A Terrible Guilt


Fiction - Thriller - Legal
297 Pages
Reviewed on 11/19/2024
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Stephen Christopher for Readers' Favorite

The owner and the head chef of a popular local diner are shot dead, and all fingers point to a former employee, a young black man who was fired three days earlier. Despite no evidence, the prosecutor tries him, and he’s convicted. However, that’s not where it ends. A Terrible Guilt by Bob Rothman is told in three parts. First is the trial resulting in the guilty verdict, and part two is the habeas corpus process—two lawyers, Elena Samuels and Greg Williams, attempt to get the ruling overturned due to prosecutorial misconduct in connection with the trial. You’ll be as shocked and appalled as I was about what they uncovered. Part three is where the action heats up, the real killer is discovered, and everything is revealed.

I love courtroom dramas as you can learn a lot about the machinations that go on from each side. What goes on behind the scenes is even more disturbing in this story. A Terrible Guilt is character-driven, and Bob Rothman — a trial lawyer with over 38 years of experience— excels in this area. Prosecutor District Attorney Paul Chastain, seeking reelection, wants to ensure he wins, so he’s politically motivated; public defender Michael Delaney is professional, talented, and believes in his client. Despite reading many books in this genre, I learned much about due process in American law from this novel. The two characters that stand out to me are the lawyers Elena and Greg from the law firm Fox Stern, who drive parts two and three of the book. Lovers of courtroom dramas will enjoy this excellent book as much as I did.