Book Review: ‘Presumed Guilty’ by Tess Gerritsen

This is the first novel I’ve read by Tess Gerritsen and I really enjoyed her style of writing. Presumed Guilty was quite fast-paced but with good amounts of detail to keep the story engaging.

The novel is told from the perspective of wronged protagonist Miranda Wood. When her married lover is violently murdered inside Miranda’s house, suspicion naturally falls on her. As events are told from her point of view, we (the reader) know that Miranda is innocent but many of the other characters are hell-bent on proving otherwise. When it becomes clear the police aren’t interested in searching for anymore suspects Miranda has no choice but to solve the murder herself.

Entwined with the crime/murder-solving plotline is a romance arc between Miranda and the victim’s brother; Chase. Miranda is determined to prove her innocence and Chase wants to uncover his brother’s many secrets. Starting out with nothing but hate and mistrust, the pair realise they have no choice but to team up and combine their knowledge if they want to achieve their goals. Overtime, and with several false starts, the two characters learn to become friends only for that friendship to turn into something more.

Gerritsen ensures that this dramatic switch from hate to love happens gradually throughout the novel. I was glad that Miranda and Chase did not immediately fall into each other’s arms. Instead the pair had to learn to put aside what they knew of the other’s reputation and truly get to know each other. I also liked that, even when Miranda and Chase were working together, they still did not always get along. The occasional moments of doubt and mistrust made their relationship feel more believable and natural – that their connection had to be earned and didn’t simply happen. Throughout the novel I was rooting for the pair to succeed and admit their feelings for each other.

However, in my opinion, the best character in the book is Miss St. John. She’s a no-nonsense older woman whose practicality and wisdom keep Miranda and Chase grounded during their investigation. A neighbour to the victim, Richard, she’s also not afraid to tackle any potential intruders with the nearest household object within reach. Easily the most sarcastic character in the story, my favourite moment was Miss St. John’s indignation upon finding out that Miranda and Chase don’t consider her capable of murder or of having illicit affairs due to her age. Miss St. John responds that she is perfect capable of both activities should she choose to do so.

Presumed Guilty has many enjoyable twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. The story is easy to follow with each new development making believable sense within the context of the story. A great, one-off crime novel.

---

Related Posts:

If you enjoyed this review you may also like these reviews: