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Kindle County Legal Thriller #8
Innocent
In 2008, 22 years after the events of the earlier book, former lawyer Rusty Sabich, now a Kindle County, Ill., chief appellate judge, is again suspected of murdering a woman close to him. His wife, Barbara, has died in her bed of what appear to be natural causes, yet Rusty comes under scrutiny from his old nemesis, acting prosecuting attorney Tommy Molto, who unsuccessfully prosecuted him for killing his mistress decades earlier. Tommy's chief deputy, Jim Brand, is suspicious because Rusty chose to keep Barbara's death a secret, even from their son, Nat, for almost an entire day, which could have allowed traces of poison to disappear. Rusty's candidacy for a higher court in an imminent election; his recent clandestine affair with his attractive law clerk, Anna Vostic; and a breach of judicial ethics complicate matters further.
407 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2010
About the author
Scott Turow
106 books2,242 followersScott Turow is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including IDENTICAL, INNOCENT, PRESUMED INNOCENT, and THE BURDEN OF PROOF, and two nonfiction books, including ONE L, about his experience as a law student. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,388 reviews
March 28, 2024
نعود مرة أخرى للجملة التي افتتحت بها مراجعتي للجزء الأول من هذه الرواية:
فهنا يتحدث القاضي عن مشاعره الداخلية تجاه عشيقته قبل حتى أن يتواعدا و قبل أن يوقن أنها ستكون له:
❞ ما الأكثر صعوبة؟ معرفة الحقيقة أو العثور عليها. أو البَوح بها أو تصديقها؟ ❝هل منظومة العدالة تحقق العدالة فعلا؟
❞ إننا نحقق القليل من العدالة، بدلاً من انعدام العدالة ❝هذا الجزء من الرواية أفضل بكثير من سابقه. مع جو الجريمة و التحقيقات و التويستات و الإثارة نلمس هنا الجانب الإنساني بصورة أكبر. علاقات متشابكة بين القاضي و ابنه و زوجته و عشيقته و علاقات المحققين و الإدعاء و المتهم و كلها أضفت على الرواية عمق أكبر و بعد أخر.
فهنا يتحدث القاضي عن مشاعره الداخلية تجاه عشيقته قبل حتى أن يتواعدا و قبل أن يوقن أنها ستكون له:
❞ وبينما نحن على هذه الحال، نحاول تحديد أي خسارة ستكون أسوأ: المضي قدماً أم التراجع. وفي هذه اللحظة، لا أعرف ما سيحدث، لكنني أعرف شيئاً واحداً فقط، وهو أنني كنت أكذب على نفسي منذ أشهر. لأنني راغب بها من أخمص قدمي إلى قمة رأسي. ❝و هنا مشاعره بدقة بعد اللقاء الأول:
❞ وعندما تنظر إلى امرأة لأشهر بعين الخيال الراغبة، فإن جزءاً منك لا يتمكَّن من تقبُّل حقيقة أنها هي حقاً المرأة نفسها المستلقية بين ذراعيك. وهذا صحيح إلى حدٍّ ما، فخصرها أنحف مما كنت أعتقد، في حين أن فخذيها أضخم. وعندما ألمسها، أقول لنفسي: أخيراً… أخيراً.أما هنا فشعور العشيقة التي قلبت الكفة و عدلتها عدة مرات خلال الرواية:
لاحقاً، وبينما هي منهمكة في إدخال كنزتها في تنورتها، أقول: "لقد حصل ذلك بالفعل". ❝
❞ ومع اعتذاري لتولستوي، يمكنني القول إن جميع الرجال يبلغون الذروة بصورة متشابهة، لكن كل امرأة تبلغها بطريقتها الخاصة. ❝في الجزء الأول من الرواية تعرض راستي للاتهام بقتل زميلته ممثلة الإدعاء قبل عشرين عاما من أحداث هذا الجزء و خلال تلك المحاكمة انفصلت زوجته عنه و لكنه أعادها بعد البراءة حرصا على أن ينشأ ابنه بين أبويه في بيت واحد. فهل كان ذلك قرارا صائبا؟
❞ ولم يكن ينبغي عليّ أن أبيع سعادتي مقابل سعادة نات، لأنه كان الخيار غير الصحيح لثلاثتنا. لقد جعلت نات يكبر في زنزانة من المعاناة الصامتة. وأشعر الآن مثل سفينة حربية حُمِّلت فوق طاقتها، فتقلبها ريح خفيفة، وتغرق في بحر من المفترض أن تبحر فيه. ولن ينفع إلقاء اللوم على أحد إلا نفسي. ❝و عن روعة الحب و خطورته:
❞ حاولت جاهدة عدم التفكير فيه كثيراً، لكنني عندما كنت أفكر فيه، كنت أقرِّع نفسي بشدة لأنني كنت مجنونة وضعيفة وغبية لرغبتي في شيء كان واضحاً تماماً بأنني لن أحصل عليه. دينيس، المعالج النفسي الذي أزوره، يقول إن الحب هو الشكل المقبول الوحيد قانونياً من الاختلال العقلي. ولكنني أعتقد أن هذا هو سبب كون الحب رائعاً، إلى جانب كونه خطراً؛ لأنه قادر على تغييرك. ❝و عندما نبحث عن الحب فإن شبح الماضي قد يحول بيننا و بين حبا حقيقيا وجدناه:
❞ لقد أمضَتْ وقتاً طويلاً في البحث عن الحب في جميع الأماكن غير الصحيحة. ولكن، يبقى هناك فرق بين الأشياء الغبية التي تفعلينها عندما تكونين شابة، وبين الأشياء الغبية التي تفعلينها عندما تكونين أكثر نضجاً ❝و لكننا إذا وجدنا الحب فيجب أن نتمسك به مهما كان ماضينا مجنونا و خصوصا إن جاء هذا الحب وقت النضج
❞ عندما تكونين في العشرين، فإنك تأتين إلى أصدقائك من الشبان من دون أي عوالق سابقة، آملةً أن تجدي الرجل الذي تبحثين عنه. وكل شاب عرفته من قبل لا يمثل بالنسبة إليك أكثر من حجر استناد رفعك إلى المكان الذي أنت فيه. ولكن في السادسة والثلاثين - السادسة والثلاثون!- الوضع يصبح مختلفاً تماماً. فأنت الآن بلغت الذروة، وآمنت بالحب الأبدي، وعشت أعظم تجربة حميمية على الإطلاق، وتظنين أنك لن تختبري مثلها أبداً بعد ذلك، ومع ذلك واصلت الدرب لتجدي شخصاً آخر. وقد وصلت إليه حاملةً معك سلسلة طويلة من الخبرات. وكلاكما تعرفان ذلك، ولا يمكنكما التظاهر بأن ما حدث في الماضي لم يحدث. لكنه الماضي. والجميع يفهمون عندما يصلون إلى هذا العمر أنك تحملين تاريخاً معك؛ شخصاً ما، زمناً لا يمكن نسيان آثاره بصورة كلية. نات لديه كات التي أعرف أنها لا تزال تبعث له رسائل إلكترونية بين الحين والآخر وتنجح في إزعاجه. وبالنسبة لي، فهذا ينطبق على راستي وما حدث لي معه. إنه سيكون الماضي الذي عشته. إنه مجنون صحيح، ولكنه انتهى، وانتهى الماضي الذي أوصلني بطريقة ما إلى الحياة التي أريدها فعلاً. وأريد حقاً أن أعيش مع نات كل يوم من حياتي الباقية. ❝
October 31, 2011
Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent has always been one of my favorite books, and I still think that it's the best legal thriller I've ever read. I've also enjoyed the novels that Turow has written since Presumed Innocent, but I approached this sequel with reservations. I wasn't sure why Turow would resurrect these characters and attempt to write a sequel to a virtually perfect book. Why not leave well enough alone?
In the end, I wish he would have. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy Innocent; it's generally a good read, and if I had never read Presumed Innocent, I probably would have been perfectly content with the time I spent with the book. But I have read the first book I couldn't help comparing Innocent to the original virtually page-by-page, and the newer book constantly came up short.
In Presumed Innocent, Kindle County prosecutor Rusty Sabitch was accused of the brutal murder of a female colleague with whom he was having an affair. Tommy Molto, another prosecutor, fanatically pursued the case against Sabitch in a book that grabs your attention from the first line and refuses to let go. The plot is brilliantly conceived with shocking twists and turns, all of which are totally plausible and convincing.
Now, twenty-two years later, Sabitch is an appellate judge and is running for election to the Illinois State Supreme Court when his wife suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances. His old nemesis, Molto, is now acting prosecuting attorney, and his ambitious chief deputy goads Molto into pursuing murder charges against Rusty Sabitch once again.
The story is told from a variety of different viewpoints, principally those of Sabitch, Molto, and Rusty's son, Nat. As in the first case, Sabitch hires a brilliant attorney, Sandy Stern, to represent him, and the second half of the book focuses on Rusty's trial. In this case, though, the tension is not as high as in the first book, and the courtroom scenes, while gripping at times, lack the spark of the first case. In the first case, the protagonists on both sides seemed to be caught up in a life and death struggle with everything on the line. Here they seem to be going through the motions, as if they don't have nearly as much at stake.
My real problem with this book, though, is that at the beginning Sabitch does two incredibly stupid things, which seem totally out of character for someone as smart as he is, and especially for someone who has previously been tried by fire. To be sure, if he doesn't do these things, there is no story here. But still, I couldn't help feeling throughout the book that the whole plot rested on the shakiest of foundations, and it never grabbed me the way that Presumed Innocent did.
