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Marcia Clark
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Blood Defense (Samantha Brinkman, 1) Audio CD – CD, May 1, 2016

by Marcia Clark (Author), Tavia Gilbert (Reader)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 24,450 ratings
See all formats and editions

First in a new series from bestselling author and famed O. J. Simpson trial prosecutor Marcia Clark, a “terrific writer and storyteller” (James Patterson).

Samantha Brinkman, an ambitious, hard-charging Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, is struggling to make a name for herself and to drag her fledgling practice into the big leagues. Sam lands a high-profile double-murder case in which one of the victims is a beloved TV star―and the defendant is a decorated veteran LAPD detective. It promises to be exactly the kind of media sensation that would establish her as a heavy hitter in the world of criminal law.

Though Sam has doubts about his innocence, she and her two associates (her closest childhood friend and a brilliant ex-con) take the case. Notorious for living by her own rules―and fearlessly breaking everyone else’s―Samantha pulls out all the stops in her quest to uncover evidence that will clear the detective. But when a shocking secret at the core of the case shatters her personal world, Sam realizes that not only has her client been playing her, he might be one of the most dangerous sociopaths she’s ever encountered.

Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 4
    Samantha Brinkman
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Brilliance Audio
  4. Publication date
    May 1, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 5.5 x 0.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1511359285
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1511359283
  8. See all details
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The Amazon Book Review
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Blood Defense

“Former L.A. prosecutor Clark kicks off a promising new series with this top-notch whodunit…Clark sprinkles jaw-dropping surprises throughout and impressively pulls off a shocker that lesser writers can only envy.” ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[Clark] has the start of another successful series in this page-turner featuring a ballsy protagonist with a secret past.” ―Booklist

“Clark, who served as a prosecutor for the trial of O. J. Simpson, clearly knows this world well. She has the most fun when she’s showing readers the world of celebrity trials, from the media circus, the courthouse crowds, the crazies, and the police to the inner workings of the trial itself. You’ll push yourself to finish the final pages just to keep pace with the defense team’s discoveries.” ―Associated Press

“Once again, Marcia Clark has reinvented herself―and the results are stellar. Her knowledge of the criminal justice system is unrivaled, as is her understanding of how the media influences public opinion of high profile trials―and the actions of those involved. But the real magic of Clark’s writing is her dynamic, richly textured characters and the visceral, often gritty settings they frequent.” ―Hartford Examiner

“A deftly crafted suspense thriller from first page to last, Blood Defense demonstrates author Marcia Clark (she was the prosecuting attorney in the O. J. Simpson trial) has truly impressive talents as a storyteller.” ―Midwest Book Review

“Blood Defense is a great suspense novel with a fun dose of humor and a lot of twists. Readers will enjoy learning more about Samantha as the series progresses. Anyone wanting a riveting murder mystery with realistic characters and an understanding of the routines of a defense attorney should read this book.” ―WorkingMother.com

“Blood Defense is a suspenseful page-turner that will have you on the edge of your chair.” ―Night Owl Reviews

“Marcia Clark fans will be begging for the Brinkman crew to gear up for their next case.” ―Suspense Magazine

Praise for Marcia Clark

“It’s no big surprise that Marcia Clark knows her way around a courtroom, and a murder mystery―but she’s also a terrific writer and storyteller.” ―James Patterson

“Clark clearly knows the court from the inside out, and her characterization of the proceedings is great fun to read.” ―Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Clark’s expertise truly shines.” ―Hartford Books Examiner

About the Author

California native Marcia Clark is the author of Guilt by Association, Guilt by Degrees, Killer Ambition, and The Competition, all part of the Rachel Knight series. A practicing criminal lawyer since 1979, she joined the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in 1981, where she served as prosecutor for the trials of Robert Bardo, convicted of killing actress Rebecca Schaeffer, and, most notably, O. J. Simpson. The bestselling Without a Doubt, which she cowrote, chronicles her work on the Simpson trial. Clark has been a frequent commentator on a variety of shows and networks, including Today, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and MSNBC, as well as a legal correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (May 1, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1511359285
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1511359283
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 5.5 x 0.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 24,450 ratings

About the author

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Marcia Clark

Marcia Clark

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California native Marcia Clark is the author of Guilt by Association, Guilt by Degrees, Killer Ambition, and The Competition, all part of the Rachel Knight series. A practicing criminal lawyer since 1979, she joined the Los Angeles District Attorney's office in 1981, where she served as prosecutor for the trials of Robert Bardo, convicted of killing actress Rebecca Schaeffer, and, most notably, O. J. Simpson. The bestselling Without a Doubt, which she cowrote, chronicles her work on the Simpson trial. Clark has been a frequent commentator on a variety of shows and networks, including Today, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and MSNBC, as well as a legal correspondent for Entertainment Tonight.

Follow Marcia on Twitter at @thatmarciaclark

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
24,450 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

K Hancock
5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Characters - Great Thriller!
Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
Marcia Clark, famed prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson case and bestselling author, has created a unique new character, defense attorney Samantha Brinkman. Blood Defense, the first book in the series, introduces Samantha, her best friend, Michelle, paralegal, and Alex, an ex-con who is an experienced hacker and an excellent investigator; they make up the entire team of the fledgling Law Offices of Brinkman and Associates.

When a popular actress, Chloe Monahan and her roommate Paige Avner are found stabbed to death in their apartment, a police detective, Dale Pearson, is arrested for the crime. Although the evidence is at most circumstantial, he has already been convicted by the media and general population. Samantha gets a call and is asked to represent him. As the story unfolds, Pearson drops some bombshells, making it especially difficult for Samantha to believe that he is actually innocent. The more Samantha gets into the case, the more danger she and her team encounter. The entire book is a series of ups and downs with suspense, intrigue, and close calls.

The book is told in the first person from Samantha’s point of view, and is well-written and well-organized. Samantha doesn’t always play by the rules, which makes for even more danger.

Clark knows the ins and outs of a courtroom, and that makes the story very believable. There is enough suspense to keep readers on the edge; the book is very difficult to put down. The scenarios seem real, the characters seem real, and the ending is, of course, a surprise. There is no graphic violence, profanity, or sex, so this book is highly recommended for all readers who enjoy good thrillers.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this novel.
9 people found this helpful
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Ray Moon
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book Until The Last Seven Paragraphs (No spoilers)
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2016
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I had just watched the ninth episode of the FX series The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story when the Kindle First selections came out for the May 2016. I noticed the author of the first selection was Marsha Clark — oh no, it couldn’t be the same! I clicked the selection to see more, and yes it was “THE” Marsha Clark! I read the teaser intro and learned that the character was a defense attorney. I knew then and there that this would be my selection.

The pace of the novel is very fast and jumps around quite a bit. This is what you expect for a struggling defense attorney. Some of her clients are Hispanic and some unsavory Hispanic slang is used. Some I knew; many I did not. Thanks for ready access to the Internet so I could look up the others. There also is much slangy English. Marsha Clark created what appeared to me to be an authentic day in the life of a defense attorney.

The novel starts out with the murder of two young women and a police detective is suspected in their murder. A struggling defense lawyer, Samantha Brinkman, hears of the murder and wanted in. She got her wish and the roller coaster ride begins. Every twist and dead end occurs, almost all of which makes her client look all the more guilty. Even the good breaks look suspicious. Throughout all of this, the story had well entrenched its claws into me. I could not stop reading. I wanted to know what happened next. This aspect of the book is a major qualifier for a high rating.

This is the first novel of a series, so the B-story starts with this book also. The fleshing out of the characters, especially the Michelle and Alex, the associates in the Law Offices of Brinkman and Associates, was well woven into the fabric of the main story and contributed to the enjoyment of reading the novel. Also, well developed for their part in the story are the two young victims, witnesses, potential suspects, Zack the prosecutor, and others. Never once did I feel that something in a character was overdone or underdone. Only once did the story line make me stop reading and start thinking that this is not right — something is wrong. Marsha Clark, the author, has been both a defense attorney and a prosecutor so she personally knows the how both will act to achieve desired results inside and outside of the courtroom. The author makes good use of “asides” or thinking out loud to explain what and why she is going to do something in the court or press. This technique is applied in a natural and transparent way that makes the reading of this book all the more interesting.

