Reviews for Presumed Innocent

The average rating for Presumed Innocent based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-06-18 00:00:00 Rhoderick Patricio This is one of the best books that I have read recently. It is a great legal thriller cum murder mystery. No wonder the book finds mention in both the top 100 mystery/crime novel lists published by the Britain-based Crime Writers' Association and by the Mystery Writers of America. Both the lists were published in the nineties and feature some of the finest specimens of crime writing. The lists can be found here - Link The story is narrated by Rozat K. Sabich aka Rusty, chief deputy prosecutor of Kindle county who is also the protagonist. The story begins with the murder of Carolyn, another prosecuting attorney, with whom Rusty had an affair and never got over his obsession of her. Rusty gets the responsibility of investigating the crime but himself ends up getting accused of the murder and faces trial. The book features some really great court room scenes, complex characters and portrays so many human emotions and frailties. Illicit passion, betrayal, corruption, dirty politics, jealousy, friendship, paternal feelings, family bonds - everything finds a place in the story. The author has also explained quite a few legal technicalities which makes it easier for the reader to understand some of the complexities of the trial. The mystery is excellent and the very few would be able to guess the identity of the culprit. Rusty, accustomed to putting criminals behind bars, is now the accused and feels how is it to be on the other side. He talks about his obsession with Carolyn, his childhood, his strained relationship with his wife, his fear of missing out his son's childhood if he is sent to prison. Some of his ramblings is actually a bit boring and do not fit in the story.The author's use of the English language is impressive but somehow I felt at times it was not compatible with the character or the story. e.g. a person, who is a prosecutor not a poet, facing a murder charge is unlikely to use phrases like "doors and windows of my soul are thrown open to a fundamental gratitude". It is my only criticism of the novel. The book is not just a thriller but Scott Turow's attempt to explore the intricacies of the human mind and he has done a commendable job. I would recommend the book to lovers of legal thrillers, murder mysteries, psychological thrillers if he/she does not mind the ramblings of the protagonist.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-07-20 00:00:00 Anguts Sadalak Now i get what all the praise is about! If anything i enjoyed it more than i had hoped, even after reading its accolades. I mean what else can i say?! It deserves all it got! & imo it's still in a league of its own, so many years (& great legal thrillers) later. But i do really want to recommend the audiobook. The narrator was exceptional!! You could feel the tension. It's a long 1 (about 16 hours) but i genuinely wasn't bored for a second. I felt like i could close my eyes & be IN that courtroom! So good. So smart. If anything, I'm actually in mourning now that its over. I know i can't possibly expect the entire series to be this extraordinary but I'm still super excited that there's more.