Thing's Early Reviewer program, I was happy to check it out.And I will admit, my fears were totally unfounded.Ms. Clark is a very good writer and this is a very good, very entertaining legal/police thriller.The plot is clever and smart, full of suspense and moves along at a steady pace, a pace that will make it hard to put the book down. The dialogue is very well done, smart and often with a touch of humor. The characters, especially Rachel, are very good, very believable. But as we hope with a good character, she is far from perfect, with a few hidden secrets of her own than she will go to great lengths to protect, even ending a relationship with the man she loves when he gets a little too nosy about her past. So maybe that gives her a little more insight into out villain in this book, and a very good villain it is, every bit as smart and clever as Rachel, a very worthy adversary with their own dark, very dark, past. And I assume a villain we might see more of in the future, since that is left a bit open-ended at the book's end.I do have a few small issues with the book. I could not help but wonder how a prosecutor had so much time, days and days, to be on the road, doing her own investigation. Doesn't she have a desk full of other cases to be working on? Yes, there is a little mention of that, a few late nights at the office, 'cleaning up', but it still seemed rather unbelievable. And the frequent restaurant name dropping, while interesting at first, got a bit tiring as it went on and on. Do these people never eat at home? Do they never end a day with drinking a few martinis?Still, I must admit that Clark was able to make Los Angelos, a city I have never had much interest in, seem rather intriguing. And that is doing something!Guilty by Degrees is a well written, quite well done book, one that mystery fans, especially fans of legal and police thrillers, will want to pick up.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In Guilt by Degrees we catch up with deputy district attorney Rachel Knight and her colleagues as she gets involved with a case that (sort of) fell into her lap. Rachel works closely with good friend and detective Bailey Keller as they look into the murder of a police officer. The prime suspect is a sociopath who just happened to be his wife. As they get closer to the suspect, things get very dicey for Rachel. I received this book from Library Thing, and it was a nice surprise because the proof also had her first book, Guilt by Association, so OF COURSE I had to read that one first! I actually liked Guilt by Association better. I really like the characters of Rachel and Bailey (and Toni!), great friends and super slueths! I will definitely keep reading Marcia Clark:)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Rachel Knight returns again as a LA County Deputy DA, this time trying to solve a murder involving a homeless man who died on the street, surrounded by hundreds of people in broad daylight. In this second novel, Rachel's police officer friend, Bailey, and her other cohorts return to support her in her quest to find a psychopathic lawyer, who may have brutally murdered her husband and the homeless man in cold blood. Rachel's character is slighly more fleshed out in this book, as her sister's disappearance is described and revealed in more detail. I thought this second novel was better written than the first, with more suspense and the promise of an ongoing climatic storyline for future novels. I particularly enjoyed how characters were both good and evil, as criminals sometimes demonstrated a desire to do the right thing and the apparently innocent were revealed to have a dark side. I also enjoyed the romantic conflicts Rachel struggled with and the return of her gangster buddy, Louis, who always brings a humorous aspect to the storyline.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really enjoyed reading Guilt by Degrees. I don't usually hand out five stars, but this book kept me glued until the very end and I finished it over the course of a single day. And I must mention that I had many other things I should have been doing rather than reading so that speaks highly of the book. Rachel Knight is haunted by her past and is determined to solve the case of a homeless man. While she normally gets the high profile cases, there is irony in how the tables turn when it is found out that the victim is someone of consequence. The book has many twists and turns in the plot with Rachel becoming the victim of a stalker that is equal to herself in intelligence and wit. The book is very plot driven although the characters are deep. Rachel's past has kept her from forming deep relationships and more details are unveiled about her character and her relationships over the course of the book. These make for a nice add to the story line and character development.I had not read the first book in this series, although after enjoying this book so much, I will go back and read it. This book reads as a standalone although it is the second in the series.Reader received a complimentary copy from Good Reads First Reads and the publisher. (
