A Jury of Her Peers

by Jean Hanff Korelitz

As a little girl climbs off a school bus on the Upper East Side of New York, a man named Trent rushes from the shadows to stab her viciously, instantly becoming the city's latest pariah and setting into motion an increasingly bizarre chain of occurrences. At one end of the chain is Sybylla Muldoon, the Legal Aid attorney who must somehow overcome eyewitness accounts, devastating forensic evidence, and the brutal disfigurement of an innocent child in her struggle to defend Trent; at the other is the mystery of why a previously peaceful and rational man should suddenly commit such an abhorrent crime. Sybylla's client may be inescapably guilty of the act, but everything about the case feels unaccountably wrong. Raised to argue both sides of anything by her father, a conservative judge whom she adores even as she rejects his politics, Sybylla is committed to the principles of public defense but growing increasingly weary in its practice. Now as she readies Trent's case for trial, Sybylla makes a series of seemingly unrelated discoveries that bind together a thriving trial consulting firm dealing exclusively with conservative prosecuting attorneys, a pattern of unnoticed abductions among New York's homeless, a long-abandoned avenue of medical research, and Sam, Sybylla's new colleague at Legal Aid whom she falls for but can't quite trust. In the end, Trent's mystery leads her to the very summit of the American legal system—the confirmation hearings of a Supreme Court nominee—and to the heart of her own family history, until Sybylla must reconsider virtually everything she believes she knows about her own life.With its captivating protagonist and its timely consideration of juries, trial consultants, and that elusive notion, justice, A Jury of Her Peers is a chilling novel about the law—and those who seek to corrupt it.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Legal Thriller, Crime, Contemporary

446 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Author of nine novels: THE SEQUEL (2024), THE LATECOMER (2022), THE PLOT (The Tonight Show's "Summer Reads" pick for 2021), THE UNDOING, originally published as YOU SHOULD HAVE KNOWN (adapted by David E. Kelley for HBO and starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland), ADMISSION (adapted as the 2013 film of the same name, starring Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin and Paul Rudd), THE DEVIL AND WEBSTER, THE WHITE ROSE, THE SABBATHDAY RIVER and A JURY OF HER PEERS, as well as a middle-grade reader, INTERFERENCE POWDER, and a collection of poetry, THE PROPERTIES OF BREATH.

Watch for television adaptations of THE PLOT and THE LATECOMER!

I'm the founder of BOOKTHEWRITER, a New York City based service that offers "Pop-Up Book Groups" where readers can discuss books with their authors in person and online. Please join our mailing list at www.bookthewriter.com to hear about our events.

If you've become aware of my work via THE UNDOING, you should know that my novel differs significantly from the adaptation -- and that's fine with me! Just know that the twists you might be expecting will likely not be there on the page. Other twists, yes, but you'll have to read the book to find them.

If you're trying to reach me, please know that I don't do any communicating through Goodreads, and that includes FRIEND REQUESTS AND FOLLOWING. (You may also infer that I've read more than the few books listed here, all of which are -- coincidence? -- written by me. I have another GOODREADS account, under another name, with which I keep track of my reading, but it's private.) I'm particularly inept on Facebook, as well, so trying to reach me that way will be spectacularly ineffective. If you want to get in touch, please use the contact form on my website, jeanhanffkorelitz.com

Thanks so much for your interest in my work!

Jean Hanff Korelitz

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually intended to read A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx, but I requested this book from my library by mistake. When the book came in, I decided to read it even though it wasn't the book that I planned to read. To my surprise, I liked it immediately.

I am very interested in public defenders and legal defense for people who can't afford their own counsel, so Sybylla Muldoon, the main character, appealed to me right away. Sybylla's story became more complicated when her father received a nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court at the same time as she began to defend her client in a very heavily publicized criminal case in New York City. (Queue the Law and Order theme music.)

The story took some very interesting turns, but I followed them willingly all the way to the end. The whole time I was reading this book I could visualize the movie version. I could definitely see Scarlett Johanson in this role or maybe Emma Stone. I recommend it to anyone who likes Law and Order shows and John Grisham books.

[Lisa Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I weren't an attorney, I suspect I might have liked this book better. It was hard to get past both minor and major points that, at least in my experience, just didn't ring true or were inaccurate regarding the practice of law. For instance, main character Sybylla Muldoon is a Yale-educated lawyer who is supposed to be an excellent public defender. Yet, very early in the book, she takes what might be evidence in a case without creating any paper trail, wanders around with it, and hands it off to someone unofficially. In real life, she's pretty much ensured it or anything she learns about it can never be used at trial, and I'd be surprised if even a rookie public defender would make that error. On a lesser note, though it's never said where Sybylla went to college, she probably attended a good school and did well, since she got into Yale for law school. Yet she doesn't seem to have even a rudimentary knowledge of Greek myths and is fairly slow on the uptake about quite a few things.

