Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Trial by Ambush:
Oh look, a miscarriage of justice.
Quick synopsis:
The trial of Barbara “Bloody Babs” Graham in the 1950s.
Fact for Non-History People:
Clark was dubbed “Giggles Clark” during the OJ Trial because a camera caught her smiling and chuckling at times. She found the name funny, actually.
Fact for History Nerds:
It didn’t become a violation of fifth amendment rights to comment on a defendant’s silence or refusal to testify until 1965.
My Take on Trial by Ambush:
Please indulge a personal diatribe, dear reader, before I dive into my review of Trial by Ambush by Marcia Clark. (And yes, the author is THAT Marcia Clark. She’s so self-aware that it is literally her Twitter handle and no I will never call it X.)
When OJ decided to take his very slow drive in 1994, I was 12 years old. Even as an east coaster, the OJ trial was everywhere you looked. While there are many memorable aspects of the case, one thing I remember vividly is the first time I recognized sexism on a big scale. Sure, I had seen sexism before, but what I recall is thinking in my not quite developed brain, “Hey, they seem to be treating the lady lawyer a lot different than the guy lawyers.” I then immediately laughed when someone said, “Let the juice loose!” Again, undeveloped brain. Please forgive the young idiot.
Is any of this relevant to my review of Trial by Ambush? Actually, yes! The book is about the 1953 murder of Mabel Monohan in one of the dumbest home invasions of all time. Was Barbara there? Did she assault Mabel? According to the prosecution, Barbara was a vicious killer and they would do whatever they could to make sure she was issued a state-sponsored passport to the afterlife.
This is not a traditional true crime book, and it is exceptional because it isn’t. The vast majority of the narrative is not the crime and the investigation, but Clark excoriating the prosecution’s case which is held together by hidden evidence, shoddy ethical questioning, and the over-reliance on an accomplice who shouldn’t be trusted at all.
I am generally against authors in non-fiction inserting themselves into their stories. However, Clark is speaking from her own extensive experience with prosecuting people. It is very much an expert walking you through the back and forth of the case and adding insight a non-lawyer wouldn’t have. Yes, she does reference the OJ trial but also other cases she tried. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, this is not a legal treatise, but a true crime book with a bigger focus on the trial and the tricks used which led to (probably) a miscarriage of justice.
I wonder if Clark had any experience with one of those in her career? Eh, who knows. The book is great, and you should read it.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer Books.)
Verdict:
Excellent true crime. Buy it here!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.