The Sonnenbergs were an ordinary family in a nice suburban town, until disaster struck. When the police arrived on the premises, the teenage son Abel, and his father were dead, and the mother was barely hanging on; they all had their throats slit. Their adopted teenage daughter Cassie, had hidden in her room, and was unscathed, and it looks suspicious; so, because of the circumstances, Cassie is accused of the murders. Defense attorney Samantha Brinkman takes the case, which becomes even more personal when Samantha learns from the accused that Cassie had been sexually abused. If that case weren't challenging enough, a couple of Sam's past mistakes come back to haunt her.

If you think the blurb sounds interesting, wait until you read MORAL DEFENSE! Marcia Clark knows what she's writing about, she's an attorney herself. I have loved the books I have read by Ms. Clark, but nothing had prepared me for this stunning novel! Who is lying, who is telling the truth? Who is good, who isn't? Lines are blurred wherever you look. In MORAL DEFENSE, there is the main story, that of Cassie's, but there are also two other secondary stories. While I am not usually a fan of that process, as most of the time, the secondary stories are entertaining filler, they work perfectly in MORAL DEFENSE, as they serve to know Sam better, the way she operates, as well as what might/will/could be in store for her in the future, and one instance had me shivering with dread. Back to the main story, that of the bloody murders: it is extremely well plotted, very fast-paced, and Marcia Clark keeps us on our toes nearly until the last page. And I literally gasped at the turn of events; Ms. Clarke has all my admiration, because MORAL DEFENSE took a lot of guts to write, and I like nothing more than to be caught off-guard when I'm reading a thriller. The vivid descriptions and the feeling of movement nearly give the impression of watching a movie while reading. The books is told in the first person, Sam's, and seldom has a book of this type worked so well for me: it's intimate, but also gives us more insight into who Samantha Brinkman really is, and she's definitely someone worth knowing.

The characters are very expertly drawn, there are many characters in MORAL DEFENSE, and every one has its place; the dialogues are excellent, every single character has a voice of its own. I adored Sam's staff consisting of Michelle, and the charismatic Alex. Nothing is superfluous, nothing left to chance: it all converges at some point; the same can be said for all the interesting and pertinent details, mostly legal: no detail is for show only. I pretty much thought I knew where the story was going, that what remained was mostly finding the proofs, and did Marcia Clark do a number on me! No red herrings, nothing of the sort, simply fabulous storytelling and characters that act and react as real people, with all their foibles. MORAL DEFENSE is a thick novel, over 400 pages, and there was not even one boring paragraph. MORAL DEFENSE is riveting, entertaining, and educational as well; surprises and shocks abound, and I can't wait to see what happens next with Samantha Brinkman. MORAL DEFENSE is a legal thriller that should not be missed!

Book Summary

For defense attorney Samantha Brinkman, it’s not about guilt or innocence—it’s about making sure her clients walk.

In the follow-up to bestselling Blood Defense, Samantha is hired as the legal advocate for Cassie Sonnenberg after a brutal stabbing left the teenager’s father and brother dead, and her mother barely clinging to life. It’s a tabloid-ready case that has the nation in an uproar—and Sam facing her biggest challenge yet. Why did Cassie survive? Is she hiding something?

As Sam digs in to find the answers, she’s surprised to find herself identifying with Cassie, becoming more and more personally entangled in the case. But when Sam finally discovers the reason for that kinship, she faces a choice she never imagined she’d have to make.