Presumed Guilty
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3.9 • 23 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
Read Scott Turow’s new “unputdownable” courtroom drama from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Presumed Innocent, the phenomenon that redefined the legal thriller and is the basis for Apple TV+’s most-watched drama series ever (Kristin Hannah, #1 NYT bestselling author).
“No one does it better.”―David Baldacci, #1 NYT Bestselling Author
“The truth is, Turow is just better at this than the rest of us.”―Greg Iles, #1 NYT Bestselling Author
“This is manna for legal-thriller fans."―Booklist, starred review
“This easily ranks among Turow’s best."―Publishers Weekly, starred review
“An absorbing and entertaining read.” ―Kirkus
Rusty is a retired judge attempting a third act in life with a loving soon-to-be wife, Bea, with whom he shares both a restful home on an idyllic lake in the rural Midwest and a plaintive hope that this marriage will be his best, and his last. But the peace that’s taken Rusty so long to find evaporates when Bea’s young adult son, Aaron, living under their supervision while on probation for drug possession, disappears. If Aaron doesn’t return soon, he will be sent back to jail.
Aaron eventually turns up with a vague story about a camping trip with his troubled girlfriend, Mae, that ended in a fight and a long hitchhike home. Days later, when she still hasn’t returned, suspicion falls on Aaron, and when Mae is subsequently discovered dead, Aaron is arrested and set for trial on charges of first-degree murder.
Faced with few choices and even fewer hopes, Bea begs Rusty to return to court one last time, to defend her son and to save their last best hope for happiness. For Rusty, the question is not whether to defend Aaron, or whether the boy is in fact innocent—it’s whether the system to which he has devoted his life can ever provide true justice for those who are presumed guilty.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A retired courtroom legend is dragged back for one last case defending his fiancée’s troubled son in this pulse-pounding legal thriller. Now a retired judge, Rusty Sabich is ready to marry Bea, his new love, whose adopted son, Aaron, is on probation for drug possession. But when Aaron’s girlfriend, Mae, is found strangled to death following the couple’s camping trip, Rusty is drawn back to the law to defend him—and find out what really happened to poor Mae, whose prominent family is pushing hard for a conviction. Author Scott Turow brings back his beloved long-running protagonist for a tense murder case that tests his moral and personal boundaries. Combining his trademark taut courtroom drama and comprehensive legal expertise with piercing and emotional social insight, Presumed Guilty is the work of a writer at the top of his game.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Turow shines in his third legal thriller featuring former Kindle County prosecutor Rusty Sabich (after Innocent). Now 77, Rusty has retired and settled down with elementary school principal Bea Housley. His hopes for a small wedding and quiet retirement are derailed when Bea's 22-year-old adopted son, Aaron, gets into trouble. Ever since he was convicted, 18 months earlier, of felony drug possession, Aaron, who is Black, has been on strict probation that requires him to stay in contact with Bea and Rusty. Then the couple loses touch with him for several days. After Aaron resurfaces, he claims he was camping with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, and that he left her in the woods following a fierce argument. But when Aaron's girlfriend is found strangled to death, he's charged with murder. Against his better judgment, Rusty agrees to defend him, despite having limited experience as a defense attorney. Turow keeps readers guessing about the truth, impressively maintaining suspense across the book's hefty page count. Along the way, he weaves in trenchant observations about the justice system's racial biases, which weigh heavily on Rusty's decision to take up Aaron's case. This easily ranks among Turow's best.
Customer Reviews
Excellent but….
The book was excellent except for his few comments about DEI and his swallowing of the climate change story.