Guilt by Association

In June of 1994 I was a married mother of one with a full time job in addition to a demanding college schedule. I was young, I was crazy, I was busy, and none of those things kept me from paying close attention as the saga of OJ Simpson began to unravel.

I remember the slow speed chase, the jury selection, and on January 25, 1995, when the trial began I was captivated. It was, after all, hard to avoid the spectacle with all the media coverage it garnered.

For lead prosecuting attorney, Marcia Clark, the trial ended on a sour note. Not only did OJ Simpson & his team walk out of the court room victorious but her career as a D.A. was over... even though this wasn't her first high profile murder trial (she did prosecute Robert John Bardo successfully), it was quite decisively her last.

Perhaps it was my own past with Ms. Clark that drew me to her novel, but what ever it was - I am pleased to have read it.

Title: Guilt By Association

Author: Marcia Clark
Publisher: Mullholland Books (Little Brown)

Genre: Fiction/Crime/Suspense

Pages: 368 (hardcover)

On Sale: April 20, 2011

IndieBound Link

Authors Website

Synopsis:

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.

My Take:

An amazing first fiction novel from the prosecutor made famous through the OJ Simpson murder trial. Grounded in what she knows Marcia Clark introduces us to gritty LA District Attorney Rachel Knight. With a supportive team of fellow attorneys and investigators Rachel digs into the mysterious death of a colleague and uncovers something quite unexpected.

It was not lost on me that the authors middle name is Rachel nor that the characters last name could very well be a play on the heroic white knight. I really felt a piece of the author in this, as though she were reliving or wishing for the career she left behind. None of these things affected the quality of the story or the writing, which they very easily could have.

Fantastically paced with an engaging storyline and characters I want to know more about; I'm hoping that Ms. Clark has more Rachel Knight stories to offer.

The Complaints - (not complaining)

I've been sitting on this review for quite awhile because I personally get frustrated when I read a review, want the book NOW, and then can't get it. Previously released in the UK popular crime writer Ian Rankin's newest offering since retiring his popular hero Det. Insp. John Rebus should start appearing on US shelves this week!


The Complaints

Title: The Complaints
Author: Ian Rankin
Publisher: Little Brown & Company (Hachette Books)
Genre: Fiction/Crime/Suspense
Pages: 448 (Hardcover)
On Sale: March 7, 2011

IndieBound Link
Authors WebSite


Synopsis:

Nobody likes The Complaints--they're the cops who investigate other cops. It's a department known within the force as "The Dark Side," and it's where Malcolm Fox works. He's a serious man with a father in a nursing home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship, frustrating problems about which he cannot seem to do anything.Then the reluctant Fox is given a new case. There's a cop named Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. The problem is, no one can prove it. As Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks--dangerous knowledge, especially when a vicious murder takes place far too close to home.

My Take:

Twist and turns and kept me guessing until the final chapter, even though I announced more than once I had "figured it out". Set in Scotland there was a bit of learning curve figuring out the police hierarchy & system but I loved hearing the voices of the characters in my head speaking with an accent.
Certainly a step out of the box for me genre wise (not an ounce of steam involved) this is a great story, well written and worthy of a mention to those who enjoy the crime/mystery genre.