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The Virgin Whore Trial
The deeper young lawyer Holly Park digs, the darker the secrets, finally leading finally to a terrible dilemma. If she tells the truth, her client goes to prison for life. If Holly keeps the secret, her client may go free, but she will be betraying the man who hired her and who has become her lover.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 11, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 30, 2015
An L.A. the likes of which you've never seen before...There have been many thrillers set against the backdrop of Los Angeles where the focus has been either Hollywood and the entertainment industry or southeast L.A. and its gangland crimes. In The Virgin Whore Trial, the focus is on the comings and goings and doings in Koreatown, a tiny, cloistered world seemingly far removed from the rest of L.A., where decorum and age-old customs still prevail and where its underbelly of crime is more or less no different than anywhere else in L.A. – only its players. Thanks to the diverse backgrounds of the book’s authors; Chisholm, a retired advertising creative director and Kim, an L.A.-based attorney who specializes in the removal of criminal aliens and in sex crimes, they provide an interesting spin on both the setting for the book and its characters. The characters are well-crafted and diverse with the two protagonists the perfect foils for each – Holly, the smart, young attorney who leaves a promising career in a downtown firm to branch out on her own, somewhat naively believing that it’s on her own terms and, of course, the Dumok, a man of many secrets and the epitome of all that is feared and revered in Koreatown. These two characters are offset by the manipulative Kate Hong, a paralegal and immigration broker who owns American Legal Services. She retains lawyers to handle complicated cases for her, taking forty percent of the legal fees, a practice that is both illegal and unethical – but highly profitable. The plot is entertaining and contains lots of salient little details that makes the reader think they have things figured out – only to realize that these are smokescreens leading further away from what ends up being a highly satisfying conclusion.
October 4, 2015
The Virgin Whore Trial follows the complex journey of a young, emerging attorney in the heart of modern LA's Koreatown.
Kim and Chisholm very accurately and descriptively portray the cultural struggles Korean-Americans face while still highlighting the finer aspects of life in Koreatown. Their juxtaposition of traditional Korean culture with the ever-changing American culture exemplify the societal obstacles many people face to this day. They also uniquely and successfully shed some light into the lives of the upper class, revealing in many ways that life in places such as Hancock Park is not always as great as it seems as a result of the economic, cultural, and social expectations that come with it.
The novel takes the reader through an emotional roller-coaster filled with happiness, sadness, suspense, and complete shock--all because each and every character featured in the novel is humanized and easy to relate to. This brilliant legal thriller consists of many unexpected (yet satisfying) plot twists that all tie together in the end. One notable aspect of the work is how every part of the story is extremely well thought out and everything in the plot happens for a reason. In effect, a handful of supposed strangers (whose characters are all very well developed) all become related in one way or another due to one common factor--the Virgin Whore Trial.
For a debut novel, the Virgin Whore Trial is truly extraordinary. It combines legal professionalism with genuine, modern emotions, thus setting a unique and intriguing tone. I sincerely enjoyed reading this novel and I look forward to what else Kim and Chisholm will have in store!
Kim and Chisholm very accurately and descriptively portray the cultural struggles Korean-Americans face while still highlighting the finer aspects of life in Koreatown. Their juxtaposition of traditional Korean culture with the ever-changing American culture exemplify the societal obstacles many people face to this day. They also uniquely and successfully shed some light into the lives of the upper class, revealing in many ways that life in places such as Hancock Park is not always as great as it seems as a result of the economic, cultural, and social expectations that come with it.
The novel takes the reader through an emotional roller-coaster filled with happiness, sadness, suspense, and complete shock--all because each and every character featured in the novel is humanized and easy to relate to. This brilliant legal thriller consists of many unexpected (yet satisfying) plot twists that all tie together in the end. One notable aspect of the work is how every part of the story is extremely well thought out and everything in the plot happens for a reason. In effect, a handful of supposed strangers (whose characters are all very well developed) all become related in one way or another due to one common factor--the Virgin Whore Trial.
For a debut novel, the Virgin Whore Trial is truly extraordinary. It combines legal professionalism with genuine, modern emotions, thus setting a unique and intriguing tone. I sincerely enjoyed reading this novel and I look forward to what else Kim and Chisholm will have in store!
May 5, 2020
I've had this book a long time and put off reading it because of the title. It was interesting but a little confusing about the Korean customs and culture. I rate this a 3.3
January 6, 2016
Didn't expect so many captivating twists and turns between the pages of a book! lol Seriously caught my attention and held it to the end, which was surprising since I normally don't read much fiction! It's really a great read. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews