On the one side impartial jurors honour bound to listen to all the facts before any decision on innocent or guilty. In the dock Maria charged with bludgeoning her husband leaving him to all intensive purposes dead, after what she claims were years of solitude, fear and abuse .A focused single minded prosecutor desperately needing to win this case attempting to persuade reluctant jurors all with their own agenda to believe a guilty verdict is the only outcome. Whilst our jurors come to the court attempting to fulfil their role whilst in most cases totally unaware of the predetermined conditioning not only towards the perpetrator but towards each other which will influence any outcome and judgement. Into this mix is Lottie. Unsatisfied and unfulfilled in her role as wife and mother who enters the untraveled heady exposure of an interesting exciting role as a juror, involving close proximity with other jurors from all strata of society. Alternative chapters slowly describe the lives of Maria and Lottie , secrets and lies revealed when exposing both their life and personalities . The reader travels the full spectrum of emotions as the court case reaches its conclusion with facts revealed showing human nature in its many facets. Well written, good pace, and totally engrossing conclusion.

I always gravitate towards a courtroom drama in films and books as a good writer can make you change your mind about who's guilty at numerous different points in the plot. Bravo to Ms Chandler who also managed to incorporate the actions of jury members in her twisted plot and kept me guessing until the end.
Thank you to netgalley and Orion for an advance copy of this book.

I could not put this book down - it was very different, which was refreshing - we knew from the start what had happened and the ensuing court case was fascinating. I am glad I did not read the introductory blurb because I think there was too much information - I want to learn the story through reading the book. There was a thread which I thought was unnecessary but turned out to be very much part of the story. The plot was fascinating, there was a very serious subject within the plot which was dealt with sensitively. An all-round very satisfying read.
Many thanks to Netgalley/H.S. Chandler/Orion Publishing Group for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was delighted to be given an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This story is so eloquently written. The subject matter dealt with care. Gripped from the first page until the last.

Telling the story of Maria Bloxham who at the beginning of the book dials 999, when asked what service she requires she calmly states she has killed her husband and isn’t sure which service that requires. When the police arrive she is standing outside her house holding the leg of a chair, with blood on her hands and hair and blood on the end of the chair leg. Where she believed her husband is dead she isn’t right, he is in a bad way but hasn’t died.

The rest of the book focuses on Maria’s eighteen years of marriage, as well as covering the trial, where Maria is accused of attempted murder of her husband Dr Edward Bloxham a consultant Ecologist to the Government and industry. Who also has his own video blog,explaining about the effects global warming has on British wildlife, he has a following of more than half a million people. The prosecution paints Edward as a gentle well respected man. So why would Maria try to kill him? Is she a cold blooded murderer? Why after eighteen years of marriage would she bludgeon him leaving him unable to speak, walk, and in need of 24 hour care? What would drive a person to do that?

Most of the story is told through Maria, her married life, the trial, then other parts are through life of one of the Jurors Charlotte ‘Lottie’ Hiraj who is a 26 year old wife to Zain, and mother to a three year old boy. But cleverly as we learn of Maria’s life some of the same things are running through Lottie’s life. Although Lottie hasn’t been married as long.

We are also introduced to the jury who area mixed bag of people from different walks of life, with opinions, prejudices some who clearly do not want to be doing jury service as it is interrupting their busy lives. Others who are interested and want to take charge. Cameron Ellis is a 28 year old carpenter secure in his sexuality, confident and at times arrogant, Lottie is attracted to Cam, despite knowing she shouldn’t be, being married and a mother, those feelings appear to be reciprocated as Cam flirts with Lottie. But this man can be kind and gentle one minute and angry and abrupt the next. Is this just a game to him, a bit of fun as he has made it clear he doesn’t want to be on the jury.

There are plot twists near the end that I just never saw coming at all, totally threw me, which is obviously down to the clever writing.

I absolutely loved this book it is definitely one of my top reads this year and I would highly recommend you pick it up an read it. Gripping, edge of your seat at times.

Yikes I absolutely loved this story.

It’s been ages since I read a courtroom drama and this brings back to me how much I loved them.

We get two women’s stories here. Maria is on trial for attempting to murder her husband. We also have Lottie who is a member of the jury in Maria’s case.

This is one of the best storylines I’ve read this year...totally addictive. The story played in my head like a movie... honestly it was that good!

If you enjoy legal thrillers then I highly recommend you read this brilliant story.

I loved Degrees of guilt by H.S. Chandler.

