But my patience was rewarded . . . somewhat.

Mark Dooher is prominent San Francisco attorney, the head of his own law firm, with friends and clients in high places including the Archbishop of San Francisco. Money, success, he seems to have it all. Or does he? For some people, no matter how much they have, it's never enough.

Mark Dooher has plans, and he will stop at nothing to get his way. And because he is both brilliant and charismatic, no one, not his best friend, not his business associates, not even his wife, knows the real man behind the handsome face.

After many pages spent introducing the reader to Mark Dooher and setting up the complex story that involves numerous characters, Guilt finally picks up speed. The last few hundred pages soar along, with an intriguing trial, and a satisfying, if over the top, conclusion.

Unlike most suspense novels, the main character in Guilt is the murderer – not the tragic detective zealously tracking him, not the beautiful young attorney he lusts for, not his unwaveringly loyal best friend. And with over 600 pages devoted to Mark Dooher, I was surprised that I still didn't really understand him.

Occasionally, even during the most gripping sections of Guilt, parts of the story had me shaking my head in puzzlement. Why was such a high profile murder case assigned to an unseasoned prosecutor? How could the head of a rape crisis center fall so quickly for an attorney whose clients included numerous rapists? Why, when most people thought Dooher was a saint, did his children hate him?

Is Guilt worth the wait? Well, think about Space Mountain. Was the ride worth it after waiting in a slow moving, hot, crowded line? To me, it was a fun ride, but highly overrated.

--Dede Anderson