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Guilt by Association
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Guilt by Association
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Guilt by Association
Audiobook9 hours

Guilt by Association

Written by Marcia Clark

Narrated by January LaVoy

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

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.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 20, 2011
ISBN9781609419790
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Guilt by Association
Author

Marcia Clark

California native Marcia Clark is the author of Guilt by Association, Guilt by Degrees, Killer Ambition, and The Competition, all part of the Rachel Knight series. A practicing criminal lawyer since 1979, she joined the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in 1981, where she served as prosecutor for the trials of Robert Bardo, convicted of killing actress Rebecca Schaeffer, and, most notably, O. J. Simpson. The bestselling Without a Doubt, which she cowrote, chronicles her work on the Simpson trial. Clark has been a frequent commentator on a variety of shows and networks, including Today, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and MSNBC, as well as a legal correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

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Reviews for Guilt by Association

Rating: 3.689944099441341 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

179 ratings44 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found myself glued to the ear buds. The writing was exciting and kept me listening. Sounds like Rachael Knight = Marcia Clark. Rachael Knight is a deputy DA in Los Angeles county--sound familiar? She works only one case in this book, partnering with a cop. I thought that maybe LA county has too many deputy DAs if one can also do the investigation part of the job and only do one case. Anyway, the plot involves both a rape of a young rich woman and a dead co worker. Both, of course, come together in the book. Pretty good book, I'll read another.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    If you are a fan of mysteries, like me, you'll want to read this refreshing new who-done-it from Marcia Clark. Remember her? Best known as the prosecutor, along with Christopher Darden, in the O.J. Simpson murder trial, this is her first foray into fiction. There is much to like here: a murder mystery told in the first person from the point of view of the prosecutor, an interesting plot, well developed characters, and sparing use of obscenities. If you look for it, you can find evidence of Ms. Clark's inexperience with fiction, but the rough spots are too inconsequential to dwell on. Warning for men: this is the book equivalent of a "chick flick." If you can look past the occasional girl talk and decisions like "What should I wear today?", you'll enjoy this well written story from a promising new author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received the entire Rachel Knight series from the publisher (they know me so well - not a chance I would've started with the new release without having read the first 3 books first) in exchange for an honest (i.e. 'the only kind I ever write anyway' :) review.When I first started reading this book I actually did not realize who Marcia Clark is (though the name did sound familiar). A helpful goodreads user mentioned it in response to me listing this book in one of the "What are you currently reading?" threads. Not that Marcia Clark's identity (as the lead prosecutor in the O.J. trial and a former D.A. - in case you, like me, do not read the little author blurb until AFTER you've read the book) as such matters but it did help explain her level of insider knowledge when it comes to investigations and legal proceedings.Once I picked up Guilt by Association I did not come up for air until I finished reading all 4 books in the series. I do think it's important to point out that this is not a typical thriller or a police procedural. If you are looking for a James Patterson style book, this is not it. As I keep mentioning in my reviews, knowing what you're getting into, goes a long way towards preventing book related disappointments. Surprisingly enough, this one felt like there were elements of chick lit mixed in - something I actually found quite refreshing and interesting. The fact that the book (actually all of them in the series) centers around strong female characters was definitely a strong selling point for me.Rachel Knight is a D.A. in a Special Trials Unit. She works the high profile cases (she also happens to be a hardcore workaholic) - though not just in the courtroom; she actually takes an active part in the investigation itself(one of her two best friends, Bailey, is a detective with the Major Crimes Division of the LAPD and they just happen to do quite a bit of sleuthing together). Rachel is exceptionally good at her job. She lives in a hotel and at times has