Author: Marcia Clark
Genre: Mystery, thriller
Published on: May 1, 2016 by Thomas & Mercer
I’m a big fan of this author’s Rachel Knight books. When I heard she wrote a new similar series, I bought a copy right away. Blood Defense is the first entry, set in Los Angeles. The main character is Samantha Brinkman. Unlike Rachel, who’s a prosecutor, Samantha is a defense attorney. This made for a refreshing change. I found it interesting to see how the other side works. Samantha’s practice is small, though. She has two assistants, Michelle and Alex. They all live paycheck to paycheck (or retainer to retainer) so they’re not quite financially sound. Samantha’s office building is also smack dab within gang territory.
At the start of the book, a case emerges that could greatly increase exposure for Brinkman & Associates. The defendant, Detective Dale Pearson, personally requests Samantha to represent him. After learning about the case, she agrees to take it. This job won’t be an easy one, though. Dale faces charges for the murders of Chloe Monahan and Paige Avner, two roommates. Chloe was a beloved TV actress and Paige was a model. Dale happened to be dating Chloe. The murders of those two girls shocked and enraged the people of LA. They’re eager to see the culprit face justice.
Dale insists that he didn’t murder those girls. There’s a bit of evidence that seems to point to him, unfortunately. The police arrive to take him into custody. Meanwhile, Samantha and her assistants work to find proof that can help Dale. They don’t necessarily need to prove Dale is innocent. They just have to find evidence or testimony that casts reasonable doubt. After all, as Samantha explains, the burden of truth rests with the prosecutor. They are the ones who have to prove the defendant’s guilt.
As a character, Samantha was memorable and well fleshed-out. I found her to be a little more likable than Rachel Knight. You learn a lot about Samantha in just this one book. One of the first things you find out about Samantha is that she seems to have a traumatic past. She’s also at odds with her mother, a woman named Celeste. Throughout Blood Defense, it’s revealed why there’s so much animosity between Samantha and Celeste. Another thing to know about the former is that she’s not a stickler for the rules. Samantha’s willing to color outside the lines sometimes, even more than Rachel Knight.
I liked the other supporting characters, too. Michelle is closest to Samantha. They’ve known each other since they were children. As the paralegal, Michelle keeps Brinkman & Associates running smoothly. She doesn’t represent clients or attend trials by herself, though. Still, Michelle is a valuable asset for Samantha. The other assistant, Alex, is a recent addition. He’s a young Latino guy who used to be a car salesman. Alex is highly skilled in computer hacking, which landed him in trouble once. Samantha helped Alex, and seeing that he’s a good person, hired him as her investigator.
Overall, I thought Blood Defense was a great start to a new legal thriller series. Samantha Brinkman is just as compelling as a protagonist as Rachel Knight. They’re very different, too, and not just because of their professions. Samantha seems to be a little darker than Rachel. I’m intrigued to learn more about her. The other characters in the book were good, too. I’m just not sure about the main antagonist. When Samantha finds out who that is, it was not someone I expected. I’d thought it would be someone more…intimidating. Anyway, I still really enjoyed this book. If you are into legal thrillers, Blood Defense is a winner. I’ll definitely read the next books in the series.
At the start of the book, a case emerges that could greatly increase exposure for Brinkman & Associates. The defendant, Detective Dale Pearson, personally requests Samantha to represent him. After learning about the case, she agrees to take it. This job won’t be an easy one, though. Dale faces charges for the murders of Chloe Monahan and Paige Avner, two roommates. Chloe was a beloved TV actress and Paige was a model. Dale happened to be dating Chloe. The murders of those two girls shocked and enraged the people of LA. They’re eager to see the culprit face justice.
Dale insists that he didn’t murder those girls. There’s a bit of evidence that seems to point to him, unfortunately. The police arrive to take him into custody. Meanwhile, Samantha and her assistants work to find proof that can help Dale. They don’t necessarily need to prove Dale is innocent. They just have to find evidence or testimony that casts reasonable doubt. After all, as Samantha explains, the burden of truth rests with the prosecutor. They are the ones who have to prove the defendant’s guilt.
As a character, Samantha was memorable and well fleshed-out. I found her to be a little more likable than Rachel Knight. You learn a lot about Samantha in just this one book. One of the first things you find out about Samantha is that she seems to have a traumatic past. She’s also at odds with her mother, a woman named Celeste. Throughout Blood Defense, it’s revealed why there’s so much animosity between Samantha and Celeste. Another thing to know about the former is that she’s not a stickler for the rules. Samantha’s willing to color outside the lines sometimes, even more than Rachel Knight.
I liked the other supporting characters, too. Michelle is closest to Samantha. They’ve known each other since they were children. As the paralegal, Michelle keeps Brinkman & Associates running smoothly. She doesn’t represent clients or attend trials by herself, though. Still, Michelle is a valuable asset for Samantha. The other assistant, Alex, is a recent addition. He’s a young Latino guy who used to be a car salesman. Alex is highly skilled in computer hacking, which landed him in trouble once. Samantha helped Alex, and seeing that he’s a good person, hired him as her investigator.
Overall, I thought Blood Defense was a great start to a new legal thriller series. Samantha Brinkman is just as compelling as a protagonist as Rachel Knight. They’re very different, too, and not just because of their professions. Samantha seems to be a little darker than Rachel. I’m intrigued to learn more about her. The other characters in the book were good, too. I’m just not sure about the main antagonist. When Samantha finds out who that is, it was not someone I expected. I’d thought it would be someone more…intimidating. Anyway, I still really enjoyed this book. If you are into legal thrillers, Blood Defense is a winner. I’ll definitely read the next books in the series.
My rating: ★★★★ 1/2
4.5 stars - A fantastic page-turner!
No comments:
Post a Comment