In fairness, few books have ever grabbed me as Presumed Innocent did and, as I suggested above, had I never read the first book, I would probably have been perfectly content with this one which, for all its faults, is still better than a lot of other legal thrillers that one might read. But Innocent attempts to stand on the shoulders of one of the best books I've ever read. It's hardly surprising that it falls a bit short.
In the end, I wish he would have. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy Innocent; it's generally a good read, and if I had never read Presumed Innocent, I probably would have been perfectly content with the time I spent with the book. But I have read the first book I couldn't help comparing Innocent to the original virtually page-by-page, and the newer book constantly came up short.
In Presumed Innocent, Kindle County prosecutor Rusty Sabitch was accused of the brutal murder of a female colleague with whom he was having an affair. Tommy Molto, another prosecutor, fanatically pursued the case against Sabitch in a book that grabs your attention from the first line and refuses to let go. The plot is brilliantly conceived with shocking twists and turns, all of which are totally plausible and convincing.
Now, twenty-two years later, Sabitch is an appellate judge and is running for election to the Illinois State Supreme Court when his wife suddenly dies under mysterious circumstances. His old nemesis, Molto, is now acting prosecuting attorney, and his ambitious chief deputy goads Molto into pursuing murder charges against Rusty Sabitch once again.
The story is told from a variety of different viewpoints, principally those of Sabitch, Molto, and Rusty's son, Nat. As in the first case, Sabitch hires a brilliant attorney, Sandy Stern, to represent him, and the second half of the book focuses on Rusty's trial. In this case, though, the tension is not as high as in the first book, and the courtroom scenes, while gripping at times, lack the spark of the first case. In the first case, the protagonists on both sides seemed to be caught up in a life and death struggle with everything on the line. Here they seem to be going through the motions, as if they don't have nearly as much at stake.
My real problem with this book, though, is that at the beginning Sabitch does two incredibly stupid things, which seem totally out of character for someone as smart as he is, and especially for someone who has previously been tried by fire. To be sure, if he doesn't do these things, there is no story here. But still, I couldn't help feeling throughout the book that the whole plot rested on the shakiest of foundations, and it never grabbed me the way that Presumed Innocent did.
In fairness, few books have ever grabbed me as Presumed Innocent did and, as I suggested above, had I never read the first book, I would probably have been perfectly content with this one which, for all its faults, is still better than a lot of other legal thrillers that one might read. But Innocent attempts to stand on the shoulders of one of the best books I've ever read. It's hardly surprising that it falls a bit short.
June 14, 2022
A re-read for me. Love the way Turow winds-up and releases the drama. In individuals, relationships and in the courtroom.
March 26, 2019
This is a sequel to Turow's groundbreaking debut [book] Don't know why the author couldn't come up with a better title. The book was written 20 years after the first, and consistently enough, we find our protagonist and antagonist, Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto, 20 years older.
Not sure if all the soap opera stuff was necessary, as if Mr. Turow was trying too hard to create more of a character-driven novel than the first Rusty Sabich-Tommy Molto book. The love triangle in this one reminded me of Josephine Hart's Damage, but in this novel it was more of a distraction than the focus.
Themes from the first book are revisited, as if it was deja vu and the story is slow to start with. But the book has very good court scenes and enough red herrings to keep the reader interested
I have to say that it is common for a sequel to fall short of the original, and this generalization applies here.
Not sure if all the soap opera stuff was necessary, as if Mr. Turow was trying too hard to create more of a character-driven novel than the first Rusty Sabich-Tommy Molto book. The love triangle in this one reminded me of Josephine Hart's Damage, but in this novel it was more of a distraction than the focus.
Themes from the first book are revisited, as if it was deja vu and the story is slow to start with. But the book has very good court scenes and enough red herrings to keep the reader interested
I have to say that it is common for a sequel to fall short of the original, and this generalization applies here.
August 28, 2016
I used to love Turow's legal thrillers — but either my taste has changed or Turow's writing has. I just got bored. Of course, it doesn't help that I've got seven or eight other books sitting on the bedside table and I'm thinking about the trip I'm about to leave on...
Did Turow's characters spend so much time in his earlier books staring into their navels and thinking about themselves? The lead character here gets all of his chapters written in the first person, and he has an incredibly dull inner monologue running. Me, me, me.
The chapters centering on other characters are written in the third person, and they seem to be better. Still to much moaning and bitching about their lives — everyone here is pretty dysfunctional — but there seems to be a bit more action.
I remember Turow as writing — essentially — the courtroom attorney's version of a police procedural. Instead of casting some overweight and emotionally broken cop and watching how he thinks and obsesses about solving some puzzling crime, you'd have an assistant DA doing the work.
The chapters that focus on that part of the story were the best part, and the only reason it kept two stars. But I couldn't skip the boring parts, or I'd spend too much time backtracking to fill in the missing pieces.
So I ended it. Too bad; I used to have great memories of Turow's novels, and now I wonder if I re-read them whether I'd re-like 'em.
Did Turow's characters spend so much time in his earlier books staring into their navels and thinking about themselves? The lead character here gets all of his chapters written in the first person, and he has an incredibly dull inner monologue running. Me, me, me.
The chapters centering on other characters are written in the third person, and they seem to be better. Still to much moaning and bitching about their lives — everyone here is pretty dysfunctional — but there seems to be a bit more action.
I remember Turow as writing — essentially — the courtroom attorney's version of a police procedural. Instead of casting some overweight and emotionally broken cop and watching how he thinks and obsesses about solving some puzzling crime, you'd have an assistant DA doing the work.
The chapters that focus on that part of the story were the best part, and the only reason it kept two stars. But I couldn't skip the boring parts, or I'd spend too much time backtracking to fill in the missing pieces.
So I ended it. Too bad; I used to have great memories of Turow's novels, and now I wonder if I re-read them whether I'd re-like 'em.
April 4, 2014
Do you ever wonder why you pick up a book? I had put Innocent on my list when it was first published. I had really liked Presumed Innocent when I read it in the 80's. The more I thought about it the more reluctant I became to read this sequel. I think I worried it would ruin my love of the first. Did I really care what happened to Rusty Sabich? Cheez, that was twenty years ago. As fate would have it while visiting our library, there was the audiobook, staring me smack in the face and I needed something to listen too so home it came with me.
At first, my initial concerns were confirmed. Rusty is in trouble again. His wife Barbara is dead, seemingly a suicide. Rusty waits more than a day to report this death, some suspect murder and as in Presumed Innocent, he becomes the logical suspect. Old hat. Then something changed and as I listened to InnocentI quickly became engrossed in the story, the plotting, the thrill of the hunt for the truth. I couldn't walk long enough or listen fast enough so dumped the audio and got the book. Finished it in a day and would rate it right up there with Rusty's first appearance.
I think you could easily read either as a stand-alone but having the background (though sketched in Innocent) does make for a better read. I loved the characters, particularly those that reappeared from Presumed Innocent. It was good to see their growth or not. As I turned the last page I was glad I fit this book into my reading schedule and enjoyed Turow's expertise in Turow bringing the plot twists together. Though some found improbabilities, none stood out enough to bother me. The courtroom scenes are informative and up there with the best of the lawyers who are writers. What really made Innocent for me was that most of my theories were wrong, never figuring it out and was surprised by the ending. I like that!
At first, my initial concerns were confirmed. Rusty is in trouble again. His wife Barbara is dead, seemingly a suicide. Rusty waits more than a day to report this death, some suspect murder and as in Presumed Innocent, he becomes the logical suspect. Old hat. Then something changed and as I listened to InnocentI quickly became engrossed in the story, the plotting, the thrill of the hunt for the truth. I couldn't walk long enough or listen fast enough so dumped the audio and got the book. Finished it in a day and would rate it right up there with Rusty's first appearance.
I think you could easily read either as a stand-alone but having the background (though sketched in Innocent) does make for a better read. I loved the characters, particularly those that reappeared from Presumed Innocent. It was good to see their growth or not. As I turned the last page I was glad I fit this book into my reading schedule and enjoyed Turow's expertise in Turow bringing the plot twists together. Though some found improbabilities, none stood out enough to bother me. The courtroom scenes are informative and up there with the best of the lawyers who are writers. What really made Innocent for me was that most of my theories were wrong, never figuring it out and was surprised by the ending. I like that!
October 29, 2010
At some point we’re all going to have to agree on a statute of limitation on spoilers. When is it fair game to give away an ending? Because Presumed Innocent was published in 1988 and a pretty popular movie version with Harrison Ford came out in 1990. It’s almost impossible to summarize the sequel Innocent without giving at least some of the first one away. On the other hand, you’ve had 20 years to read the book or see the movie. Don’t blame me for your laziness.
So in the interest of going spoiler-free for any who might be interested, here’s a quickie round-up of the book. Scott Turow basically invented the modern legal thriller in Presumed Innocent, opening the door for John Grisham and Law & Order to turn us all into amateur lawyers. Turow is less concerned with the tricks of the trade for criminal law in this one, and focuses even more on characters. Once again, he tells the story of a trial while revealing much but letting us know that there‘s more to the story than we‘re seeing in the court room. If you’re in the mood for a legal whodunit with strong characters struggling with the consequences of their secrets, this is the book for you.