a bit of Bridget Jones in her. Her love life is kind of complicated. Who and how she is to a large extent defined by a tragedy from her childhood - something she does not really talk about. And through it all she has her friends, Bailey and Toni (another D.A. who works in her Unit). All in all, she has the makings of a captivating protagonist.In Guilt by Association, Rachel gets assigned the case that hits close to home - one of her coworkers (another D.A. named Jake) was found murdered under controversial circumstances. As Rachel and Bailey try to uncover the truth, Rachel is also forced to dig into Jake's private life and has to wonder if sometimes we don't know as much as we think we do about those we work with. Don't expect a super fast-paced action - Marcia Clark takes her time, allowing the reader to really get to know the characters, instead of focusing solely on the case at hand.This is another one of those perfect summer/vacation/beach reads. This series is a bit like potato chips - don't expect to be able to "have" just one and leave it at that. Before you know it, you'll be through all four of them and loving every second of it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.This is book#1 in the Rachel Knight series. Rachel Knight is the main character in the book and as you get to know her you know that you want her as your friend that way if something ever goes wrong she will have your back. She isn't afraid to toe the line and even step over the line to get to the truth.The plot is suspenseful and keeps you guessing as to what really happened to the situations that Rachel is investigating. If you are looking for a well developed plot and characters then this is the book for you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Marcia Clark’s novel, Guilt by Association, is her first novel in a series featuring Rachel Knight a DA in the Special Trials Unit in LA. She and the other members of the unit catch the high profile cases that often involve difficult investigations and lots of political pressure. Rachel is single and a workaholic, her life is her job. The job does include a good amount of social interaction with her fellow DA, Toni, and her LAPD detective friend, Bailey. The three dine out frequently and often spend the night after drinking a bit in Rachel’s upscale hotel room (her permanent living quarters).The story involves the murder of Rachel’s male colleague in the Special Trials unit and the rape of the daughter of a wealthy doctor. The two at first seemingly independent cases may have connections. The three friends get involved in both cases, leading them from the tough neighborhoods run by gang “shot callers” to a gated community for wealthy professionals. Rachel shows herself to be a smart, hip, tough woman almost completely dedicated to her work. She does find time to visit restaurants with her friends and start to develop a romantic relationship Braden Hales, LAPD police lieutenant.I like Rachel the wise-cracking, down to earth character who breaks the rules a bit but is dedicated to doing her best DA work in all situations. I read the second novel in Ms. Clark’s series, Guilt by Degrees, and it was interesting to go back in Rachel’s history to see how the character was developed. The second novel is better written than the first showing the improving skill (and editing?) of Ms. Clark’s fiction.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When Rachel Knight, an LA County Deputy DA,discovers that her fellow DA and partner, Jake, is dead from an alleged murder/suicide with a teen male prostitute, Rachel is determined to clear his name, even if she has to work the case in secrecy after hours. During the day, however, she is assigned to one of Jake's cases, an unsolved rape of a young girl from an affluent family in the Pacific Palisades. As she and her police officer friend, Bailey, track down the clues, Rachel finds her life threatened by a suspected gang member who has been accused of the rape. With a somewhat predictable twist of an ending, Rachel and Bailey solve the case, laying the groundwork for Marcia Clark's new thriller series, in the same genre as James Patterson, Stephen White, and other mystery thrillers.I found this novel rather farfetched as I'm sure a Deputy DA has plenty more courtroom and prep work to do than to act as a detective in the field exploring clues and staking out suspects. Why Ms. Clark didn't make Rachel a detective rather than a DA was confusing to me. As for the story, it was an average thriller with a good bit of girlfriend eating/drinking and talking about the guys thrown in for good measure. I enjoyed the LA setting and the relationship of Rachel and her friends/coworkers, but the pace of the novel was lacking until it picked up towards the end. I did enjoy the humor of the gangster, Luis, as the novel was not particularly funny, except when he entered a scene. His character seemed the most genuine of any of the individuals in the story, perhaps because his character was realistically complex and flawed. As I received this, Ms. Clark's first novel, and her second one, "Guild by Degrees" as Early Reviewer books, I'm hoping that the next book is a little more exciting and that Rachel's character is more fleshed out, as she seemed to be rather one-dimensional and without emotion or humor.