Guilt by Association

If you are looking for "an insomnia-curing murder-mystery novel" to bore you to sleep, do not read Guilt By Association written by Marcia Clark. This 356 page mystery novel kept me awake long past my normal bedtime; eyes heavy with sleep forced me to bookmark a page, eager for morning so I could finish reading. It is said that a first person narrative is the hardest type of fiction for an author to write. Clark does it with ease. The story unfolds as seen through the eyes of District Attorney, Rachel Knight. Unable to unwind after a hectic day, Rachel grabbed a novel, as described above, along with a bottle of wine, to lull her to sleep.

Rachel is a bit of a rebel. She carries a pistol without having a permit allowing her to do so. After the FBI takes over investigating a local murder, she and her friend, LAPD Detective Bailey Keller break a few laws while unofficially investigating the crime. Rachel's official case is the rape of a teenager whose father is an extremely wealthy physician. The doctor uses his wealth to influence a local politician who puts pressure on the them to find the rapist, bringing justice for his daughter.


Rachel and Bailey have the kind of close friendship that allows for lots of good-natured ribbing. The same is true about Toni, another DA who is friends with both ladies. The verbal jousting adds just the right amount of humor to "Guilt By Association" to make it fun to read as well as interesting narrative. Despite her job as a District Attorney, the majority of action in this tale takes place outside of a courtroom.

Having served as a Los Angeles deputy district attorney, Marcia Clark knows the justice system and local scene. She writes knowledgeably about crimes, criminals, and the Los Angeles area. She blends information about the weather, L.A. people, rich, poor, or homeless, police, judges, gangbangers; the architect, and history. She does so seamlessly, with an economy of words, making for an easy page-turning read without any long boring descriptions. A tragedy in Rachel's childhood is more hinted at than explained.

Clark uses the same breezy style when dealing with the ladies' love interests. There are no steamy pornographic-like love scenes, nor a lot of x-rated language. At novels end, I was left with the feeling that Clark is planning a sequel; that Rachel Knight is slated to join the ranks of other lovable mystery characters, and Guilt By Association will be the first book in a series. It would be sad if it is not, because Guilt By Association is a 5-star winner in the Mystery genre.

Guilt By Association was published April, 2011 by Mulholland Books/Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group, cover price $25.95.