This book kept me guessing right to the end. So many direct references and subtler indications that things didn't quite stack up in the storyline, the twist when it came became even more believable as all the seemingly untidy ends slotted into place. A lesson in not judging others as well as a good read.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased


Fantastic courtroom drama

Well written, great characters

Brilliant read

An interesting and original courtroom thriller, which depicts a trial not only in the courtroom but also inside the jury room. It is narrated from two different POVs - the defendant's and one of the jury member's. The story changes directions several times, shifting the readers' opinions and keeping them guessing right to the end. I enjoyed it, although I did find some parts a little repetitive and over explained, stating the obvious at times.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Now I absolutely love courtroom based books so I am probably already biased in favour of this book but it is really superb and should not be missed. In addition to the case being in excellent detail you are also presented with a far better grasp of the main characters feelings, emotions and mental wellbeing.
Often in courtroom dramas the book primarily concentrates on the defendant and maybe the defending and prosecuting counsels - not the case in this book as it delves deeply into jury members - one or two in particular.
It is rare for me to see but I actually managed to work out beforehand the key outcomes of the book. This in no way spoiled the last few pages although I admit I was still looking for a twist I had not worked out.
So to sum up a brilliant book and definitely in the 'couldn't put down' genre

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I highly The opening chapter of Degrees of Guilt. An affluent husband, Edward, is found on the floor of his kitchen bleeding and his wife Maria holds the chair leg that struck him and calmly calls the police. She breaks down when she’s told her husband isn’t dead...the rest of the book follows her trial and chapters alternate with Lottie, a young housewife stuck with her life and on the jury.
Whilst I loved the opening chapter and was gripped I’m afraid the rest of the book was a letdown and I just wanted the story to get over with. The main problem for me is that the writing really lacked any suspense and tension and was oversaturated with mundane, minute details that slowed the story down and I found myself skim-read. The second problem with the writing is that it’s too on the nose as is the dialogue. Chandler spells every tiny little thing rather than less-is-more and trusting the reader to figure things out. Plotwise I found the story predictable and saw where it was going. Lastly I found the characters caricatures and wasn’t emotionally drawn in especially Lottie and Cameron, both who were incredibly insufferable. It’s 2/5 from me.

I was completely captivated from the first to the last page
This is one of those books that stays with you even when you have finished
Brilliantly written and an amazing plot
Excellent book

A good court room drama with plenty of twists. This is a good read but I thought it was too long and some of the characters and their actions were predictable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

A very good read. I very much liked seeing things from different points of view and the depiction of the various characters in the jury room. There was one twist that I didn't really think worked, but overall it was well done.

Have you ever read a book which has caused your soul to hush and go silent just by reading the statement given by accused about her life story? Mine did. Everything which was a woman in me rebelled and cried for Maria as she gave her testimony.

"A hush surrounded my soul
A pain gripped my heart
Freedom was taken away
Control was held affirm
What does a man do show power
How low does a woman need to be
But one day she broke
Her control lost its peace
A chair was broken
A skull was flattened
Meet the accused Maria
This was her story, her life"

Maria nearly killed her husband and surrendered to the police. Her case was set for trial to be decided by 12 jurors. The story not only told me what Maria had done, it concentrated on a couple of jurors and their flirting and affair with each other. And I wondered why I was being given the 2 parallel stories and if the two should ever meet. And boy, it sure did! And it was explosive!

My first book by HS Chandler, the story blew me away with the delicious reveals it held in its darkest embers. I bought this book as the cover and the story gripped me a bit too much. The author's writing shook me up, and what I thought I knew was actually what I didn't know. Nothing was as it seemed, yet it was everything horrifying.

Psychological power plays and abuse was written in a swirling vortex which submerged me to its abyss and at the same time, brought me to the surface with the unpredictable twists. A thriller it was in genre, majority of it a court trial. Accused and jurors had their own dilemma, powerfully exposed at the end.

Wow! A compulsive read which made me glued to it from beginning to end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Maria, who has apparently been abused by her husband Edward for almost 20 years hits him in the head with the leg of a chair, nearly kills him and stands trial. Lottie, a juror on the case who feels unappreciated by her husband winds up in an affair with another juror.

This one started out pretty interestingly with Maria matter of factly announcing to the police that she has killed her husband and even showing great sadness and anger when they told her he wasn't actually dead. I really wasn't sure where the affair with the jurors was going except to draw parallels to Maria's situation and I thought the book started to drag a bit in the middle. But by 80%, things really picked up and I was totally engaged and wanting to know what was going on. Overall a good read.

This is my first book by the authors, but won't be the last. I really enjoyed it.
It was very realistic. It was well written. I loved the jury aspect and I was at the edge of my seat, trying to see who's guilty. I liked how they give voice to the characters, very realistic. Entertaining twists and turns & a satisfactory and surprising end. What more could I ask for :)

Thanks a lot NetGalley and the publisher for this copy . in exchange for an honest review.

