Blurb:

When you read this book, you will think you know every twist in the tale.

Maria is on trial for attempted murder.

She has confessed to the crime and wanted her husband dead.

Lottie is on the jury, trying to decide her fate.

She embarks on an illicit affair with a stranger, and her husband can never find out.

You will think you know who is guilty and who is innocent.

You will be wrong.

A gripping, sexy and twisty novel for readers who devoured ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, APPLE TREE YARD and HE SAID/SHE SAID.

Review:

I love a courtroom drama and Degrees Of Guilt was no different. I was completely gripped by both the court case and the lives of the jury members and I was compelled to keep reading to find out what happened, particularly towards the end. The focus on the jury members gives the novel a slightly different angle to many other legal novels.

There are parts of Degrees Of Guilt that I found incredibly difficult to read, as the descriptions of violence are particularly brutal. However, it never feels gratuitous and I did appreciate the way the author used this technique for maximum impact.

I enjoyed meeting the jurors, and just like any other large gathering of people, there are people from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences; some of them I warmed to and others I didn’t and the author has done a great job of getting this balance right. The narrative mainly focuses on Lottie, a stay at home mum who feels underappreciated at home, and her intelligence is often underestimated by her fellow jurors. There were several points in the novel where I felt able to relate to her really well and felt emotionally connected with her.

There are so many twists in Degrees Of Guilt which definitely kept me on my toes right until the very end. I did suspect some elements of the ending but there was still plenty to keep me guessing and it did not spoil my overall opinion of the novel.

Degrees Of Guilt is available from Amazon.