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    Killer Ambition
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    Killer Ambition
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    Killer Ambition
    Audiobook14 hours

    Killer Ambition

    Written by Marcia Clark

    Narrated by January LaVoy

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Los Angeles D.A. Rachel Knight faces down the murderously ambitious side of Hollywood in Marcia Clark's newest thriller.
    When the daughter of a billionaire Hollywood director is found murdered after what appears to be a kidnapping gone wrong, Los Angeles Special Trials prosecutor Rachel Knight and Detective Bailey Keller find themselves at the epicenter of a combustible and high-profile court case. Then a prime suspect is revealed to be one of Hollywood's most popular and powerful talent managers--and best friend to the victim's father. With the director vouching for the manager's innocence, the Hollywood media machine commences an all-out war designed to discredit both Rachel and her case.
    Killer Ambition is at once a thrilling ride through the darker side of Tinseltown and a stunning courtroom drama with the brilliant insider's perspective that Marcia Clark is uniquely qualified to give.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateJun 18, 2013
    ISBN9781619691506
    Unavailable
    Killer Ambition
    Author

    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.

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    Reviews for Killer Ambition

    4/5

    69 ratings17 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I've read all three of Marcia Clark's Rachel Knight novels. The first two were very good detective novels. The stories revolved around police investigation work. This latest installment also has investigation, but unlike the first two, there is a full trial. I liked this aspect. Because the author is a former District Attorney, it was very believable. This particular story also delves into the lack of moral values of certain Hollywood show business types. As I got closer to the finish, I had a hard time putting the book down because I wanted to see how the trial would come out. Also, I like the fact that Clark uses recurring characters in the series who you get to know. Rachel Knight herself, is a very likable, smart, and admirable character. Clark is very good at laying out methods of investigation, but not in a tedious way. If you are interested in crimes from the point of view of police detectives and the district attorney, I highly recommend this book or any of Marcia Clark's Rachel Knight novels. I am looking forward to her fourth book in the series and finding out if there will be any in-depth story line or resolution to Rachel Knight's childhood family tragedy.
    • 4/5
      I have heard wonderful things from friends about Marcia Clark but haven't had a chance to read anything by her until now. This is the third in a series of books but it's definitely not necessary to read the others to follow the storyline.

      The first third of the book focuses on the kidnapping/murder of a young girl. The rest of the novel deals with the trial for the accused suspect and the chaos that erupts during the trial. In my personal opinion, the first portion of the book was more enjoyable, mostly because I enjoy puzzles and piecing things together. The trial was a bit cumbersome for me to read, but only because I'm not a political person. It was still interesting; I literally read pages 200-448 in my copy in one day because I wanted to know how the trial ended!

      There are a great deal of twists and turns throughout the novel that will keep you guessing. The ending was very satisfying, to the point that I wanted to reread portions of the beginning to see if there were clues that I had missed in the beginning. The only thing I was disappointed by was that a minor storyline with Rachel and Graden wasn't hashed out more. However, it's safe to say that Rachel was too busy with the case to have much of a social life so there's a very good reason why this wasn't more of a focus in the book.

      I would definitely recommend this book to fans of thriller/crime novels. I am looking forward to checking out the rest of Ms. Clark's books over the summer!

