Publisher Description
The "unputdownable courtroom drama" (Stephen King) and riveting sequel to the landmark bestseller Presumed Innocent, in which Tommy Molto and Rusty Sabich come head-to-head in a second murder trial.
Twenty years after Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto went head to head in the shattering murder trial of Presumed Innocent, the men are once more pitted against one another in a riveting psychological match. When Sabich, now 60 years old and the chief judge of an appellate court, finds his wife Barbara dead under mysterious circumstances, Molto accuses him of murder for the second time, setting into motion a trial that is vintage Turow--the courtroom at its most taut and explosive. With his characteristic insight into both the dark truths of the human psyche and the dense intricacies of the criminal justice system, Scott Turow proves once again that some books simply compel us to read late into the night, desperate to know who did it.
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The hero of Scott Turow's first novel faces yet another murder charge involving a woman with whom he had an intimate relationship. InnocentScott Turow. Grand Central, (406p) Mesmerizing prose and intricate plotting lift Turow's superlative legal thriller, his best novel since his bestselling debut, Presumed Innocent, to which this is a sequel. 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. Once again, Turow displays an uncanny ability for making the passions and contradictions of his main characters accessible and understandable.
Customer Reviews
Pretty good
It was a good read, but a little jumpy. In a first person narrative, the narrator is not supposed to know what the other characters are thinking. That's the advantage of third person narrative, which doesn't have that limitation. In this book there are three characters giving first person narration, and poor Tommy is stuck in third person. Then the time line jumps all around. Perhaps everyone can do dumb things under stress, but any idiot knows if you find your spouse dead, you call 911 even if the body is cold. Do anything else and the cops will be all over you. Rusty was pretty dumb. I though the final "twist" tied up the "loose ends."
Innocent by Scott Turow
Presumed Innocent, his earlier book with same characters picks up his story 20 years later in Innocent. Both are stand alone but reading them is order is the way to go. Both are very suspenseful and you don’t know the ending until the final pages.
Bad story
Lost interest in all of the characters about half way through. Not an enjoyable read.