"Heartbreakingly realistic and suspenseful..."
Reviewed by Dot Dittman
Posted September 27, 2014
Suspense
I had forgotten what the synopsis of THE COMPETITION was
all about. It was simply the next (by publication date)
book on my long list of books to review. It started out
telling about a particular high school student, Christy
Shilling as she realizes her dream of being a varsity
cheerleader. It is her first pep rally. She excitedly runs
out into the gym. I read the story expectantly...and then
all
hell broke loose.
Marcia Clark proceeds to tell a story that shocks
and reverberates with me. It brought back heartbreaking
memories of that first monstrous school shooting at
Columbine, Colorado. The school shooting in THE
COMPETITION
is fictional, but the details are alarmingly realistic.
Two
shooters commit a crime that is similar to the shooting in
Columbine. These shooters, however, do not commit suicide,
and are out to "break the record" in the numbers of
victims
they kill.
The investigation shows that they are planning another
shooting, but where? Clark has tapped into the fear and
anger that is felt every time one of these unforgiveable
events happens. She builds the tension as LA Special
Trials
prosecutor Rachel Knight and Detective Bailey Keller race
against the clock to figure out the next location and to
identify the shooters.
Clark writes realistically and convincingly. Her
former job (as a prosecutor) probably has something to do
with this, but she is also practical in her handling of
the
crime scene and what the evidence can reveal. She doesn't
put forth the ideas that fingerprints can always be found
(on bullet casings or clothing for example) like so many
fantastical crime stories.
The rapport between Rachel and Bailey contributes
more realism. They are best friends, but that doesn't
prevent them from giving each other a hard time. Their
affection for each other is apparent, but not
sentimentally
so. And they are funny and crude because people who face
the grim reality of horrible crimes every day have to
cope.
The references to the other characters in the
investigation
could have been a problem. There are so many. And while I
get the idea that they are present in Clark's previous
books, they make short cameo appearances just long enough
to move the story forward. This book has a stand-alone
story, which is a great thing in a book series. I
understand that there are three books previous to THE
COMPETITION.
The plot moves along at a dizzying pace and Clark
fooled me a couple of times. After that, I was second-
guessing everything even when it was true. She is a gifted
storyteller and she shines in this genre. Her attention to
details makes the story authentic. For example, when it is
pointed out that witnesses' memory can be tainted by
details that are suggested to them.
If crime and suspense is your preferred genre, and
you like strong female characters that are sassy, you will
enjoy THE COMPETITION as much as I did. I will admit that
when I
first started reading the part detailing the first
shooting, I had to put the book away for a couple of days
and go read a funny romance. It is that real. When I
returned to THE COMPETITION, I was glad I did.
SUMMARY
In Marcia Clark's most electrifying thriller yet, Los
Angeles District Attorney Rachel Knight investigates a
horrifying high school massacre. A Columbine-style shooting at a high school in the San
Fernando Valley has left a community shaken to its core. Two
students are identified as the killers. Both are dead,
believed to have committed a mutual suicide. In the aftermath of the shooting, LA Special Trials
prosecutor Rachel Knight teams up with her best girlfriend,
LAPD detective Bailey Keller. As Rachel and Bailey interview
students at the high school, they realize that the facts
don't add up. Could it be that the students suspected of
being the shooters are actually victims? And if so, does
that mean that the real killers are still on the loose? A dramatic leap forward in Marcia Clark's highly acclaimed
Rachel Knight series, The Competition is an unforgettable
story that will stay with readers long after the last page
has been turned.
What do you think about this review?
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