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The story reminded me a little of the James Patterson's Women Murder Club series. Of course, Marcia Clark writes a better story, but James Patterson's books are a quicker read. Clark's story starts with a band when Rachel Knight's co-worker is found dead in an apparent murder-suicide. Rachel and her two friends, Toni and Bailey, attempt to ferret out the truth.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    GUILT BY ASSOCIATION by Marcia ClarkPublished by Little BrownISBN: 9780316186353I received an ARC-EBook Bound galley Edition from NetGalley, at no cost to me, for my honest opinion. Synopsis (from NetGalley): 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 and Opinion: After reading the synopsis, the vast reviews and yes, being one of the millions, glued to the infamous TV trial of the century, my curiosity was piqued as to Ms. Clark's debut novel. I was a bit leery, however, that it would be filled with a lot of legal jargon but after reading a few chapters I knew that wouldn't be the case (no pun intended). The suspense pulled me in within the first few pages. I immediately liked the strong willed main character Rachel Knight. The writing style flowed and it kept my interest for the entire read. The author created a story line that wove a cast of characters and 2 separate crimes together to the end, keeping the reader guessing to the last page. However, I felt that there was more "detective" work by the main character than her role as a D.A., not much in the way of a "legal" storyline. As I said, the book held my interest, but I wouldn't say it was a page turner, can't put down read. I also thought, and this is my opinion only, that there was too much "filler" of where and what the characters ate and drank. I expected, and again this is only my opinion, more substance. My Rating: 3
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have to admit, I almost passed on reading this book because Marcia Clark is not my favorite person. Then I thought if the old saying "write what you know" is true, she should be able to write a damn good book. I tried it and I was very surprised at just how good it was.Ms. Clark does write what she knows and writes it in such a way that keeps up glued to the pages. The 'big' story is that of DA Rachel Knight finding out that her partner and friend Jake has been found dead and possibly was involved in some horrible things. She does not believe it and decides to poke around and find out the truth.While doing that she also must take over his biggest case which involves the rape of a young girl. Again, things are not as clear cut as they seem.I really enjoyed the characters. The friendship between Rachel, Tori another lawyer and Baily a policewoman was fun. Outside of work they are just girls hanging out and having a good time. They really clicked with me. It's great to have a bunch a girlfriends to be yourself with.I don't want to give away any of the book so you just need to read it. I was floored by the ending. I had in my mind who I thought it was and things seems to point there but that was Ms. Clark's way of messing with our minds. I never would have guessed.If you enjoy legal thrillers give this one a read. I actually hope there is more to come from Marcia Clark and that maybe I will be able to visit my new friends in another book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A surprisingly good debut novel by the infamous D.A. of OJ Simpson's trial. D.A. Rachel Knight is socked by the apparent murder-suicide involving a co-worker. Though she didn't know him well, she can't believe Jake would be involved in a sexual tryst with an underage boy in a seedy motel. With the help from her police detective friend, Bailey, she surreptitiously investigates Jake's case while working on the case she inherited in his absence. The daughter of a wealthy Los Angeles doctor was raped in their home and the girl is convinced that the likeliest suspect - the gangbanger she's been tutoring - is innocent. Rachel's inclined to agree but leads and subsequent events point in increasingly confusing directions.Clark employs a nice combination of legal and police maneuvers to solve both crimes. Her characters are wise-cracking, women with minor faults and she doesn't fall into the trap of portraying all male characters as bad guys. Rachel is still rebounding from a failed relationship with a good guy but the hunky cop working Jake's case may be the one to help her move on.Los Angeles figures prominently as Rachel and Bailey traverse differing neighborhoods and half the restaurants in the city. The resolution of the plot is both surprising and plausible. A good start to what promises to be an entertaining series along the lines of LIsa Scottoline's wry legal thrillers.