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A review by judithdcollins
Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark
3.0
A special thank you to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for a complimentary reading copy in exchange for an honest review.
Famous as lead prosecutor in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, Marcia Clark still works as a lawyer, but she's also an author. First came 1997's "Without a Doubt," a memoir of the case, and more recently, a series of legal thrillers.
Clark's first four novels starred the same main character, Rachel Knight. Like Clark, Knight was a prosecutor in the Los Angeles district attorney's office, an ambitious, hard-charging lawyer who took her job very seriously.
Having read Marcia Clark’s The Competition (Rachel Knight #4) when it came out in 2014, Killer Ambition (Rachel Knight #3), and some of her newer books, the publisher sent me copies of the earlier books in the series to read at that time. They kind of got pushed further down the pile, and failed to write my review at the time, since they were older books, and my blog features only, new and upcoming books.
I do love legal thrillers, so wanted to revisit. When I picked up the audiobooks, read by January LaVoy, the first two books in the series, GUILT BY ASSOCIATION and GUILT BY DEGREES, wanted to write a quick review.
BTW, Congrats Marcia! Marcia Clark Finally Has a Moment to Savor at the Emmys (2016).
If you have read Blood Defense (#1 May 2016) it centers on defense attorney Samantha Brinkman. Unlike Rachel Knight, she's more than willing to bend the rules to get what she wants. Moral Defense (Nov 2016) will follow up with Samantha Brinkman #2.
In a recent online interview from Clark: “I was a defense attorney before I was a prosecutor, and I'm doing defense work again now. So I wanted to write a character who was a little more wild and woolly than Rachel." LA Times (2016)
Rachel lives at the Biltmore Hotel (not too shabby), due to prosecuting a case involving a wealthy client for a great room rate. She is living life and working with a hand -picked group of prosecutors and elite among the LA cops.
The first in the series, readers get to know Rachel. She is witty and tenacious. She is working on two crimes. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel cannot believe he was involved.
She has to take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family, a rape. The father is politically connected and quite the bully. He wants to control and manipulate the investigation. An affluent family.
At the same time, she has to dig into Jake’s death which puts her reputation and life in danger. They were best friends and worked in the same office. It appeared it was a murder suicide and another victim which was supposedly Jake’s lover.
Rachel is determined to solve the case with the help of her homicide friend Detective Bailey Keller and clear Jake’s name, even though she has been warned to stay clear. With some supporting characters, the series takes off with a lively start!
Fans of Lis Wiehl will enjoy Clark’s style, and this riveting thriller. With Clark’s background--a former LA, California deputy district attorney, who was the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case and a frequent media commentator and columnist on legal issues—she knows her stuff and is reflective throughout her books.
Her fans and new readers who enjoy crime thrillers, cop procedures, and legal thrillers will relate to the series.
Famous as lead prosecutor in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, Marcia Clark still works as a lawyer, but she's also an author. First came 1997's "Without a Doubt," a memoir of the case, and more recently, a series of legal thrillers.
Clark's first four novels starred the same main character, Rachel Knight. Like Clark, Knight was a prosecutor in the Los Angeles district attorney's office, an ambitious, hard-charging lawyer who took her job very seriously.
Having read Marcia Clark’s The Competition (Rachel Knight #4) when it came out in 2014, Killer Ambition (Rachel Knight #3), and some of her newer books, the publisher sent me copies of the earlier books in the series to read at that time. They kind of got pushed further down the pile, and failed to write my review at the time, since they were older books, and my blog features only, new and upcoming books.
I do love legal thrillers, so wanted to revisit. When I picked up the audiobooks, read by January LaVoy, the first two books in the series, GUILT BY ASSOCIATION and GUILT BY DEGREES, wanted to write a quick review.
BTW, Congrats Marcia! Marcia Clark Finally Has a Moment to Savor at the Emmys (2016).
If you have read Blood Defense (#1 May 2016) it centers on defense attorney Samantha Brinkman. Unlike Rachel Knight, she's more than willing to bend the rules to get what she wants. Moral Defense (Nov 2016) will follow up with Samantha Brinkman #2.
In a recent online interview from Clark: “I was a defense attorney before I was a prosecutor, and I'm doing defense work again now. So I wanted to write a character who was a little more wild and woolly than Rachel." LA Times (2016)
Rachel lives at the Biltmore Hotel (not too shabby), due to prosecuting a case involving a wealthy client for a great room rate. She is living life and working with a hand -picked group of prosecutors and elite among the LA cops.
The first in the series, readers get to know Rachel. She is witty and tenacious. She is working on two crimes. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel cannot believe he was involved.
She has to take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family, a rape. The father is politically connected and quite the bully. He wants to control and manipulate the investigation. An affluent family.
At the same time, she has to dig into Jake’s death which puts her reputation and life in danger. They were best friends and worked in the same office. It appeared it was a murder suicide and another victim which was supposedly Jake’s lover.
Rachel is determined to solve the case with the help of her homicide friend Detective Bailey Keller and clear Jake’s name, even though she has been warned to stay clear. With some supporting characters, the series takes off with a lively start!
Fans of Lis Wiehl will enjoy Clark’s style, and this riveting thriller. With Clark’s background--a former LA, California deputy district attorney, who was the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case and a frequent media commentator and columnist on legal issues—she knows her stuff and is reflective throughout her books.
Her fans and new readers who enjoy crime thrillers, cop procedures, and legal thrillers will relate to the series.