Scott Turow had a big hit with his first thriller Presumed Innocent in 1987. It was made into a movie with Harrison Ford and Bonnie Bedelia and made Turow's name in legal fiction.
After many other bestselling novels, Turow brings the same characters up to date in his 2010 sequel Innocent.
Alan J. Pakula directed the Presumed Innocent film, and has also directed Innocent for TV starring Bill Pullman and Marcia Gay Harden.
Taking place twenty years after Presumed, Rusty Sabich is now a chief judge of the appellate court in his sixties, still married to Barbara, and still committing adultery. If you remember Presumed, Barbara had a few problems with Rusty sleeping around. When his lover was murdered he was accused and went on trial. Afterwards, they tried to put the past behind them and move forward together. I would never have thought they would still be together, but, she's a bi-polar nut, and he cheats so, I guess they make it work.
Innocent opens with her death, and the assumption that it wasn't a natural heart attack, but that he murdered again to avoid an impending divorce. His old adversary Tommy Molto begins to search for the truth, and Rusty calls in his previous defender Sandy Stern. It had been a long time since I read Presumed Innocent, and it was interesting to see where the characters had ended up, even though I really don't like Rusty. His behaviour isn't idiotic or out of character, he's just selfish and a jerk in my opinion. Still, I was on his side for the most part, as you don't have to have likeable characters to form a fascinating story.
The novel flips back and forth between characters and time in a very interesting way. Chapters alternate narration between Rusty, Tommy, Rusty's girlfriend Anna, and his emotional son Nat. Often my questions about a situation were answered from another characters viewpoint.
It was increasingly interesting to read, involving and well plotted, and the last half which centers around the trial was as exciting and gripping as I hoped it would be. There are many courtroom dramas to read, but Turow gives you enough to understand the legalities while still throwing a few curveballs. My only dissatisfaction was when the truth is finally revealed about Barbara's death. Probable, believable, but still a let down.
I read a lot of thrillers, and would put Turow at the top over other legal writers like John Grisham, Brad Meltzer or David Baldacci. They are entertaining reading, but Turow has an authenticity that years of law practice, and being an Assistant US Attorney can bring.
He's a cut above the beach-read.
Innocent was a great legal drama - enjoyed and recommended.
2010 / Paperback / 542 pages
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