Editorial Content for With Prejudice
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Set in Miami in 2011, WITH PREJUDICE begins in the jury room as we meet a few of the jurors selected to sit on a murder trial. In time we also get acquainted with the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the judge and other peripheral characters.
The defendant is Gabriel Soto, who is accused of murdering the beautiful Melina Mora, but for much of the book it’s unclear why this case is its centerpiece. As the novel evolves, it becomes evident, as do the jurors’ individual stories --- and prejudices. No one comes to a trial without a very particular point of view.
"WITH PREJUDICE is ambitious and intricate enough to suggest that a sequel will be worth the wait."
Robin Peguero sets WITH PREJUDICE in a very specific moment, which has resonance for both the characters and readers. Ultimately it also holds a clue about the murder, though that twist isn’t apparent at first. He also keeps the focus on life in Miami, with its strong Latino culture and ethnic rivalries. This gives the novel a distinctive quality, if not charm.
Unfortunately, the many convoluted backstories, side stories and plot twists threaten to overwhelm the main plot, as does Peguero’s insistence on making each character represent some social group and, therefore, bias. The result at times is confusion about which character is being portrayed --- especially as, when the jurors get to the jury room to deliberate, each is referred to by the juror number, not his or her name.
Despite these drawbacks, Peguero demonstrates a knowledge of the inner workings of the justice system and, more importantly, the ability to write. There are still rough patches throughout, and character development is often at the mercy of what position that character represents. Still, WITH PREJUDICE is ambitious and intricate enough to suggest that a sequel will be worth the wait.
Teaser
Earl Thomas, a straight-laced taxman with his fair share of police encounters, is the begrudging foreperson in a high-stakes trial in Miami. Laura Hurtado-Perez is a physician whose unassuming manner conceals a private pain. Joseph Cole is the founder of his local neighborhood watch, unduly obsessed with the families around him. Along with four others, these jurors of varying ages and walks of life whose paths likely never would have crossed otherwise must come together to make one of the most important decisions of their lives.
Promo
Earl Thomas, a straight-laced taxman with his fair share of police encounters, is the begrudging foreperson in a high-stakes trial in Miami. Laura Hurtado-Perez is a physician whose unassuming manner conceals a private pain. Joseph Cole is the founder of his local neighborhood watch, unduly obsessed with the families around him. Along with four others, these jurors of varying ages and walks of life whose paths likely never would have crossed otherwise must come together to make one of the most important decisions of their lives.
About the Book
No one knows what happened that night. Seven strangers must decide.
Earl Thomas, a straight-laced taxman with his fair share of police encounters, is the begrudging foreperson in a high-stakes trial in Miami. Laura Hurtado-Perez is a physician whose unassuming manner conceals a private pain. Joseph Cole is the founder of his local neighborhood watch, unduly obsessed with the families around him.
Along with four others, these jurors of varying ages and walks of life whose paths likely never would have crossed otherwise must come together to make one of the most important decisions of their lives.
On the night Melina Mora, a free-spirited woman both proud and kind, was murdered, she was seen with a young man of Gabriel Soto’s description. Two strands of her hair were found in his bedroom. Sandy Grunwald, a young prosecutor whose political ambitions depend on securing a conviction, finds herself pitted against Jordan Whipple, a preening public defender armed with a freshly discovered, dynamite piece of evidence on the eve of the trial --- if the Honorable Darla Tackett will admit it.
What Sandy, Jordan and Judge Tackett all know, however, is that the criminal justice system is complicated, and everyone has a story --- especially the jury. And it’s their experiences, biases and beliefs that will ultimately shape the verdict.
With striking originality and expert storytelling, Robin Peguero’s debut novel explores the prejudice that hangs over every trial in America. You’ve never read a legal thriller quite like this. There’s never been a thriller writer quite like Peguero. And you will not be able to predict how it all ends.
Audiobook available, read by Chris Ciulla