On the upside, I overall liked Sybylla, and though I ultimately found the plot a little too out there for me, it was intriguing and the author kept the stakes high. I also wasn't sure who the real villain was until close to the end. Other than Sybylla and perhaps her co-worker, with whom a romance beings, the characters were a bit too much like caricatures for me. Again, some of this might be because in real life I know that not all prosecutors are super conservatives and not all public defenders are extreme liberals, but I think that aspect would have bothered me regardless. I like thrillers and mysteries with three-dimensional, complex characters who have motives I can empathize with even if I find them to be in the wrong. The characters here are mostly black or white.

I see from other reviews that many people really loved this book. While it was not quite for me, others many find the plot compelling and have fun with the more extreme characters. I liked the first 3/4 well enough, and so I may try another book by this author.

[Korey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started strong but irredeemably stupid once the big reveal of the sinister plot occurs.

[L · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book begins with a supposedly very intelligent young woman, attorney, doing incredibly stupid things, things that keep getting worse as the tale proceeds. I'm not referring to the stupid things a lot of us very intelligent women sometimes do, but mind-boggling stupid, life threatening stupid. I kept reading, hoping there would be something worth my while. Eventually, the reader begins to catch glimpses of what is going on behind the scenes. The underlying premise is so wildly absurd that I was sorry I'd picked up the book in the first place.

[Kyri Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally I read a book that I really think ought to be a movie, and this is one of them. The conspiracy-theory plot, the timing, the twists, the sympathetic heroine, all would play well. The ultimate goal for the bad guys couldn't be so small as rigging juries -- I'm sure the brass ring would involve elections -- and there'd obviously be a couple of tweaks for the screen, but definitely, this would work as a film.

Beyond that, I enjoyed it.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first third of this book is the strongest - the author has introduced us to an intriguing protagonist and set up a mysterious crime. However, from there we descend into a series of twists and discoveries that are simply not believeable. I struggled with surprise deaths, hidden lairs, and the heroine's ability to skate through unscathed. This could have been truly fascinating, as it is clear the author's grasp of the legal system is very strong! Skip this one.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It is especially satisfying when I luck into a book at the library used book sale for 50 cents by an author I do not know that has a good female protagonist and a plot that holds out all the way to the last of the book. Why courtroom drama is my drug of choice I don't know. But this one was different and worth the time.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know what is sexy? Lawyers flirting over their ACLU cards, said no one ever.



Unfortunately, that is one of the better parts of this book.

I picked up A Jury of Her Peers because I loved the title and I loved the first few paragraphs. I couldn't get them out of my head. All my good intentions about focusing on school and not starting another book seemed irrelevant in the face of a possible new favorite. If only that feeling had lasted!



Though this book started out well, it quickly grew annoying. The romance is boring; the plot is bizarre. Most of all, the progressive, 90's liberalism on every page takes every ounce of fun from the story and drains it dry. Seriously. I didn't know I was taking a political theory class. (In case you missed it, the highlights look like this. Republicans = evil. Hate people. Money-hungry. Liberals = all that is good and selfless.)

Not particularly deep stereotypes here.


I might have put up with the inch-deep characters but the plot stole my credulity as it grew more and more outrageous. Why are legal thrillers so bad?

This is a book that might have been interesting but unfortunately shoots itself in the foot multiple times by creating a self-righteous, dull heroine, an annoying romance, and an unbelievable story line. So glad this is over.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like legal dramas very much!! And since I read her book “The Plot” I have read a few other books by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

I enjoy her style… and I look forward to reading a few more of her books! Great characters!

Of interest to me, was her middle name: Hanff
Do you know the movie and the book “84 Charing Cross Road”? Helene Hanff was the author! I looked up Jean Hanff Korelitz, and I find that her mother is a cousin to Helene Hanff!! I found this to be very interesting and hope it is of interest to you.

[Alan Menachemson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Fast moving, some great twists and unusual plot. Although the characters’ challenges and moral dilemmas remain relevant, it is striking how much the world has changed in the few decades since its publication

[Jennifer Termaat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of her much older books but I’m left still impressed with her characters and depth of story line. Sad to have made my way through all of the books she has written so I’ll be hoping she releases another one soon!

