BOOK REVIEW: SNAP JUDGMENT BY MARCIA CLARK

Title: Snap Judgment

Author: Marcia Clark

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: August 29, 2017 by Thomas & Mercer

In the third installment of Marcia Clark’s bestselling series, attorney Samantha Brinkman’s investigation into a family’s deadly secrets is compromised by a threat from her past.

When the daughter of prominent civil litigator Graham Hutchins is found with her throat slashed, the woman’s spurned ex-boyfriend seems the likely suspect. But only days later, the young man dies in what appears to be a suicide. Or was it? Now authorities are faced with a possible new crime. And their person of interest is Hutchins. After all, avenging the death of his daughter is the perfect reason to kill. If he’s as innocent as he claims, only one lawyer has what it takes to prove it: his friend and colleague Samantha Brinkman.

It’s Sam’s obligation to trust her new client. Yet the deeper she digs on his behalf, the more entangled she becomes in a thicket of family secrets, past betrayals, and multiple motives for murder. To win her case, she’s prepared to bend any law and cross any boundary that stands in her way. Sam has always played by her own rules, and it’s always worked…so far. But this case cuts so deep and so personal that one false move could cost her everything.

Defense attorney Samantha Brinkman is back with her newest high-profile case. She and her associates (Michelle Jones and Alex Medrano) first find out about it through the news. Alicia, a college freshman, was found dead in her bathtub. As usual, the primary suspect is her ex-boyfriend Roan. There are…issues that point to his guilt. The case against Roan takes a wild turn when he turns up dead too. While the police investigate the circumstances, Alicia’s father Graham Hutchins stops by Samantha’s office. He feels like he may need an attorney soon.

Samantha first gives Graham condolences for the loss of his daughter. He’s a lawyer too, so Graham and Samantha are acquainted with each other. When Roan’s case becomes more pressing, Samantha officially takes on Graham as a client. She and Alex, her investigator, begin looking into Alicia’s life. They interview her friends seeking to find out who killed Alicia. Samantha’s goal is to discover if someone may have wanted both Alicia and Roan dead.

BOOK REVIEW: MORAL DEFENSE BY MARCIA CLARK

Title: Moral Defense

Author: Marcia Clark

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: November 8, 2016 by Thomas & Mercer

For defense attorney Samantha Brinkman, it's not about guilt or innocence--it's about making sure her clients walk. But the case of Cassie Sonnenberg touches a raw nerve in Sam that makes it painfully personal.

A savage attack in a suburban home has left a father and son stabbed, and a mother clinging to life. And Cassie, the family's adopted teenage daughter, is accused of the bloody crime. It's a tabloid-ready case that has the nation in an uproar--and Sam facing her biggest challenge. But when she learns the murders were sparked by years of sexual abuse, she doubles down to get Cassie exonerated.

Yet, even as Sam probes the Secret past of a seemingly happy family, the dark memories of her own tormented life threaten to consume her. And as Cassie's story keeps twisting at every turn, in troubling new directions, Sam must fight all the harder to separate dangerous lies from the terrifying truth.

  

This is the second book in the Samantha Brinkman series. It takes place a few months after Blood Defense. The titular character’s kept herself busy. Apart from handling cases, Samantha and her associates now work in a different office. A bad guy set fire to their old building. They’re quite better off now, as the office isn’t in gang territory anymore. Samantha’s also become rather well-known after winning her last big case. She hopes to start earning more money. Neither Samantha nor her associates are well-to-do.

Samantha gets a new, potentially big case early on in the book. There was a shocking crime at a small town called Glendale. Someone murdered nearly an entire family. Only one of them, fifteen-year-old Cassie Sonnenberg, got away unhurt. Samantha meets with Cassie to see how she can help. The girl isn’t a suspect, but she could need legal counsel. Cassie also speaks to the police to relay what she knows. She points them toward a possible suspect. Cassie claims to have witnessed an unknown person running away the night of the murders.

