Guilt by Association

I wasn't sure what I expected when I started reading this book, but I was instantly intrigued from the first chapter through each character that was introduced. I've had a hard time finding time to read lately but I'm glad I stayed up a little later and got up a little earlier to finish this one! Excited about moving on to book 2!

I received this book from the Publisher and NetGalley for my Honest opinion.

4 STARS Rachel Knight works for the DA's office under Special Assignments department. Her coworker and good friend, Jake, is found brutally murdered and leaves Rachel stunned. She has been told to stay away from his murder investigation and focus on his high profile case - a young girl was assaulted in her own home while her parents were in their room.

Rachel has never been good at listening and enlists best friend and homicide detective, Bailey to help her get close to the case. As she digs into Jake's life she may regret all the things she find and and there may be connections between the assault and Jake's murder.

Marcia Clark is well known as the prosecutor for the O.J. Simpson case and when I heard she was writing novels I was a bit curious. I was gripped from the moment it started! While Clark will not win any literary prizes her novels are more suspenseful and engaging than Grisham's novels. She is right up there with Lisa Scottoline. Read or listen to audio like I did and you will not be disappointed.

Is this book real life, not really. Did I enjoy it, ABSOLUTELY. When I pick up a book I want a “fun” read and this book and character delivered. How could you not enjoy a gun packing DA with a great group of friends.

The characters and their relationships are what make this book enjoyable. Wise cracking Bailey and Toni are friends we should all have. The relationships within this book are what make it worth reading. The story is good but how they solve it is what makes it a fun read.

I had already had my next book ready to dive into but it is now on hold because I want to read more Rachel Knight adventures.

Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark is a great legal mystery thriller. There are many twists and turns that kept me guessing all through the book and that’s one of the things I look for in a mystery. This book delivered.

Rachel Knight is an Assistant District Attorney in Los Angeles, who has just won a big case. Her and her friends, Jake and Toni, are out celebrating the win. Before the night is over Jake is dead, in what appears to be a murder-suicide. Rachel knows that there has been some mistake, and she intends to prove it. What follows is her investigation into the death and her handling the other cases that Rachel has inherited from Jake’s death.

The writing style flows easily and this is a quick read. The writing style is very descriptive and I was able to learn about what a Assistant District does on a daily basis. You can tell that Marcia Clark knows the inner-workings of the legal system. I found that very interesting. Sometimes the descriptions seemed a little too much, especially when describing clothes and restaurants. At times I found myself skimming through those parts.

The characters were well developed, well-rounded and very human. It was very easy to like Rachel and root for her, as well as some of the other characters. The interactions between the characters seemed very natural and real, and at times I felt like I was right there watching the happenings. That’s a plus in my mind.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a detailed legal thriller. It is hard for me to believe this is a debut novel. I believe this is the first book in the series written by Marcia Clark and I have the other three to read. I am looking forward to that.

A well-written and engrossing story. The suspense grows from page to page, making the book most difficult to put down. Characters have real depth, and the interactions are quite realistic. The intricacy of the plot is amazing, yet everything fits together so well. I am looking forward to reading more of Clark's books. The level of description is perfect for creating good mental images without detracting from the movement of the story. I recognized most of the LA locations, and I found the descriptions accurate and evocative. This book has my highest recommendation.

I received this book from Netgalley and is my first Marcia Clark book. I heard of her as a lawyer in the infamous O.J. Simpson case but never knew she wrote legal mysteries. I must say I really enjoyed this first book in the Rachael Knight D.A. series. I love the characters and how they solve the crime. It kept me captivated right to the end. I am dying to start the next book and the next Rachael Knight case.

Clearly written by a lawyer and well done. No special vocabulary needed. Knowing this is only the beginning of the Rachel Knight exploits leaves a huge smile on my face. I loved watching how the law could be used to catch, not just convict suspects. Her friends are my kind of people that already add a sense of realism to the pages.

Rachel is a DA in LA. She discovers her good friend and co-worker has been killed under suspicious circumstances. Feds are involved. His case load must be reassigned to already busy staff. The file given to Rachel has the potential to be high profile, which puts her under the microscope. Limited romance keeps the focus on the story, while giving us a real world picture. Secondary characters make amusing distractions without taking away from the story. It doesn't hurt that our heroine lives in a swanky hotel, with food and drink but a phone call away.

I am looking forward to the next instalment. In some ways I am more eager to see what her friends will be up to than what the next case will be.

When I started this book I was unaware who the author was, but as I started reading and relized how authenic it was I did a search on her. I found that she was indeed a prosecutor for LA County and was in fact quite well know for a specific trial which I had followed. From that point on I could see a difference in the writing style that was very obvious. Instead of the hazy references that a non lawyer would make, the details were very real and made the story much more interesting. From that point on I was so engrossed that I could hardly put it down. The feel of the story and the characters took on this real life stance and I could see the sutle differences between the two. Also this takes place in LA of which I am quite familiar so that made it even better.