I was all ready to give this novel a five-star rating until I started to read the seventh paragraph from the end of the novel. I did not like what the author did here. I first wanted to give one star. After I cooled down, I decided that the novel was an excellent read but that last ½% left a very bad taste in my mouth. May be this issue will be resolved in one of the subsequent novels in this series. If this is just a “who shot JR” type of ending designed to hooking the reader into the next novel, I do not like it. I cannot completely ignore the ending, so I rate this novel with four starts. I will try to give the author a second chance and read the next novel in this series.
4 people found this helpful
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Sunflower
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, but not an academy award competition read
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
THE GOOD: The tale is well-edited and lacking in typo and grammatical bloopers that frequently cause readers to abandon a book. The setting is fairly well depicted. It is an easy read.

THE BAD: Way too long at almost 400 pages! The characters, and their actions, are a bit farfetched at times. The pace plods at times and other times races at break-neck speeds. There are way too many characters, and some are three-dimensional while others almost seem to be cardboard cut-outs. Just a few chortles thrown in would have been fun. Parts of the tale are borderline boring.

THE UGLY: Unnecessary ABUNDANCE OF profanity. The ending is definitely an exploding bomb which sorta' smudges the image of the heroine. Too much filler material that was unnecessary to a good plot.

Samantha (Sam) Brinkman is a young struggling criminal defense attorney with a skeleton staff of two….excluding Sam herself. Alex is a surefooted ex-con who is smart as a whip with skills that enable Sam to collect valuable evidence for a sensational murder trial for which she is the defending attorney. Michele (Michy) is a rather bland, but capable, character that could certainly be improved upon.

Then there is Dale, the highly decorated police officer that is accused of all sorts of heinous deeds including murder….and even rape. Sam doesn't like cops, but she needs clients….and money. She agrees to defend Dale even though she has serious doubts about his innocence, and along the way he reveals a secret that will seriously affect Sam's personal life forever.

Surprises seem to be lurking around every corner. Most of them are not useful, and some are almost deadly to Sam and to her infinitesimal staff of two. Make that three if you include Sam! There is unpredictable suspense that is a bit preposterous at times. The plot is a good one; however, it moves along with rough uncertainty.

Well, it certainly isn't a super read, and the writing is not what I was expecting. I somehow thought that the somewhat famous O. J. Simpson prosecuting attorney would have a more flamboyant style of writing. Wrong. In fact, some of the story is a bit sophomoric in composition.

The book was an interesting enough read that I wanted to finish it, but it certainly was not an academy award competition read.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mary R
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 4, 2024
Verified Purchase
I was curious to see how this author's first book would be like, seeing as we all know her from a particular high profile case. It was very good indeed.

Sam is a no-nonsense type of lawyer who is struggling to keep her head above water, when the chance comes to represent a policeman charged with a double homicide. A very high profile case indeed. At the same time, she has ongoing cases to also juggle. I liked Sam as a character, along with Michelle in particular. The style of writing and the story , with several twists, reeled me in so we have a mixture of investigative work and courtroom drama being played out. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
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VR
4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!
Reviewed in India on March 12, 2021
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Awesome book!
It was a real page turner! Loved the main character Samantha. If u like lawyer books then this one is a must read.
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Annie56
5.0 out of 5 stars Will keep you guessing right to the end
Reviewed in Canada on December 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
This is a true who-done-it of the old school. Ms. Clark has maintained the right balance between excitement and terror. Her protagonist is extremely human and very likable. The plot twists are not predictable and I will not spoil it for you. Could not put it down until the end. What a ride! Will absolutely be reading all her work and definitely the next installment of this series is first on my wishlist
One person found this helpful
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Judithhb
4.0 out of 5 stars Two Murders and No Real Defence
Reviewed in Australia on February 2, 2017
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Samantha Brinkman lawyer working to make end meet lands the case of the century. Two young women brutally murdered and there's really only one possible murderer. All the lawyers are battling for the case for the defence when it lands in Sam's lap without her seeking it. But does she want it? Can she believe anything her client tells her. It will keep you reading well into the night. It did me.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Germany on June 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
Loved the book and all the characters . Good story and gripping to read . I will definitely read the next of the series
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