If you don’t mind some mild spoilers of the first book, you can keep reading. I’m not giving away anything that isn’t on the Innocent book jacket. Otherwise, stop here if you want to remain 100% spoiler free.
Twenty years after being accused of raping and killing the lover he was cheating on his wife with, Rusty Sabich has managed to put a respectable life back together. He is still with his wife, and is the chief justice for a court of appeals. You’d think that having one affair that nearly resulted in him being convicted of murder would have taught Rusty a lesson, but turning 60 and being unhappy with the state of his marriage to his bi-polar wife leads him to an affair with a much younger woman who worked for him. Eighteen months later, Rusty’s wife dies in her sleep, but Rusty is behaving strangely. Soon, the prosecuting attorney is trying to figure out if he should charge Rusty with murder.
The story shifts through several viewpoints from Rusty, his mistress Anna, his son Nat, and the prosecutor. As in Presumed Innocent, Turow does a great job of letting us get to know the characters while keeping the central mystery intact. Even though Rusty is the narrator for a large portion of the book, we know that he isn’t telling the whole story, and it’s quality writing that makes you sympathize with him even as you’re not entirely sure what kind of man he really is.
I also loved how Turow never gives away the biggest secret revealed in the first book while letting it hang over this one. You could read this without having read Presumed Innocent and still enjoy it quite a bit. However, knowing that ending while reading this puts a whole other dimension into the story.
This was a sequel worth waiting over 20 years for.
So in the interest of going spoiler-free for any who might be interested, here’s a quickie round-up of the book. Scott Turow basically invented the modern legal thriller in Presumed Innocent, opening the door for John Grisham and Law & Order to turn us all into amateur lawyers. Turow is less concerned with the tricks of the trade for criminal law in this one, and focuses even more on characters. Once again, he tells the story of a trial while revealing much but letting us know that there‘s more to the story than we‘re seeing in the court room. If you’re in the mood for a legal whodunit with strong characters struggling with the consequences of their secrets, this is the book for you.
If you don’t mind some mild spoilers of the first book, you can keep reading. I’m not giving away anything that isn’t on the Innocent book jacket. Otherwise, stop here if you want to remain 100% spoiler free.
Twenty years after being accused of raping and killing the lover he was cheating on his wife with, Rusty Sabich has managed to put a respectable life back together. He is still with his wife, and is the chief justice for a court of appeals. You’d think that having one affair that nearly resulted in him being convicted of murder would have taught Rusty a lesson, but turning 60 and being unhappy with the state of his marriage to his bi-polar wife leads him to an affair with a much younger woman who worked for him. Eighteen months later, Rusty’s wife dies in her sleep, but Rusty is behaving strangely. Soon, the prosecuting attorney is trying to figure out if he should charge Rusty with murder.
The story shifts through several viewpoints from Rusty, his mistress Anna, his son Nat, and the prosecutor. As in Presumed Innocent, Turow does a great job of letting us get to know the characters while keeping the central mystery intact. Even though Rusty is the narrator for a large portion of the book, we know that he isn’t telling the whole story, and it’s quality writing that makes you sympathize with him even as you’re not entirely sure what kind of man he really is.
I also loved how Turow never gives away the biggest secret revealed in the first book while letting it hang over this one. You could read this without having read Presumed Innocent and still enjoy it quite a bit. However, knowing that ending while reading this puts a whole other dimension into the story.
This was a sequel worth waiting over 20 years for.
August 9, 2022
A very impressive suspenseful novel with some great courtroom drama.
May 23, 2010
Rarely is a sequel equal to the original. Innocent takes place 20 years after "Presumed Innocent" and, while it can be read alone, is much better if you read "Presumed Innocent" first.
Scott Turow pulls off the difficult task of telling the story from various viewpoints in the present tense. In addition to a good mystery, he captures the issues, physical and mental, of those of us passing sixty.
Scott Turow pulls off the difficult task of telling the story from various viewpoints in the present tense. In addition to a good mystery, he captures the issues, physical and mental, of those of us passing sixty.
July 8, 2010
While he may not have invented the legal thriller, Scott Turow certainly helped usher in the era of the legal thriller twenty years ago with his best-seller "Presumed Innocent." And while Turow has revisited some of the supporting characters of "Presumed Innocent" in his subsequent novels, he's always avoided a direct sequel to the book that put him and the legal thriller on the map.
Until now.
I'll have to admit I was dubious about "Innocent." I've been burned too often by sequels written years later that come off as less like a natural continuation of a story and more like a money grab based on a familiar name or property.
All of those fears and doubts were dispelled within the first ten pages of "Innocent." The novel did exactly what "Presumed" did twenty years ago--pulled me and didn't let go until the last page was turned.
"Innocent" picks up 20 years after the events of "Presumed Innocent." Rusty Sabich is back, serving on the appeals court and running for state supreme court. His professional life is going well and things with his wife Barbara are back on a more solid ground, though there's an undercurrent of tension due to her on-going issues with depression. Rusty is tempted by his law clerk, Anna, who clearly flirts with him and makes it clear she'd like to see their relationship be something more. On the final day of her time as his clerk, Rusty and Anna begin a short-lived affair, with Rusty considering divorce from Barbara. However, Rusty eventually decides against it and ends the affair after a few weeks.
A few months later, Rusty's son Nat contacts Anna about leasing her old apartment while he's serving as a law clerk. Through a string of e-mails and meetings, the two have a chemistry and despite reservations from Anna, the two eventually become romantically involved. After several months, Barbara invites the couple to dinner. But are her motives as innocent as they appear? Has she discovered the link between Rusty and Anna and what will she do about it?
The next day, Barbara dies of what appears to be natural causes. Rusty waits 24 hours to notify the police and authorities, raising the suspicions of Tommy Molto. Molto is still stinging from the fact that Rusty was acquitted at the end of "Presumed" and is cautious about pursuing the case, for fear of looking like he's out for revenge. Eventually, too much evidence turns up and it appears that Rusty may be getting away with murder twice. Rusty is arrested for murder and put back on trial for the death of Barbara.
Told from varying points of view, "Innocent" is a fascinating and compelling legal thriller, not only for the mystery of how and why Barbara died but also some of the ethical implications. The specter of Anna and Rusty's short-lived affair as well as a slip by Rusty to a defendant in an appeals trial, hover over the entire book, driving the narrative forward. The question of it Nat will find out about his father and Anna's affair keeps the tension going. Turow also trades off between point-of-view in the story--we get first-person perspectives from Rusty, Anna and Nat while we get third-person from the legal team of Molto and company.
As with the first book, it's clear that Rusty has made some mistakes but whether or not he's a murderer isn't made clear until the final stages of the story. And even after that has been resolved, the implications of things and their impact on the characters is examined.
In short, it's everything that made "Presumed Innocent" a classic of the genre. Not just the legal aspect, but also the character aspect. A superb follow-up.
Until now.
I'll have to admit I was dubious about "Innocent." I've been burned too often by sequels written years later that come off as less like a natural continuation of a story and more like a money grab based on a familiar name or property.
All of those fears and doubts were dispelled within the first ten pages of "Innocent." The novel did exactly what "Presumed" did twenty years ago--pulled me and didn't let go until the last page was turned.
"Innocent" picks up 20 years after the events of "Presumed Innocent." Rusty Sabich is back, serving on the appeals court and running for state supreme court. His professional life is going well and things with his wife Barbara are back on a more solid ground, though there's an undercurrent of tension due to her on-going issues with depression. Rusty is tempted by his law clerk, Anna, who clearly flirts with him and makes it clear she'd like to see their relationship be something more. On the final day of her time as his clerk, Rusty and Anna begin a short-lived affair, with Rusty considering divorce from Barbara. However, Rusty eventually decides against it and ends the affair after a few weeks.
A few months later, Rusty's son Nat contacts Anna about leasing her old apartment while he's serving as a law clerk. Through a string of e-mails and meetings, the two have a chemistry and despite reservations from Anna, the two eventually become romantically involved. After several months, Barbara invites the couple to dinner. But are her motives as innocent as they appear? Has she discovered the link between Rusty and Anna and what will she do about it?
The next day, Barbara dies of what appears to be natural causes. Rusty waits 24 hours to notify the police and authorities, raising the suspicions of Tommy Molto. Molto is still stinging from the fact that Rusty was acquitted at the end of "Presumed" and is cautious about pursuing the case, for fear of looking like he's out for revenge. Eventually, too much evidence turns up and it appears that Rusty may be getting away with murder twice. Rusty is arrested for murder and put back on trial for the death of Barbara.
Told from varying points of view, "Innocent" is a fascinating and compelling legal thriller, not only for the mystery of how and why Barbara died but also some of the ethical implications. The specter of Anna and Rusty's short-lived affair as well as a slip by Rusty to a defendant in an appeals trial, hover over the entire book, driving the narrative forward. The question of it Nat will find out about his father and Anna's affair keeps the tension going. Turow also trades off between point-of-view in the story--we get first-person perspectives from Rusty, Anna and Nat while we get third-person from the legal team of Molto and company.
As with the first book, it's clear that Rusty has made some mistakes but whether or not he's a murderer isn't made clear until the final stages of the story. And even after that has been resolved, the implications of things and their impact on the characters is examined.
In short, it's everything that made "Presumed Innocent" a classic of the genre. Not just the legal aspect, but also the character aspect. A superb follow-up.
June 12, 2023
Turow at his very peak and one of the finest novels I've seen in recent years. Strong characters, sentiments, dignity, love and mistakes, a permanent twist of the tale make you read the book rapidly. But you have to fight with the complementary impulse of not wasting a single page and that's quite an interesting choice. A book I HIGHLY recommend.
