Courtroom drama. Caroline Masters good secondary character; want to know more about her.

First edition very fine

It is racy, fast paced and packed with action. Barring a few typo errors, this is a great crime novel, ideal for those car and train rides.

For a detailed review click on the link below or paste it on your browser:

http://onerightword.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/degree-of-guilt-richard-north-patters...
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lawyer + son - ex lover - claimed rape - defends her - sudden twist at end. GOOD

Mary Carelli, one of the most powerful women in TV journalism, is charged with the murder of Mark Ransom, America's most eminent novelist. Her attorney, Christopher Paget, sets out to shock the courtroom with revelations about Ransom as a twisted sexual predator. But as the trial unfolds, it is Paget who will be surprised...by Mary's secret motive for murder...by evidence that Mary is lying...by a woman prosecutor who believes Mary invented the story of rape...and by an enigmatic judge with an agenda of her own....

This was my first introduction to Richard North Patterson. The novel was in a bag of books that I was given for 'recycling'. I’m so glad that I decided I should glance over the titles before immediately passing them forward. This novel has definitely earned my praise as one of my highest recommendations / examples of legal thrillers. I haven't found as compelling a legal novel since reading Brad Meltzer’s "The Tenth Justice" or John Lescroart's "The 13th Juror” and my appreciation of the character Dismas Hardy but Christopher Paget has easily surpassed regard of Dismas Hardy.

On the author's web site various phrases or short comments are excerpted from reviews. A review from People says, "Compulsively readable… A Chinese box of a puzzler, where one mystery is penetrated only to reveal another." An excellent description as you unravel the clues of a mystery and another reveal begins. WoW! I’m off to add RNP’s other titles to my “Wish List to Read”. Would definitely like to read one (or more) of his titles during a vacation time period so I could simply enjoy the uninterrupted reading time.
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