It was a bit slow-paced, but the ending was worth the wait.

Video of Best Legal Thrillers of All Time coming...

Finally done this god forsaken book. Show was much better, no need to put your self through reading this unnecessarily lengthy book. Dragging

Oh man, this is as old school perfect as it gets. Scott Turow's Legal Thriller masterpiece still holds up well nearly 40 years after its initial publication, even with all the leaps forward in forensic science.

The novel opens with the discovery of a woman apparently raped and strangled in her own apartment. County prosecutor Rusty Sabitch is assigned to the case, and as he works with various PD and forensics experts, readers are immersed in feverish reminisces of his complete obsession with a colleague - the woman who is now deceased. These flights of memory are what makes Presumed Innocent an absolute knockout of a novel: Scott Turow puts you right inside the mind of a man whose dark, torrid affair was all-consuming. He betrayed his family and took risks with his job and reputation because he could not stop at all. The cover of the copy I borrowed said "Spellbinding. - New York Times," and that's exactly how it felt.

The trial lasts for almost the rest of the novel, interspersed with ongoing investigations on the defense side. Certain evidence goes missing; certain expert witnesses implode on the stand. At the very end, Turow gives readers a good old-fashioned denouement, complete with who, how, when and whydunit. They sure don't write 'em like that anymore, and now I'm super nostalgic for neat, clean wrapups.

Going into it, all I'd heard was that there was a really terrific twist. While I can't say the big reveal blew my mind, it was very well done. However, there were developments during the trial and concurrent investigation that made me say, oh, really!, and that's always a good feeling. My copy was narrated by actor Edward Hermann, who did an outstanding job. The whole thing was fantastic and I highly, highly recommend this book. All the stars.

I’ve watched too many damn CSI episodes in my life to not have guessed THAT ending

I found this book to be really, really painful. The writing was stiff and uninviting, the characters either were meaningless or grated on my nerves, the plot was overly explained, the trial and everything else took forever. I was fairly sure I knew who did it early on and though I did not bother reading the last handful of pages, a spoiler alert on here assured me that I was right, so I won't push myself. When I first heard about this book couched in terms of how great it is and blah blah (and especially in connection to Defending Jacob which actually was enjoyable) I remember thinking, but didn't Scott Turow write it? I mean, no offense, and I had never read anything by him, but you know what I mean, those paper backs in airports with big letters that are brain candy and I personally find unreadable. But people were saying it was awesome so, ok ... yeah well this was a miserable and thankless read. Definitely not my genre but since I have enjoyed a number of exceptions I was open for this to be one too, but it was not.

An amazing first novel: melancholy, atmospheric, a first person unreliable narrator, a plot that unspools masterfully.

Such a great story, this kept me wondering to the end. I don't think we should step out of our marriage and I guess neither did his wife(in a big way.) Thrilling and exciting are words I would use to describe this book.

Normally I like to read the book before watching the series but this time I did it backwards. I watched the show prior to reading this so I’m sure that that is influencing my thoughts on this book.

Honestly though, I think I preferred the show over the book this time but that’s not to say that this wasn’t still an enjoyable read. I picked up the books because I didn’t want to wait for the next season of the show, I wanted to know what happened next ASAP. Much to my chagrin, they’re incredibly different from one another. I found myself enjoying the rendition of the show a bit more. I will say that I appreciated the Rusty in this book seeming a bit more level-headed than the Rusty in the series. But I missed the extra characters and the twists that the series adapted.

It’s extremely difficult to review this without comparing the two. The pacing and structure was very different. The show focused more on the courtroom proceedings whereas the book focused more on the investigation leading up to the courtroom. I really enjoyed seeing the courtroom scenes in the series so for me that was deeply missed in this book.

I was also surprised that the actual murderer was completely different between these two renditions as well. I once again found the show’s choice of murderer more compelling than the book choice. The book choice felt more predictable to me and was less jarring. Had I read this book prior to watching the show, I know I probably would’ve appreciated it more. I still think this was a great book and I’ll continue to read on in the series, but the show adaptation just did it a little bit better in my eyes.