October 26, 2024
I'm not gonna lie, I was picturing a Jake Gyllenhaal 60 year old Rusty Sabich. 🤤
I actually liked this a lot better than the first (again probably the Gyllenhaal daydream) since I read the first one before I watched the show. But I absolutely loved this, it was definitely full of the court room back and forth which I happen to love, but it did consume quite of bit of listening.
Should also mention this is the follow-up to book 1.
I actually liked this a lot better than the first (again probably the Gyllenhaal daydream) since I read the first one before I watched the show. But I absolutely loved this, it was definitely full of the court room back and forth which I happen to love, but it did consume quite of bit of listening.
Should also mention this is the follow-up to book 1.
August 6, 2024
Innocent is the sequel to this author’s excellent debut Presumed Innocent. (If it has been a while and even if you remember the plot twists, rereading Presumed Innocent is well worth it.) Rusty Sabich is back, in fact almost everyone is back, albeit twenty plus years older, but little has changed and Rusty soon finds himself up to his proverbial back-side in alligators. And that is what is both fascinating and frustrating about Innocent, for this novel reads more like a rewrite of its predecessor than a sequel.
Rusty is now a successful judge in the midst of an election campaign and still married to Barbara; their son Nat is all grown up. And before the reader can ask, “What’s new?”, our hero finds himself on trial for murder once again. There is the over-zealous prosecuting team led by Sabich’s nemesis, Tommy Molto, (hell-bent side-kick included). Rusty’s defense is handled once again by the magical Sandy Stern, now teamed up with his daughter. And Rusty being Rusty, there’s also a second woman involved. And at the center of all this turmoil is the mentally unbalanced Mrs. Sabich.
This all seemingly should add up to an excellent thriller except that we know the history of all the players and although Innocent is extremely well written, much of the plot is wildly implausible – at least to this reader.
Just the simple fact that the Sabiches stayed married after the conclusion of Presumed Innocent was difficult to comprehend. Tommy Molto, our prosecutor, is none the wiser and falls into the same trap he did 20 years earlier. And of course Rusty hasn’t learned from his past mistakes either. Rusty’s son, poor Nat, is a basket-case, bursting into tears constantly. His narrative point of view, (Turow switches the telling of this tale among several of the characters throughout the book), abruptly changes about half-way through from that of a 13 year old, (Nat is in his early 20’s), to sounding a whole lot like his 60 year old father. And last but not least, if you had any strong feelings about Barbara – Mrs. Sabich – in Presumed Innocent, you’re going to just “love” her in this book.
I have enjoyed all of Turow’s previous books but was disappointed with this one.
Rusty is now a successful judge in the midst of an election campaign and still married to Barbara; their son Nat is all grown up. And before the reader can ask, “What’s new?”, our hero finds himself on trial for murder once again. There is the over-zealous prosecuting team led by Sabich’s nemesis, Tommy Molto, (hell-bent side-kick included). Rusty’s defense is handled once again by the magical Sandy Stern, now teamed up with his daughter. And Rusty being Rusty, there’s also a second woman involved. And at the center of all this turmoil is the mentally unbalanced Mrs. Sabich.
This all seemingly should add up to an excellent thriller except that we know the history of all the players and although Innocent is extremely well written, much of the plot is wildly implausible – at least to this reader.
Just the simple fact that the Sabiches stayed married after the conclusion of Presumed Innocent was difficult to comprehend. Tommy Molto, our prosecutor, is none the wiser and falls into the same trap he did 20 years earlier. And of course Rusty hasn’t learned from his past mistakes either. Rusty’s son, poor Nat, is a basket-case, bursting into tears constantly. His narrative point of view, (Turow switches the telling of this tale among several of the characters throughout the book), abruptly changes about half-way through from that of a 13 year old, (Nat is in his early 20’s), to sounding a whole lot like his 60 year old father. And last but not least, if you had any strong feelings about Barbara – Mrs. Sabich – in Presumed Innocent, you’re going to just “love” her in this book.
I have enjoyed all of Turow’s previous books but was disappointed with this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2020
Scott Turow is a fantastic writer. That’s the first and best reason to read him. His literary style, his amazing use of simile, and his complex and human characters give his novels more depth and build and broaden the emotional impact on readers.
That would be enough, but there’s more. Here, ‘Innocent’ is a sequel, twenty years later, to ‘Presumed Innocent,’ Turow’s breakout bestseller (made into a wonderful movie with Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, and Raul Julia.) Rusty Savich’s wife has died, apparently of natural causes. But was it? Tommy Molto, the second chair in Savich’s prosecution for murder twenty years earlier, suspects the worst.
Turow creates a beautiful, evocative story filled with human truths. That would be way more than enough, but there’s something else. Turow, a practicing lawyer, also lets us into the legal industry. Judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, legal assistants, clerks, cops, investigators, all play their role in the system, but also make connections and relationships within the system. Only an experienced lawyer could give us this; only Turow could do it so well.
And that would be ten-times enough, but there’s still more. His novels set in Kindle county also let the reader into a fictional world. Having read from the beginning of the series, I know this county and its residents: bad things and good things have happened, lives have changed, kids have grown up, and it’s all connected in my brain, as though I’d lived a parallel life in Kindle county. Amazing and so worth it.
That would be enough, but there’s more. Here, ‘Innocent’ is a sequel, twenty years later, to ‘Presumed Innocent,’ Turow’s breakout bestseller (made into a wonderful movie with Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, and Raul Julia.) Rusty Savich’s wife has died, apparently of natural causes. But was it? Tommy Molto, the second chair in Savich’s prosecution for murder twenty years earlier, suspects the worst.
Turow creates a beautiful, evocative story filled with human truths. That would be way more than enough, but there’s something else. Turow, a practicing lawyer, also lets us into the legal industry. Judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers, legal assistants, clerks, cops, investigators, all play their role in the system, but also make connections and relationships within the system. Only an experienced lawyer could give us this; only Turow could do it so well.
And that would be ten-times enough, but there’s still more. His novels set in Kindle county also let the reader into a fictional world. Having read from the beginning of the series, I know this county and its residents: bad things and good things have happened, lives have changed, kids have grown up, and it’s all connected in my brain, as though I’d lived a parallel life in Kindle county. Amazing and so worth it.
August 24, 2022
The Kindle County “Legal Thrillers” are set in a fictional Illinois county that is based on Cook County, Chicago. This book has a mystery on identifying a killer of possibly 2 woman separated by 20 years. The courtroom sessions are good.
Chapter “titles” / points of view - alternate between characters
Barbara Sabich (mom) murdered or phenelzine suicide.
Rusty Sabich (Judge) Dad - Person on trial for killing Barbara or set-up by who?
*Other characters
Nat S. (Son)
Tommy Milton (Prosecuting Attorney)
Sandy Stern (Rusty’s lawyer)
Anna Vostic (Rustic’s law clerk)
Jim Brand (Prosecuting Attorney)
Anna has love passages with Rusty & Nat.
Was the dead Barbara really a setup? Why would a innocent man plea guilty & ruin his career? Felony with 2 years in jail? Obstruction of Justice with not telling who was trying to kill Barbara or himself?
1. Youtube - Scott Turow discusses movie
2. IMDB Movie Review - (Not Free) on Prime Video
Chapter “titles” / points of view - alternate between characters
Barbara Sabich (mom) murdered or phenelzine suicide.
Rusty Sabich (Judge) Dad - Person on trial for killing Barbara or set-up by who?
*Other characters
Nat S. (Son)
Tommy Milton (Prosecuting Attorney)
Sandy Stern (Rusty’s lawyer)
Anna Vostic (Rustic’s law clerk)
Jim Brand (Prosecuting Attorney)
Anna has love passages with Rusty & Nat.
Was the dead Barbara really a setup? Why would a innocent man plea guilty & ruin his career? Felony with 2 years in jail? Obstruction of Justice with not telling who was trying to kill Barbara or himself?
1. Youtube - Scott Turow discusses movie
2. IMDB Movie Review - (Not Free) on Prime Video
May 18, 2010
My recollection of the 1987 blockbuster Presumed Innocent was being totally thrown off guard by the resolution of that wonderful legal thriller/murder mystery. I loved it. And now Scott Turow is back among those same Kindle County characters 20 years later in Innocent. And wouldn't you know it, he had me guessing and kept surprises hidden all over again as there may or may not have been a murder, a suicide, a conspiracy, a love triangle and/or a psychological chess game. It's another smart plot, flushed-out characters, keep-your-synapses-snapping clues and courtroom one upsmanship. This one may be Innocent, but Turow's guilty of one riveting read!
June 20, 2022
Sequel to Presumed Innocent, published twenty years later, protagonist Rusty Sabich is now chief of the appellate court. He is in the process of running for election to the state’s supreme court. His past rival, Tommy Molto, is now the prosecuting attorney. When Sabich’s wife dies, he waits a day before informing anyone. For a variety of reasons better left to the reader to find out, Rusty finds himself again at the center of a courtroom drama. He is defended by the same attorney, now aging and in ill health, Sandy Stern.
This book is told from a variety of perspectives – Rusty, his son Nat, his former clerk Anna, and prosecuting attorney Tommy. The storyline is mentally engaging. I kept trying to figure out where it was headed. Although it is plot-driven, there is plenty of character development, and we get to know these people well. It is not for anyone looking for non-stop action. It explores the idea of innocence and guilt, especially the guilt beyond a courtroom definition.