      [Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the publisher.]
    • 5/5
      I am truly a fan now of this series and I intend to read the other books. Rachel Knight is smart with a sense of humor. I like how the story unfolds taking different twists leaving you wondering if Rachel will get her man or woman. I have been listening to the audio books and love it.
    • 5/5
      Great read, at the edge of my seat with every twist couldnt stop until I reached the end!
    • 4/5
      This was another excellent installment in the Rachel Knight series. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this series, but they’ve all been fun reads. Interesting characters, not a lot of court action, especially considering Rachel works in the DAs office. I’m not sure how realistic it is to have an assistant DA out in the field (and in danger) so much, but it certainly gives the books more of an edge (and definitely more action) than if they stayed strictly in the office & courtroom. This one was interesting, and I didn’t see the resolution to the mystery coming. I’ve read all four books now, and hope there’ll be more but I’m afraid Marcia may have moved on with her new series and left Rachel behind - I hope she has a good life out there in literary limbo, and finds her sister.
      Digital copy provided by Netgalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for an unbiased review. I combined reading with listening to the audio version, which is excellent.
    • 4/5
      Not all of Hollywood’s celebrity status yields glitter and glam. Haley, sixteen-year-old daughter of famous director Russell Antonovich, has disappeared and it’s very curious that her good friend, Mackenzie Struthers, seems to know much more than she’s willing to say. Russell had received a couple of text messages. The first said, “I’ve got your daughter. She’ll be safe if you do as I tell you. If you call the police she’ll be killed.” Then the second was a ransom demand for him to bring “One million dollars in cash in a duffel bag” to Fryman Canyon. But when Russell pays the $1 million and his daughter is not returned as promised, he calls police. Detective Bailey Keller along with Special Trials prosecutor Rachel Knight begin to investigate the whereabouts of Haley.One of the first people they talk to is Mackenzie. She does provide them with a picture of Haley’s latest boyfriend, nineteen-year-old Brian Shandling, but who is he? His ID seems to be fake, having belonged to a child who died in infancy many years before. It began to look like Brian and Hayley had cooked up the kidnapping scheme. If that was true, Rachel didn’t think he’d hurt her. Unfortunately, both Hayley and Brian were found murdered, presumably by the same person. The prime suspect turns out to be Russell’s best friend, Ian Powers, a former child star and also Russell’s talent manager. He’s arrested and this very high-profile case goes to trial.The book is basically broken into two parts – the first part was mostly about missing teen, Hayley and the search for her killer. She was not a Hollywood show-off. In fact, she had a very tender heart for those less fortunate, like her friend Mackenzie. But, what Haley really wanted was her dad’s love and attention, and less in being given enough money to buy God. The second portion of the novel was all about a celebrity on trial for murder. This is where Marcia Clark excelled in her writing. After all, she lived the experience as part of the prosecution team in the O.J. Simpson famed murder trial. I did find it more odd than not for our protagonist, a DA, to be part of the initial investigation. The novel is lengthy, somewhere over 450 pages. I think additional editing could have clipped much of the excess out. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone as Clark does very well with recapping past events about our protagonist and supporting characters. But, if you love Legal Thrillers, you may want to go back and read the two before this one. Rating: 4 out of 5.
    • 4/5
      Ths review needs to be very short because I am having some really bad eye problems and need to get off the computer and put on some warm compresses!I love Marcia Clark in the courtroom and as a writer. There are 13 discs in this audio set. First of all my vision is very blurry and I actually listened to disc 7 instead of disc 1 at first! Of course I was really confused about what was going on. I listened to the whole disc and then found out what happened. Next day, I played disc 1 and the story started to make sense. I love the dialogue and the chatter between Rachel. It is a great procedural crime novel with dramatic trial scenes. I used to live in Los Angeles County and it brought back my memories of jury duty there. Hollywood or the picture industry makes sense for part of the story. I would have loved to have gotten picked up for one trial involving a charge that one writer stole the story idea from another writer for a movie. Did not get on that jury but it works into this book.Rachel Knight was excited about getting the case in this book, involved the kidnaping of a young star who was the daughter of hugely rich director. Rachel teams up with Bailey Keller and later adds young and brillant law student whose father refuses to accept him and Russian woman who had three years on Terminal island, a mastermind with all things computer. I loved her blunt and let's get to work attitude!I loved the story. There also a part at the end connecting Rachel Knight's relationship with her father and what the other women were seeking but not finding in their fathers.
    • 5/5
      I was gifted a copy of “Killer Ambition” via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is no ways affects my opinions of this book.

      This is book 3 in the Rachel Knight series, and the books just keep getting better. Once again, Marcia Clark kept me on the edge of my seat, and I had a hard time putting this book down. In “Killer Ambition”, Rachel and her best friend, Detective Bailey Keller, have another hot case to handle. The daughter of a billionaire director is found murdered after what seems to be a kidnapping gone wrong. But, Rachel has learned that things are not always as they appear, and the answers never come easy.

      The prime suspect is a very popular Hollywood manager, who coincidently is the best friend to the victim’s daughter. Of course the director declares that the manager is innocent, but is he really?

