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.

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.

Synopsis:

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:

This is the second book in the Rachel Knight series. I have not read the first book but it seemed to be a good standalone form what I can tell. I didn’t feel like I’m missing some or felt confused, so that is a plus.

I thought this was a good book, very suspenseful and action packed. It is a very plot driven book.

I liked the characters in the book and the story even though there were some parts I could have lived without and felt a little too over the top about the characters.

There were also some pretty violent, gruesome scenes in the book, which was probably the reason it took me a while to read. I had to put it down a few times.

The end was kind of a disappointment for me, it felt too rushed.

Overall I thought it was a good read and I dive it 3 ½★

*I received a free ARC copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

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This seems like a long book to me ...