Trial By Ambush

I really didn't know much about Barbara Graham or this case before picking this up, but once I started reading, I was hooked. And the more I read, the more frustrated I became.

Barbara Graham was definitely no angel. She made some bad choices, ran with the wrong people, and lived a pretty complicated life. But that doesn't necessarily make someone a murderer. What bothered me most was how quickly everyone seemed to decide she was guilty. Between the media, the prosecution, and the way she was portrayed, it felt like she never really had a chance.

There is quite a bit of legal information in this one, and a few parts dragged a little for me, but overall I found the case fascinating. I liked that Marcia Clark didn't just tell us what happened—she really dug into what went wrong and why so much of it was questionable.

This was one of those true crime books that made me angry, frustrated, and curious enough that I wanted to look up the case when I finished. Whether Barbara was innocent or guilty, there were definitely things about her trial that didn't sit right with me.

A really interesting read, especially if you like true crime, courtroom drama, and cases that leave you wondering if justice was actually served.