From the very first page I was drawn into Maria’s story, but it was the introduction of Lottie and the other Jury members that had me hooked. Especially, the scenes and chapters involving Lottie and Cameron together. And the Tabitha’s, who were all so well written. Really all the characters were well developed, interesting and memorable.

It was a courtroom drama that completely surprised me, held my attention, and kept me glued to the page. So good!

The writing was great, I loved H. S. Chandler’s narrative style. And I really can’t say anything about the plot for spoilers – but the book is one of the best legal thrillers I’ve read this year. It was so much more than just a courtroom drama, it was a big soap opera filled with interesting and flawed characters. And H.S. Chandler did a great job at highlighting the complex nature of big Jury cases.

I think Degrees of guilt would make a basis for an amazing mini TV series. When reading I pictured Reese Witherspoon as Lottie. Have you read it? She’d make a great Lottie, right?

Degrees of guilt by H.S. Chandler was gripping, intense, twisty and a wee bit sexy. The blurb below is good but doesn’t do the story justice.

Also after reading the book I loved the title even more. Degrees of guilt – yep, I get what the author meant. Clever.

Highly recommended.

H. S. Chandler is a pen name for Helen Fields – I am now the proud owner of the first 3 books in her D. I. Callanach series and I’m very much looking forward to getting stuck in. I think I might have found a new favourite author – Exciting!

I received a copy of the book via NetGalley, from the publisher. A big thank you to Tracy for inviting me to be part of the Compulsive Readers blog tour.

Holy crap…What an opening chapter! Such violence and degradation. What would break a woman down so much that she cracks her husband’s skull open and calmly phones the police whilst her his brains trickle out onto the immaculately polished floor. Are things as they seem or is Maria a cold-blooded killer? Is it pre-meditated and what’s the reason behind wanting him dead?

Can you honestly say you couldn’t imagine yourself killing another human being, no matter the reasons or motive? If you say absolutely not, I would challenge that thought, any human has the innate ability to carry such basal actions out. Chandler takes us there – straight out of our comfort zone and bang into the front line. She drip feeds us information, keeps us on edge and drooling for more. She exposes the cruelty of human nature and lays bare the catalyst from fear and anger.

Abuse is the core theme surrounding the masterpiece that is Degrees of Guilt. There is different degrees of abuse. This is something Maria has been living for the best part of twenty years. Abuse takes many forms – Maria appears strong, competent and most of all unperturbed by the enormity of the crime she’s committed. The most charming of suitors can be harbouring toxic impulses and Maria has learned that lessons albeit too late. Maria is a murderer, Maria is a victim.

I enjoy Psychological Thrillers immensely. I loved the flipping of the coin of Maria being both the good guy and the bad. It was extremely clever to witness the brokenness of a woman categorically controlled of all choices in her life to the point where she fights back. A person can only take so much before they snap and lose control – but essentially taking back every fragment control she has lost throughout the years. Maria in hindsight was perceptible to the coercive control that Edward cleverly subjected her to. He isolated her from her friend, Andrea that tried to warn her about Edward. She could see the maliciousness within him, she knew things weren’t right. When they got married he convinced her that her mental health was affecting her job, so she quit. He took the car away after claiming it wouldn’t get through its MOT, she wasn’t working anymore so didn’t need a bank account and she wasn’t a signatory on any of Edwards accounts, so she suffered financial abuse also. She wasn’t allowed to watch TV or have access to a phone. She was truly alone. Can you honestly for one moment imagine how that feels? Wouldn’t you do anything to get out of that situation?

The book has all the angst. Everything is pre-judged, everyone has an opinion. No-one believes she could have possibly acted out of self-defence. She hated her husband. That was as plain as the nose on your face. The jurors aren’t to judge until the final bell tolls but all the same they have their pre-conceived ideas. It’s human nature – broken and shameful. The very essence of human nature is to cover up not to confess. No one knows what to do with that knowledge. Is she callous and cold or is she a woman with nothing left to lose?

The secondary characters are also flawed and are not immune to the complexity of the human mind. Who are they to judge? Are they qualified, No. They are aggressive, meek, and all the little things in between. We meet Lottie, a housewife and mother who is desperate for something more. The parallel between Lottie and Maria are certainly not lost on me. They seem to be struggling with similar things in their home life. Lottie’s husband also doesn’t appreciate everything she does for him. Yes, he works hard so that his family can live a comfortable life, but Lottie does too – with no thanks. The jury service is just what she’s been aching for. Stimulation and a purpose beyond being a mother and a wife. Just what will her role be in the trial of Maria. What will be the connection between Lottie and another Juror, Cameron?

