I love Turow and did enjoy this novel. It was so much more than a murder story where they keep trying to find out who is guilty. Several of the people that are part of this trial knew each other 20 years ago protesting Viet Nam and trying to make things better in America. The story switches between the trial and the past, giving the characters background and reminding us of the values of those previous years. Yes, it was quite LONG but still good. The ending was a bit of a surprise - and made sense at the end.

I have read other books by Scott Turow, and have liked them very much. It turns out that he is a friend of an old high school friend of mine, and, in part, that led me to find another of his books to read. The Laws of Our Fathers is a good book, that kept me intrigued as I read it, but not a great book. I found it hard to put down, as I genuinely wanted to find out how events unfolded, both in the 1960s, and in the trial in the 1990s. I could relate to the turmoil and the revolutionary spirit of the earlier times, as young people rioted for civil rights and against the war in Vietnam. Turow was clever in bringing all these same characters together many years later for a trial. But there were some difficulties. I did not enjoy the use of street lingo during the trial. It was very hard to figure out what certain characters were saying, and it came across as artificial to me. And I had a lot of trouble figuring out the strategies and tactics during the trial. But I really enjoyed the storyline in the 60's, and wanted to learn how things transpired. But for me, the essence of a good legal thriller is whether you find it enjoyable and want to read it quickly to completion, and that describes this book. Turow is perhaps the father of the genre that John Grisham has further popularized. I will continue to read his books.

Murder, accusations are flying between a drug dealing gang banger, his parole officer and a state senator. It's brought before a judge and it becomes apparent that many of the central figures have known each other for twenty-five years. As the trial unfolds and contradictory testimony is revealed we are treated to flashbacks of what transpired in the years since they all first met...but nothing is as it first seems...well crafted characters and myriad plot twists making for an engaging read.

This book gave me such a dose of reality that I'm still shaking my head over!
Not only does it give us, the us that has a real feel or lived through the 60s, a colored view of the world that rarely matches reality, but also the disappointed feelings of unresolved or unfinished business.
The trial and view points of the participants was so different from what really happened that again, it makes you think and shake in disbelief. A testament to the unreal that makes you wonder if justice actually exists.

I have just finished reading The Laws and once again I was thoroughly impressed with Scott Turow's writing. He is heads and shoulder above the popular mystery writers of today. This story is impressive regarding character development, complexity, and basic questions we all face in life.
Also, his view of both the law, and life are refreshing to read. He shows the complexity of the human condition, the fallen angels and the better angels of our nature. I don't remember how I got started reading this Turow book [ I've read about five of his] but it was so good to read a good story, well written with real characters.

Generally I have really liked Turow's books, but this one failed for me in a couple of ways. Primarily, there is one character (Seth) who is really boring, and when he is not being boring he is intrusive/creepy. Another character repeatedly sets boundaries for him, which he continually violates. Rather than see the huge red flag this represents, the other character lets him keep getting away with it.

Because of the structure of the book, about every third chapter features this character prominently. Ugh.

The other major problem is the length. An editor needed to come through and cut this book by a third. There is an absurd amount of flashback detail to the characters thirty years earlier, most of which adds absolutely nothing to the plot.

DNF -

Picked up on a whim from a Little Free Library with high hopes; story had all the components of a gripping legal thriller, except the “grip” bit. A planned assassination goes wrong (or does it?) and local acquaintances find themselves as members of the legal system’s determination to resolve the seedy deeds of the wealthy. I found myself looking for reasons to put it down and not pick it back up. It’s dated, and doesn’t hold up well under current reading. Gave it about 150 pages and then dropped it back off in another Little Free Library.

I was disappointed in this book. I have read probably three or four other books by Mr. Turow and liked all of them better than this one. It moved at a snail's pace for me. His other books that I've read are also somewhat slow reads, but are nonetheless engrossing and build to a very satisfying and frequently unexpected conclusion. I especially liked "Ordinary Heroes" for that reason. The language in certain parts where the narrator is a gang member is highly offensive (but realistic I'm sure, so there's justification for it). This book just seemed to go on and on and left me with just a feeling of relief when it was done.

The Laws of Our Fathers is complex due to characters, plot, and storylines. I read the beginning around four times in order to figure out what was going on. I will need to read it again in order to enjoy it more.

I believe that The Laws of Our Fathers is a personal story to Scott Turow. However, I don't know anything that would back that up.

I've read thousands of books, and have only read one other author who has developed a series by focusing on a different character per book. The other author is Tana French, by whom I learned about Scott Turow.

I look forward to reading anything else he writes.

Normally I enjoy the deep introspection of Scott Turow's characters. This book, however, had numerous characters whose lives were intertwined. Each character's backstory was told from his or her individual perspective. It could be disorienting and even annoying to hear the tale from the viewpoint of one character, then have the story suddenly switch gears to a new character and new perspective. The most interesting part of the book was the courtroom scenes, but disappointingly, this was a very small part. Many of the characters were just not that engaging or believable. I had to force myself to finish this book. Yet, previously, all the other books that I'd read by Scott Turow I couldn't put down. None-the-less, this book won't deter me from reading future books by Scott Turow. I have been hooked by previous books that I've read and I'm still definitely a huge fan of his.

Years ago I read one of Scott Turow's books - I have no clue which one - and it offended me in some way that I cannot now remember. Since I can't remember, I decided to forgive and give him another shot. Am I ever glad I did. The Laws of our Fathers follows a court case as it unfolds, but with flashbacks to the early 70's, explains how things go to where they are. The fascinating characters in the book are my age and lived the things I lived and the whole story - a nice, long, meaty story - was captivating.

This is one of the worse legal fiction books I have read. Since Scott turrow is among my favourites I rate it 3 stars. Actually it is too long, complex and difficult to read.
The book moves between two time zones 1970&1995. The chapters alternate between the two eras-- the people are the same.
In 1970 these are all young college students, tied up with the swinging, drug using, hippie culture. The Anti Vietnam sentiment and the tricks to dodge the draft are all there.
In 1995 the same people find them in the midst of a murder trial, a professional hitman and a drug peddler is arrested and accuses a prominent white man of ordering the hit.
The judge, defence attorney, the journalist, the accused and his family all have history together going to the past.
The narrative is too long worded, the language confused and it's difficult to keep track of the back and forth at times.
Towards the end the book becomes more readable.
Overall an avoidable book.