Review: Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark

• Author:  Marcia Clark
  
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Mulholland Books (April 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316129518
• ISBN-13: 978-0316129510

Product Description

 

Los Angeles D.A. Rachel Knight is a tenacious, wise-cracking, and fiercely intelligent prosecutor in the city's most elite division. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel is shaken to the core. She must take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family.

But she can't stop herself from digging deeper into Jake's death, a decision that exposes a world of power and violence and will have her risking her reputation--and her life--to find the truth.

With her tremendous expertise in the nuances of L.A. courts and crime, and with a vibrant ensemble cast of characters, Marcia Clark combines intimate detail, riotous humor, and visceral action in a debut thriller that marks the launch of a major new figure on the crime-writing scene.

From Booklist

 

*Starred Review* Don't be dissuaded by the celebrity-author factor: Clark, lead prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson trial, pairs her knowledge of the L.A. judicial scene with a surprising flair for fiction in a remarkably accomplished debut novel. L.A. prosecutor Rachel Knight is stunned when her office soul-mate, Jake Pahlmeyer, is found shot to death in a sleazy motel along with a 17-year-old boy, raising ugly suspicions that she doesn't want to acknowledge. Given Jake's top case to work--the rape of the teenage daughter of one of the DA's prominent contributors--Rachel is warned by her boss to leave her colleague's death alone. But with her big heart and hard head, she uses her network of sources and risks career and safety to pursue both cases, teaming up with Detective Bailey Keller and following leads to Hispanic gangs and porno rings in the seamiest parts of the city. Clark offers a real page-turner here, with smart, fast-moving prose; a skillfully constructed plot; and a protagonist well worth knowing. Rachel, whose past is only hinted at, is a well-rounded character who's as tough with suspects as she is sensitive with young victims. A top-notch legal thriller that will leave readers wanting more.

HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Here's that rare example of a celebrity thriller author justifying a major promotion campaign by delivering a genuinely high-quality novel. --Michele Leber

About the Author

 

Marcia Clark is a former LA, California deputy district attorney, who was the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case. She wrote a bestselling nonfiction book about the trial, Without a Doubt, and is a frequent media commentator and columnist on legal issues. She lives in Los Angeles.


My Review

I was at first intrigued by this book specifically because it was written by Marcia Clark.  I remember watching her conduct herself as the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson trial in which she was very impressive and was interested to see if she was capitalizing on her name or if she could really write.  Well she really can write!

Who better to write about the ins and outs of the Los Angeles court system than former prosecutor Marcia Clark.  She knows how the system really operates and she has given us a new female crime fighter in District Attorney Rachel Knight.  Great story revolving around the death of fellow D.A. Jake Pahlmeyer also of the elite Special Trials Unit in Los Angeles.  More drama is added with a side story of a rape in Pacific Palisades.  Believable characters inhabit Rachel Knight's world such as LAPD Detective Bailey Keller, fellow D.A. Toni and new love interest LAPD Lieutenant Graden Hales. Lots of action, good story with believable twists and turns.  Good ending!

Check out Marcia's web site here:  http://www.marciaclarkbooks.com/  She has photos of many of the locations in Guilt by Association including the sumptuous bar in the Biltmore Hotel.  

Highly recommend this debut novel by Marcia Clark! Looking forward to reading more of Marcia Clark's books in the future.