With Prejudice is not your run-of-the-mill courtroom thriller. It’s deeply unsettling and dark in the most gripping fashion with twists that take your breath away.
Robin Peguero brings us a trial like no other. A young girl is brutally murdered and a suspect is in custody. The majority of the conflict takes place in the courtroom as shrewd lawyers attack each other’s arguments with fervent dialogues and tightly wound nerves. Every single moment is filled with tense energy coiling up by each subsequent page. The flawed and twisted characters add to the vicious unpredictability of the narrative. It’s not a straightforward matter of good vs evil, but a very realistic yarn with gray moral areas that speak to us unabashed and unfiltered. The narrative wonderfully explores the conflicts and predicaments jurors, judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys face when it comes to deciding the fate of the defendant, giving us an insightful peek at the American justice system with all its pros and cons in the modern age of racial bias and discrimination. Ultimately, the story leaves us with an important question to ponder: How far does ambition for victory go before it poisons the pursuit for justice?
With Prejudice is one of the wittiest thrillers in recent years, peeling layers and layers of the human psyche with the goal of presenting a fully fleshed out written narrative that feels authentic and timely. A quick word of caution, the ending is not one you expect from a traditional story. This will haunt you for days to come as you try to wrap your mind around the unexpected turn of events in the final act of the story. I loved it all the more for ending on a high note of breaking away from tradition; I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this was based on a real case.
Follow Kashif on Twitter or contact him via the site.
Purchase With Prejudice
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)
Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
