#BloggerBlast-‘Degrees Of Guilt’ by @HSCinkpen

And welcome to part one of my first ever Blogger Blast!
I am thrilled to be able to bring you my review of the fabulous ‘Degrees Of Guilt’ by HS Chandler, thanks so much to the fabulous Alainna Hajidgeorgiou for the invite and my paperback copy of this brilliant book which is out now!

About the book…

‘A compelling legal thriller – I loved it’ Katerina Diamond, Sunday Times bestseller

When you read this book, you will think you know every twist in the tale.Maria is on trial for attempted murder.She has confessed to the crime and wanted her husband dead.Lottie is on the jury, trying to decide her fate.She embarks on an illicit affair with a stranger, and her husband can never find out.

You will think you know who is guilty and who is innocent.You will be wrong.

A gripping, sexy and twisty novel for readers who devoured ANATOMY OF A SCANDAL, APPLE TREE YARD and HE SAID/SHE SAID.

@HSCinkpen #DegreesOfGuilt

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‘Degrees of Guilt’ is a howl of feminst rage wrapped in a taut, legal thriller, as it not only exposes the soicetal depiction of women and the ties that bind them to their pre-ordained roles, it precisely accounts for the way that the justice system deals them unfair blow after unfair blow.

This is absolutely no tale of women to be pitied, this is the story of the woman who roared, and in doing so , was reduced, subdued and made monstrous.It is the story of her counterpart, a woman who never believes that she is worth more than the life her husband deems fit for her.

But on their respective sides of the courtroom, a growing sense of familiarity begins to grow and then mutate itself into something quite spectacular…

The facts of the matter are thus- with no warning or inclination, Maria hits her husband, Dr Edward Bloxham so hard with a chair leg that it doesn’t kill him, it does something far ,far worse. He is left disfigured, brain damaged and a shell of a man. In fact, so stark is the contrast to the Edward of before the attack, that the prosecution want to really ram this home by using his actual, wheelchair bound body, as an exhibit.

On the other side is Lottie. A mother of one and wife , she finds jury duty to be an outlet for a frustrated life which has become an ever decreasing circle of marital respnsibilities. She is one of the twelve people who are preapring to judge Maria. But how can this woman who has confessed to the crime, plead not guilty to attempted murder?

A smart and beguiling legal thriller is just where ‘Degrees of Guilt ‘ begins, Through the story, HS Chandler dismantles how women are represented from the use of words such as ‘accused’ instead of ‘defendant’ carrying different weight and emphasis. She sets uo stunning scenes wherein Maria details all the horrendous abuse she has had to contend with inside her gilded marriage cage and just how she didn;t realise that she was trapped until it was no longer possible to walk away.

One of the most moving and heartbreaking scenes has to be where she finds money down the back of the settee whilst cleaning. The sheer joy of holding her own money, all 38p of it, is heartbreaking and wonderful all at once.

Whenever we read about domestic violence’ it is always couched in the terms of ‘Why didn’t she just leave?’

A more important question to ask is ‘what made staying your only option?’

‘Charm Syndrome‘ from Sandra Horley explains so succinctly how these men pull the wool over everyone’s eyes, yet when the women are able to leave, not only do they lose their home, their jobs and their support network and their financial freedom, they lose the respect of others. There is the implicit suggestion that they must have done something to make a man react in such a way. The men are left free to carry on their way, with no recourse, no punishment, unless they end up like Edward Bloxham.

The hope for, and fight for justice towards a woman pushed to the edge and beyond, is something I don’t think will be satisfactorily resolved within my lifetime. Until then, the clarion call of books such as these will keep on flagging up the issues and keeping it front and centre.

Amazing work!

About the author…

A former barrister, HS Chandler practised for thirteen years in both family and criminal law. Having extensively prosecuted and defended, she is an avid believer in the right to a fair trial, and in the invaluable role that juries play in the British legal system