Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark (Book Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own.

About the book-

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.


My thoughts-

I immediately recognized the name Marcia Clark from the infamous OJ Simpson murder trial. I was only in 5th grade when that trial took place, but I was old enough to know what was going on and to take an interest in the trial. So when I saw that Marcia Clark was writing books, I had to see if she could deliver. I have no idea why I did not notice that she had been writing fiction until now when Guilt by Association was written in 2012, but I am glad that I discovered her books even if a little behind the times. I was engaged from the get-go wanting to know where this book was headed and wanting to know what had happened and of course trying to figure out  not one, but two "whodunits". I love a good criminal thriller, I spent a good majority of my high school years reading John Grisham, so I was excited to find another author to be excited about and that kept me wanting to read on to find out what happened next. The only complaint I have about this book is that it could have been shorter. I don't have any problem with a long book if all of the information was pertinent, but I grew tired of reading about what Rachel wanted to eat vs. what she could eat and when she needed to work out. A few mentions of these things would have painted a sufficient picture of the character. Even though there are parts of the book that were drawn out, they are easy to skim over and this book is still a great debut novel. It is also the first book in a series of books about D. A. Rachel Knight and for me, that makes it even more worth reading. I have already started reading the second novel! I recommend Guilt by Association to anyone who enjoys a fast paced criminal thriller or suspense novel. 

About the author-

Marcia Clark began her law career as a criminal defense attorney. In 1981, she became a prosecutor in the Los Angeles District Attorney's office where she handled a number of high profile cases prior to and including the O. J. Simpson trial.

In May of 1997, Clark wrote a book the Simpson case called Without a Doubt. It quickly rose to #1 on several best seller lists including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal LA Times, among others.

In addition to her law career, Clark has toured the country giving lectures on women's issues, was a legal analyst and expert for several television networks between 1998-2000, has appeared on several other shows including "The Oprah Winfrey Show", "Larry King Live", "The Today Show", "The Early Show", "Good Morning American" and many others. She has also been involved in writing several tv pilots. 

Guilt by Association is the first novel in a series of novels about prosecutor Rachel Knight. These books have been optioned as a television show and are currently in development for TNT. She will serve as Executive Director of the show.

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