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Well, I kind of wanted to like this fiction debut more than I did. It's gotten great reviews in the journals. But to me, it felt a little forced in spots. Maybe I am just not enough of a mystery fan to truly enjoy it. I expect the future installments (I assume there will be more) will be smoother. The main character is Rachel Knight, a workaholic L.A. district attorney whose colleague is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Rachel is a kind of like a modern, female Spenser who likes to knock back a drink with her female pal and has relationship commitment issues. She also inherits a "hot potato" case from her deceased colleague, of a young rape victim with a wealthy, politically connected father, who wants the case solved and prosecuted stat. She investigates both cases, with the help of her detective gal pal. It was an authentically written, tightly plotted mystery from actual D.A. Marcia Clark. It just wasn't quite my bag.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I must say, I was pleasantly surprised: I really didn't expect Marcia Clark deliver such a good debut crime novel - with a touch of John Grisham (his page-turner quality) and the witty humor reminiscent of Janet Evanovich. An altogether impressive read - from the DA of one of the most notorious trials in history.--
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    First Line: He snapped his cell phone shut and slid it into the pocket of his skin-tight jeans.Los Angeles District Attorney Rachel Knight is a member of the small, select group known as Special Trials, and as such, she's used to dealing with the most complex and high profile cases. Rachel and the rest of the group are used to spending a lot of time in each other's company, but they talk shop; they don't talk about their lives outside the job.When another member of the group, Jake Pahlmeyer, and a young boy are found dead in a rent-by-the-hour motel, Rachel is in total shock. She must also take over his toughest case: the rape of a young woman from a rich family.But that's not all. No matter the gossip swirling around Jake's death, no matter that she didn't know what Jake did in his time away from the office, Rachel knows something's not right, and she's willing to put her job-- and her life-- on the line to uncover the truth.Normally I would steer well clear of a book written by a celebrity author, but the synopsis sounded so good that I knew I had to give it a try. I'm glad I did. Clark shows skill in developing an engrossing plot that moves at an assured pace. Her familiarity with Los Angeles came through loud and clear, and the character of Rachel was extremely well done.How well done? Her intelligence and skill at her job were very evident, and a few of her flaws made me shake my head (a sure sign that the character is becoming real to me as I read). If you eat out with Rachel, be warned: she's always on a diet and thinks nothing of stealing food from everyone else's plate. Keep your fork handy. Also, Rachel gave details every time she made a wardrobe change. I'm not a typical female, so the fashion updates got a bit boring. And... Rachel enjoys her alcohol a bit too much. She needs to take care.Clark also has a good turn of phrase, as when she describes the entrance to the county jail as "the gates of Mordor", or when she talks about a faded woman looking "as though she'd been run through the wash too many times."I thought I had the mystery solved-- several times. Each time I had the solution in the bag, Clark put a knot in the plot and made me rethink everything. I like that. Am I looking forward to more books featuring Rachel Knight? You bet I am!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    We remember Marcia Clark from the OJ trial and her non-fiction book, Without a Doubt. Guilt by Association is her first novel.The main character, LA DA Rachel Knight, isn't quite the all-knowing supergirl that we may expect. I liked the fact that she had a few flaws. Clark's knowledge of the legal system comes through loud and clear. The action moves along at a good pace from the discovery of a body at the beginning of chapter 2. The victim is a colleague of Rachel's. She doesn't agree with the police decision that it is a murder-suicide. I am looking forward to her next book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a really good first novel for marcia clark. i really liked the way the charactors intractedand the storyline was great. I cant wait to read her next book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This book was ok, not awful but certainly not great. I was often annoyed by Ms. Knight and her friends. There was too much focus on her drinking, not eating and breaking all the rules. I found myself wishing she would get back to the main story. She had trouble finding balance between character development and keeping the story on track. The book was well written but she could have used a good editor. This was a solid effort for her first fictional book. i do look forward to second Rachel Knight book. I think there is potential for Rachel to grow and there is always crimes to prosecute.