TW: rape, murder, sexual content, sexual violence, infidelity, toxic relationship, sexism, racism, injury detail, death, racial slurs, homophobia, blood, gun violence, violence

When it comes to courtroom dramas, you'll find nothing that tops this well-crafted, sinuous tale! The book came out in the 80s but shows zero signs of being dated. And nothing is taken away from the fact that this has inspired thousands of other books in the genre.

I'm struck by the detailed view of the judge/prosecutor/client relationship. Add to that the intriguing police procedural aspect and you have a real page-tuner. The human stakes could not be higher for all of the characters involved. What an awesome ride!

The best thing about this book, I think, was the clever gimmick of having the story narrated by a man accused of murder who, while giving you plenty of details about the event, manages to keep you guessing all the way through about whether or not he is innocent. Rusty Sabich, a leading prosecuting attorney, starts out investigating the murder of his former lover only to find himself in the role of alleged perpetrator. Rusty's tale abounds with red herrings and surprise twists. It also offers an in-depth look at police and court proceedings that's not always pretty, with surprising suggestions of incompetence and corruption. I know this is fiction and I don't possess enough actual knowledge of the legal system to judge its accuracy; I certainly hope I'm never in a position to find out.

It did take me some time to get into the story; at times the details seemed technical and plodding and I kept waiting for Rusty to just get accused already, knowing when I went in that that was where we were headed. I also think I've read a few too many legal thrillers at this point and am a bit jaded when it comes to the inevitable surprises along the way. Still, the book grew on me as I went along and is certainly deserving of at least four stars. Fans of legal thrillers will not be disappointed.

Voted #5 of 100 best mysteries of all time by Mystery Writers of America (www.mysterywriters.org) and see also World Magazine January 12/19, 2008, pg. 27).
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I found this at a used book sale for $1. Remembering that it was brilliant and I wanted to read it again with the murderer in mind, I decided to buy and read it once more and then sell it. I recalled that I had a severe caution on it, but thought I could just scan through the parts that were too spicy.

However, living in Rusty Sabich's head was so smutty and disgusting -- I just couldn't get through it again. I skipped to the end to certain parts that intrigued me. Now I am completely ready to wash this book right out of my hair and send it on it's way. I just haven't quite decided how to do it yet. I hate to junk it, but I don't feel I can sell it...maybe i'll donate it to the library.

In the end, I appreciate the writing, but the grime is too much. I cannot even get through the book a second time! I'm downgrading to 2 stars. I'll allow that for the amazing plot, and the writing is quite good, but all the surrounding gunk renders this a disappointing read.

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WOW. WOW. WOW.

Okay, disclaimers first. This book went beyond gritty to dirty. The "F" word is a standard part of the vocab of most all characters throughout. The Lord's name is taken in vain repeatedly. Masturbation, oral sex (often coerced), and anal sex are all described at some point. Yuk. This book is not for the faint of heart, and there are many times when i asked myself, should i even keep on reading this?

So why am i even confessing I finished?

Because, the plot was thick and intriguing. The main character, fascinating in his internal processing (okay, not on all subjects). And, with a title like "Presumed Innocent" you are looking all around to see who you think it is that committed the murder. I never suspected the outcome. i was completely blind sided (twice!) in the last few chapters. In the end, it is explained (with a couple of different nuances), and it was all there the entire time. An unbiased look at the evidence should have made it obvious. But i didn't see it. WOW. But, a cautious WOW.

Other high points were the section on the protagonist's appeals to God (insightful into how most unbelievers interact with Him). And numerous insights into the legal/ political process.

I want to recommend it, but.... the negatives are incredibly flagrant. The modern novel really is depressing that way, the trash i mean. Who wants to read that in 100 years? But I suppose it an accurate representation of the world as some see it.

For #4 of 100 best mysteries of all time by Mystery Writers of America (www.mysterywriters.org) and see also World Magazine January 12/19, 2008, pg. 27), see
The Daughter of Time, Jospehine Tey, 1949
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