Degree of Guilt
By Richard North PattersonA shocking death. A claim of attempted rape. A tale of sexual pathology. These are the elements of Degree of Guilt, Richard North Patterson's stunning courtroom novel.
Christopher Paget is a trial lawyer with a famous past: as a young investigator in Washington, he unearthed a scandal that brought ruin to a President - and an abrupt end to Paget's affair with Mary Carelli. Now, fifteen years later, they are estranged. Carelli is a well-known television journalist based in New York; Paget lives quietly in San Francisco, raising their teenage son and preserving what privacy he can.
Until a charge of murder changes everything.
The victim is America's most eminent novelist, Mark Ransom. The accused is Mary Carelli. Her defense is attempted rape. The man she chooses to defend her is Christopher Paget. Carelli does not deny that she killed Ransom, but a fateful question remains to be answered: Was it self-defense or was it murder?
In preparation for a trial, Paget sets out to establish that Mark Ransom was the twisted man Carelli claims he was. With the help of an associate, Teresa Peralta, Paget uncovers compelling evidence that presents a complex and disturbing picture of Ransom as a sexual predator. But this evidence may not be admissible in court. And there are other unsettling surprises: a secret in Carelli's past that provides her with a powerful motive for murder; facts that suggest she has been lying; a woman prosecutor who firmly believes that Carelli is using the issue of rape to conceal murder; and an enigmatic judge who may very well have an agenda of her own. With the odds against Carelli's acquittal quickly rising, Christopher Paget is faced with a risky legal decision that leads to an explosive convergence of public trial and private conflict - a decision that threatens not only Mary Carelli's future, but his own, and their son's, as well.
From first to last, Degree of Guilt holds us galvanized by its masterful storytelling, its complexity of motive and feeling, its vivid depiction of men and women under pressure, and its brilliant delineation of even the most subtle courtroom dynamics. It is an electrifying story of a search for legal and emotional truth. It is the ultimate courtroom drama.
Book details
- Hardcover
- 547 pages
- English
- 0679420649
- 9780679420644
About Richard North Patterson
richard north patterson is the author of fourteen previous bestselling and critically acclaimed novels. formerly a trial lawyer, patterson served as the se Read More about Richard North Patterson
More Books By Richard North Patterson
People who bought this also bought
Everyday Life in Bible Times / Great Religions of the world
Used Book
Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa Moyo
New Book
Joseph Smith and the Restoration: A History of the LDS Church to 1846
Used Book
Results Now : How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning
Used Book
Understanding Toscanini: How He Became an American Culture-God and Helped Create a New Audience for Old Music
Used Book
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven: But Never Dreamed of Asking
Used Book
The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
New Book
Never Split the Difference : Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It
New Book
A Mind of My Own : The Woman Who Was Known as "Eve" Tells the Story of Her Triumph Over Multiple Personality Disorder
Used Book
The Sampler: Ten Life-Enhancing Concepts Right at Your Fingertips
Used Book
The Perricone Weight-loss Diet: A Simple 3-part Plan to Lose the Fat, the Wrinkles, and the Years
Used Book
Surrounded by Narcissists : Or, How to Stop Other People's Egos Ruining Your Life
New Book
Sock Doll Workshop: 30 Delightful Dolls to Create and Cherish
Used Book