This game changer is still a compelling and somewhat disturbing read even if you know who killed Rusty's mistress.

4.5 stars ... It was just a little too long. Otherwise, this was a stellar reading experience.

I'm doing a bunch of challenges this year. And a couple led me to reading this book, & to reading Turow for the first time. And I'm
so grateful for that. I might not have gotten around to this otherwise, & that would be a shame.

This book has been out for over 30 years, & made into a movie. So there isn't much I can add to the conversation around it. I'll just say it's as much a character study as it is a procedural crime story, as much the story of a messy relationship as that of a trial, as introspective as it is cinematic.

Also, somehow I guessed the culprit early on - just a hunch. But the book was so well-written that I gave up my guess early on & went along for the ride. You should, too.

A renowned attorney in the DA's office is having an affair with a sex crimes attorney. When she turns up dead and it looks like rape, he is pinned as the murderer. The majority of the book takes place in the courtroom but it is by no means dull. You'll never guess who was the real killer!



At first, the book starts out as brash, crude and offensive at times because of the 'cop talk' banter. It was too explicit for my tastes and I nearly put the book down for good. I am glad I hung in there because this book ended up being one I could not put it down if I tried - it was a real page turner!



In addition to all of the four-letter-words, the author actually has quite an exquisite vocabulary! I often felt little inner celebrations over his perfect selection of a particular descriptive word - words not commonly heard in modern literature. The author writes in the manner that cops & criminals speak, in all truthfulness, yet has a remarkable ability to dive into the deepest of emotions, intentions and observations - so much so, that I actually double checked to be sure it really was a man doing the writing!



The balance between cold hard facts and relationships is phenomenal and the story has a real climax ending that stays in your mind long after you're done reading.

I first read Presumed Innocent almost fifteen years ago. I'd been thinking of going to law school and Presumed Innocent is on the list of books that many law schools send you the summer before you begin studying. I remember thinking that the book spent more time on legal technicalities than the other thrillers that I'd read. Reading Presumed Innocent with an eye to joining the profession gave it a certain air as well.

Now after years as an entirely different sort of lawyer, the detective work, legal technicalities and procedural law aspects continue to delight me. Though I've read the book and watched the movie and am vaguely aware that a twist is sure to come, Presumed Innocent draws me in as though it were completely new. Scott Turow's writing remains fresh and engaging.

Other reviewers have mentioned that the book has lost its impact for them, that they're not as impressed by it years later. I have a very different reaction to the book -- years later and after close to 15 years studying and practicing law, I find that Presumed Innocent has grown to be even more gripping and entertaining. Though you might have expected me to figure out the ending given that I'd read the book before and seen the movie, but the enjoyment comes from how Turow built up the suspense and described the trial. It's the execution of the concept that makes Presumed Innocent a legal thriller that will last for years to come. I'm very much looking forward to reading Turow's next book Innocent that comes out on May 4, 2010.

ISBN-10: 0446676446 - Paperback
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 2000), 512 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher.

Presumed Innocent is the quintessential bestseller, the prose is polished without having any personality or punch. The mystery is interesting without outright flaws but it falls apart the more you think about it. The less you have read of the genre, the more you will enjoy it. Rusty Sabich, deputy DA is investigating the death of a female colleague while a heated DA election rages on. Politics and forensics doom him as the major suspect and he had an affair with the deceased so he is soon on trial for murder.

The pivotal trial scenes are the best part of the book. Turow draws from his experience as a lawyer and makes them appear authentic without sacrificing any thrills. Subtleties and undercurrents are as important as direct testimony. The anecdotes about the criminal justice system are juicy and entertaining. But the prose is dull explaining why Turow's first hit and biggest hit remains the same at the end of his career. It reminded me of Michael Connelly, characters and prose are dour but both of them have an encyclopedic knowledge about the procedural aspects of their works making them stand out among other authors with mediocre prose.

I recently read another famous 80s crime book - The Black Dahlia, it also had an extended prologue but it was devoid of pacing issues. This however drags a lot till Rusty is accused. A lot should have been edited out chief among them Rusty's conversation with his psychiatrist. The shrink does not really talk, the chapters are stream of consciousness style ramblings. The smoking gun in the case is a clerical error, that is slightly iffy plotting. The ending still lands a few well concealed twists.

