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jbliv's review
4.0
Way back when, I read Presumed Innocent for the same reason most people did: it was the thriller to read that year. But what grabbed me most about Turow's book was how stunningly real his characters were, how in subtle strokes the author was able to conjur up insights that sent little shocks of recognition through you. And since then, I have read every Turwo book for that exact reason; for the delicacy of his characters, and for the interplay between them. If you think Turow's books are mere legal dramas, you're missing the point by a wide margin. The plot here is almost irrelevant. Turow will surprise you with the depth of character and with the plot development, and yes, there is courtroom drama, but it is there merely to unfold these dramatic lives before us. While the ending is nowhere near the shocker of Presume Innocent's, it's still immensely satisfying. Highly recommended.
pierceinverarity's review
5.0
Innocent is a worthy successor to Scott Turow's first novel, Presumed Innocent. At his best, Turow dovetails intricate plotting with great character details, and he outdoes himself here.
katemoxie's review
Thought - hoped? - we'd all be left pondering the various options for the end, but it was all very neatly wrapped up for us.
joeholmes's review
3.0
Turow has always been a very good writer, and he's a master of the courtroom scene. As a former lawyer myself, I appreciate the subtle way he shows the DA's office making decisions about winning a case -- the moral and ethical dilemmas and the attorneys who choose various paths to winning a case. My only disappointment is that I was expecting more of a Wow ending (my expectations having been set by Presumed Innocent) and so I found the climax a bit of a let down.
littletaiko's review
4.0
Innocent by Scott Turow was a really enjoyable sequel to Presumed Innocent. It's an interesting study of how people don't really change at their core and how sometimes what you believe to be true is quite different from reality. The fact that the story was told from multiple points of view instead of just Rusty's this time made the story even more interesting.
carolpk's review
4.0
Do you ever wonder why you pick up a book? I had put Innocent on my list when it was first published. I had really liked Presumed Innocent when I read it in the 80's. The more I thought about it the more reluctant I became to read this sequel. I think I worried it would ruin my love of the first. Did I really care what happened to Rusty Sabich? Cheez, that was twenty years ago. As fate would have it while visiting our library, there was the audiobook, staring me smack in the face and I needed something to listen too so home it came with me.
At first, my initial concerns were confirmed. Rusty is in trouble again. His wife Barbara is dead, seemingly a suicide. Rusty waits more than a day to report this death, some suspect murder and as in Presumed Innocent, he becomes the logical suspect. Old hat. Then something changed and as I listened to InnocentI quickly became engrossed in the story, the plotting, the thrill of the hunt for the truth. I couldn't walk long enough or listen fast enough so dumped the audio and got the book. Finished it in a day and would rate it right up there with Rusty's first appearance.
I think you could easily read either as a stand-alone but having the background (though sketched in Innocent) does make for a better read. I loved the characters, particularly those that reappeared from Presumed Innocent. It was good to see their growth or not. As I turned the last page I was glad I fit this book into my reading schedule and enjoyed Turow's expertise in Turow bringing the plot twists together. Though some found improbabilities, none stood out enough to bother me. The courtroom scenes are informative and up there with the best of the lawyers who are writers. What really made Innocent for me was that most of my theories were wrong, never figuring it out and was surprised by the ending. I like that!
At first, my initial concerns were confirmed. Rusty is in trouble again. His wife Barbara is dead, seemingly a suicide. Rusty waits more than a day to report this death, some suspect murder and as in Presumed Innocent, he becomes the logical suspect. Old hat. Then something changed and as I listened to InnocentI quickly became engrossed in the story, the plotting, the thrill of the hunt for the truth. I couldn't walk long enough or listen fast enough so dumped the audio and got the book. Finished it in a day and would rate it right up there with Rusty's first appearance.
I think you could easily read either as a stand-alone but having the background (though sketched in Innocent) does make for a better read. I loved the characters, particularly those that reappeared from Presumed Innocent. It was good to see their growth or not. As I turned the last page I was glad I fit this book into my reading schedule and enjoyed Turow's expertise in Turow bringing the plot twists together. Though some found improbabilities, none stood out enough to bother me. The courtroom scenes are informative and up there with the best of the lawyers who are writers. What really made Innocent for me was that most of my theories were wrong, never figuring it out and was surprised by the ending. I like that!
gps1138's review
4.0
LIke the first book, this keeps you guessing right up to the end. Entertaining and worthwhile.
nedhayes's review
1.0
Turow's great insight with the legal procedural, was to make the personal matter as much as what happened in the courtroom. In the end, the story of "Presumed Innocent" was that all law is really personal. Every action, at the end of the day, derives from our personal drives.
It is a pleasure to be back in the world of Kindle County with Rusty Sabich.
Rusty was so appealing in Presumed Innocent, because he was always an underdog, someone to root for. He was smart, but an unlikely hero who kept out-witting his adversaries. He was a hero who found corruption.
Sadly, although the personal emphasis is there, this most recent novel from Turow misses the mark in almost every way that matters.
The issues with this novel began with the fact that Rusty is now a comfortable, over-paid (and over-sexed) judge on the bench. Fat, but not happy.
Who identifies with such a man? Some of the elite, but often not even those readers would like this man.
Here, Rusty makes stupid mistakes, compounded by unbelievable situations concocted by the writer, compounded by more stupid mistakes. Here, he IS the root of corruption, not the clean-acting hero who is confounded by other people's perfidy.
I found Rusty detestable here, which made me sad.
It is a pleasure to be back in the world of Kindle County with Rusty Sabich.
Rusty was so appealing in Presumed Innocent, because he was always an underdog, someone to root for. He was smart, but an unlikely hero who kept out-witting his adversaries. He was a hero who found corruption.
Sadly, although the personal emphasis is there, this most recent novel from Turow misses the mark in almost every way that matters.
The issues with this novel began with the fact that Rusty is now a comfortable, over-paid (and over-sexed) judge on the bench. Fat, but not happy.
Who identifies with such a man? Some of the elite, but often not even those readers would like this man.
Here, Rusty makes stupid mistakes, compounded by unbelievable situations concocted by the writer, compounded by more stupid mistakes. Here, he IS the root of corruption, not the clean-acting hero who is confounded by other people's perfidy.
I found Rusty detestable here, which made me sad.
lucyrosa's review
4.0
it was okay. more like 3.5 but i was feeling generous. i read the first half of the book with no problem. once we got to the trial part, i started skipping through. it just didn’t intrigue me as it should have. great first half, mediocre middle, good ending. i get that it is a standalone book of sorts but it would have been really cool if Turow had included details from Presumed Innocent. it would’ve made it that much more cohesive.
erika_is_reading's review
2.0
I found myself skimming rapidly to find out what happened, which is a sure sign that the writing is bad. Very few of the characters were well developed or made lasting impressions. The few that resonated (e.g., his lawyer) were caricatures, and some of the personal details seemed distracting. The dead wife had bipolar disorder (I, clearly). That part seemed well researched and resonated, but her character was never really drawn out. It was researched adequately to advance the plot and make an impression, but not enough to really bring her to life. The affair between Anna and the Judge was fairly well drawn as well, but again, only enough to advance the plot, not enough to bring them to life. I was a bit surprised at aspects of the ending (perhaps if I’d read more closely I would not have been). But the writing was too bad for me to linger on the page. At least he made the effort to write from different perspectives and different moments in time, but I find it harder and harder to distinguish his oeuvre from Grisham's.