The Fall Girl

Written by Marcia Clark

Narrated by Marcia Clark and Cathy Lepard

Lives and lies are inextricably linked by a high-profile murder trial in The Fall Girl, the latest exhilarating legal thriller from bestselling author Marcia Clark

When Charlie Blair left Chicago behind—and her old life as Lauren Claybourne—for a gig in the Santa Cruz DA’s office, things were supposed to be easier. Or at least nothing that a couple of Xanax and a tumbler of vodka couldn’t handle. The
plan had been working, until the murder of a local bail bondsman Shelly Hansen.

Enter: hot-shot prosecutor Erika Lorman, with a stellar record and unfailing touch with juries, a veritable legend in her own right. Fresh off the prosecution of celebrity chef Blake Steers, the newest resident of California’s penitentiary system
and perhaps its most high profile, she’s thrust back into action alongside her new co-chair from the windy city and ready to do anything to put criminals behind bars.

But as the fevered search for answers intensifies and the hunt for a killer continues, secrets from the past threaten to undo not just the case—but Erika and Charlie, too. Expertly plotted and relentlessly paced, The Fall Girl will keep readers guessing until the very end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Sep 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705050859

Marcia Clark

California native Marcia Clark is the author of Blood Defense, Moral Defense, and Snap Judgment, the first three books in the Samantha Brinkman series, as well as Guilt by Association, Guilt by Degrees, Killer Ambition, and The Competition in the Rachel Knight series. A practicing criminal lawyer since 1979, she joined the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in 1981, where she served as prosecutor for the trials of Robert Bardo—convicted of killing actress Rebecca Schaeffer—and, most notably, O. J. Simpson. The bestselling Without a Doubt, which she cowrote, chronicles her work on the Simpson trial. Clark has been a frequent commentator on a variety of shows and networks, including Today, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and MSNBC, as well as a legal correspondent for Entertainment Tonight. For more about the author, visit www.marciaclarkbooks.com.

Reviews for The Fall Girl

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read most of Marcia Clark's previous books and found them to be surprisingly good reads. So when I saw that she had a new series coming out I was immediately interested. I was happy to get an advance copy of the audiobook, and I enjoyed this book as well, although perhaps not quite as much as the previous ones. I suspect that my issue lies mostly with one of the main characters. Charlie Blair (formerly known as Lauren Claybourne in her previous life) has taken on a new identity to hide from her past, both figuratively and literally. It's a slow reveal as to the details of her past life and why she's hiding, but that keeps things interesting. She's a smart woman who makes some bad choices considering she's always looking over her shoulder. Wanting to bury her thoughts with alcohol and Xanax is understandable in one sense, but for a smart woman who needs to stay on her toes for her work and personal life it's a pretty bad life choice. So at times I was ready to yell at her to snap out of it. But there's another lead character, another smart lawyer, Erika Lorman, Charlie's mentor who's just won her biggest case, but finds that the verdict could be in peril. Overall I enjoyed this listen - the narration was very good, the story was compelling and kept me interested throughout, and of course Clark knows her legal stuff so it felt very real throughout. It appears that this is a standalone book, but if she turned this into a series I'd definitely read the next one - in part to find out whether (hopefully) Charlie/Lauren had pulled herself together and started making better choices, but also for an excellent legal thriller.
Thanks to Netgalley and RB Media/Recorded Books for providing a copy for an unbiased review.