BOOK REVIEW: BLOOD DEFENSE BY MARCIA CLARK

Title: Blood Defense

Author: Marcia Clark

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: May 1, 2016 by Thomas & Mercer

Samantha Brinkman, an ambitious, hard-charging Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, is struggling to make a name for herself and to drag her fledgling practice into the big leagues. Sam lands a high-profile double-murder case in which one of the victims is a beloved TV star—and the defendant is a decorated veteran LAPD detective. It promises to be exactly the kind of media sensation that would establish her as a heavy hitter in the world of criminal law.

Though Sam has doubts about his innocence, she and her two associates (her closest childhood friend and a brilliant ex-con) take the case. Notorious for living by her own rules—and fearlessly breaking everyone else’s—Samantha pulls out all the stops in her quest to uncover evidence that will clear the detective. But when a shocking secret at the core of the case shatters her personal world, Sam realizes that not only has her client been playing her, he might be one of the most dangerous sociopaths she’s ever encountered.

 

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.

BOOK REVIEW: THE COMPETITION BY MARCIA CLARK

Title: The Competition

Author: Marcia Clark

Genre: Mystery, legal thriller

Published on: July 8, 2014 by Mulholland Books (first hardcover edition)

A Columbine-style shooting at a high school in the San Fernando Valley has left a community shaken to its core. Two students are identified as the killers. Both are dead, believed to have committed a mutual suicide.

In the aftermath of the shooting, LA Special Trials prosecutor Rachel Knight teams up with her best girlfriend, LAPD detective Bailey Keller. As Rachel and Bailey interview students at the high school, they realize that the facts don't add up. Could it be that the students suspected of being the shooters are actually victims? And if so, does that mean that the real killers are still on the loose?

A dramatic leap forward in Marcia Clark's highly acclaimed Rachel Knight series, The Competition is an unforgettable story that will stay with readers long after the last page has been turned.

Three books in, famous prosecutor turned novelist Marcia Clark has proved her amazing talent. The Rachel Knight legal thriller series is phenomenal. Can The Competition top the stunning third entry in its series? As usual, a few months have passed since the events of Killer Ambition. Rachel Knight and her police detective partner Bailey Keller are pretty much household names now. They solved one of the most high-profile cases to have emerged in LA. This doesn’t mean Rachel and Bailey get stopped for autographs now, though. They’ve gone about their normal lives...as normal as they can be.

The Competition starts from the point of view of two students at Fairmont High, a local LA school. Christy Shilling is a girl who’s worked too hard to make the varsity cheerleading team. Harley Jenson is a studious boy who seeks to win a scholarship to MIT. Their next day at school, things seem like they’ll go as usual. Except, what should have been a normal school day is brutally interrupted. Two unidentified shooters open fire at a pep rally, killing several students instantly. Sadly, one of them seems to be Christy. My heart went out to her. It was so unfair that Christy got killed the day of her debut as a cheerleader. So much hard work, only to be killed when she's had all but a sip of success. Harley’s fate is left ambiguous, though.

BOOK REVIEW: KILLER AMBITION BY MARCIA CLARK

Title: Killer Ambition

Author: Marcia Clark

Genre: Mystery, legal thriller

Published on: June 18, 2013 by Mulholland Books

When the daughter of a billionaire Hollywood director is found murdered after what appears to be a kidnapping gone wrong, Los Angeles Special Trials prosecutor Rachel Knight and Detective Bailey Keller find themselves at the epicenter of a combustible and high-profile court case. Then a prime suspect is revealed to be one of Hollywood's most popular and powerful talent managers--and best friend to the victim's father. With the director vouching for the manager's innocence, the Hollywood media machine commences an all-out war designed to discredit both Rachel and her case. KILLER AMBITION is at once a thrilling ride through the darker side of Tinseltown and a stunning courtroom drama with the brilliant insider's perspective that Marcia Clark is uniquely qualified to give.