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    They say write what you know. Marcia Clark did that. She was an prosecutor in LA during the OJ Simpson trial and Guilt by Association is a book about an LA prosecutor. I have a hard time believing a real prosecutor would get up to the shenanigans that Rachel Knight seemed attracted to, but it certainly made the story more fun.Rachel Knight is part of the special unit of prosecutors who deal with the tough cases. They are all surprised when one of their number, Jake Pahlmeyer, is found shot to death in a seedy hotel room with a 17 year old kid and a naked picture of the kid in his pocket. Rachel is crushed but refuses to believe it's a murder-suicide. Since time stands still for no one, Jake's cases are split up between the group and Rachel gets a rape. Normally this wouldn't even make it to the special cases except the father of the girl is friends with the big boss. So Rachel has her hands full with a father who expects results yesterday and is supposed to keep her nose out of her dead friends investigation. To help disguise her poking around Jake's case she spends 'more' time on the rape case, trying to solve both.Overall, a pretty good tale, decent writing and fun characters. It's a good crime/lawyer story and has plenty of humor mixed in. I enjoyed it and thinks it's worth a read.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Don't go into this thinking that somehow Ms Clark is going to reveal any secrets from the OJ trial. Admirably she doesn't, but I really didn't like the way the "good guys" knowingly bent the law to the point of breaking it and couldn't help wonder if the author was imparting a truth of how she and others in the DA's office operated.I don't think she received a lot of quality time with a great editor as there were some novice structure errors. Overall this is not badly written, but neither is it stellar. All the little annoyances added up to knocking this from a 3.5 to a 3.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Guilt by Association is Marcia Clark's debut novel. If her name sounds familiar it's because she was the prosecutor of the O.J. Simpson trial. It is a legal thriller of course and the main character is a spunky, gun toting, constantly dieting L.A. Deputy D.A. Rachel Knight. Her sidekicks are her 2 girlfriends, fellow asst. D.A. Toni (don't remember seeing a last name) and Detective Bailey Keller. The premise: while walking home from work one night Rachel detours to see what all the police cars are doing at a seedy motel. There she discovers one of her fellow asst. D.A.'s Jake Pahlmeyer has been found dead along with a 17 year old boy and a nude photo of the boy in his pocket. They are calling it a murder-suicide, Rachel refuses to believe it. The next day she is given one of Jake's cases, the rape of a 15 year old girl whose father is very rich and very influential. Even though she has been warned off investigating Jakes death by Lt. Graden Hales (the hunk of the book), Rachel decides that while working the rape case she is going to solve what really happened in that motel room and clear Jakes name. With the help of Toni and Bailey she sets off in what is a very fast paced, page turner, that has just the right amount of humor in all the right places. Marcia Clark has written very likable and believable characters and who wouldn't want to get to know Lt. Graden Hales. If you like legal thrillers than this book is for you. Only four stars is because the constant talk of dieting, eating only salads or just steamed veggies while salivating over everyone else real food tended to get on my nerves. If Marcia Clark decides to make this a series I will certainly be buying them.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I enjoyed the book. The casual way the characters were developed made them seem real. The plot had it' twists that made it interesting. I will listen to more of her books
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow! I love these characters and Marcia Clark is a great writer.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What a surprise! I didn’t know what to expect from Marcia Clark’s (yes, “that” Marcia Clark) first novel. But I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. There’s a good mystery. There are likable characters. There’s fun, snarky, and self-deprecating humor. There’s very little actual courtroom drama, everything happens outside the courtroom in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed this read, and when I finished it, I moved right on to the next one, which is a rarity for me. I combined reading with listening to the audiobook, which is narrated extremely well by January LaVoy. I highly recommend this one for anyone who enjoys legal thrillers.