[Kasey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Proof that novels, too, can jump the shark

[Debra Komar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried...oh, how I tried. I read about 3/4 of this book, which starts as a fairly straightforward (if uninspired) crime drama, but I gave up in disgust as the protagonist, a one-dimensional public defender, finds the secret elevator in the law consulting firm. It got pretty stupid after that.

I have tried two of Korelitz's books now and find the same problems in each. With all due respect, I cannot understand why she insists on writing thrillers (other than they sell) - she is kind of terrible at it. You can see "the clues" from space - gee, I wonder why the client keeps saying "you men at ease" - and a precocious six-year-old could figure out her "twists" hundreds of pages before the big reveal. I am beginning to think Korelitz thinks her readers are stupid, and that's never good.

She also needs a serious edit. There are entire paragraphs in which she uses a lot of words but says absolutely nothing that advances the plot or establishes the characters. She just like her own voice and uses it whenever possible.

She can write snappy dialogue, in the forties movie style of sarcastic come backs, and there is always an idea somewhere in her books worth exploring. Perhaps romance or chick lit would be more her speed - and I mean than sincerely. She loves to overanalyze her characters and doesn't trust the reader to make connections (or fill in the blanks) on their own, and those genres are better for that.

[Mrs. Read · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was under the impression that I liked Jean Hanff Koreliz’s work - The Plot was pretty good, and The Undoing was okay as well. Reading A Jury of Her Peers removed the scales from my eyes. The only reason for the 3rd ⭐️ was the book’s beginning which gave me reason (reinforced by the title) to expect a trial/legal drama. But then it veered into science-fiction of a sort (a very bad sort) in support of an extremely implausible Ruthless-Mad-Scientist-Seeking-World-Domination plot. In blunt summary, the jury is in on A Jury of Her Peers and the verdict is: dumb.

Unrelated to my rating, but annoying enough to merit special mention, was this merry by-play (ch. 14) at a restaurant:
Sybylla, whose fondness for animals was always bested by her own carnivorousness, ordered roast pig ...
“I’m so glad you’re not a leaf eater,” Sam said...
“Tried it in college,” she admitted. “Gave it up. I missed roast beef sandwiches too much.”
“I tried it for about a week. I ended up at a Burger King at three in the morning ...”
“Hopeless,” she told him.
“Hopeless,” Sam concurred. “Nothing worse than an animal lover who eats meat.”
Well, I’d say that someone who jokes about the dilemma of wanting to cuddle a lamb and eat mutton too is worse. Even the Red Queen knows that that’s not done.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as The White Rose. Bit too far out / John Grisham-esque

[Marne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Her writing hugely improved since this debut novel. A somewhat fun read, but not as compelling as her recent works.

[William Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply terrific. Korelitz never fails. This, her first novel, initially seems to share ground with THE UNDOING (YOU SHOUPVE HAVE KNOWN—another great book of hers, adapted but, in the end, fumbled by the TV adaptation): JURY starts as a legal procedural—but quickly spins into much more.

It’s a legal procedural meets conspiracy thriller—like Grisham, if he could write.😂 Korelitz is a master of propulsive plots that manage a literary flair and sound characterization. The conspiracy thriller part is a sort of legal version of that amazing, dark 1970s masterpiece, THE PARALLAX VIEW (the film, that is; the novel is mediocre and little resembles the film).

Some readers have balked at the leaps of credibility—but fire reading a thriller (as in much genre fiction), credibility isn’t a major concern—a gauge for realistic fiction—maybe, not always—not genre fiction. Art isn’t life, nor should it fully be. Sure the final twists and results aren’t super realistic, but if you want realism, don’t read a thriller, especially a conspiracy thriller. Legal procedurals—heck, most any genre piece—isn’t realistic, is crafted in clear nonrealistic ways. If a police or legal procedural were realistic, it would be grindingly dull.

What stuns me is how great and assured and deft Korelitz was out of the gate.

Breathlessly propulsive.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although this Novel was published in 1996, the story line would amply compare to the present day. Which is to say a doubtful justice system, corrupt attorneys, and the SCOTUS. Sybylla Muldoon, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society, is the main protagonist. She has been task with defending a man who has brutally attacked a twelve year old girl with a scalpel. Her case is difficult, however, because there are numerous onlookers who witnessed the attack. Trent, a homeless man in NYC, has lived on the streets for years. Through her investigation, Sybylla has uncovered a secret Federal government program aimed at kidnapping NYC homeless from the streets and transporting them to a special hospital to inject them with LSD. From the beginning this Novel was a riveting story to read. Each chapter left the reader waiting patiently for the reasons behind these abductions.

