I believe Turow tried to make a noir novel. Some don't care for the genre, so I believe that is why the rating is lower than his other books.

I originally gave it 4 stars when I had about a third of Pleading Guilty to finish, then it took a turn. I went back to the beginning and started over. Now the book had a new perspective, and it had a theme if you read carefully.

It is a well-crafted book. If it doesn't make sense, keep going.

Here are two things you can keep in mind: you don't have to like the supposed hero of the story, and his father was a thief.

I think that I liked Turows other books much better, but I enjoy reading him. In this book, Jake and our main man, the 'first person', Mack Mallow, grew up together and as the story unfolds of their great relationship in the law field and personal lives, it comes out that Mack really hates the weak Jake. The law firm of the airline co. TN is headed by three partners who run different spheres of the firm, G and G. When 5.6 MM bucks is found missing, all eyes are on Bert, a partner, and Mack, who asked by the senior partners to find Bert after he disappeared, supposedly with the loot. There is love, homosexuality, lust, doublecross and mystery before it all unfolds, the missing loot is found, the real thief is caught, and the copper Mack scrams with the stolen stolen loot. OK, kind of insightful as far as describing feelings of guilt-Catholic style, and inferiority. Relentless self torture on Mack's part. Anyway, I liked Turow but need to get a tip on his Best Works before I read any more. This was 3 in the Kindle County Series.

Another enjoyable book in this “series” (i use that term loosely bc while they are all in the same universe of Kindle County, all the books are standalone). This was more of a thriller than his past 2 books, and I’m not sure I liked that at first as I felt that Turow’s strong writing and character development wouldn’t work as well with that type of book. However I was pleasantly surprised as the writing was still powerful and engaging. Looking fwd to reading more in this “series”

Not a page turner

This was not a page turner. It was cerebral. I had to force myself to complete it, and gratefully reached the end.

I've enjoyed a few of Scott Turow's novels, both excellent, decided to read a third, Pleading Guilty.

I thought that the book started off slow. I was not to enthralled with the main character at first but after awhile he the tragic hero, or so I thought he would be, started to be more real and I became some what likeable. But then I began to feel sorry for him.

The plot became a lot more interesting as the book went along. A little difficult keeping everyone organized in my mind (almost reverted to taking notes) and the ending was well it could have gone either of two ways and I couldn't decide which I preferred. I saw flaws in both scenarios but the one the author chose is probably the best.

Very enjoyable read

Lobstergirl is on page 127 (Dec 16, 2009) and is "really hating this".

This is an engaging thriller. Everybody looks guilty and nothing is as it seems. The dialogue is snappy and the characters are well-drawn, if a little difficult to keep straight. There are just too many to follow. Probably the best thing about this book is that Turow doesn't opt for a nice neat "happy ending." He keeps the reader guessing right to the final pages.

I think I read this closer to when it was published in 1993. There is an author picture on the back cover of Turow looking quite delighted. My copy was purchased this spring at a charity event for $2.00. It had been previously owned by Roch, who wrote below his name on the inside cover that he had read it in 2005, 2005, and then again in 2018. On page 273 there is a smudge of something which appears it may have been from Roch's snack. The actual cover has a facsimile of the author's signature. The protagonist is very pleased with his talent at forgery and I don't know if that is the implied joke or if he is just very proud of the book and wanted his stamp on it.

The main character, Mack Malloy, is not just flawed. He is not a good guy. He works with other people who are not good guys and/or flawed. Generally, when I read a book I like at least the premise to sort of be in alignment with my optimistic outlook on life.

There are at least 7 sub plots here. There's no good guys. Sigh. That is probably why I was dragging through the last pages..waiting, waiting for it. No. Not happening. And, it takes a good, solid writer to be able to tell a story from that many tainted points of view so the rest of us can understand. No one in the story pleads guilty at all.

was a tough read. a couple of times I thought of ending my pain but was able to finish it.

I enjoyed the first 2 in this series as legal thrillers, some of the best i'd ever read.. But this 1 took a turn- we weren't in the courtroom (or courtroom prep,) it was more behind the scenes of a law firm. There were some personal & some business antics that the narrator had to figure out. As a character driven "mystery" it was well written- the narrator was morally questionable & certainly interesting, but there were a lot of financial angles & it didn't hook me like the courtrooms had.

I was delighted to find a Turow that I hadn't read. Was fun to read a book where the conceit was the the guy using a "Dictaphone" to speak the story. But in the end, it was below the usual standard for Turow. Maybe it was the time (the book is like 35 years old) but I didn't like the protagonist at all, and ended up kind of hating him. He's kind of a jerk, and did an asshole move. Not that good. Alas.

I really did try to read this terrible book. I have a rule, I can't remember whether it's the 50-page rule or the 100-page rule, but the point is, it's a rule, and I live by it: reach that page and you are committed, like the Clintons' marriage. You do not abandon ship! So for me to drop this book at p. 154 should tell you something. What it should tell you is that I had reached the point in the book where the potbellied, 50-something blue-collar lawyer Mack has gone to the apartment of his hostile black law firm colleague Glyndora, who has very reluctantly let him in, after a few minutes he has placed his hands on her nipples, felt an enormous sexual charge, he runs out to buy Seagram's and condoms, and when he gets back to her apartment she won't let him in. Which I was elated about, as I could not have endured a sex scene between them at that or any other point.

I dearly love a good police procedural, so clearly I have nothing against the police, or their procedures. But it's impossible to overstate how much I hate writing like this. I'm not a fan of the hardboiled or noir, and this is just ridiculous:

"She was pointing out the features of her inner sanctum and I, the former sot who'd done more wandering than a minstrel, was at home conducting a perverse and private romance with Mary Fivefingers."

"Glyndora is past forty and showing little wear. This is one good-looking woman and she knows it - built like the brick shithouse you've always heard about, five foot ten in her stocking feet and female every inch of it, a phenomenal set of headlights, a big black fanny, and a proud imperial face, with a majestic look and an aquiline schnozzola that reports on Semitic adventures in West Africa centuries ago."

For every sentence like this Turow should be sentenced to 20 hours of community service, perhaps scrubbing the shit out of brick shithouses, or representing me pro bono when I punch him in the face.