My overall reaction to this book is positive. I enjoyed turning the pages, reading about the trial processes and preparations. It is more focused than its predecessor. We do not have to endure superfluous side stories that have little to do with the trial. There are several unexpected twists. As with many of these types of books, the primary drawback is that the red herrings must eventually be explained, and some of the explanations are rather far-fetched and even bizarre. It is not essential to read Presumed Innocent first, but I think it would enhance the reading experience.
This book is told from a variety of perspectives – Rusty, his son Nat, his former clerk Anna, and prosecuting attorney Tommy. The storyline is mentally engaging. I kept trying to figure out where it was headed. Although it is plot-driven, there is plenty of character development, and we get to know these people well. It is not for anyone looking for non-stop action. It explores the idea of innocence and guilt, especially the guilt beyond a courtroom definition.
My overall reaction to this book is positive. I enjoyed turning the pages, reading about the trial processes and preparations. It is more focused than its predecessor. We do not have to endure superfluous side stories that have little to do with the trial. There are several unexpected twists. As with many of these types of books, the primary drawback is that the red herrings must eventually be explained, and some of the explanations are rather far-fetched and even bizarre. It is not essential to read Presumed Innocent first, but I think it would enhance the reading experience.
May 21, 2011
This courtroom pyschological drama involves sixty-year-old Rusty Sabich, a chief judge of the appellate court, fighting to beat the homicide charge of doing in his bipolar but brilliant wife Barbara. The intrigue is thickened by infidelity, evidence-tampering, ambitious prosecutors, and family secrets. The brisk back-and-forth in the courtroom scenes were the most entertaining parts for me. Judge Rusty emerges as a flawed, complex man, and I was never quite sure if I liked him or not. At any rate, don't let the 400-page length daunt you since the plot clips along at a heady pace. Mr. Turow writes with clarity and subtlety. This read is a treat.
March 27, 2018
It took me quite a while to finish this one. It just didn't grab me, but at the same time, because I knew some of the characters from the book Presumed Innocent, I really wanted to see how this would play out. Part of the problem for me was that the main character made another really stupid mistake like he did in the previous book. It effected how much I enjoyed this one. I did like the last part of the book for the most part, but not as much as I had hoped.
April 18, 2017
Disappointing. The audio version has errors, e.g. daughter in law instead of daughter. The plot meandered, really cheating the reader with red herrings. The ending had a slight twist, but Turow didn't leave well enough alone but launched into a romance train of thought ending that was dull at best.
June 8, 2017
Ένα αξιοπρεπές δικαστικό θρίλερ από τον μετρ του είδους Scott Turow που διετέλεσε για περίπου 10 χρόνια
βοηθός εισαγγελἐα στις Η.Π.Α. και είναι ο συγγραφέας ενός από τα πιο δημοφιλή βιβλία του είδους, με τίτλό ''Presumed Innocent''. Το βιβλίο αυτό έγινε ευρύτερα γνωστό από την κινηματογραφική του μεταφορά το 1990 με πρωταγωνιστές τον Χάρισον Φόρντ και την Γκρέτα Σκάκι. Στο ''Αθώος'', συναντάμε και πάλι τον κεντρικό χαρακτήρα του ''Presumed Innocent'', τον Ράστι Σάμπιτς που αυτή τη φορά κατηγορείται ότι δολοφόνησε τη γυναίκα του. Δημόσιος κατήγορος στην υπόθεση του είναι μια νέμεση από το παρελθόν, ο ικανότατος και πανέξυπνος Τόμι Μόλτο. Η ιστορία κυλάει με γρήγορους ρυθμούς, μέσα από τις εναλασσόμενες αφηγήσεις του Ράστι, του γιού Νατ και του Τόμι χωρίς να κάνει ''κοιλιά'' σε οποιοδήποτε σημείο της εξέλιξης της πλοκής του. Σίγουρα δεν είναι ένα βιβλίο που μένει αξέχαστο, ωστόσο αξίζει τον κόπο να αφιερώσει κανείς μερικές ώρες στην ανάγνωση του καθώς πέρα από το μυστήριο της ιστορίας και την ικανοποιητική ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων, μπορεί κανείς να εξοικειωθεί με τις δικανικές διαδικασίες για τις οποίες ελάχιστοι, πέρα των νομικών, γνωρίζουν πολλά.
Να σημειωθεί ότι και το εν λόγω βιβλίο έχει μεταφερθεί στη μεγάλη οθόνη με τίτλο ''innocent'' και πρωταγωνιστή τον Bill Pullman.
βοηθός εισαγγελἐα στις Η.Π.Α. και είναι ο συγγραφέας ενός από τα πιο δημοφιλή βιβλία του είδους, με τίτλό ''Presumed Innocent''. Το βιβλίο αυτό έγινε ευρύτερα γνωστό από την κινηματογραφική του μεταφορά το 1990 με πρωταγωνιστές τον Χάρισον Φόρντ και την Γκρέτα Σκάκι. Στο ''Αθώος'', συναντάμε και πάλι τον κεντρικό χαρακτήρα του ''Presumed Innocent'', τον Ράστι Σάμπιτς που αυτή τη φορά κατηγορείται ότι δολοφόνησε τη γυναίκα του. Δημόσιος κατήγορος στην υπόθεση του είναι μια νέμεση από το παρελθόν, ο ικανότατος και πανέξυπνος Τόμι Μόλτο. Η ιστορία κυλάει με γρήγορους ρυθμούς, μέσα από τις εναλασσόμενες αφηγήσεις του Ράστι, του γιού Νατ και του Τόμι χωρίς να κάνει ''κοιλιά'' σε οποιοδήποτε σημείο της εξέλιξης της πλοκής του. Σίγουρα δεν είναι ένα βιβλίο που μένει αξέχαστο, ωστόσο αξίζει τον κόπο να αφιερώσει κανείς μερικές ώρες στην ανάγνωση του καθώς πέρα από το μυστήριο της ιστορίας και την ικανοποιητική ανάπτυξη των χαρακτήρων, μπορεί κανείς να εξοικειωθεί με τις δικανικές διαδικασίες για τις οποίες ελάχιστοι, πέρα των νομικών, γνωρίζουν πολλά.
Να σημειωθεί ότι και το εν λόγω βιβλίο έχει μεταφερθεί στη μεγάλη οθόνη με τίτλο ''innocent'' και πρωταγωνιστή τον Bill Pullman.
December 29, 2017
just finished this one, five forty-one pee em, the 29th of december 2017, friday evening, already dark, been dark for some time. kindle, library loaner, good read, i liked it. three stars. didn't quite get what was happening, what it is, somewhere around the 1/3-mark, rusty and his computer...but that fell into place later on in the story. could that have been written better? or a better reader, one? one or the other.
August 12, 2015
ليس من السهل أن تكتُب عملا إجراميا – تحقيقيا و تُقحم فيه كل الإجراءات الروتينية التي تُتخذ داخل المحاكم و مكاتب المحاماة ، فرُغم خبرة الكاتب " سكوت " في هكذا مجال إلا أنه ثرثر كثيرًا إلى الحد الذي أصبحت فيه 200 صفحة مُجرد توطئة لدخول غمار لب القصة ، و هو ما أنهك العمل إجمالا بل و جعلنِي كقارئ أولا أعاني عُسرا في تتمة الأحداث التي بدت متصلة بشكل شديد الملل ثم كناقد أتساءل أين هي الضربة القاضية التي سيُذيلها صاحب العمل نهاية لتجعل الأحداث و التخمينات محض افتراء و هوس .
القاضي " راستي سابيتش " يُعدُّ بريئًا إلى حين ثبوتية الجريمة ، و لأن الكاتب أعلن – جهرًا – عبر عنوانه أن الشخصية الرئيسية بريئة من مقتل الزوجة " باربرا " ، فإنه لم يدع للقارئ مجالا للتخمينات أو لاتخاذ صف رفقة " تومي مولتو " هذا الأخير الذي رفع القضية إلى المحكمة العليا كنوع من التحريض العقلاني على أن المجرم – القاضي – وقع في نفسه الشرك حيثُ نجا من جريمته الأولى بالبراءة المطلقة مع ملف سيء السمعة التصق بالمحامي " تومي " صاحبنا الذي ظهر بمظهر الباحث عن الحقيقة في ظل التلفيقات السياسية و المقعدية التي تطالُ صفوف العون الحقوقي و أفراده .
لا أنكر أني استمتعتُ – نوعا ما – ب 200 صفحة الأخيرة إذ بدا أن " سكوت " حرك القدر التي كانت بلا نار ، إلا أنه جعلها تغلي دُون أن يوسخ البلاط ، و هذا أنهك القصة ككل و جعلها تبدو عادية دون أن تأخذ مجريات متسارعة و قاصمة و صعبة ، حتى الجزء الدرامي اتخذ منحى باردا و انكفأ بدخول القاضي السجن و حُزن ابنه عليه و ضياع مُستقبل مهني لامع .
رُبما لهذا السبب تُمنح مثل هذه الأعمال لشاشة السينما ، قد يُضيف عليها السيناريست بعضا من الإثارة أفقدتها الأوراق لمعتها الصاخبة ، و قد يكون المخرج ذكيا في حالة استقطب انتباه المشاهد بأن يعرض الجهة الأخرى من الحقيقة بشكل حاد و قلق .