Rachel Knight’s legal thriller series is among my favorite reads of the year now. The titular Special Trials DA returns with a third entry. Killer Ambition picks up after a months-long time gap. This has become the custom for this series. Rachel has continued handling trials during the “hiatus”. She’s also going on dates with her boyfriend, Lieutenant Graden Hales. They hit a big bump in Guilt by Degrees. Rachel and Graden are on much better terms now.

In the previous two books, Rachel is the one who picked up the big story-long case. This time, it’s her best friend Detective Bailey Keller’s turn. She hears about the new case first, and asks Rachel to accompany her. They learn that Hayley Antonovich, the daughter of Russell Antonovich (a highly-acclaimed movie director) has been kidnapped. As is standard MO for them, Rachel and Bailey interview Hayley’s family and acquaintances. From the start, this is looking to be the duo’s biggest case yet. Russell is all but royalty in LA. He has several houses, and his main one is huge and located in the Palisades.

BOOK REVIEW: GUILT BY DEGREES BY MARCIA CLARK

Title: Guilt by Degrees

Author: Marcia Clark

Genre: Mystery, legal thriller

Published on: May 8, 2012 by Mulholland Books

Harrowing, smart, and riotously entertaining, Guilt by Degrees is a thrilling ride through the world of LA courts with the unforgettable Rachel Knight.

Someone has been watching D.A. Rachel Knight -- someone who's Rachel's equal in brains, but with more malicious intentions. It began when a near-impossible case fell into Rachel's lap, the suspectless homicide of a homeless man. In the face of courthouse backbiting and a gauzy web of clues, Rachel is determined to deliver justice. She's got back-up: tough-as-nails Detective Bailey Keller.

As Rachel and Bailey stir things up, they're shocked to uncover a connection with the vicious murder of an LAPD cop a year earlier. Something tells Rachel someone knows the truth, someone who'd kill to keep it secret.

Special Trials prosecutor Rachel Knight is back in this second installment of her series. It takes place months after Guilt by Association ended. Rachel has continued handling various cases, as usual. She’s in court one day waiting for her turn. There, Rachel watches an arraignment for a murder case in which the victim was a homeless man. The evidence is so thin, and the prosecutor so unenthusiastic, that the case is almost dismissed. In a bold move, Rachel picks it up to prevent that. This surprises everyone, as the case is nowhere near Special Trials material.

Rachel soon calls upon her best friend, Detective Bailey Keller, to assist with the case. It’s the first time the two have worked together since their case from book one. Bailey isn’t thrilled that Rachel asked her to help with such a dud. It’s not that she doesn’t want to help a homeless man. Bailey simply can see how unlikely it is that the case will ever be solved. Since no one even knows the victim’s identity, it won’t be easy for Rachel to keep the case. Unless she can find proof that it is Special Trials-worthy, she will lose it. Luckily, there are just enough clues for Rachel to follow.

BOOK REVIEW: GUILT BY ASSOCIATION BY MARCIA CLARK

Title: Guilt by Association

Author: Marcia Clark

Genre: Mystery, legal thriller

Published on: April 20, 2011 by Mulholland Books

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.

I bought this book back when I had a taste for mysteries with female protagonists in law enforcement. Guilt by Association had really good reviews, so I got myself a copy. The main character is Rachel Knight, a prosecutor in the Special Trials division of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office. When we meet her, Rachel’s been a DA for at least seven years. She recently transferred to Special Trials, her dream job. Rachel describes the position as highly demanding and time-consuming. She claims that’s what she finds attractive about it. 

Rachel has two close friends in Special Trials. One is Jake Pahlmeyer, and the other is Toni. Early in the book, a burning building grabs Rachel’s attention in the evening. When Rachel gets there, she’s horrified to see a paramedic taking Jake away on a stretcher. A police lieutenant escorts Rachel home. There, she keeps Jake’s death to herself, hoping it's only a bad dream. But as one can expect, there’s no such luck. Jake is still dead next morning. This affects Rachel deeply. They were what she describes as office soulmates. Rachel and Jake knew nothing personal about each other, but they were otherwise inseparable.