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Marcia Clark's new novel is a very good story about a deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles Special Trials Unit. Rachel Knight and her colleagues are hand-picked for the Unit and are assigned high profile, complicated cases because of their exceptional prosecution skills. Rachel takes over a case from a less talented prosecutor outside of the Unit she thinks botched the trial. This unusual action causes resentment that puts Rachel under pressure to get a conviction.With the help of a detective friend in the LAPD, Bailey Keller, Rachael conducts an investigation that ranges from the homeless warrens of downtown LA to the partly bohemian coastal town of Venice. The case involves the murder of a police officer that the district attorney and cop believe was done by the officer's wife, Lilah. She is a sociopathic lawyer who has a secretive business as a consultant to wealthy clients who are looking to gain control over others. Lilah is intelligent and ruthless with very good success digging up evidence of indiscretions of her clients' targets. She uses these skills to interfere with Rachel's investigation.Rachel and Baily track down evidence against Lilah, risking condemnation by other prosecutors and physical harm by Lilah and her henchman. Readers get an interesting view of Los Angeles and the people who live and work there in the world of law and order. I like the character development in the novel of Rachel, Bailey, and Toni a lawyer friend in the Special Trials Unit. The three women get together at top restaurants in the multi-city Southern California area to enjoy good wine, expensive vodka, and delicious cuisine using the social time to discuss the murder case. This is a very effective way to inform readers about the case and the personalities of the characters. Although progress in the case is very difficult, the three friends' lives are not all work and no play. The handsome and successful male friends of Rachel and Bailey also play key roles in the limited social life of the hard working team.Guilt by Degrees is a lengthy novel, over 400 pages, but I enjoyed every page. The narrative is fast paced with intelligent with interesting dialogue. The case against Lilah comes to a surprising end that will make readers look forward to the next Rachel Knight thriller. Like many others, I watched much of the O. J. Simpson trial and was very impressed with Marcia Clark's prosecution of the case. I kept picturing her as Rachel Knight throughout the novel, seeing both fictional character and actual lawyer as "sophisticated ladies."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I must say, I would have never imagined, while watching Marcia Clark work as prosecutor in O.J. Simpson trial, that she would have such a great spark as a writer, but she doubtlessly does. Having enjoyed her debut novel "Guilt by Association" I was eagerly looking forward to my copy of "Guilt by Degrees", her second work, through Early Reviewers. And though my March copy took time and arrived in mid June, I was generously rewarded: first of all, the copy contained both books in one volume and not just one, and secondly, the second novel was even a notch better than the first one, in my opinion. The protagonist, Rachel Knight, from Special Trials Unit in District Attorney's Office, whom we know from the previous book, is back at work on a very twisted murder case (described by her as "two psychopaths locked in an unending battle of wills"). Her passion for her work, her delightful sense of humor, often directed at herself, her knack for solving crime along with her friend detective Bailey Keller, make her a most appealing character. It's impossible to make light of a flagitious crime scene, yet the author manages to distract us from it by Rachel's perspicacity, her quick wit and hands-on approach. There is also a private life theme going on there, with its ups and downs, which all in all makes for fine novel, a page-turner for sure.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It is going to take a while to read it is the first and second book. Suggested you read the 1st one first..... how cool that is to get both books. Be patient with me. As usual I have a lot of books.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Guilt by Degrees was a well-written entertaining mystery. When I started the book I wasn't sure I would like it as I had not read anything by Ms. Clark, but it was a very good read. DA Rachel Knight takes over a case from another prosecutor who could.not care less about the case and so it would not be dismissed. Rachel is a member of the Special Trials Unit a department that is highly criticized due to the fact that they get all the high profile cases. She also has issues in her personal life from childhood. Her boyfriend Graden, does a background check and learns her secret and her two friends Bailey and Toni help her with the investigation. Rachel and company get shot at,beat up and were involved in a traffic accident meant to kill. This was a wonderfully developed story and I loved the way the characters were created. I highly recommend this book.Thanks to Little,Brown and Company and Net Galley.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another pretty good book in this series. Characters are not deeply drawn, but a compelling plot.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed this book. It moved along nicely. I got into the friendships of the characters. They may have eaten a bit too much but maybe that's because I am on a diet
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I love a good mystery/thriller series, but I rarely read them back to back. I like to spread them out and savor them. This series has been an exception. After I read the first one, Guilt by Association, I wanted to move right on to the next one. Guilt by Degrees is even more compelling than the first in the series. There are surprising connections and twists throughout the book, and it all came together very nicely. The same characters, humor, and action was there from the first book. Once again, I combined reading with listening to the audiobook, which is narrated extremely well by January LaVoy. This was an excellent continuation of the series.

    Copy provided by Netgalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an unbiased review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That in no way changes my opinion of this book or this author.