على كل فإني تناولتُ هذه الصفحات التي امتدت لأكثر من 400 صفحة بنوع من النعاس الطفيف ، لم تشدني أية شخصية من شخصياتِ صاحبنا " سكوت " ، و لا استطعتُ أن أعِي كيف انتقلت الدفة العاطفية بين عشيقة الأب و الابن .
الاستفادة الوحيدة التي التمعت بعقلِي حين الانتهاء ، أنه يُمكن قتل شخص بالزرنيخ بما أن هذا الأخير لن يظهر في قائمة السموم ضمن التحقيق ، و بالتالي ستضمن عزيزي المجرم أن يكون موت ضحيتك طبيعيا جدا و دون مقاضاة و لا اتهامات .
P,S :
هناك جزء أول للرواية يُدعى " البريء المفترض " .
القاضي " راستي سابيتش " يُعدُّ بريئًا إلى حين ثبوتية الجريمة ، و لأن الكاتب أعلن – جهرًا – عبر عنوانه أن الشخصية الرئيسية بريئة من مقتل الزوجة " باربرا " ، فإنه لم يدع للقارئ مجالا للتخمينات أو لاتخاذ صف رفقة " تومي مولتو " هذا الأخير الذي رفع القضية إلى المحكمة العليا كنوع من التحريض العقلاني على أن المجرم – القاضي – وقع في نفسه الشرك حيثُ نجا من جريمته الأولى بالبراءة المطلقة مع ملف سيء السمعة التصق بالمحامي " تومي " صاحبنا الذي ظهر بمظهر الباحث عن الحقيقة في ظل التلفيقات السياسية و المقعدية التي تطالُ صفوف العون الحقوقي و أفراده .
لا أنكر أني استمتعتُ – نوعا ما – ب 200 صفحة الأخيرة إذ بدا أن " سكوت " حرك القدر التي كانت بلا نار ، إلا أنه جعلها تغلي دُون أن يوسخ البلاط ، و هذا أنهك القصة ككل و جعلها تبدو عادية دون أن تأخذ مجريات متسارعة و قاصمة و صعبة ، حتى الجزء الدرامي اتخذ منحى باردا و انكفأ بدخول القاضي السجن و حُزن ابنه عليه و ضياع مُستقبل مهني لامع .
رُبما لهذا السبب تُمنح مثل هذه الأعمال لشاشة السينما ، قد يُضيف عليها السيناريست بعضا من الإثارة أفقدتها الأوراق لمعتها الصاخبة ، و قد يكون المخرج ذكيا في حالة استقطب انتباه المشاهد بأن يعرض الجهة الأخرى من الحقيقة بشكل حاد و قلق .
على كل فإني تناولتُ هذه الصفحات التي امتدت لأكثر من 400 صفحة بنوع من النعاس الطفيف ، لم تشدني أية شخصية من شخصياتِ صاحبنا " سكوت " ، و لا استطعتُ أن أعِي كيف انتقلت الدفة العاطفية بين عشيقة الأب و الابن .
الاستفادة الوحيدة التي التمعت بعقلِي حين الانتهاء ، أنه يُمكن قتل شخص بالزرنيخ بما أن هذا الأخير لن يظهر في قائمة السموم ضمن التحقيق ، و بالتالي ستضمن عزيزي المجرم أن يكون موت ضحيتك طبيعيا جدا و دون مقاضاة و لا اتهامات .
P,S :
هناك جزء أول للرواية يُدعى " البريء المفترض " .
July 27, 2011
This book was intriguing at first but by the end I was just wanting to know how Barbara Sabich died. I felt like Turow was trying to put so many twists in the plot that after a while I didn't care anymore. I just wanted the book to end.
Having not read the previous book, I think I might've been more upset that Rusty Sabich wasn't convicted of murder-- even though he didn't kill his wife. I felt like his infidelity and such didn't help Barbara's decision to overdose. What was most upsetting was when Anna, who he had an affair with, ended up dating Rusty's son Nat. It was too much. I was disappointed that neither Anna nor Rusty ever told Nat. But I guess I don't have that kind of restraint. I understood they loved Nat enough they didn't want to possibly ruin things between Anna & Nat, but I don't know that I, myself, could live with myself if I didn't tell.
I was impressed by Tommy Molto's character. He was definitely a man of moral character that added some balance to Rusty's. In the end, it was a disppointing read and the story went on too long.
Having not read the previous book, I think I might've been more upset that Rusty Sabich wasn't convicted of murder-- even though he didn't kill his wife. I felt like his infidelity and such didn't help Barbara's decision to overdose. What was most upsetting was when Anna, who he had an affair with, ended up dating Rusty's son Nat. It was too much. I was disappointed that neither Anna nor Rusty ever told Nat. But I guess I don't have that kind of restraint. I understood they loved Nat enough they didn't want to possibly ruin things between Anna & Nat, but I don't know that I, myself, could live with myself if I didn't tell.
I was impressed by Tommy Molto's character. He was definitely a man of moral character that added some balance to Rusty's. In the end, it was a disppointing read and the story went on too long.
August 1, 2022
Ok, he’s officially 1 of my favorites! I really enjoy his legal thrillers- his attorneys are sharp, & even though the stories always make so much sense, they never feel predictable. Still, it’s the way he writes people that really sets him apart. Each book has these characters you get so attached to, & just completely understand exactly who they are- good & bad, & why.. I never want to say goodbye! But then the next 1 he manages to do the same! Seriously, I can always pick this series up when I’m in a slump, or just need a sure thing. I only wish it could go on forever!
May 8, 2011
I know this review is too long, but it is free of spoilers.
I read Scott Turow’s debut novel, Presumed Innocent about ten or twelve years ago, after watching the movie on DVD. I was impressed with Turow’s writing. I found him both intelligent and stylish. At times, I wasn’t too fond of the book’s protagonist, Rozak K. “Rusty” Sabich, and I was thoroughly disgusted by his wife, Barbara, but I did find Rusty a fascinating character. In Presumed Innocent, Rusty seemed a little too passive for a man whose career and freedom are on the line. Rusty, who was an amazing trial attorney in the first book and is an amazing appellate judge in this one, apparently lacks self-discipline when it comes to indulging his desires, and that lack gets him in big trouble. In Presumed Innocent, as a young prosecuting attorney, Rusty is charged with the murder of his lover and colleague, Carolyn Polhemus, a murder he didn’t commit. Most of the book deals with finding out who really did kill Carolyn and how to get the charges against Rusty dismissed. In Innocent, Rusty is once again charged with murder, but this time, it’s not a lover whose been found dead.
The Barbara and Rusty Sabich we meet in Innocent are, in many ways, the same Barbara and Rusty Sabich we met in Turow’s debut novel, and in other ways, they are very different. They’re older. Rusty is now sixty, and Barbara, still attractive, due in part to a fanatic exercise regimen (two hours a day, five days a week), is in her late fifties. Rusty is now the Chief Judge of the Third District Court of Appeals in Turow’s fictional Kindle County, which is much like Illinois’ Cook County, and he hopes to win a seat on the State Supreme Court in the upcoming November election. Both parents still adore their son, Nat, who is now nearly thirty, however both Barbara and Rusty still haven’t managed to overcome some very difficult situations in life and flaws in his/her character.
Barbara is severely bipolar, agoraphobic, and though she takes medication (she’ll try anything), she is, more often than not, an unhappy, screaming harridan. Rusty, though highly respected in his capacity as a judge, still has trouble looking the other way when young, beautiful women are around. This is a little surprising, at least initially. It’s been twenty-two years since charges that he murdered Carolyn were dismissed, and he says those charges and their subsequent dismissal taught him to “show some gratitude to whatever force allowed me to skate across the thinnest ice and make it.”
Maybe that “gratitude” is why Rusty chose to remain married to a person as purely evil as Barbara. I don’t know, and Turow doesn’t give us much of a reason other than the fact that Rusty was concerned about the emotionally fragile and impressionable Nat, the Sabichs only child, and the effect on Nat should his mother not be in his day-to-day life.
Those of us who’ve read Presumed Innocent and know what kind of woman Barbara Sabich is and what she’s capable of will have to strain our suspension of disbelief a little in order to accept the fact that any man, any man at all, would just pick up life with Barbara where it left off after Carolyn Polhemus’ murder, thinking Barbara, mother though she be, would be good for a highly impressionable four-year-old child, a delicate child in need of extensive psychotherapy. Even more shocking is the fact that Rusty resumes a “two to three times a week” intimate relationship with his wife. Readers who’ve read Presumed Innocent want to hit Rusty over the head with both that book and this one and say something like, “Dude! Look what she did! Wake up!” However, if you want to enjoy Innocent, and it is highly enjoyable, then you just have to accept Rusty’s decision to remain married to and intimate with Barbara, improbable though it be.
Innocent begins with an attention grabbing scene, and a bit of dialogue that show us what a master writer Turow is:
A man is sitting on a bed. He is my father.
The body of a woman is beneath the covers. She was my mother.
Turow is sensitive to verb tenses. I greatly appreciated that because many of today’s writers are not. I appreciate the care with which this author wrote his story.
Since the above dialogue occurs on page one, it’s not a spoiler to tell you that it’s Barbara who is dead, and it’s Rusty who is sitting on the bed. The chapter is narrated by Nat, of course. Right away, the central mystery of the book is set up: Did Barbara die a natural death, or did someone kill her? If someone killed her, who? Rusty? Nat? Someone else? And why, for goodness sake, did Rusty wait twenty-four hours to phone the police? Why did he rearrange the bedroom? He is, after all, a judge, a legal professional, and he knows the implications of sitting with a corpse for a day rather than calling for help.
When the coroner’s initial report shows that Barbara likely died of hypertensive heart failure, Rusty’s old nemesis, attorney, Tommy Molto, now Kindle County’s prosecuting attorney, is satisfied. “I can’t go near this,” Tommy says of allegations that Rusty might be responsible for Barbara’s death. “Too much history.” Tommy remembers all too well the perils of indicting on flimsy evidence, since it had been Tommy Molto who was certain Rusty had been responsible for Carolyn Polhemus’ murder. In fact, even though he was sanctioned for deliberately mishandling evidence at Rusty’s trial, Tommy remains convinced of Rusty’s guilt where Carolyn is concerned. He has, however, learned to be cautious, and he bears Rusty no grudge for what happened nearly twenty-five years ago. “A grudge,” Tommy says, “was a badge of the dishonest, who could not face the truth, including a truth that was unflattering to them.”
Tommy’s young chief deputy, Jim Brand, however, is a different story. Brand is convinced that Rusty did kill Barbara, and when events finally persuade Tommy of Rusty’s guilt yet a second time, Rusty is arrested and charged.
If you read Presumed Innocent (you really don’t have to in order to enjoy this book, though I recommend it highly), you’ll know when Rusty Sabich is in trouble, he calls on stellar criminal defense attorney, Sandy Stern. It was a young and elegant Sandy Stern who defended Rusty when he was on trial two decades ago, and it’s an aged and cancer stricken, but still elegant, Sandy Stern, along with daughter Marta, who defends Rusty yet again. Sandy Stern was one of my favorite characters in Presumed Innocent, and I was glad to see him again in this book.
A prominent character in Innocent, who we didn’t meet in the earlier book, is Anna Vostic, Rusty’s thirty-four year old former law clerk. Curvaceous and intelligent, on the surface Anna seems a lot like Carolyn, and both Rusty and Nat take an interest in her.
I found Anna’s characterization to be complex. Though she seems, at first glance, to be so wild and free, when we look more closely, the reader finds she’s a very dark and troubled young woman. Maybe not wholly likable, but still, understandable. I did think she was totally wrong for both Rusty and Nat. These are both men who really can’t deal properly with a troubled partner.
I really didn’t like Nat in Presumed Innocent, because he seemed pampered and spoiled, and I didn’t care for him in Innocent, either. The problem for me was that Nat cried and broke down far too much. Yes, I know he was an emotionally fragile young man, and I know he’d been through a lot, having a mother like Barbara. And I know men really should get in touch with their feminine side. But breaking into tears ten or fifteen times during the course of the book was just a bit too much for me. The fact that Nat was a man had no effect on my dislike. A female character who broke down that many times would have irked me as well. Readers are attracted to strong and competent characters. Sure, they can be terribly flawed, they just can’t be weak, and Nat, I’m afraid, is weak.
While Rusty and Barbara are, for the most part, unchanged from the earlier novel, Tommy Molto, on the other hand, is greatly changed. A firebrand in Presumed Innocent, Tommy Molto has mellowed with the years and with the love he feels for his young son, the only child of his late-in-life marriage. While Rusty might believe he remained with Barbara out of love for Nat, it’s Tommy Molto who, surprisingly, proves to be the dedicated family man as well as the novel’s moral center.
Innocent is told from the points of view of Rusty, Nat, and Anna, while omniscient narration functions to tell Tommy Molto’s side of things. There are many shifts back and forth in time, which several readers I know did not like. I, myself, found the structure of Innocent very sophisticated, and I felt oriented at all times. Turow masterfully sets up two story threads – in the first, he recounts, little by little, the events that led up to Barbara’s death, while the second encompasses Rusty’s second murder trial, with Sandy Stern at the helm. I love multiple points of view, but those readers who really dislike them probably won’t like Innocent, even though Turow handled viewpoint wonderfully.
Rusty, of course, is a deeply flawed human being. We can understand him, we can feel sympathy for him, but we don’t always like him or agree with his choices. I think the key to understanding Rusty is to realize that he’s terribly masochistic. While I couldn’t help but absolutely despise Barbara, any man who would remain married to her knowing what Rusty knows has to be masochistic. And once a reader grasps the full extent of that masochism, he or she will no longer say that Rusty’s actions do not ring true. They do. Given Nat’s ability for self-deception, readers have to wonder if Rusty passed this negative trait to his only child, and if we’ll encounter Nat is a future book.
There are readers who criticized this book for not being a “legal thriller,” and yes, Turow did invent the genre with Presumed Innocent, paving the way for more prolific, but less careful and deliberate writers like John Grisham. But expecting Innocent to be a “thriller” is, I think, to miss the book’s point. This book is a more reflective character study than a plot driven thriller. It’s a melancholic and elegiac book that explores serious issues like aging, marriage, and death. And yes, innocence.
The writing in Innocent, like all the writing in all of Turow’s books, is sophisticated and mature. Turow is at his best, I think, when describing the courtroom scenes (Rusty’s trial encompasses the second half of the book) and the meanderings of the legal system he knows so well.
While there are no “I can’t believe it!” moments in Innocent, the book does, I think, capture so well the darkness and failings to which most human beings at time succumb. And that, I think, is this novel’s whole raison d’etre.
4.5/5
Recommended: If you like character studies of deeply flawed human beings and are not expecting a “legal thriller” you’ll probably enjoy this book. Rusty’s trial for murder does encompass almost the entire second half of the book, so be prepared to learn quite a bit about the US legal system. The book is rather slow paced and melancholic, and at times, you have to dig deep to understand the characters and their motivations, however it’s all worth it.
You can find my reviews, writing tips, etc. at literarycornercafe.blogspot.com
I read Scott Turow’s debut novel, Presumed Innocent about ten or twelve years ago, after watching the movie on DVD. I was impressed with Turow’s writing. I found him both intelligent and stylish. At times, I wasn’t too fond of the book’s protagonist, Rozak K. “Rusty” Sabich, and I was thoroughly disgusted by his wife, Barbara, but I did find Rusty a fascinating character. In Presumed Innocent, Rusty seemed a little too passive for a man whose career and freedom are on the line. Rusty, who was an amazing trial attorney in the first book and is an amazing appellate judge in this one, apparently lacks self-discipline when it comes to indulging his desires, and that lack gets him in big trouble. In Presumed Innocent, as a young prosecuting attorney, Rusty is charged with the murder of his lover and colleague, Carolyn Polhemus, a murder he didn’t commit. Most of the book deals with finding out who really did kill Carolyn and how to get the charges against Rusty dismissed. In Innocent, Rusty is once again charged with murder, but this time, it’s not a lover whose been found dead.
The Barbara and Rusty Sabich we meet in Innocent are, in many ways, the same Barbara and Rusty Sabich we met in Turow’s debut novel, and in other ways, they are very different. They’re older. Rusty is now sixty, and Barbara, still attractive, due in part to a fanatic exercise regimen (two hours a day, five days a week), is in her late fifties. Rusty is now the Chief Judge of the Third District Court of Appeals in Turow’s fictional Kindle County, which is much like Illinois’ Cook County, and he hopes to win a seat on the State Supreme Court in the upcoming November election. Both parents still adore their son, Nat, who is now nearly thirty, however both Barbara and Rusty still haven’t managed to overcome some very difficult situations in life and flaws in his/her character.
Barbara is severely bipolar, agoraphobic, and though she takes medication (she’ll try anything), she is, more often than not, an unhappy, screaming harridan. Rusty, though highly respected in his capacity as a judge, still has trouble looking the other way when young, beautiful women are around. This is a little surprising, at least initially. It’s been twenty-two years since charges that he murdered Carolyn were dismissed, and he says those charges and their subsequent dismissal taught him to “show some gratitude to whatever force allowed me to skate across the thinnest ice and make it.”
Maybe that “gratitude” is why Rusty chose to remain married to a person as purely evil as Barbara. I don’t know, and Turow doesn’t give us much of a reason other than the fact that Rusty was concerned about the emotionally fragile and impressionable Nat, the Sabichs only child, and the effect on Nat should his mother not be in his day-to-day life.
Those of us who’ve read Presumed Innocent and know what kind of woman Barbara Sabich is and what she’s capable of will have to strain our suspension of disbelief a little in order to accept the fact that any man, any man at all, would just pick up life with Barbara where it left off after Carolyn Polhemus’ murder, thinking Barbara, mother though she be, would be good for a highly impressionable four-year-old child, a delicate child in need of extensive psychotherapy. Even more shocking is the fact that Rusty resumes a “two to three times a week” intimate relationship with his wife. Readers who’ve read Presumed Innocent want to hit Rusty over the head with both that book and this one and say something like, “Dude! Look what she did! Wake up!” However, if you want to enjoy Innocent, and it is highly enjoyable, then you just have to accept Rusty’s decision to remain married to and intimate with Barbara, improbable though it be.
Innocent begins with an attention grabbing scene, and a bit of dialogue that show us what a master writer Turow is:
A man is sitting on a bed. He is my father.
The body of a woman is beneath the covers. She was my mother.
Turow is sensitive to verb tenses. I greatly appreciated that because many of today’s writers are not. I appreciate the care with which this author wrote his story.