This book certainly carried an original story line, a murder where the culprit readily admits what they have done. We are treated to flash backs and information of how this woman has been treated by her controlling and cruel husband. Aside from that we also have another scenario where a young mum on the jury begins a dangerous, physical relationship with another jury member which almost ends in disaster. I did enjoy reading this and hoped for some awe inspiring court scenes which sadly did not really materialise. This was an opportunity for the defendant to tell everyone how badly she had been treated which culminated in the death of her husband. A lot of information was there for the reader but not for the court and her perfect witness, Ruth, is not allowed to give evidence. I did find that some scenes were quite far fetched, surely other eagle eyed people of the jury would notice that something was going on with two of it's members, and would a young mum be so stupid as to enter a physical relationship so quickly? Maybe she would, recently feeling neglected by her ambitious husband who spends a lot of time furthering his career, she feels as though she has nothing to offer the world apart from being a good mother. The sex scenes were very explicit and the banter among the jury members did seem quite realistic. However by the time I reached the end of the book where a denouement was delivered, I was a little past caring. A gripping read nevertheless.

I was gripped from the start of this book and couldn't put it down.It is hard to say too much about the plot without giving it away ,but it deals very powerfully with the repercussions of an abusive relationship which leads to a woman being tried for the attempted murder of her husband.
There are two story lines,one about Maria,the defendant in the trial, and the other about the jury,and one member in particular ,Charlotte,who becomes involved in an affair with another juror.
The book is full of plot twists and the descriptions of psychological abuse are chilling.The author has a lot to say about the manipulation of women by men and will certainly give food for thought .
A good read which I recommend.Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Really enjoyed this novel. Excellent storyline build up and fascinating characters bring this story to life. I will definitely reading more books by this talented author.

I’ve read all Helen Fields books and this didn’t disappoint it was beautifully written and felt I was actually a member of the jury and was never sure who was guilty. The characters in the book were believable and made me want to be on jury service There was so many twists and turns and what an ending didn’t expect that.

I love a courtroom drama and Helen Fields is my fave author so I was really excited to read this new novel by her and I was not disappointed. It had me hooked from the start - as always a really engaging read. It was pacy and kept me guessing and just as you think you know how things are going to unfold there’s a twist in the tale and then another! Can’t wait to read more from Helen under this pseudonym. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Trapeze for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow and more wows , totally loved this book . Great way the author kept the 2 stories going so you were left wondering the outcome of both stories. Great way the 2 stories intertwined and showed there’s nothing black and white where abusive relationships are concerned. Great twist to the end which I didn’t see coming . Brilliant read through and through

Wow was this a much more difficult read than I thought it would be. Hold on that’s not meant in a bad way, more that it was a little close to home . Having been with a controlling partner for 13 years ( I managed to escape 5 years ago) I recognised a lot of the gaslighting and how easy it is to be chipped away at a little bit at a time until before you know it you’ve disappeared. This was written with subtlety, and in a time where women no longer have control over what happens to their bodies it couldn’t be more appropriate.

The characterisation is flawless and what I enjoyed the most was how even when the women seemed helpless and weak they were strong. It takes great skill to write with such nuance .

Maria was so complex I didn’t know what to believe and Lottie fell into the trap of flattery (when will women learn)!

I was fascinated by the courtroom proceedings and felt like I was part of the jury as the evidence was presented. I did wonder if being a female reader my judgement would automatically side with Maria but with a female prosecutor this made it harder which was clever.

With a great start, a captivating middle and an ending that you have no idea where it’s going to go this is a book I would highly recommend.

What a great book! I loved the 2 strong female characters and the way their lives started our so differently but ended up very similar. This book was easy to read and kept me interested and the best part was the very unexpected ending, really hadn’t seen that coming. Would like to read more books written by this author.

If you’ve picked this up because you have enjoyed Helen Fields’ DI Callanagh novels, you may well be a little disappointed. Part of the strength of that series is the excellent characterisation and the intriguing relationships between the police, as well as the carefully plotted narrative. In ‘Degrees of Guilt’ the focus is on a middle-aged woman on trial for murdering her famous ecologist husband, lauded by all who recognise those the importance of sustainable living. Whilst the plot is well constructed and the courtroom scenes feel relatively authentic if overly dramatic at times, the characterisation and the jury relationships that develop are both hard to accept. Much of the storyline is built on the reader accepting stereotypes: controlling Asian husband; right-wing tattooed thug; effete art dealer; WI-type bossy woman. Disappointing when I have read HS Chandler, writing as Helen Field, giving her readers far more subtle depictions.
In particular, the erotic scenes between Lottie, bored housewife, and Cameron, muscly carpenter, felt like little more than fantasy/titillation. Would something of this nature really escalate so quickly, and in such circumstances? Cameron’s reasons for embarking on the flirtation are very sketchily told and, without giving away any plot spoilers, it is difficult to imagine the person who is controlling him setting up all of this so successfully.
However, HS Chandler does write about coercive control very powerfully. This important subject has, rightly, been given a lot of coverage recently in many different areas and the way in which she shows just how impotent and despairing Maria becomes as her husband grows more and more controlling, manipulative and punitive is both credible and horrifying. This alone makes the novel worth reading.
My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group Trapeze for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.