      Just like the other reviewers, I think this book is even better than the first two. If you are into mystery and suspense, Marcia Clark and her team of characters will not disappoint you. Happy reading!
    • 5/5
      I finished Killer Ambition by Marcia Clark last night and so enjoyed getting to spend some time in the courtroom with Rachel Knight!A kidnapping goes wrong and two young bodies are found murdered. Rachel Knight and Bailey Keller find who the guilty party is, then unlike the other books this one has a full trial. I enjoyed Dorian on the stand and found myself laughing out loud at her testimony to the defense. I love all the characters in the Rachel Knight series - even the ones you love to hate! I will be following the Rachel Knight series as I am now hooked!I highly recommend this book if you like thrillers, suspense and mystery. I received a free copy of this book from Mulholland Books and Net Gallery in exchange for my honest review rather it be good or bad. Thank you.
    • 5/5
      On to book three of the Rachel Knight series! I must say that each book just gets better than the one before it. In this book the daughter of a celebrity gets kidnapped for ransom and Rachel and Bailey (her friend and detective sidekick) are on the case. The plot for this one had a lot of twists and turns and more courtroom drama that the previous two books. Read it! :-)I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review from netgalley.
    • 4/5
      Wow. I just got called honorable by a tabloid reporter. What a great day.This was probably my favorite book of the series so far. Readers finally get to see Rachel in her role as deputy district attorney prosecuting a case. Rachel is going through a lot of stress because of the high profile case and all the media attention suddenly thrust upon her. She has to scramble to prove her case when even the father of the teenage girl who was killed, a famous movie director, doesn't quite believe that she has the right person.The second half of this book was exactly what I have been waiting for in this series, Rachel Knight in court prosecuting a case. Being a deputy district attorney you would think that a lot of this series would have her in court but it really has been her and Bailey investigating cases. I liked reading about Rachel in court a whole lot more than I like reading about her investigating with Bailey. Rachel and Bailey are not inept at investigating but for some reason whenever they are doing investigations it feels like they are bumbling around. Rachel showed some really strong moments as a prosecutor during the trial but was not without some not so great moments.There were some really strong secondary characters. Terry Fisk, an attorney for the defense, was a woman that you loved to hate. She was so annoying and I couldn't help but feel outraged at some of the things that she tried to pull in court. Declan was a really great addition to the story and I liked the friendship that grew between him and Rachel. I really hope that we will be seeing more of Declan in the future.I loved the reveal at the end. It was something that you probably couldn't have guessed and it was really interesting to see how certain events were connected. I was definitely satisfied with the outcome of the trial and I hope to see Rachel in the courtroom more in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of Killer Ambition.
    • 2/5
      There is no way to find it now, but I remember a long-ago instructional essay for SF writers on sex scenes. The gist of this lost essay was that if you can't produce a decent sex scene, you aren't a competent writer.There must be a similar memo floating around urging crime writers to write courtroom battles. I wish someone would find that memo and burn it. As far as I am concerned, no novelist needs to chronicle a long court case ever again.Marcia Clark's account of the murder trial in Killer Ambition, the number 3 book in her series about LA Deputy District Attorney Rachel Knight, is well written yet remains intensely tedious. I skipped page after page just to finish the book. Courtroom gyrations obscured the plot part of the time. The book finally came to an overly rapid conclusion.I am growing less and less fond of Ms Knight as I approach book 4.I received a review copy of Killer Ambition (A Rachel Knight Novel) by Marcia Clark (Mulholland Books) through NetGalley.com.
    • 4/5
      The daughter of a wealthy Hollywood director is kidnapped then found murdered. Could it be her boyfriend who has also disappeared? But then his body is discovered and the investigation leads to the best friend and confident of the director. No, it couldn’t be and so the trial begins. From the start to the climax and resolution, this story doesn’t stop. Marcia Clark has created a strong character in Rachel Knight. Knight won’t stop at anything to get her suspect. This story delves not in the characters as much it does in the legal system and what it takes to prosecute a much sensationalized case. This nearly 500 page novel was not only educational but engaging for this reader!
    • 4/5