Characterization is inconsistent. Turow tries very hard to not call the victim an outright slut but merely insinuates it throughout the book. I found this forced political correctness pretty funny, it was basically a form of you know I am not a racist but if my wallet is stolen I invariably blame the non-white guy in the crowd. The kicker being the black guy stole it or in this case she slept around for career advancement. I admit my sense of humor is of the gallows variety. Rusty also gets inexplicably sanctimonious at the end, brought about by the belief most readers hate moral complexity in their protagonists. It makes little sense within the narrative but no one went broke underestimating audience's intelligence.

Structural problems are also present. It is later revealed Rusty knew from the start who killed who. We are in his head for 450 pages, he describes furniture in excruciating detail but never lets it on who was the killer till the very end. Again Rusty's lawyer- Sandy Stern, one of the better characters in the book, keeps Rusty vague about the defense strategy. I could not stomach the fact that a lawyer on trial for murder would not be more hands on with his own legal team. Both these issues exist because Turow wants to spring the surprises when he is good and ready. The twists are good so the story works, the storytelling however is contrived.

Presumed Innocent is a book of two halves, the halves are not exactly equal. The last one third is inspired combining different threads for a wonderful resolution. The first two-thirds are derivative and desultory and has its fair share of pacing problems. A good ending means my overall impression of the book is better than the review suggests but I can't exactly excuse its pacing issues, so 3.5 gets reduced for GR. Rating - 3/5.

5 Stars. One of the best of all time. One of the best I have ever read. From the ambiguous meaning of the title to the extraordinary twists in the plot as it nears its denouement, "Presumed Innocent" takes the reader into superlative country. Kindle County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Rusty Sabich was leading a frenetic but stable life as Raymond Horgan's number one, when ADA Carolyn Polhemus entered it. For whatever reason, he reached for her and she soon became his mistress. And shortly, a murder victim. The timing is not right; Horgan is up for re-election and Rusty with his friend Detective Dan Lipranzer are asked to get to the bottom of the situation as fast as possible. Sabich is already conflicted, given his personal relationship, and it develops greater intensity as he is charged with the murder. Ultimately the story is Rusty's trial, with the inimitable Sandy Stern for the defence, and Rusty's wife Barbara as supporting pillar. There's an excellent 1990 Harrison Ford movie version but read the book first! One wonders how Scott Turow's second legal thriller, now a must read, could top his first. (August 2019)

Excellent, excellent, excellent. Even if it was saddled with a typical denouement. Still excellent.

Courtroom thriller about Rusty Sabich a well respected Midwestern chief deputy prosecutor who goes from the one solving the murder of a female coworker to the one accused of committing it. This is the story that launched Turow’s career as a preeminent thriller writer in the late 1980’s.
This riveting novel was a NYT bestseller for nearly a year and was made into a feature film starring Harrison Ford in 1990. This is not my usual genre but I found it hard to put down.
Read for Easton Press Signed Modern Classics 5/19
5 stars

E libro es fantástico, con un final maravillosamente hilado y para mi totalmente inesperado. ¿Y qué decir de la película con Harrison Ford?

The 2nd half of the book was much better than the first half largely because of the twist. I’m not too much of a thriller fan, at times it felt like Gone Baby Gone. I just don’t believe the characters in the book act plausibly, ever hear of ruling out suspects before going to trial?

3.5 stars.

Този съдебен трилър е един от любимите ми, както и филма с Харисън Форд, в ролята на Ръсти Сабич.

Моята оценка - 4,5*.

Препоръчвам!

Legal thriller, high on politics, told in the first person by Rusty Sabich, husband, father, #2 prosecutor and #1 suspect. A fancy smooth talker when he wants to be and he does a lot of it. Sometimes a bit too much for my taste. Especially when it comes to backgrounds and such. Better, much better is when he deals with the present. The murder of Carolyn, who he shared a workplace and a bed with. Yup, Rusty's been a naughty boy. But is he guilty as well? A juicy case with multiple interests and a vague line between truth and lies. Slippery stuff.