[Suezq · Rating 3 out of 5]

I throroughly enjoyed this story. I liked the characters, I loved the back and forth arguments on both sides of the issues, I liked the writing style, everything. But then right around page 395 it fell apart for me. How a public defender from NYC managed to get inside one of the most secure buildings in NoVA, even guessing the password to the super secret hidden elevator on the first try, is beyond me. Then when she gets caught, and you know she will, in true 1960's Batman or Austin Powers fashion the mastermind spends the next 5 chapters describing his crimes in nauseating detail. Including how he has evaded law enforcement for so long. Totally ruined the plot.

[elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would never have picked up this book if I hadn't read (and loved) other of Hanff Korelitz's more recent novels. This is very much an Early Work - the writing is not quite as sharp and more in-your-face, the characters a bit flat, the plot is Very Nineties in a way that feels a bit dated and over-the-top reading it in 2022. In other ways, though, this book felt extremely current and very relevant, the relationship between Sybylla and her father was honestly touching, and the batshit hypno-evil plot was fun enough to keep my interest. Glad I read this! 3.5 stars

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this primarily because I enjoyed her book The Plot. But this, one, seemingly written in the 90’s, just goes on too long. It’s not a bad story, but the trip to the good part is too long, there’s a random love story, (which seems only there to put more words in the book). The first half of the story about the homeless man, I recognized immediately as a Law and Order plot. The author uses that plot to get to the real story….and all I can think is she was paid by the word. Again, not a bad story, but you really have to be patient to get to the point.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Earlier today I stopped reading this book after about 200+ pages. It just started to get a bit slow for me. The main trial was over. The last section of the book is all about finding the solution to one aspect of the previous trial. It's a little tough to explain fully without "spilling the beans." I was not intrigued and became a bit bored so decided it was time to close the book. To sum it up: It just didn't hold my interest and may also do the same to you.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried this because I really liked You Should Have Known. I enjoyed the humorous reminders of life in the nineties early in the novel (payphones, aerobics, and ubiquitous sexism, even from the good guys). But the story was just silly. The main character mismanages physical evidence, is a Yale-educated lawyer, but doesn't know Eumenides, and then turns into an action-adventure hero at the end to save the American justice system.

[Mark Healey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tight plotting, well done overall. But the main sinister plot just failed to convince. Would make an excellent Short Netflix series, as it has a glamorous but wounded female attorney protagonist, a Supreme Court appointment struggle, a family drama, courtroom hijinks, and an underlying long-term generational conservative struggle to remake the courts as the underlying theme. The specific mechanism for remaking the courts, though, is *wild*

[Elaine Dreyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an imagination! I decided to read this book as I have been enjoying the author's recent work and this is one of her earliest. The story that emerges does seem unbelievable at times---kidnapping of homeless, implanting drugs to alter minds, building a "corrected" legal system. Sybella's determination to get to the bottom of Trent's crime goes into so many unexpected directions. But I did want to see it through---quick entertaining but scary read.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this since the audio wasn't available. It started out a little shaky for me - didn't know I would start loving it once the action got started. It was suspenseful, funny, interesting and I had to look up a few words. I had to overlook some procedures that a real lawyer wouldn't do like take evidence to a third party and not introduce it to the prosecution as I assume happens in real cases. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves law & order.

[Connie Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much to the dismay of her attorney father, Sybylla Muldoon finds reward in being a Public Defender in New York City.
She was acquainted with a gentle homeless man in a prior case, but now is called upon again when he stabs a child and behaves erratically.
Trent is initially diagnosed as schizophrenic, but after being hospitalized for a couple days, returns to his mild mannered self.
We are entertained by politics, murder, romance and conspiracy.

[Mary Rayis · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to believe this is the work of a first-time novelist. At once a page-turning mystery and an insightful take on justice and compassion, Jury is just the first of many masterpieces by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I have read every one of her novels and found them filled with humor, mystery, philosophy, and a deep love and compassion for her characters. I cannot recommend her books highly enough.

[Anne W Whitehurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a Well Crafted Book!

Good plot, characters you want to support (or razz) from page one. This is a fine read for fans of legal procedurals and who-dunits. It's a fine example of the best of this world. An author to add to my list of must-reads.

[Lori Brandston · Rating 3 out of 5]

I selected this book because I enjoyed "The Plot" so much. This book was fine. The author uses some interesting words and comes up with exquisite metaphors at times. I was even surprised by the events. Even with all of that I found it an unsatisfying formula.