Degree of Guilt

By: Richard North Patterson

Narrated by: Alexander Adams

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....©1992 Richard North Patterson; (P)1994 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"One intense courtroom clash after another...An intelligent and gripping thriller."
--The Washington Post

A Main Selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club

All about sex

"Degree of Guilt" verges on pornography, at times -- actually, lots of times -- however, only a disturbed person could find any titillation in the porn depicted here. This extraordinary novel might offend many people; and I would advise anyone with delicate or devout sensibilities to bypass this audiobook. It concerns perverted, sick, non-romantic sex. Surprisingly, Richard North Patterson does a commendable, reasonably accurate job of portraying this distasteful subject from a woman's point of view -- or, rather, from the viewpoint of several abused women. I would never label "Degree of Guilt" a pleasant read -- definitely not fun escape-fiction -- but it remains timely, pertinent, and important, even despite its old publication date. This audiobook will make you think. It has an intricate, well-crafted plot, in which Patterson gradually unfolds needed backstory with intermittent flashbacks, while skillfully developing each of the intriguing characters. I have two minor complaints with this audiobook. First, I didn't like the choice of reader: Alexander Adams has an unpleasant voice, reads too fast, and doesn't distinguish the characters from one another adequately. Clearly, this novel should have been read by a top female actor, like Barbara Rosenblat, for instance. Secondly, I cite my pet production peeve: bookmarks too far apart. Audible set the bookmarks almost one hour apart, with no reference to logical chapter, paragraph, or sentence breaks. I suspect that Audible may have corrected this problem in more recent offerings; but this audiobook was published a long time ago, when someone had the aesthetic of making the bookmarks look evenly-spaced on one's iPod. Otherwise, I recommend "Degree of Guilt" to anyone who can appreciate a legal drama with a serious, unpleasant topic.

Degree of Guilt

There must have been a book prior to this one that contains the story between Christopher Paget and Mary Carelli and I didn't read it. I kept feeling like I was missing some information. I kept having to fill in the blanks with what I thought must have happened.

Sparks awareness

The book evoked so many feelings about events that happened to me in the past in a good way. I thank the author for his gift of writing in a way to spark awareness. It’s a wonderful story that I read in 2 days. I highly suggest others read this book.

A great read, really well written.

Of all the writers of courtroom procedurals, Richard North Patterson is my favorite. He creates characters that live and breathe. His plots are complex and his storylines have wonderful twists and turns,. I've read this one twice now and will probably read it again. It's got great pacing, believable dialogue, enough complexity to keep you guessing. It was just as enjoyable the second time around as it was the first. It's a long book that you wind up wishing were even longer! A winner on all fronts.

Great Court Room and Family Drama

Ignore the naysayers -- this is an outstanding novel featuring an engrossing court room drama. The story is lengthy but superb in terms of characters, legal drama and pace. Some say it needed a different/better narrator, but I appreciated Adams' performance because it did not get in the way of the story. He simply told it, using a minimum of different voices. If you are a fan of legal/court room dramas, this is a must read. Patterson truly nailed it.