Trial by Ambush: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth About the Case of Barbara Graham

Clark (the Samantha Brinkman series), the former lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson case, brings new insights to a sensational killing from the 1950s in this standout true crime narrative. In 1953, Mabel Monahan, a 64-year-old widow living alone in Burbank, Calif., died during a home invasion. A confidential tip pointed police to career criminal Baxter Shorter, who admitted to plotting the burglary and threw Barbara Graham, the girlfriend of another violent criminal, under the bus for Monahan’s killing. Graham, who allegedly pistol-whipped Monahan during the break-in, quickly became a tabloid fixture, thanks to her portrayal as a “vicious and cold-blooded, albeit beautiful, murderer.” She was convicted of the crime and executed in 1955 at San Quentin; the saga inspired the 1958 film I Want to Live!. Clark, however, convincingly argues that Graham faced an unfair trial. She draws on courtroom transcripts and previously withheld testimony to reveal that the prosecution tampered with key evidence and sought to entrap Graham while she was in jail. Impressive research, combined with breakneck pacing and a trenchant critique of the media circus surrounding Graham’s arrest, bring the verdict down decisively in Clark’s favor. This is masterful. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (Nov.)