The BookBrowse Review

Published December 4, 2024

ISSN: 1930-0018

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Book Jacket

Presumed Guilty
Presumed Innocent #3
by Scott Turow
14 Jan 2025
544 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Thrillers
Critics:

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). 

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.

"The trial that follows is a master class in legal suspense as Turow weaves together the devastation of Aaron and Bea's families, simmering racial prejudice, and the impact of smalltown politics within a framework of deliciously tense courtroom dynamics. This is manna for legal-thriller fans." ―Booklist (starred review)

"Turow keeps readers guessing...This easily ranks among Turow's best." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"No one stages courtroom scenes better than this celebrated Chicago attorney. An absorbing and entertaining read." ―Kirkus Reviews

"A compelling, unputdownable legal thriller that explores the dark side of justice in a small town and on a fractured family. Scott Turow is at the top of his game with this complex, emotionally charged courtroom drama that will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can." ―Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Presumed Guilty takes you out of your comfort zone and challenges you to think long and hard about the most important issues we face as a country. Every time I pick up a new Scott Turow book, I am reminded what a national treasure he is. Few novelists are his peer when it comes to prose, plot, and character. No one does it better." ―David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author

Scott Turow continues to work as an attorney, and is a partner in the Chicago office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, a national law firm with 600 lawyers. His practice centers on white collar criminal litigation and he devotes a substantial part of his practice now to pro bono work, including representations in cases involving the death penalty. In one of these matters, Alejandro Hernandez, co-defendant of Rolando Cruz, was exonerated after 11 years in prison.

He was born on April 12, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois. He graduated with high honors from Amherst College in 1970. That year, he received an Edith Mirrielees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which he attended from 1970-72. From 1972 to 1975, he taught Creative Writing at Stanford, as E.H. Jones Lecturer. In 1975, he entered Harvard Law School, graduating with honors in 1978.  From 1978 to 1986, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago. He was one of the prosecutors in the trial of Illinois Attorney General William J. Scott, who was convicted of tax fraud. He was also lead government counsel in a number of the trials connected to Operation Greylord, a federal investigation of corruption in the Illinois judiciary. He has been active in a number of charitable causes, including Literacy Chicago. In 1997-98, he served as president of the Authors Guild, which is the national membership organization for professional writers, and continues to serve on its governing board. He is a Trustee of Amherst College. 

He has been appointed to a number of public bodies. He is currently the Chairman of Illinois' Executive Ethics Commission. From 2002-2004, he served as Chair of the Illinois State Appellate Defender's Commission, which oversees the state agency which represents indigent criminal defendants in their appeals. He served as one of the fourteen members of the Commission appointed in March, 2000, by Illinois Governor George Ryan to consider reform of the capital punishment system; the Commission was appointed after Governor Ryan declared a Moratorium on executions and delivered its report in April 2002. From 2000 to 2002, He was a member of the Illinois State Police Merit Board, which determines matters of hiring, promotion and discipline for members of the Illinois State Police. He also has served in 1997 and 1998 on the United States Senate Nominations Commission for the Northern District of Illinois, which recommended appointment of federal judges. 

Scott Turow has three adult children. He lives outside Chicago.

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