What did I like? The lead character Rachel Knight! I found her to be a real down to earth person that was very dedicated to her job (maybe a little to much for her own good) but you could see that making a difference was important to her. She was serious to a fault but yet so humorous. I had to laugh so many times and other times I could feel the empathy that she had. She had her dedication but yet she bucked the system that put so many restraints on her, making her all that much more real. I loved her friends and her strengths but at the same time I could feel her doubts and weaknesses. She is the kind of person that you would want for a friend. Thankfully I do have friends like her.

What did I dislike? That is a good question, I found the story entertaining but yet disturbing. I guess I would have to say Ms Clark took a very disturbing real life problem and showed that it can be handled to the best of what the system will allow it to be taken care of. Child abuse and child porn turns my stomach and I don`t think that there is a person on earth that would like that.

What will you like? A story that is VERY WELL developed, humorous, very serious, heartbreaking, sad but yet happy, and so full of twists and turns that you will stayed glued to the pages. The characters are so human and endearing. Action packed with vivid details and descriptions bringing the story alive with all of the real life type of events that will touch your heart. Lots of quirky humor that will tickle your bones. A lead character that has a true sense of herself including her faults. Come on who wouldn`t like a pistol packing DA that uses the system to get the best justice that she can bring about. Marcia Clark has a winner in this book and I will definitely look forward to her next one.

Rachel Knight is a prosecutor for the DA in Los Angeles. She is smart, tenacious, and smart-mouthed. When her colleague is found dead in a compromising situation, Rachel isn't content to turn the case over to the FBI. She and her friend police officer Bailey Keller begin their own investigation. Meanwhile, Rachel also has to deal with one of the cases passed on to her after her colleague's death - a young girl in an affluent part of town is raped. Her father, a prominent physician and political supporter of Rachel's boss, wants the crime solved immediately.

Investigating Jake's apparent death in a murder-suicide possibly having a child pornography twist and investigating the rape, takes Rachel and Bailey all over LA interviewing people from all walks of society. Could the rape have been done by Luis, the gangbanger the rape victim was tutoring? What about the skinhead who was seen in the neighborhood? Or was it the security guard who missed a number of check-ins on the fateful night?

Soon it becomes apparent that the two cases are not as unconnected as they might first appear. Rachel was an interesting character with all the tenacity one would expect from someone in the DA's office. But she also had her vulnerabilities, notably in the area of relationships. A tragedy in her past and the presence of an ex-boyfriend she still has feelings for tell us something about her. We also see her make tentative forays into dating again with the police lieutenant who has Jake's case.

The story was entertaining and suspenseful. I would eagerly read more books in the series to learn more about these interesting characters.

And so it begins… I am new to Marcia Clark’s fictions work but really like the tough, sassy Rachel Knight. Guilt by Association looks to be the first in the series, which is good, because she is one ADA that is worth reading more about. The book is long on investigating and short on courtroom scenes. That is okay because this book works just as it is. Future books may have more in the courtroom but this one sets the stage how Rachel handles her cases and her life. Well written with an sense of authenticity. Great pace with supporting characters who are as interesting as Rachel. I enjoyed this book. Look forward to reading about more of Rachel’s investigating for justice.

Marcia Clark writes great legal thrillers. This is the first in an excellent series of novels. Get comfy and begin the journey. Then go grab her other books. They all hit the mark.

DP Lyle, Award-winning author of the Samantha Cody and Dub Walker thriller series

This is a very well written first novel by a prominent Los Angeles attorney. Ms. Clark knows what goes on behind the scenes in the L. A. legal system and is able to portray the human side of dealing with the criminal investigations and the victims of the crimes. She does this using a couple of prosecutors from the District Attorney’s Special Trials Office, Rachel Knight, and her friend, Toni LaCollier, along with Bailey Keller, a detective in the LAPD Major Crimes Division. The three of them work together to get around some of the barriers that are in place when their colleague, Jake Pahlmeyer, is found dead in a rent-by-the-hour motel, along with the body of an underage boy, who is a known male prostitute. The police are calling it a murder-suicide, and the F. B. I. are all over it.

Ms. Clark gives all Guilt by Association smallthree women very full, rounded, and mainly believable personalities. They are each quite different, but you see their similarities, and really think that they would be friends, both inside and outside of the office. Rachel Knight is the main character, but all three women make up a team of comrades. The rest of the cast of characters are also quite interesting and believable. The multiple story-lines are well thought out and really work. There are many lighter parts, and not much gore. There are a few tense sections, but this is more of a mystery rather than a thriller.

All in all, this was a great introduction to a new series, and one that I am going to continue to read and review. Ms. Clark has just released the fourth novel in this series, The Competition, and instead of just reading and reviewing that one, I decided to start at the beginning. The publisher and NetGalley had made all four books available, so I will be reading and reviewing them in order. I am really looking forward to the next book, Guilt by Degrees.

I give Guilt by Association 4 1/2 Stars out of 5, and a Big Thumbs Up. I recommend this book to people who like mysteries without a lot of gore or violence, and like modern women as main characters.

I received this book for free from NetGalley.com