Ending – well I certainly didn’t expect that shit your pants twist at the end! Chandler gives you one reality whilst catapulting you into another dimension without any pre-warning and giving you the motherload of whiplash!

This read will have your brain spinning, your heart hammering and your ass on the edge of the chair. Solid storytelling. Flawed heroes and a lifetime of pain put right by the worst act of violence.

Many thanks to Tracey at compulsive readers for my spot on the blog tour. I received my copy through netgalley and my thoughts are my own.

When you think you have all the pieces to the puzzle, you realise you’re missing a piece! This duel narrative has many twists and turns with an ending you do not expect! A superb page turner!

This is a great read that had me hooked throughout the book.
It all starts with Maria phoning the police, standing over the body of her dead husband. She calls and says she’s killed her husband and then waits for them on the driveway.
She’s soon on trial and we’re then introduced to the jurors who will decide her fate.
We hear a lot about Charlotte, or Lottie, and get an insight into her life. She’s married with a young child but wants more out of life. Another one of the jurors catches her eye and soon they are meeting up alone.
It’s not until later in the trial that we hear how awful Maria’s life has been but is it enough to persuade the jury to vote not guilty?
This is a gripping crime thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks to Orion Publishing Group/Trapeze and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I loved this book, a brilliant thriller that had me guessing until the end. Fast paced and exciting. Highly recommended

Many thanks to Netgalley and HS Chandler, Helen Fields for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

An interesting courtroom drama. There is no doubt about ' whodunit' ; this is more about why. We also have some insight into the jurors and their lives. It should be really good, but I feel it would benefit from tighter editing. Some parts are too wordy and some dialogue is clunky, which detracts from an excellent story.

I’d like to thank The Orion Publishing Group Ltd and NetGalley for sending me an ARC copy of ‘Degrees Of Guilt’ by H S Chandler, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

The book starts with the murder of Dr Edward Bloxham by his wife Maria who has been kept like a prisoner in her marital home with no friends, money or her own mind when it comes to making choices. Her only saving grace is that she tends to her beautiful garden and it is her pride and Joy.

The book is then focused around the courtroom and the people on the jury.

Lottie is a married, stay at home mum with a young son and a husband who makes her feel like her life is one endless stream of washing, cooking, cleaning and being a homemaker. Whilst she’s on the jury she starts to realise that she has a voice and embarkes on an affair with Cameron another juror, which can only lead to dangerous territory.

There are lots of twists and turns as the courtroom drama unfolds and you start to wonder did Maria Kill Edward Bloxham? who really is Ruth, the Good Samaritan or is she more to Maria?

The book will keep you guessing to the very end, and should be added to your TBR pile.

I loved this book. Psychological thriller, Courtroom Drama, Abuse, human emotions and a superb twist at the end. It was so well written that I could feel and understand the emotions felt by the main protagonists. I urge you to read this excellent novel.

I think the best thing I can say about this book is that I didn't want to finish it. I read quickly and I wanted it to go on and on so I tried to put it down but could not. I particularly enjoy accounts of court cases so this particularly appealed to me. I loved every bit of the book, I thought the characters were interesting and the bo0k was well written. Highly recommend.

Degrees of Guilt is a very readable book with numerous twists and turns that will keep you hooked until the very end.

Primarily set in a courtroom the book follows the trial of a wife who has attempted to murder her husband.

The author has written an entertaining book that keeps you clicking or turning the pages to find out what happens next.

Definitely recommended

Thanks netgalley for this wonderful book.
Have not read many books dealing with a court case, but this one was a cracker.
Wanted to keep looking at the end, if this had been a paper back would have cheated but not on the kindle.
The whole story was amazing, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
This book deserves five stars plus and will get it.

The opening of this book is quite gruesome, Edward Bloxham is lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor and his wife, Maria, phones the police and confesses to murdering him.
Maria has been controlled by her husband the whole time they have been together and appears to have no contact outside of their house.

The story follows Maria’s trial and the members of the jury. Lottie begins as a quiet, shy jury member but then finds a confidence and sense of self worth she didn’t know she had. She befriends another jury member but he isn’t as friendly as he first appears.

With the recent news articles about coercive control and court cases, this book is very current.

Without giving too much away, this is a very readable book, full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed it and read it in a few days. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more by this author.

I’d like to thank The Orion Publishing Group Ltd and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Degrees Of Guilt’ by H S Chandler, the pen name of Helen Fields, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Maria Bloxham is on trial for attempting to kill her husband Edward with a chair leg. The case is straightforward as she’s already confessed she hit him and fainted when she learnt he’d survived, but the jury have to decide whether it was premeditated or if the mitigating circumstances she gave were genuine. This is a psychological thriller seen through the eyes of Maria as she enters the witness box as she describes her life married to Edward, her controlling and dominating husband. And Lottie, one of the twelve on the jury, responds to the attentions of fellow-juror Cameron starting an illicit affair with him unaware of the repercussions it might have.

