The Samantha Brinkman Series

Blood Defense by Marcia Clark
Thomas & Mercer | 9781503954007 | May 2016

Blood Defense

Book 1

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.

Praise for Blood Defense

“Clark sprinkles jaw-dropping surprises throughout and impressively pulls off a shocker that lesser writers can only envy.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Clark’s deft handling of her characters through a multilevel maze of conflicts delivers an exhilarating read.”
Library Journal
“[Clark] has the start of another successful series in this page-turner featuring a ballsy protagonist with a secret past.”
Booklist
Moral Defense by Marcia Clark
Thomas & Mercer | 9781503938694 | November 2016

Moral Defense

Book 2

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.

Praise for Moral Defense

“[A] nonstop ride marked by legal and moral gray areas, with a cliff-hanger epilogue. Another Clark legal thriller that’s hard to put down.”
Booklist
“[Moral Defense] has it all: a hard-charging lawyer heroine, tough-as-nails cops, realistic, yet somehow lovable ‘bad guys,’ as well as fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants pacing and page-turning twists.”
Associated Press
“In Clark’s outstanding sequel to Blood Defense…[She] deepens her already fascinating lead, while adeptly juggling several subplots.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
Snap Judgment by Marcia Clark
Thomas & Mercer | 9781542045551 | August 2017

Snap Judgment

Book 3

In the third installment of Marcia Clark’s bestselling series, attorney Samantha Brinkman’s investigation into a family’s deadly secrets is compromised by a threat from her past.

When the daughter of prominent civil litigator Graham Hutchins is found with her throat slashed, the woman’s spurned ex-boyfriend seems the likely suspect. But only days later, the young man dies in what appears to be a suicide. Or was it? Now authorities are faced with a possible new crime. And their person of interest is Hutchins. After all, avenging the death of his daughter is the perfect reason to kill. If he’s as innocent as he claims, only one lawyer has what it takes to prove it: his friend and colleague Samantha Brinkman.

It’s Sam’s obligation to trust her new client. Yet the deeper she digs on his behalf, the more entangled she becomes in a thicket of family secrets, past betrayals, and multiple motives for murder. To win her case, she’s prepared to bend any law and cross any boundary that stands in her way. Sam has always played by her own rules, and it’s always worked…so far. But this case cuts so deep and so personal that one false move could cost her everything.

Praise for Snap Judgment

“Propulsive plotting, visceral action, dexterous dialogue, and a palpable sense of time and place all conspire to make for an undeniably exhilarating read.”
Criminal Element
“Clark keeps up the frenetic pace, but never allows the plot’s tricky developments to overwhelm her characterizations.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review
“[A] twisting plot informed by Clark’s legal know-how will keep readers turning pages.”
Booklist
Final Judgment by Marcia Clark
Thomas & Mercer | 9781542091176 | April 2020

Final Judgment

Book 4

A murder investigation draws firebrand attorney Samantha Brinkman into her boyfriend’s past in this novel of high-risk suspense by bestselling author Marcia Clark.

When it comes to relationships and self-preservation, defense attorney Samantha Brinkman has always been cut and run. But it’s different with her new lover, Niko, an ambitious and globally famous entrepreneur. Sam is putting her faith in him. She has to. He’s also her new client—a suspect in the murder of an investor whose shady dealings turned Niko’s good life upside down.

He had the motive: revenge. As did many others who banked a fortune on the wrong man. That’s a point in Niko’s favor. So is his alibi for the day of the slaying. Until that alibi mysteriously disappears. As Sam’s feverish search for another viable killer begins, the investigation only leads deeper into Niko’s past and its secrets.

From the darkest suspicions to final judgment, fighting for Niko is Sam’s job. To do it, she must risk everything on a man who could make all her worst fears come true.

Praise for Final Judgment

“The plot twists are both plausible and shocking in this intelligent page-turner. Fans of whodunits featuring ethical dilemmas will be pleased.”
Publishers Weekly, starred review

“With its fast-moving plot and winning characters, this fourth entry in the Brinkman series will keep readers turning pages and rooting for Sam.”
Booklist
“Marcia Clark is unequaled in her ability to create a legal thriller so thoroughly steeped in the often crazy worlds of law, crime, and human frailties.”
—AuthorLink Writers & Readers Magazine