Presumed Innocent

I read this as part of a survey of mysteries set in Chicago. While "Kindle County" isn't technically Chicago, everyone seems to know that it is merely a front for Cook County.

Rusty Sabich, our narrator, is unreliable. That is the first thing one is forced to figure out in this legal puzzler. As he tries to find out who killed Carolyn Polhemus, his colleague in the Prosecuting Attorney's Office with whom he had had an affair. Unfortunately, Sabich makes one mistake after another, only to find his boss tossed out in electoral defeat and himself indicted for murder. Turow's legal expertise is apparent in the trial portion of this novel especially as the reader tries to figure out which part of Sabich's story to trust, if any. Sandy Stern, show more the defense lawyer, is masterful--though Turow's prosecutors might have been wrested from a nearby cracker-jack box (but perhaps this is the point--a brilliant and expensive defense attorney can make two otherwise competent lawyers look lousy and corrupt?)

By the time we arrive at the solution to this case--was it Sabich? Who else could have done it??--we have dived deep into the history, psyche, foibles, and failings of this narrator. It is hard to not empathize with and yet despise many of his choices and actions. One thing does make him, ultimately, redeemable: Sabich's iron-clad commitment to know the truth, at least to himself. Excellent book! show less

Presumed Innocent is quite an exceptional book, whilst the opening quarter outside of the courtroom where circumstances of the crime and the political atmosphere is set up is quite slow it becomes apparent as the story unfolds in the latter three quarters that the first quarter's detail and fleshing out of each character was very much needed.

Whilst there are the inevitable comparisons between John Grisham and Scott Turow as legal thriller writers with a specific focus on the courtroom drama aspect, I can't help but feel Turow's characters are more detailed. Most characters in this story are not just the straightforward type one finds in Grisham's books that are usually Good or Bad, Ethical or Unethical, but rather there's a realistic show more cloud of flaws that becomes apparent as the story develops with motivations for their actions varying.

I especially like the courtroom drama that reaches a peak around the three quarter mark at which point the book has gone from rather detail oriented to interesting to gripping such that one wishes to plough through and finish the story immediately to see where things go.

And boy do they go, there's a few twists and developments which you don't see coming that make it all the more interesting, and give new light to the first quarter where things seemed so obvious and straightforward.

A very enjoyable legal thriller. show less

Following the story of prosecuting attorney Rusty Sabich, the novel's protagonist, is to be a part of his desperate, noir-ish world where the chronic sting of middle-age regret hurts as much as any suffering. Rusty has built a successful law career, one that most would be envious of, but the man leads a damaged life fraught with many wrong turns. Some were bad strokes of luck; others were entirely his fault. Past and present, nature versus nurture—all of this will come into play as you weigh the circumstances he finds himself in.

Presumed Innocent was recommended to me primarily for its clever ending. So throughout the reading I knew to expect one and yet it still caught me completely by surprise. This novel succeeds on many fronts and show more should be a timeless classic in the mystery genre for decades to come. show less

An eminent prosecutor, Rusty is tasked with finding out who murdered a woman who was also on the District Attorney's staff --who also happened to be Rusty's former lover. As time passes and things don't add up to find the killer, Rusty himself is arrested for the murder. With satisfying twists and turns, Turow heightens the suspense by drawing complex characters and introducing plenty of red herrings to keep readers guessing all along.

Tightly written, great characters, tense scenes - all true of this book that I can't believe I never read! I really enjoyed diving into this one and look forward to exploring more Scott Turow books.

Scott Turow has such a great writing style. He tells you only what you need to know now, keeping you second-guessing your own instincts and conclusions, and forcing you to read on. The many characters involved in this investigation are all very different from each other. They are very realistic and everyone has some kind of reputation exposed, good and bad. This isn't a "lawyer story" just for the pros. It's written for anyone to easily enjoy - and I certainly did.

Protagonist (and narrator) Rusty Sabich is the Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Kindle County. When his fingerprints are found at the scene of a crime, he finds himself accused of murder. The bulk of the story is a courtroom drama about Sabich’s trial. There are several additional simultaneous plotlines involving a political campaign, Rusty’s family life, and a past case involving bribery.

The courtroom scenes are the heart of the novel, and the author definitely has a knack for keeping the curiosity level high. One of the highlights of the book is the characterization of defense attorney Alejandro Stern – he is such a great character, and I enjoyed his scenes more than any of the main players. The relationship between Rusty show more and his seven-year-old son is also beautifully portrayed. It occasionally feels a bit long, with subplots going into way too much graphic detail for my taste, especially descriptions of violent crimes unrelated to the murder.

Published in 1987, it is a little dated and the female victim is a standard stereotype. It is set in a time prior to widespread admissibility of DNA evidence. I was a little disappointed in the resolution (I found it rather far-fetched), but the last half is definitely a page-turner. show less