A review by amylow1107
Innocent by Scott Turow

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Scott Turow is known for his courtroom thrillers.  This book is the 8th in the series of Kindle County.  This story follows Rusty Sabich, an appellate judge in Kindle County who is accused of murdering his wife.  Rusty in a previous book was in the same predicament but with a mistress who was found dead.  Rusty is represented by his friend, Sandy Stern.  The PA in this case, Tommy, also prosecuted him in the previous case in which he lost.  Rusty claims his innocence.  The story goes back and forth between the time before his wife's death and after and during the trial.  Rusty's life is complicated.  His affair with a young law clerk and trouble at home with his manic-depressed wife offers no way out for Rusty.  He wakes up one morning to find his wife dead.  Tommy is set to find Rusty guilty but is pressured by his assistant, Jim Brand into investigating Rusty.  Tommy gives in to Brand and finds that a lot of evidence points to Rusty.  Events, evidence, and information were built during the trial.  
Unlike many of Turow's books which are full of courtroom drama and legal language, this story deals with the human side of law and the psyche of a trial.  The characters were well-developed.   It was a little hard to follow the chain of events but about halfway through the book the events lined up with the crime.  I figured out who had "done it" before it was revealed at the end.  The ethics of law, the power play of rising careers, and a case that was complicated! To be honest, Turow writes courtroom drama well but I prefer Grisham for legal thrillers.