      Procedurally, not exactly courtroom accurate. But still entertaining, with what feels like soulful insights Marcia Clark gained about trial reality during the infamous OJ debacle. I am just a small potatoes prosecutor, but I do like the glimpses into the big city practice. I also know that the real time practice of a criminal trial does not always translate into a good novel, so liberties are taken to roll the story down the road.Reading wise, this is a good story, with careful character development. Its a slow plot builder, which I do enjoy, especially if the series is one I will continue to read.So far, I enjoy Clark's offerings. As a legal thriller, this book is charming and fun, while still maintaining the twists and turns I enjoy in thrillers. So far, I do enjoy her offerings.
    • 5/5
      Though I was never a huge fan of Marcia Clark as a lawyer, I am quite taken with her as a writer. This is her 3rd Rachel Knight novel, and, I'd say, the best so far. I like the appropriate lightness (nothing crude) she brings to a grave area of crime fiction - what with her protagonist's bright wit and delightful sense of humor. It makes for a good balance and a great read.
    • 4/5
      Killer Ambition – Slick and stylish.Killer Ambition by Marcia Clark is part of the Rachel Knight series of which this was my first reading which charmed from the first page to the last. Written by a former Californian prosecutor she brings all her experience to bear as she shines a light on the relationship between the District Attorney’s Office and the LAPD. Marcia Clark’s writing style is addictive and her choice of characters is inspired, it is also great to see two strong intelligent women without having to rely on a defective detective.Detective Bailey Keller and Deputy DA Rachel Knight are called out to a kidnapping of the teenage daughter of famous Hollywood director Russell Antonovich. They have only get called in once the ransom fee has been paid and the daughter has not been released. Now it becomes a race to find Haley Antonovich and to find out as much as possible about her as possible.Neither, Keller or Knight can believe how many people there are around Antonovich all with knowledge of what is going on. It is when Haley and her boyfriend turn up dead in different locations that things really start to go downhill very fast. As fast as they try to find information and evidence of what happened they see how quickly doors are closed to them. They find that Hollywood tends to operate on the same principles of the mafia just with more glitter and glamour.We see that even as the investigation continues that Knight and Keller are faced with doors slamming in their faces. They also have to contend with the DA who does not want to upset any of the big hitters of Hollywood especially as he needs their money for re-election. Not helped by slick Hollywood attorneys trying to muddy the waters and using every trick in the book to protect and clear their client.Killer Ambition is a great crime procedural novel that is well written and researched, very polished. It is worth letting the household chores pile up as you read this book as it enjoyable and highly addictive. This book and its lead characters charm all the way through the thriller making it nothing but a pleasure to read.
    • 4/5
      The backstory: Killer Ambition is the third mystery in Marcia Clark's Rachel Knight series. I've already enjoyed and reviewed Guilt by Association and Guilt by Degrees.The basics: When a famous Hollywood director's daughter is murdered, in what seems to be a kidnapping gone wrong, D.A. Rachel Knight and her best friend, detective Bailey Keller, catch the case and the spotlight. Of course, things are never quite what they seem in a Marcia Clark novel, and the actual mystery is much more complicated than a simple whodunit.My thoughts: After starting this series in December (the week I found out I was pregnant and only wanted to lose myself in mysteries), I read all three books back-to-back-to-back in a single week. I've spaced out my reviews so as not to delude you all at once, but I am so in love with this series and these characters. Overall, this mystery wasn't quite as compelling as the one in Guilt by Degrees, but I enjoyed reading it just as much. The trio of Rachel, Bailey, and fellow DA Toni is a beautifully realistic friendship, and I enjoyed their quiet moments of normalcy in this novel as much as I enjoyed the twisty mystery.This novel, and the mystery at its core, are both quintessential Hollywood. Clark takes us behind the glamour and celebrity in a fascinating way. I most appreciated that although these Hollywood archetypes were easily recognizable, they didn't strike me as thin facades for actual people as much as familiar composites. As much as I love characters based on real famous people, it easily could have detracted from the mystery.Favorite passage: "I had no particular reason to think Mackenzie would lie to us. But my experience with teenagers has taught me that they invariably keep secrets from the adult world and they consider it an honor to guard those secrets closely. I don’t think it’s nefarious, I think it’s just tribal loyalty."The verdict: The payoff in Killer Ambition wasn't as shocking as Guilt by Degrees, but the journey was just as twisty and fascinating. Clark manages to continue to develop the core characters and their relationship with one another while also telling a dynamic mystery. The Competition, the fourth Rachel Knight mystery, comes out July 8, which is too far away for my liking.