Since the above dialogue occurs on page one, it’s not a spoiler to tell you that it’s Barbara who is dead, and it’s Rusty who is sitting on the bed. The chapter is narrated by Nat, of course. Right away, the central mystery of the book is set up: Did Barbara die a natural death, or did someone kill her? If someone killed her, who? Rusty? Nat? Someone else? And why, for goodness sake, did Rusty wait twenty-four hours to phone the police? Why did he rearrange the bedroom? He is, after all, a judge, a legal professional, and he knows the implications of sitting with a corpse for a day rather than calling for help.
When the coroner’s initial report shows that Barbara likely died of hypertensive heart failure, Rusty’s old nemesis, attorney, Tommy Molto, now Kindle County’s prosecuting attorney, is satisfied. “I can’t go near this,” Tommy says of allegations that Rusty might be responsible for Barbara’s death. “Too much history.” Tommy remembers all too well the perils of indicting on flimsy evidence, since it had been Tommy Molto who was certain Rusty had been responsible for Carolyn Polhemus’ murder. In fact, even though he was sanctioned for deliberately mishandling evidence at Rusty’s trial, Tommy remains convinced of Rusty’s guilt where Carolyn is concerned. He has, however, learned to be cautious, and he bears Rusty no grudge for what happened nearly twenty-five years ago. “A grudge,” Tommy says, “was a badge of the dishonest, who could not face the truth, including a truth that was unflattering to them.”
Tommy’s young chief deputy, Jim Brand, however, is a different story. Brand is convinced that Rusty did kill Barbara, and when events finally persuade Tommy of Rusty’s guilt yet a second time, Rusty is arrested and charged.
If you read Presumed Innocent (you really don’t have to in order to enjoy this book, though I recommend it highly), you’ll know when Rusty Sabich is in trouble, he calls on stellar criminal defense attorney, Sandy Stern. It was a young and elegant Sandy Stern who defended Rusty when he was on trial two decades ago, and it’s an aged and cancer stricken, but still elegant, Sandy Stern, along with daughter Marta, who defends Rusty yet again. Sandy Stern was one of my favorite characters in Presumed Innocent, and I was glad to see him again in this book.
A prominent character in Innocent, who we didn’t meet in the earlier book, is Anna Vostic, Rusty’s thirty-four year old former law clerk. Curvaceous and intelligent, on the surface Anna seems a lot like Carolyn, and both Rusty and Nat take an interest in her.
I found Anna’s characterization to be complex. Though she seems, at first glance, to be so wild and free, when we look more closely, the reader finds she’s a very dark and troubled young woman. Maybe not wholly likable, but still, understandable. I did think she was totally wrong for both Rusty and Nat. These are both men who really can’t deal properly with a troubled partner.
I really didn’t like Nat in Presumed Innocent, because he seemed pampered and spoiled, and I didn’t care for him in Innocent, either. The problem for me was that Nat cried and broke down far too much. Yes, I know he was an emotionally fragile young man, and I know he’d been through a lot, having a mother like Barbara. And I know men really should get in touch with their feminine side. But breaking into tears ten or fifteen times during the course of the book was just a bit too much for me. The fact that Nat was a man had no effect on my dislike. A female character who broke down that many times would have irked me as well. Readers are attracted to strong and competent characters. Sure, they can be terribly flawed, they just can’t be weak, and Nat, I’m afraid, is weak.
While Rusty and Barbara are, for the most part, unchanged from the earlier novel, Tommy Molto, on the other hand, is greatly changed. A firebrand in Presumed Innocent, Tommy Molto has mellowed with the years and with the love he feels for his young son, the only child of his late-in-life marriage. While Rusty might believe he remained with Barbara out of love for Nat, it’s Tommy Molto who, surprisingly, proves to be the dedicated family man as well as the novel’s moral center.
Innocent is told from the points of view of Rusty, Nat, and Anna, while omniscient narration functions to tell Tommy Molto’s side of things. There are many shifts back and forth in time, which several readers I know did not like. I, myself, found the structure of Innocent very sophisticated, and I felt oriented at all times. Turow masterfully sets up two story threads – in the first, he recounts, little by little, the events that led up to Barbara’s death, while the second encompasses Rusty’s second murder trial, with Sandy Stern at the helm. I love multiple points of view, but those readers who really dislike them probably won’t like Innocent, even though Turow handled viewpoint wonderfully.
Rusty, of course, is a deeply flawed human being. We can understand him, we can feel sympathy for him, but we don’t always like him or agree with his choices. I think the key to understanding Rusty is to realize that he’s terribly masochistic. While I couldn’t help but absolutely despise Barbara, any man who would remain married to her knowing what Rusty knows has to be masochistic. And once a reader grasps the full extent of that masochism, he or she will no longer say that Rusty’s actions do not ring true. They do. Given Nat’s ability for self-deception, readers have to wonder if Rusty passed this negative trait to his only child, and if we’ll encounter Nat is a future book.
There are readers who criticized this book for not being a “legal thriller,” and yes, Turow did invent the genre with Presumed Innocent, paving the way for more prolific, but less careful and deliberate writers like John Grisham. But expecting Innocent to be a “thriller” is, I think, to miss the book’s point. This book is a more reflective character study than a plot driven thriller. It’s a melancholic and elegiac book that explores serious issues like aging, marriage, and death. And yes, innocence.
The writing in Innocent, like all the writing in all of Turow’s books, is sophisticated and mature. Turow is at his best, I think, when describing the courtroom scenes (Rusty’s trial encompasses the second half of the book) and the meanderings of the legal system he knows so well.
While there are no “I can’t believe it!” moments in Innocent, the book does, I think, capture so well the darkness and failings to which most human beings at time succumb. And that, I think, is this novel’s whole raison d’etre.
4.5/5
Recommended: If you like character studies of deeply flawed human beings and are not expecting a “legal thriller” you’ll probably enjoy this book. Rusty’s trial for murder does encompass almost the entire second half of the book, so be prepared to learn quite a bit about the US legal system. The book is rather slow paced and melancholic, and at times, you have to dig deep to understand the characters and their motivations, however it’s all worth it.
You can find my reviews, writing tips, etc. at literarycornercafe.blogspot.com
November 15, 2017
I remember reading Presumed Innocent twenty years ago, and I thought "wow!" So when its sequelInnocent came out, I waited to read it. Presumed Innocent was, and still is, one of the best legal thrillers I've ever read. It exuded psychological suspense and the courtroom drama still is some of the best writing I've ever encountered.
Then, around Turow's 5th novel I stopped reading Scott Turow all together. I can't remember why, until I labored through Innocent. Whom ever Turow's Editor is now should be fired. The characters all are whiny; "all about ME!" I feel, I, I, I. And Rusty Sabitch makes two really dumb mistakes (or moves, if you will) that seem really unrealistic especially for Chief Appellate Court Justice and someone who had been tried and acquitted for murder once. But without these silly mistakes, there wouldn't have been a story.
And the courtroom scenes didn't seem urgent. Just going through the motions, tensions somewhat lacking. I believe it is time for this reader to say farewell to Scot Turow.
Then, around Turow's 5th novel I stopped reading Scott Turow all together. I can't remember why, until I labored through Innocent. Whom ever Turow's Editor is now should be fired. The characters all are whiny; "all about ME!" I feel, I, I, I. And Rusty Sabitch makes two really dumb mistakes (or moves, if you will) that seem really unrealistic especially for Chief Appellate Court Justice and someone who had been tried and acquitted for murder once. But without these silly mistakes, there wouldn't have been a story.
And the courtroom scenes didn't seem urgent. Just going through the motions, tensions somewhat lacking. I believe it is time for this reader to say farewell to Scot Turow.
June 17, 2010
Innocent is not the first Turow book you should read. I know. I have read all his novels about "Kindle County." The first book has to be "Presumed Innocent" since that book concerns Rusty Sabich and many of the same characters 20 years earlier.
Turow is a brilliant writer whose style is a joy to experience. Though this book is not about happy topics -It is about affairs of the heart. It is about how the police and the prosecutors think about crime and their jobs. It is about the dark side of growing older and less optimistic about the way life works out.
The story is played out in court and around lawyers in a way that shows how intimately Turow understands all he has assembled. And, I guess, I agree with some other reviewers that it reflects on Turow's own aging process and what he has gleaned from it.
Turow is a brilliant writer whose style is a joy to experience. Though this book is not about happy topics -It is about affairs of the heart. It is about how the police and the prosecutors think about crime and their jobs. It is about the dark side of growing older and less optimistic about the way life works out.
The story is played out in court and around lawyers in a way that shows how intimately Turow understands all he has assembled. And, I guess, I agree with some other reviewers that it reflects on Turow's own aging process and what he has gleaned from it.
March 2, 2015
Innocent by Scott Turow.
The suspenseful cross examination of Sabich by Motto for the murder of his wife is reason enough to read this book. The follow-up to Presumed Innocent. Excellently written, the author takes us on a journey of long past secrets revealed to a now adult child of the victim and (possible) murderer...his father.
This book, listened to on CD, has brought me into the world of Scott Turow/author. Narrators include: Edward Herrmann & Orlagh Cassidy.
The suspenseful cross examination of Sabich by Motto for the murder of his wife is reason enough to read this book. The follow-up to Presumed Innocent. Excellently written, the author takes us on a journey of long past secrets revealed to a now adult child of the victim and (possible) murderer...his father.
This book, listened to on CD, has brought me into the world of Scott Turow/author. Narrators include: Edward Herrmann & Orlagh Cassidy.
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