    Rachel Knight returns in “Guilt by Degrees” at the top of her game in the DA’s office. She takes on the case of a murdered homeless man, because of the horrible job another Prosecutor has done on it so far; but does not realize just how deep she is going to have to dig to find out the truth. She is racing the clock on this case, and needs the assistance of her friends on the police force to beat time. One thing she knows for certain is that justice needs to be served for this man who was senselessly murdered on the streets of Los Angeles.

    Rachel is able to find some video of the incident, but nothing seems to make sense. The images are not as clear as she would hope, so it is uncertain who actually stabbed the victim, Simon. Immediately before Simon was stabbed, he is seen grabbing at a woman, who later disappears. Others dismissed it saying he was going to rob her of her purse and that a Good Samaritan standing by stabbed him to stop him, or even that the woman he was approaching stabbed him in self-defense. However, she is nowhere to be found and no one is speaking up.

    Rachel and her friend Bailey discover that the woman in the video was the wife of Simon’s late brother, a LAPD cop who had also been murdered. Nothing seems to be as it appears in the least. Simon was convinced that Lilah, his ex-sister-in-law killed his brother, Zack, and had tried to prove her guilty. However, his search for her guilt took a toll on him mentally and physically; and ultimately lead to his demise.

    Once again, this is another great book by Marcia Clark, and I am ready to dive into book 3.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Another DA working in Rachel Knight’s office didn’t care about the case of a murdered homeless man … a ‘John Doe.’ If Rachel, DA for Special Trials, hadn’t taken over the case, it would have been dismissed and no justice would have been obtained for the man. As she begins investigating with the help of her legal partner, Toni LaCollier and Detective Bailey Keller, she finds that the man was Simon Bayer, the brother of Zack Bayer, an officer who’d been killed two years before. The accused had been Bayer’s wife, Lilah, but she’d been released … not guilty. Is the recent murder of Simon related to his brother’s death? To find much-needed answers, they take to the LA streets and talk to others who are homeless that possibly knew Simon. They must be getting close as the danger level increases.Can anyone say ‘desensitized’? The first chapter of this novel reminds us how many people have literally become desensitized to the deaths of others. In this case, it is the homeless man. He laid dying on the streets of LA for a couple of hours before authorities were called. By that time, he was dead. And so, this novel is very gripping and sadly real. This is Marcia Clark’s second in her Rachel Knight series, following Guilt by Association. As in the first book, I liked Rachel’s personality. I enjoyed the mystery element of the story and watching the legal case unfold. There did seem to be some unnecessary filler added, but my biggest annoyance was the issues that remained unresolved by the end. Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is the second book in the Rachel Knight series. I started it as soon as I finished the first one and it was great as well. The books have a nice blend of police work and courtroom drama. This story also grabbed me at the beginning of the book and kept me reading and not wanting to stop all the way through.Recommended as well. :-)I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The only downside to a meeting at the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail was that I'd have to go to the Los Angeles County Men's Central Jail.I was invited on NetGalley to read all the books of this series that have been released so far and I am a book addict so of course I grabbed them all eagerly. The first book in the series was okay and I had been hoping that the further along in the series I got the more I would like them but this one really had a mix of good aspects and bad aspects. I found that the good slightly outweighed the bad in this case.While in the first book of the series I wasn't a big fan of Rachel Knight in this one I have really started to warm up to her and can understand why she is so stubborn. The more I read of this book the more I actually started to like Rachel Knight but then it is revealed to readers what happened in regards to her sister, Romy, and I just felt so horrible for her. It really explained some of her habits and personality traits that really had me annoyed before I knew. I still get annoyed at her careless disregard for her and others safety when she is trying to catch the bad guy but now I understand why she is that way.I think I am probably in the minority when I say that I was actually happy to see where Rachel and Graden's relationship went in this book. What Graden did was not right and frankly I just don't like him and feel that Rachel should be with someone else. From the ending I feel like I will have to deal with more Graden which is okay considering it will probably help Rachel work out some of her issues.One thing that I noticed while reading this book and the first one is that Rachel and Bailey's investigations into cases really seem to drag on very slowly. It is not that they are inept it just seems to take forever for the pieces to all connect. There was some action towards the end of this book that I just read through with no emotion because by the time we got to the action I was just too bored with the story and wanted the case to be wrapped up already. Speaking of the case being wrapped up, while I do feel as though there was some resolution I don't feel that it was satisfying. It just seemed like it was wrapped up this way so that there would be material available later on in this series.Getting to see more into Rachel's past and getting to read about her teaming up with Bailey again tended to outweigh the slow pace of the plot and the occasional frustration at Rachel's lack of regard for anyone's safety. I will of course be continuing on with this series but I only hope that the next few have a faster moving plot.Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the galley.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark - Another great suspense filled thriller! Rachel Knight and Bailey Keller search for the killer of a homeless man, no leads , no witnesses, with some video evidence, it still isn’t clear who stabbed the victim, Simon Bayer. The video shows Simon grabbing a woman just before he is stabbed, who turns out to be Lilah, who was was married to his brother Zake, a police officer who was murdered in his home two years before. Now the cases seem to be tied together. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see what was going to happen next. I am fast becoming a fan of Rachel Knight and her friends. Already reaching for the next book in the series - Killer Ambition .I highly recommend this book if you like thrillers, suspense and mystery. I received a free copy of this book from Mulholland Books and Net Gallery in exchange for my honest review rather it be good or bad. Thank you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Guilt By Degrees is Marcia Clarks second endeavor about smart and sassy D.A. Rachel Knight. Back with her are her BFFs Detective Bailey Keller and fellow D.A. Toni (still can't find her last name)and now boyfriend Lt. Graden Hales of the L.A.P.D.When a homeless man is killed in broad daylight and the case against the suspect is dropped Rachel steps up and takes over the case not knowing that the victim is linked to a brutal killing of a cop 2 years before. As with her first book the writing is sharp, witty and fast paced. Each chapter leaves you wanting more. However I do feel that the ending left some loose ends that maybe should have been wrapped up but maybe it was done like this so another book can finish it. That aside if you are a fan of legal thrillers then this is the book for you. I will definitely be buying more of Marcia Clarks books.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The prologue and first chapter set up a very interesting premise for the book, but the protagonist was not someone I had any interest in spending time with.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Well, Rachel, Bailey and Toni still drink a lot of call brands and they eat a lot of food but at least in this one, driving around LA takes more than 20 minutes. Guild by Degrees is better than the first book but if you want tight prose and good plotting, you won’t find it here. We are now in full bore (in both senses of the word) series mode. Lots and lots of extra stuff tossed in to flesh out Rachel's character, but Toni and Bailey remain paper dolls.For what it is worth, I think that Rachel's deal with the owner of the fancy hotel she lives in was awfully close to unethical when it started. Not now but originally. I received an a review copy of Guilt by Degrees by Marcia Clark (Mulholland Books) through NetGalley.com.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    “Guilt by Degrees” (audio) by Marcia Clark greatly exceeded my expectations. I have lived in Southern California, participated in jury duty often in downtown LA so I know the buildings in this book. I also enjoyed working with attorneys in connection with my position in LA. So listening to one set in LA was a big treat. Ever since the O.J. Simpson trial I have been a big fan of Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor. I enjoyed her intelligent and witty answers when she was interviewed on TV. I missed the first book with Rachel Knight, “Guilt by Association” but this one works well as a standalone. Rachel Knight, the main character is a Special Trials Deputy Prosecutor. She has lots of positives in her life. She lives in the luxurious Biltmore hotel complete with stained glass windows and a wonderful room service. She can tell you the best and the worst of LA. But she has her own personal demons that interfere with her life and that comes out in this story too. She had a tragedy in her childhood so she tries to protect herself by keeping her past a secret even from her closest friends and her by boyfriend. Rachel falls into this particular case because of her ideals. She knew that the real reason that this case was going to be rejected was that it was a murder of a homeless man, even worse he couldn’t be identified. He did not matter but he mattered to her. The defendant was let go. There seemed to be no evidence and no reliable witnesses. Was that defendant the real killer? Something bugged her about this case. Her co-workers, worked long hours with her to uncover the mystery. After a lot of careful interviewing and getting information from dangerous characters, the story explodes! There are connections between this homeless man’s murder and murder of LAPD policemen. You will be gasping as the story unfolds. January LaVoy did the reading for this audio book and was excellent. She was able to expertly handle a variety of voices with different ages and sex. I definitely recommend this thrilling adventure with the Rachel Knight. Now, I will go back and read the first in this series, “Death by Association.