‘Degrees Of Guilt is an exceptionally gripping legal thriller that made me feel as if I was in Court with them. The story skilfully handles domestic violence and self-abuse in an empathetic and sensitive manner, the characters are believable, the story so well written that I was never sure whether Maria was guilty or innocent until the final astonishing chapter revealed the truth. I’ve read and enjoyed a number of books by Helen Fields but this is the first by H S Chandler and I congratulate her for writing such a strong legal thriller that was so gripping I was unable to put it down.

Murder. Sex. Betrayal. This compelling courtroom drama has these things and more. Reading it was like eating a bag of maltesers - once I started I couldn’t stop until it was finished.

The book opens with Edward Bloxhom dead from a head wound. His wife, Maria, is calmly drying a mug and thinking about how she’ll get the blood out of the grouting. After a short time she calls the police and goes outside to wait for their arrival, thankful to be free of the man who controlled her life for almost twenty years. We then jump forward to the first day of Maria’s trial which we follow as the evidence is presented - shocking claims of abuse from the defence, and of a violent, cold-blooded murderess from the prosecution.

I loved that this story was narrated by both the defendant and a member of the jury charged with deciding her fate. We don’t often get an insight into the jury room and their perspective so it was interesting to follow that side of things in detail. Initially it appears that Maria and Lottie, the juror, couldn’t be more different but we come to understand there are many similarities between them. Both women were interesting characters that I enjoyed reading and I felt like they would probably have been able to be great friends in another situation. Lottie wonders on the first day how Maria must be feeling about entrusting her future to twelve strangers and has a willingness to see Maria as a person with feelings, something the other jurors don’t seem to do. I was glad she had at least one person on the jury seeing her as a human being and not being quick to judge.

Domestic abuse and controlling partners is a topic at the heart of this book. Maria is initially reluctant to explain to anyone why she bludgeoned her husband. After all, how can she explain to strangers what she struggles to believe herself? But in court she finally reveals the appalling details of almost two decades of coercive control and abuse. There were many times I would feel sick to my stomach at the details, especially the parts relating to physical harm, but this was a vital part of the story so we could understand what life was like for Maria, what her mental state was. Without it she appears to be a crazy disgruntled wife who savagely bludgeoned her defensive husband. Once we’ve heard her story it seems obvious that she is a desperate woman who didn’t think there was any other way out.

But Maria isn’t the only one who’s lived a life walking that fine tightrope trying to please an abusive man. There are others in this story too, including juror Lottie, who’s husband Zain controls their home. Everything must be done to his specifications and he even orders her to get herself excused from jury duty as doesn’t want the “disruption” to his picture-perfect existence. Lottie longs for more than being a housewife and mother but Zain won’t entertain her doing anything else so the chance to escape to the excitement of jury duty is a welcome one, even if it causes arguments with Zain. The author perfectly portrays the reality of life with an abuser and how by the time you see what’s going on you’re often in so deep that you either don’t think about leaving or are too scared of what will happen if you do.

An important aspect that the author addresses briefly is the disparity between how domestic abuse victims killing their abusers and abusers killing their victims is viewed. Maria ponders that her story would not be sensational or have garnered such interest if it had been Edward who killed her. Obviously murder isn’t how anyone would encourage a victim to leave an abuser, but I think the fact that the death of a woman (and it is most commonly women) at the hands of an abusive partner is so heartbreakingly common now that it often barely warrents a second glance. But when it’s the other way around there’s an outcry and a lack of understanding of the sheer desperation someone feels to commit such an act.

I am a sucker for a good courtroom drama and a huge fan of this author’s DI Callanach series, under her real name of Helen Fields, so I couldn’t wait to read this standalone novel. One of the things I love about her writing style is the little details she gives us that really get us inside the mind and connect us to her characters. As with all her other books this one is expertly written, fast paced and full of twists and turns. I did guess “the twist” early on, but the author has such a talent that I’d talked myself out of it and was taken aback when it proved right later on.

Any books by this author are a must read for me and this one did not disappoint. Degrees of Guilt is a fantastic courtroom drama and domestic thriller that I highly recommend.

I loved degrees of guilt, absolutely couldn't put it down. There are literally twists within the twists without stretching the realms of possibility (a pet hate of mine). The slow description of the coercive control Maria is truly chilling.