SNAP JUDGEMENT
Marcia Clark
Samantha Brinkman Book 3
Thomas & Mercer
August 29th, 2017
SNAP JUDGEMENT by Marcia Clark is another winner. With each installment her books get better and better as she blends a riveting story with legal nuances. In this book she manages to cover a multitude of subjects from revenge porn to child sexual abuse to human trafficking.
Clark spoke about the increase in revenge porn and how it “is becoming a common way for “exes” to smack the people who reject them. When I was working I dealt with people like that. The boyfriend is seen as the knight in shining armor who gives complete devotion. It is an ego and security boost, but then turns sour. Because they are naïve and are now sucked in the victim does not know how to get out of it. In this case Alicia had no street experience and falls down the rabbit hole when that devotion turns to obsession. People are getting abused and violated on a daily basis because technology permits it. It should be for that person’s eyes only. This is just another way where someone can have enormous power over someone else. People are not wrong to expect it limited to the one person it was sent to.”
Although billed as a legal thriller the concentration is on the prep work done by a defense attorney and not on the courtroom battles. Through the main character Samantha (Sam) Brinkman’s eyes readers see that the focus of a defense attorney is on the investigation, what needs to be done to get her client off: should she poke holes in the prosecutor’s case, look for inconsistent statements by witnesses, find another suspect, or do all of the above? Of course, to make the story interesting Sam goes a little farther than most defense attorneys.
Clark wrote the character Samantha as being “complicated, twisted, less bound by ethics/rules, and someone I could push the boundaries with. Sam does have a dark side with emotional scars from her childhood. She is impulsive, reckless, has trust issues, and loves to push the envelope. At the end of the day Sam is achieving justice in her own way and many times it is not legal.”
The plot begins with a letter written to herself by USC freshman Alicia Hutchins. She is proud of herself for getting out of an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend, Roan Sutton, used to boost her ego by being completely devoted to her until he started to get more and more possessive to a point where it became creepy. Unfortunately, soon after she broke it up it appears that he humiliated her through revenge porn, posting nude selfies she sent to him on-line along with her address and an invitation for site visitors to help Alicia realize her rape fantasies.
Clark explores how someone’s privacy is affected by the posting of these personal photos taken for his eyes only. Nothing screams payback more than this until Alicia is found with her throat slashed. But, after Roan, the prime suspect, is found dead Alisha’s father becomes a person of interest, accused of avenging his daughter’s death. He hires Sam to prove his innocence. The deeper she digs on his behalf, the more entangled she becomes in a thicket of family secrets, past betrayals, and multiple motives for murder.
The sub-plot is a continuation of a storyline from the previous two novels in the series. She is in debt to a crime boss, Cabazon, who wants Sam, with help from her police officer father Dale, to locate the only witness to a murder committed by his nephew, It becomes clear he wants to make sure the witness, Tracy Gopeck will never testify. Sam is forced to cooperate to ensure that her life, her dad’s life, and her office staff lives are not endangered. In the course of the investigation she finds out that Tracy was actually rescued by the murder suspect from a human trafficking ring. Although this plotline has nothing to do with the main one, Clark is able to weave it into the story in a very natural way that is not distracting.
As with all her novels, Clark is able to combine an intense plot with facts about the justice system while sprinkling some very funny and witty dialogue. Readers will enjoy going along for the ride with Sam and Company.
