Today, Hartford Books Examiner offers an advance review of Guilt by Degrees (Mulholland Books, $25.99) by Marcia Clark.
The follow-up to Clark’s highly acclaimed fiction debut, Guilt by Association (2011), Degrees again features thirty-something Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Rachel Knight, who is a member of the elite Special Trials Unit – a position that the author held during her tenure at the DA’s office. This unique role allows Knight not only to have her day in court but to also work investigations alongside the cops, which is a welcome departure from more standard, formulaic legal thriller fare.
Central to the book’s mysteries (and there are quite a few) is the baffling death of a homeless man struck down in the midst of a bustling city sidewalk. Though the case nearly falls through the cracks, Rachel salvages it – and unwittingly embroils herself in a host of intricately connected crimes that include the brutal murder of an LAPD officer a year earlier. Her involvement leads to dire consequences; it also allows for thoughtful, unpretentious commentary on an array of social issues, not the least of which is the plight of the homeless. (Rachel’s ongoing friendship with the downtrodden but dignified Cletus is particularly illuminating.)
Feisty Detective Bailey Keller and fellow prosecutor Toni LaCollette join Rachel in her crusade for justice – after all, what are “besties” for? – once again proving that there can be solidarity among professional women, even in the face of bitter office politics, personal conflict, and high-stakes intrigue. This trio’s close-knit, girl-power bond makes for clever banter that brings levity (not to mention food, drink and a multitude of LA hot spots) to an otherwise somber affair. This likable cast of comrades has clearly captured Clark’s heart, and that fondness resonates in her writing.
Character development, then, is particularly strong in Guilt by Degrees, as Clark reveals a past that was only hinted at in book one. These personal disclosures have not only influenced Rachel Knight’s career ambitions, but also her relationships – and particularly those with men. (Readers who enjoyed meeting Lieutenant Graden Hales in Guilt by Association will be happy to know that he reappears in this book – though his bids for Rachel’s affections are not entirely unrivaled.) The revelations are doled out sparingly but satisfyingly, with the promise of more to come in future installments (of which there will hopefully be many).
With Guilt by Degrees, Clark has managed to do the arduous and make it look easy: she has taken the strongest elements from an already assured debut and melded them into near perfection. The dialogue is razor sharp, the humor laugh-out-loud funny, and the pacing relentless. Further, Clark infuses the narrative with a wealth of expertly-informed details shaped by the years that she spent living and breathing her protagonist’s life. Bullets may fly on the page, but it’s readers that will ultimately be blown away…
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Guilt by Degrees will be published on May 8, 2012.
With thanks to Mulholland Books for providing a review copy of the book.
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