Clark certainly did her research into the unethical and questionable prosecution of Barbara Graham. She told the complete story and was very vocal on her thoughts, drawing from her own experiences as a practicing lawyer. Clark’s thoughts on the trial really shined through in her writing. That being said, I wasn’t overly excited by this book and felt it didn’t do enough to draw the reader in.

So right from the start, the coverage of Barbara was not only excessively focused on her appearance; it was overtly sexualized, voyeuristic, and deliberately titillating.

In this book, the author depicts the chilling events leading up to the death of Mabel Monahan, the results after that & finally the death of **Bloody Babs** Barbara Graham. As the cops pinpoint the perpetrators - 3 men & 1 woman, Barbara becomes the focal point of a media shitstorm. Her beauty was a stark contrast to her co-defendants, which the media took to portray her as a **villainous femme fatale**. Every move of her were scrutinized in agonizing sharpness, only to paint a picture of *how Bloody Babs acts*. She couldn’t even cough in peace, a fall that severely injured her during the ongoing trial, only to be summarized as fake by the media.

*Throughout the trial, the press had strained to embellish descriptions of Barbara's reactions, saying she'd "glared" at the witness or "smirked" or "frowned angrily" at one person or another.*

Having had tough, neglected childhood, living a life of petty crimes throughout her adulthood, Barbara was anything but demure. Further, it was expected of a woman in the 50’s to be demure, gentle & given in her position to be scared and white-faced.

Not only that, the justice system, ironically did her no justice. The prosecution ambushed her while she is in jail, setting traps to have forced confessions. Hence the title. But though the process was nasty, it wasn’t exactly illegal. Moreover, the trap created by the prosecution happened to be another female inmate, leading them to have a romantic liaison. This didn’t help her either, making herself portray as a sexual deviant. It felt as if the prosecutor held a personal vendetta against her, but Barbara had bravely held ground

There is too much to say, too less to do.

I really really liked this book, even when it made me want to punch a hole in the wall because of the injustices it describes.
I loved that the author inclued little side stories about her cases as a defense attorney/prosecutor (including the OJ Simpson case!).
To enjoy this book, you musn’t be afraid of the details and technicalities that a book written about a trial entails. But if you enjoyed books like The Innocent Man by John Grisham (as I did), I’m pretty sure you’ll like this one.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

3.75
this was really solid! Marcia Clark is obviously incredibly intelligent and brings a lot of interesting perspective to the field of criminal justice. It was interesting reading from a prosecutor's perspective exactly *why* certain aspects of this case were out of line with best practice (or straight-up unjust).
I think Barbara Graham is a really interesting choice for a true crime book. There is little question as to whether or not she participated in a murder, so examining her trial as a miscarriage of justice may immediately push up against some people's instincts. At times, it was hard to discern exactly what argument Clark was trying to make. The book jumped around from condemning witnesses, to the judge, to the media. While I think all had their fault, the book lacked a central thesis or driving argument. The book focused much less on sexism and the idea of a "villainous femme fatale" than the synopsis implies, and I think Clark did maybe miss an opportunity to draw interesting parallels to her time in the spotlight. I also think some details could've been explored more—Clark talks early on about how the prosecutor of Graham's case is a local legend to this day, and someone that she herself had admired throughout her career. As she researched Graham's case and realized how poorly he had behaved in the courtroom, I would've loved a more in-depth discussion or reckoning with how history remembers him vs. her.

I like nonfiction that reads like a story. This book fits the bill. It was enjoyable and easy to read. Good book!

A true crime novel that meticulously chronicles the tragic and controversial case of Mabel Monahan’s murder. A chilling break-in and robbery culminates in Monahan's brutal death, a crime committed by three men and a woman. However, it is Barbara Graham, one of the perpetrators, who becomes the focal point of media and public attention, not just for her alleged involvement in the crime, but for her looks, personal life, and sexuality. The police employed tactics on Barbara that would not be permissible today.
This novel is more than just a recounting of a heinous crime; it’s a scathing critique of the judicial and media systems that exploit personal lives for sensational stories.

The trial of Barbara Graham is at the center of this book. I was intrigued by this being.investigated by Marcia Clark. First of all the trial being so long ago it was interesting the records were so hard to come by. Babbage and her co- conspirators were accused of killing a woman in order to steal 100,000 that was kept in a safe. One of the people there turned in three of them. Barbara was Mia characterized by the press and the whole situation was sensationalized. The book was interesting in that it went into Barabras background being neglected by her mom and sent off to correctional school and then going through marriages and babies and struggling to survive. She fell into the wrong crowd. But was she involved in this murder. You will have to red to find out what happens .

what a good book about trial gone wrong and Barbara graham who had a hard life but was innocent. Loved that Marcia looked at this case and read over the notes and in her words she tried to solve it. Loved that this case made her upset and this case intrigued her. . I had never heard of this case or the movies mentioned.

This is an interesting case and the level of detail provided gives a glimpse into police and legal processes of the time. I enjoyed the inclusion of details on the research and writing process, including cross references to the author’s own experiences in the OJ Simpson trial.