    Copy provided by Netgalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an unbiased review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a first novel by Marcia Clark, a former Los Angeles DA. She is sticking with the world she knows and writes about Rachel Knight, a Los Angeles DA. There are 2 central mysteries in this book, who killed Jake, a friend from the DA's office, and who raped the teenage daughter of a prominent doctor. Do the two cases come together? Of course they do, and it is interesting to see how they get there.

    I enjoyed the pacing of the book. I wouldn't exactly call it fast paced, but it moved along at a steady pace. I think this allowed for more detail and more character development. I felt invested in the characters, and shared Rachel's conviction that Jake was a good guy.

    On a side note, I have lived in Southern California all my life, bouncing between San Diego and Los Angeles Counties. There is a lot of detail given to how Rachel dresses, and she seems to wear a lot of winter clothing. I rarely find it cold here, and am surprised at how much winter clothes she wears. But that is just a personal observation.

    I enjoyed this book, and would recommend it to fans of crime fiction.

    I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I had no idea that Marcia Clark was writing novels. I saw where her second one was out so I went to find the first one. While it was not exemplary fiction in either the plot or the writing, it was a very enjoyable read. I'm guessing/hoping that some of the same characters span her second book which is on my list to read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I read the second book in this series before the first one. But it did not matter, both books are great. Because of the setting, I really loved knowing the buildings that she talked about in her book, I had jury experience there and have worked in the past with Assistant United States Attorneys in the past and loved the press interviews with her during the O.J. Simpson trial.Rachel Knight, the main character is a Special Trials Deputy Prosecutor. She lives in the luxurious Biltmore hotel and had friends like Jake and Bailey to keep her on an even keel. One day, the office is stunned that Jake Pahlmeyer was found dead in a seedy hotel with a young boy about seventeen years old. I definitely recommend this thrilling adventure with the Rachel Knight. She could not be on the case but wanted to clear his name. Rachel refused to believe that Jake could be involved with the young boy and that it could be a murder suicide. Rachel is assigned to a rape case of young woman who is the daughter of a doctor who is very wealthy and has a large number of clinics. Rachel and Bailey do some secret investigations that if found out could her disbarred while at the same time working on the rape case. I really enjoyed this legal thriller and hope to read the third book in this series very soon. For me, this book was a page turner and jam packed with investigatory detail.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After having previously written about her life and role as chief prosecutor on the O.J. Simpson trial, former Assistant District Attorney Marcia Clark has turned her hand to fiction. And multiple starred reviews in the publishing trades attest that she hasn’t done a half-bad job of it.After a brief prologue, Guilt by Association opens with colleagues toasting a legal victory at the end of the workday. The victor is ADA Rachel Knight, who was just handed a guilty verdict in record time. The wins are why she and her colleagues put in the long hours, and no one is a bigger workaholic than Rachel, except perhaps for Jake. When Jake and Toni head out for the night, Rachel promises she’ll follow just as soon as she gets a little more work done... And, after all, home is only a six-block walk from the office. Once outside she hears sirens and quickly comes across an unfolding crime scene—a homicide by the looks of it. She’s waiting around out of professional curiosity when a ranking cop tries to send her packing. Rachel is confounded and annoyed—until she sees the face of one of the two victims. It’s Jake; hard-working, nice guy Jake.The next morning, the news gets worse. The crime appears to be a murder-suicide. Jake was in a sleazy motel room with a 17-year-old boy, who he appears to have shot before then shooting himself. There was a naked photo of the kid in his pocket. Hung-over and still in shock, Rachel doesn’t believe it. The facts are damning, and even though no one really knew about his personal life, she just knows Jake can’t have done what they’re saying. Unfortunately, she’s warned off Jake’s case in no uncertain terms. Rather, she’s asked to take over one of the cases that Jake had been working on, that of the rape of affluent 15-year-old Susan Densmore. Rachel, with the help of her detective friend Bailey and a host of other allies, launches herself into both cases, constantly fearing she’s about to be fired for insubordination. “I took another sip of my drink and pondered what I could do on my own. Being a prosecutor, I was not, as they say, without resources.” True that.It’s a strong debut, no doubt. Right from the opening, you just can’t help thinking as you read, “Wow, this woman really knows what she’s writing about!” So much of the novel has the ring of verisimilitude. It may be the greatest strength. Even so, this novel really wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s been described as a legal thriller, but truthfully, it was far more a police procedural. There wasn’t a single scene in a courtroom. Rather, Rachel was frequently out in the field, partnering Bailey, gun literally in hand, as they investigated the cases. She’s not a lawyer content to sit behind a desk while the cops do their job, and I have to wonder how realistic the depiction is. It’s not that it was unbelievable, but it was surprising. Either way, it’s fiction, and I was willing to go along for the ride.Rachel Knight is a strong, likable protagonist. Ms. Clark has imbued her with enough idiosyncratic detail that she, too, has the ring of verisimilitude. For instance, Rachel’s obsessed with every calorie she puts in her mouth, unless it’s in an alcoholic beverage or eaten off someone else’s plate. While this is a stand alone novel, it’s easy to image that Rachel and the various supporting characters may be back in future novels. If so, Guilt by Association serves as a good introduction. The novel is not perfect. There were times when Clark told instead of showing. Another time Rachel took an unbelievably stupid risk. And the plot did suffer one big fictional cliché, but I can’t mention it without spoilers. Still, those are relatively minor complaints.Clark keeps things moving along briskly, and while the pace never lags, about midway through things really pick up and stay up straight through the novel’s end. It’s a nice, tight, coherent plot with plenty of surprises and a satisfying conclusion. Looks like you’ve racked up another win, Ms. Clark.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Book source ~ NetGalleyL.A. Deputy District Attorney Rachel Knight walks up to a fire at a sleazy hotel near her office and discovers her co-worker, Jake, has been found dead at the scene with a male teenager. The police think it’s a cut and dried murder/suicide, but Rachel just can’t believe it. So, even though she’s been warned off the case, she enlists a friend in the police department to help her uncover what really happened. And that’s where things get interesting.Rachel is tenacious and kinda bull-headed, but it makes her good at what she does. And finding out what happened to Jake is priority one when everyone is saying he murdered a teenage male prostitute and then killed himself. Even though she knows very little about Jake’s personal life, they worked 100s of hours together and she’s sure she’s not wrong about the kind of person he was. The more she digs the worse it looks for Jake, but Rachel needs to see this thing through until the end.Fast-paced and intriguing, who knew I’d really enjoy a story about a lawyer? I guess because this is less about lawyer-y stuff and more about investigating a crime. It’s twisty and turny and the characters are great. I’d read more stories involving Rachel Knight.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Read for library mystery book group. Not a favorite.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was gifted a copy of “Guilt by Association” via NetGalley. That in no way affects my opinion or this review in any way.

