As a society, we take on many civic responsibilities as a necessary burden of being part of a functioning community. For example, we begrudgingly pay our fair share of taxes each year, understanding that we all must do our part to fund the things like infrastructure and schools a reality. There are slight annoyances with each of these obligations, but nothing compares, in my mind at least, to the pure stress of being summoned for jury duty. We take off from work, struggle to find parking, and then sit in a room for hours until we are mercifully deemed unfit for the jury and sent home. The banality of it all really gets to me. For author Robin Peguero, however, the potential of being part of a jury marks the impetus for his take on a legal thriller.
The case in question is the murder of a young woman, Melina Mora. She was last seen with a man who happens to match Gabriel Soto's description. When the police search his house, they find strands of Mora's hair, just enough evidence to charge Soto with killing her. The prosecutor and defense teams both have a heavy motivation to win this case. A conviction in this high-profile trial would all but secure the political aspirations of prosecutor Sandy Grunwald. Public defender Jordan Whipple has just as much on the line. He also happens to have an ace up his sleeve, a hail mary piece of evidence that was recently discovered which he believes has the potential to turn the tables in his client's favor. First, though, he'll have to convince the honorable judge Tackett to admit it.
The fate of the entire trial ultimately rests in the hands of the jury, a group of ordinary citizens tasked with deciding the fate of the man in front of them. The group runs the gamut from the taxman, to the physician, to the head of the neighborhood watch. Each juror comes with their own story, a unique run at life that leads them to the courtroom. A combination of histories, biases, and values will ultimately converge, reaching a verdict that will impact the lives of those involved for years to come.
In his debut novel With Prejudice, author Robin Peguero proves that sometimes the people deciding the outcome of a trial can be as compelling as the trial itself. Peguero presents the crime and those involved and then shifts his focus to that of the jury. He jumps around from person to person, often skipping between past and present in the process, methodically building a portrait of each individual who will ultimately impact the trial. This character-focused approach to deep diving into the backgrounds and motivations of everyone involved in an event reminded me of Noah Hawley's Before the Fall. Like Hawley's novel, the separate pieces of With Prejudice are ultimately more impactful as individual components than they are when they come together. Still, the way with which Peguero carefully reveals each character's past in conjunction with the unfolding trial is proof of his narrative mastery. I really enjoyed the way that this novel took a different approach to a normal courtroom drama, and I'll be eager to read whatever Peguero comes up with next.
For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2022, 31)
That is quite the interesting way of doing it!
ReplyDeleteI agree. It was a really cool take on a legal thriller!
DeleteI have to admit, I hate being called for jury duty! It's the worst thing ever. But this book and the way Peguero tells it through the different jury members sounds really cool. :)
ReplyDeleteI dread jury duty haha!
DeleteJury duty is the horror story for me - not further drama necessary lol I had to go last year.
ReplyDeleteMy case was a woman suing the state over a road construction sign (she was injured and blamed the signage) and the split between people (the potential jury) who worked for and hated the department of transportation vs the large number of medical professionals that believed she was faking her injuries was so interesting. It's just all walks of life with different perspectives.
Sounds like the book captured that.
Karen @For What It's Worth
That's a wild case! I've never been selected for a jury, thankfully, but it would be interesting to witness the case unfold.
DeleteI've never had Jury duty but hubby did a few times.
ReplyDeleteCount yourself as lucky!
DeleteThis ounds absolutely fascinating, and with character-driven goodness! I've just added it to my Audible Wish list as my next read!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read your thoughts on it!
DeleteThis sounds like a fascinating read, and like everyone here, I absolutely dread the possibility of serving on Jury Duty too! Hope you're having a great day! Hugs, RO
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping in!
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