Patron Book Review: Innocent by Scott Turow

Posted by patron and guest blogger, Irv S.

Innocent by Scott Turow is a sequel to his blockbuster breakthrough novel, Presumed Innocent.  Stephen King called Innocent "a driving, unputdownable courtroom drama/murder mystery that is also a literary treasure, written in language that sparkles with  clarity and resonates with honest character insight. I came away feeling amazed and fulfilled....Put this one on your don't miss list."

The two principal characters are the same as in the prior novel:  prosecutor Tommy Molto, formerly an assistant prosecuting attorney,is now the acting P.A.; defendant Rusty Sabich, formerly an assistant p.a., is now chief appellate judge and a candidate for the state supreme court. As in Presumed Innocent, Sabich's predicament as defendant is exacerbated by an illicit affair, this time with his thirtysomething former law clerk.

Each chapter is told from the point of view on one of the characters. For that reason the story is told in a nonlinear fashion, but Turow has presented it understandably. The reader doesn't get lost, rather the technique is used artfully to build suspense.

There are numerous allusions to the prior novel, one who has not read it will miss some points.  Nevertheless the novel can stand on its own. Stephen King, not surprisingly, got it right, a don't miss for readers of courtroom drama or of murder mysteries.