    This book is very involved, and there are a few different things going on all at once. Rachel Knight is a DA in Los Angeles, and is assigned to the Special Trials Division. Basically, she is involved with a case from beginning to end, alongside with the police department.

    When Jake, another prosecutor in Rachel’s office is found dead, Rachel takes it upon herself to find out what really happened, despite the unpleasant rumors surrounding his death and the circumstances. She is out to prove that things are not always as they appear, and her best friend, Bailey, is by her side throughout the whole thing. It wasn’t until Jake’s death did Rachel realize that she knew very little about his life, and the people in it.

    Following Jake’s death, his cases are divided up among the remaining attorneys. Rachel is assigned a case about the rape of a prominent doctor’s 16 year old daughter.

    Is there a connection between the rape and Jake’s death? With all the twists and turns in this novel, you will be kept guessing until the very end. Thankfully, the author does not leave us hanging, and with that, I am truly satisfied!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was falling in love with the personalities of Rachel Knight and her team, Toni, and Jake Pahlmeyer, when shortly thereafter Jake was found dead in a sleazy motel together with seventeen-year-old Kit Chalmers, a kid raised in the foster care system. Jake had kept his personal life to himself, yet Rachel doubted the overwhelming evidence piling up that Jake had been involved with a minor. Investigating Jake’s death is ‘supposed to be’ off limits to Rachel as it would be a conflict of interest … but, so much for technicalities. Whenever she got a break from her new case, a case Jake had been working on, she’d secretly get involved in Jake’s investigation.Her new case was the rape of Susan Densmore, fifteen, whose father was an influential pediatrician and insisted that the DA’s office provide daily updates. He even claimed he knew who the rapist is – the boy, Luis, which Susan had been tutoring. ‘Daddy’ Densmore was getting frustrated with the additional time to investigate. ‘“Do your job,” he said dismissively, then continued, “but please don’t waste a lot of time looking around. It’s very clear who did it, and I don’t like having it dragged out.”’The dual storyline worked very well in this novel. I was most curious about both and how they came together. I loved Rachel’s personality. She didn’t take any guff and had some nice wisecracks throughout. She was close to Toni, her other co-worker, and to Bailey Keller, a detective in the Major Crimes Division of LAPD. They were both instrumental in digging up evidence and in conducting interviews. This is told in first-person by our protagonist, Rachel Knight, DA for Special Trials in the Criminal Courts building of Los Angeles. I enjoyed meeting her and would very much enjoy catching up with the rest of this series. Rating: 4.5 out of 5.