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In the second book of the series, Assistant D.A. Rachel Knight takes over the case of a murdered homeless man when a fellow D.A. from her office totally messes up the case. But when she starts investigating, she finds out the homeless man was the brother of a policeman killed two years early and that the accused may be innocent. The more she digs in the more she stirs up and is determined to find justice. The story held my attention as the mystery and legal proceeding unfolded and I enjoyed the development of the characters and getting to understand how Rachel Knight ticks. What I found that made me wander and loss some interested was the superficial fillings of mundane things which seemed to be written to fill the pages and not move the story forward. But the unresolved issues at the end of the book didn’t sit well with me. It’s like the book wasn’t finished and I would have to read the next in the series to find the conclusion.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Marcia Clark's new novel is a very good story about a deputy district attorney in the Los Angeles Special Trials Unit. Rachel Knight and her colleagues are hand-picked for the Unit and are assigned high profile, complicated cases because of their exceptional prosecution skills. Rachel takes over a case from a less talented prosecutor outside of the Unit she thinks botched the trial. This unusual action causes resentment that puts Rachel under pressure to get a conviction.With the help of a detective friend in the LAPD, Bailey Keller, Rachael conducts an investigation that ranges from the homeless warrens of downtown LA to the partly bohemian coastal town of Venice. The case involves the murder of a police officer that the district attorney and cop believe was done by the officer's wife, Lilah. She is a sociopathic lawyer who has a secretive business as a consultant to wealthy clients who are looking to gain control over others. Lilah is intelligent and ruthless with very good success digging up evidence of indiscretions of her clients' targets. She uses these skills to interfere with Rachel's investigation.Rachel and Baily track down evidence against Lilah, risking condemnation by other prosecutors and physical harm by Lilah and her henchman. Readers get an interesting view of Los Angeles and the people who live and work there in the world of law and order. I like the character development in the novel of Rachel, Bailey, and Toni a lawyer friend in the Special Trials Unit. The three women get together at top restaurants in the multi-city Southern California area to enjoy good wine, expensive vodka, and delicious cuisine using the social time to discuss the murder case. This is a very effective way to inform readers about the case and the personalities of the characters. Although progress in the case is very difficult, the three friends' lives are not all work and no play. The handsome and successful male friends of Rachel and Bailey also play key roles in the limited social life of the hard working team.Guilt by Degrees is a lengthy novel, over 400 pages, but I enjoyed every page. The narrative is fast paced with intelligent with interesting dialogue. The case against Lilah comes to a surprising end that will make readers look forward to the next Rachel Knight thriller. Like many others, I watched much of the O. J. Simpson trial and was very impressed with Marcia Clark's prosecution of the case. I kept picturing her as Rachel Knight throughout the novel, seeing both fictional character and actual lawyer as "sophisticated ladies."
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It wasn’t a flukeFor anyone thinking that Marcia Clark’s impressive debut novel, Guilt by Association, was some kind of fluke, it wasn’t. Sophomore novels are notoriously dodgy animals, and Guilt by Degrees is, if anything, stronger than Clark’s debut.Of course, the clever Ms. Clark set herself up for success. She’s building on what she’s already developed—namely an appealing series protagonist and a strong supporting cast. Special trials prosecutor Rachel Knight is back at the center of this case, and she’s still drinking her calories and trying to steal food off of her friends’ plates. “We ordered the ‘hush pups’ and Cajun popcorn for appetizers, and I told myself I’d only order a green salad for dinner. I tell myself things like that a lot.” Rachel is someone many working women can relate to. And I thought I had a good feel for Rachel after Guilt by Association, but she’s been keeping secrets. Not just from me, but from her closest friends and even Graden, the man she’s been seeing. Rachel’s been keeping a family tragedy a secret for decades, so when cop Graden says out of the blue, “I want to talk to you about Romy,” Rachel just loses it. We get to see a new side of Rachel Knight in this novel. And that’s just the “B” story!At the center of this mystery is the murder of a homeless John Doe. The case is about to be bumped, and Rachel can’t stand for this poor man to have died so anonymously, literally bleeding out on the sidewalk while pedestrians stepped over his body. It’s not a pretty picture. To say that this is not one of the typical high-profile special crimes cases that Rachel normally works would be an understatement, and Rachel fears she’s about to be yanked from the case, when several unexpected details finally come to light.As noted above, the strong supporting cast is back for book tow in this series, and they have not worn out their welcome. I complained about some minor plotting issues when I reviewed Clark’s debut, but I have no such complaints this time around. I detected no clichés and no plot contrivances. It was tightly and neatly bound. The series continues to be more police procedural than legal thriller, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Rachel spend a little more time in the courtroom… But what am I saying? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. So far, Clark appears to have a pretty strong recipe for success. And I, for one, will be back for book three.