I had this weird dream last night. I was at the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, and... here, let me give you my reconstruction...

HILLARY CLINTON: [on podium, in front of huge crowd] And now, our prosecutor is going to read out a list of indictments against my opponent, Donald Trump. I want you all to say whether you think he's innocent or... GUILTY!

PROSECUTOR: Thank you Hillary. Let's get started. Indictment one: sexual assault. Jill Harth recently accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in 1997. Do you think he's innocent or guilty?

MAN IN CROWD: Some parts of her story ring true, but she's changed it a lot of times.

WOMAN IN CROWD: Yeah, it's hard to know what's going on.

SECOND MAN IN CROWD: And it's all hearsay.

PROSECUTOR: So, what do we think?

CROWD: Presumed innocent!

PROSECUTOR: I can't hear you.

CROWD: PRESUMED INNOCENT!!

PROSECUTOR: Thank you, that's a great answer! And now, indictment two: rape. Katie Johnson, in another recent deposition, claimed that "she was subject to extreme sexual and physical abuse by Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey E. Epstein, including forcible rape during a four month time span, when she was still only a minor of age 13." What do we think? Innocent or guilty?

MAN IN CROWD: This is hearsay too!

WOMAN IN CROWD: But she does have a witness, "Tiffany Doe".

SECOND MAN IN CROWD: It could be politically motivated though. Hard to tell. All the same, she should have her day in court.

PROSECUTOR: So, what do we think?

CROWD: Presumed innocent!

PROSECUTOR: I can't hear you.

CROWD: PRESUMED INNOCENT!!

PROSECUTOR: You're all such terrific guys! So, indictment three: fraud and racketeering. Donald Trump's "Trump University" is the subject of several lawsuits, including two class action suits filed in California and one filed in New York by then-attorney general Eric Schneiderman. The many petitioners claim that they were swindled out of sums of up to $60,000 dollars in exchange for courses that were essentially worthless. What do we think? Innocent or guilty?

MAN IN CROWD: You gotta admit there's a lot of evidence.

WOMAN IN CROWD: I read the playbook when the judge ruled that it could be released. Disgusting.

SECOND MAN IN CROWD: But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I need to hear the other side before I make up my mind. And hey, caveat emptor.

PROSECUTOR: So, what do we want?

CROWD: Due process!

PROSECUTOR: I can't hear you.

CROWD: DUE PROCESS!

PROSECUTOR: I still can't hear you.

CROWD: DUE PROCESS!!!

[A chant starts up]

One, two, three, four
We must all respect the law!
Six, seven, eight, nine
Stay the right side of the line!

HILLARY CLINTON: Thank you, thank you, thank you! See, that's the America I'm fighting for. A country where the rule of law is paramount, where due process is respected, and where everyone is presumed innocent until they're proven guilty. Even Donald Trump.

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.

I enjoyed reading Presumed Innocent all the way to the twisty end of the novel. The courtroom scenes and legal explanations of this crime novel were particularly interesting.

An excellent murder mystery novel that keeps you guessing to the very end. Well written with strong characters and lots of twists and turns.
Kept me interested throughout.

It has been years since I read a Scott Turow book. Now, I remember why he was one of my favorite authors.

The book is well written. The characters are interesting and the plot twists and turns in unexpected ways. The ending would be a surprise to many. The courtroom action kept me on the edge of my seat. I highly recommend this book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is fifteen hours and thirty-four minutes. Edward Herrmann does an excellent job narrating the book. Herrmann (1943-2014) was a well-known narrator of the history channel and audiobooks. He was an actor and famous for his portrayal of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

I must admit that I saw the movie first, then read the book. But the book is so much better. I love the fact that Turow is a lawyer writing about the law; he knows his stuff. Even taking that into account, Turow does not weigh the reader down with too much legalese, something that adds to the book's success. This novel was the first that I read of this author: but definitely not my last. 4★

It's many years since I saw the movie. It was good but nowhere as near as good as the book.

I really can't do much better than copy the blurb and tell you if you have never read this book, get it right now! It's a masterpiece. Key words: tangled web.

Prosecutor Rusty Sabich enters a nightmare world when Carolyn, a beautiful attorney with whom he has been having an affair, is found raped and strangled. He stands accused.

Fighting to prove his innocence, Rusty uncovers a tangled web of sex, corruption and betrayal. With no one to trust, it's up to Rusty to uncover who is really behind this deadly crime .

Харисън Форд, пардон – Рожат (Ръсти) Савич, първи заместник главен прокурор в предстояща оставка на окръг Киндъл, включващ голям град в Средния Запад, се оказва обвиняем за убийство на колежка любовница. Ключова улика е една чаша с негови отпечатъци, намерена на местопрестъплението. Щом съм знаел, че го е играл Харисън Форд (във филма на Алън Пакула), значи съм знаел и чий е неидентифицираният чужд отпечатък на същата чаша, преди да посегна към този 35-годишен вече класически съдебен трилър. Но не кой е убиецът е най-интересното. Нито за читателя, нито за … съда. Нито даже за Ръсти Савич, който макар и прозрял отговора запазва свободата си да изгради собствена си въздушна кула относно мотивите. За мене най-ценното е умелата игра на страните по делото и съдията, които се намират в сложна ситуация на противопоставяне на три плана – съдебен, политически и личен. И трябва да я изиграят по обществено приетите правила, без да пристъпват червените линии на конфликт на интереси. Удоволствие е да се следи как го правят. Особено – защитата. На филм, в който акцентът логично е върху сюжетните обрати, е трудно да се оцени по достойнство.

Любим детайл на епохата - полицията има само един компютър и счетоводството има предимство да го ползва за заплатите пред детективите - за разследване на убийства

Presumed Innocent is one of those landmark books that really demonstrated to readers what a legal story, a "law novel" was actually capable of doing. Turow's work in this debut novel is so far above John Grisham's or Steve Martini's popular entertainments of legal "thrillers."

In this first novel, Turow really demonstrates the full reach and complexity of the human soul under duress. I admire the hell out of Turow for creating this complex story as his first breakthrough novel, and I so wish that his other novels had been just as profound and startling revelations in their revelations.

Instead his other books -- although very, very good -- seem to dwell too much on the surface fabric of the legal world without getting into the warp and weave of what makes human beings love and learn, hate, and long for each other.

I love Presumed Innocent not only because of its language but because of the brilliant storytelling. Turow withholds just the right amount, and tells the story in a bold breathtaking first person flashback (a therapist is only a slight frame on this device).

My first novel Coeur d'Alene Waters owes quite a bit to Turow's deft moves in Presumed Innocent.

I enjoyed this even more the second time I read it. Of course there had to be a good thirty years between readings so that I could forget the many twists and turns that it took on its way to a surprise ending.

My thanks to the folks at the  The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books.

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)

Re-reading this for the first time in well over a decade in preparation for the third book in the trilogy. Wow, this is as good as legal thrillers get! Even remembering the details of this book we'll, I was completely captivated with the intricate plotting. Turow is a truly superior writer, and these characters are extraordinarily well-drawn and worthy of sequels. This book really holds up over time.