Published by Mulholland Books (Hodder) in paperback. ISBN: 978 1 444 75526 8
I knew the American legal system, especially in criminal cases,
differed from the British equivalent, but until I read Killer Ambition,
I hadn’t realized quite how much. In fact, it’s so different that this book
offers two for the price of one: a gripping procedural murder mystery in the
first half, and an equally riveting courtroom drama in the second. The first
major difference is that in the US the post of District Attorney is subject to
election, and the day-to-day work of prosecuting criminals is done by a team of
deputy district attorneys, who are not only trained lawyers but also civil
servants.
The
setting of Killer Ambition is Hollywood, which adds a whole other
dimension. The first murder victim is the daughter of a major player in the
movie industry, which means huge press involvement: something else which
wouldn’t be allowed to happen this side of the pond.So the book was a learning process,
though it never felt that way.
The
story, in a nutshell, is this: deputy district attorney Rachel Knight and
detective Bailey Keller, who happens to be her best friend, are called in when
sixteen-year-old girl is kidnapped and not released as promised after the
ransom is paid. Rachel and Bailey investigate (yet another difference: lawyers
are almost as involved in the investigation as the police), and after a couple
of days the girl’s body is found in a car boot. The hunt is on, not for a
kidnapper but now for a murderer.
Eventually
they identify and arrest him, after another body closely connected to the case
is uncovered following a cloudburst and landslip. The trial begins, and the
onus is on Rachel to prove her suspect’s guilt against all the odds. The might
and money of Hollywood are against her; so is the press; and finally a defence
lawyer she describes as a barracuda, who uses barely legitimate tactics to
destroy the prosecution’s case piece by piece.
That
Marcia Clark is a writer to be reckoned with is evident from the start.
Crafting a page-turning plot is clearly second nature to her; the pace and
tension never let up for a moment. Hollywood’s brittle glamour, and how it
corrupts and damages people, is shown in all its tawdry glory. Rachel the
protagonist is someone you want to root for: smart-mouthed, determined, feisty,
with a streak of vulnerability. Every other character is sharply drawn and well
rounded too; I especially liked Drew the barman, and Declan, the inexperienced
junior lawyer who is brought in to spy on Rachel, but actually becomes one of
her closest allies.
There’s
also an ongoing backstory which will surely be explored in future episodes in
the series, of which this book is the third. The earlier two are already on my
to-read list, and I’ll certainly be looking out for more from Marcia Clark.
------
Reviewer: Lynne Patrick
Marcia Clark began practicing law as a criminal defense attorney. She became a
prosecutor in the L.A. District Attorney's Office in 1981, and spent ten years
in the Special Trials Unit where she handled a number of high profile cases
prior to the O.J. Simpson case, including the prosecution of stalker/murderer
Robert Bardo, whose conviction for the murder of actress Rebecca Schaeffer
resulted in legislation that offered victims better protection from stalkers as
well as increased punishment for the offenders. Since the Simpson trial, Ms. Clark has toured
the U.S. and Canada giving lectures on a variety of women's issues including
domestic violence and inspirational/motivational speeches, as well as lectures
on the latest high profile cases, public service careers, and of course, the
Trial of the Century. In May of 1997,
her book on the Simpson case, Without a Doubt was published and quickly
rose to #1 on the New York Times, Wall St. Journal, Washington Post, LA Times,
and Publisher's Weekly bestsellers lists. Marcia Clark (with writing partner, Catherine
LePard) has sold hour-long pilots to the FX network, Lifetime, and VH1 and
developed a half hour comedy for NBC. She has also developed reality projects
for CBS and was an executive producer of a one hour reality pilot for CBS. 
Joanna Leigh studied French and German at university. She works in
the aerospace industry and is a chartered marketer in the UK. She describes
herself as a voracious reader, enjoying genres as varied as crime thrillers,
historical fiction and autobiographies. Joanna lives in London. She is the
daughter of crime thriller writer Leigh Russell.
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