Breakaway Books

Authored by Robin Peguero; Published 2022; Mystery

⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 🏖️🏖️

I am not one for gritty, realistic crime dramas–a realization that I came to somewhere in the middle of this novel. While undoubtedly suspenseful, With Prejudice acknowledged the slow-paced reality of court cases today and the key unorthodox players that can shape it. I did enjoy the novel: It has a level of intricacy that is satisfying to understand when looking back from the conclusion. But it didn’t compel me to keep reading because I just *had* to find out who had really committed the crime.

In With Prejudice, a young man named Gabriel Soto is accused of murdering young Melina Mora. As we watch the progression of the case through the eyes of the prosecutor, the police, the journalists and more, we see how each individual brings their own perspective as they seek to discover: Is Gabriel really guilty?

At times, it felt as if the narrative dragged over seemingly simple points, but it continued, I began to appreciate all the complexity that had been packed into the story. I did not predict the final twist, although (frustratingly!) it could be argued that a reasonable reader could not. I was left wishing I had more clues—and also as if I could have spent more time with any one of the characters featured to get more than a glimpse into their lives. I don’t mind a book that shifts perspectives, even as often as every chapter, but at the end of this once, I felt like I still didn’t know why I should care about these characters in particular. 

There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but I love to love the characters I read. I want to root for them, watch them become something greater than they were at the beginning of the novel. I didn’t have that experience with the book. Yet, at times, I felt as if the author gave me intricate portraits of aspects of each character, that made me feel like I understood exactly what the character was thinking and feeling in that moment and why. It unquestionably added to the realism of it all, but I didn’t get to see them changed (positively or negatively) by the events of the novel.

So, as a page-turner: not the best. The realism of With Prejudice is admirable but makes it less desirable as a beach read for the escapists among us. But, I’d definitely recommend it to the hard-core court watching lovers who want to see a case from every angle and the truth from start to finish.