Guilt by Association

This book by Marcia Clark (of O.J. Simpson lead prosecutor fame) is the first in her "Rachel Knight" series. Rachel is an assistant district attorney for the L.A District Attorney's "Special Trials Unit," Which handles the "toughest, most sensitibe, and most celebrated cases" (book jacket) that come to the DA's office. She lives for her work--smart, ambitious, hard-charging; not surprisingly, she has not been able to sustain a long term relationship with a man. One evening, after a long day, she's on her way home to the Biltmore Hotel, where she lives,  when she notices a lot of police activity nearby. When she checks out the scene, she finds her colleague Jake Pahlmeyer and a young male prostitute have been found dead in a seedy motel room. Rachel cannot believe the innuendo coming from all directions and the tentative conclusion that Jake killed the boy and then himself. Rachel is determined to clear Jake's name if possible and so begins discretely investigating on her own, even though her boss has specifically warned her off. She is also assigned one of Jake's cases, the rape of a 15-year-old girl who is the daughter of a big donor of the current DA, so the pressure is on. Her friend Bailey Keller, a detective with the LAPD, agrees to help her with both cases. 

Kirkus calls this "a corker of a debut" and describes Rachel as "a brainy,  plucky female prosecutor." Publishers Weekly says of this "triumphant fiction debut" that "Readers will want to see a lot more of Knight, who combines strength of character and compassion with all-too-human foibles." Booklist also offers a glowing review: "pairs her knowledge of the L.A. judicial scene with a surprising flair for fiction in a remarkably accomplished debut novel....Clark offers a real page-turner here, with smart, fast-moving prose; a skillfully constructed plot; and a protagonist well worth knowing. Rachel, whose past is only hinted at, is a well-rounded character who's as tough with suspects as she is sensitive with young victims. A top-notch legal thriller that will leave readers wanting more...a genuinely high-quality novel."