The latest in Scott Turow’s Kindle County Legal Thrillers series starts out seemingly as two separate stories. Clarice “Pinky” Granum has become obsessed with finding out what her next-door neighbor is up to. He has attracted her attention because of his quiet ways and mysterious, routine-oriented schedule. Pinky has nicknamed him TWO (The Weird One). When not thinking about her neighbor, Pinky works as a paralegal for struggling local attorney Rik Dudek, stepson of Pinky’s beloved grandfather. Dudek has scored a high profile, potentially explosive sexual harassment—a case with a twist, involving Rik’s old friend Lucia Gomez, Chief of Police. The two plots eventually come together as the case is investigated, uncovering lots of corruption and unsavory behavior.

I was not aware that Suspect was part of a continuing series, but I don’t think I was hindered by that. Legal thrillers aren’t generally my thing, but as the story takes place mostly outside of a trial, it was not filled with extensive courtroom scenes. Pinky’s grandfather is acclaimed attorney Sandy Stern, from previous Kindle County books. He is now retired, ill, and in assisted living. I loved Pinky’s relationship with her Pops. It’s a small part of the story, but a good part.

Suspect was an enjoyable read, if a bit dark at times. Pinky is a great character, tattoos, nail-pierced nose and all. Hope she’s in the next Kindle County book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free download in exchange for a review.

Not Turow's best but a good read because of the court scenes. The investigator just didn't quite come together with her tattoos, face nail and occasional slang conversation. The mystery of the next door neighbor is an interesting element. so, you have sexual harassment, assault, murder, robbery and extortion to name a few of the crimes committed by not very likable characters. Riveting and clever court room drama saves the story which sometimes got too bogged down with technical details. Still like Turow from his early days but this character, Pinky, needs some fine tuning.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Suspect by Scott Turow is a highly recommended legal/investigative mystery.

Lucia "Lucy" Gomez, the police chief in the city of Highland Isle, near Kindle County, has three male police officers accuse her of soliciting sex in exchange for promotions to higher ranks. The sexual harassment accusations against her are false and part of a plan to destroy her career. While she is sure she knows who is behind this, Lucy turns to an old friend, Rik Dudek, to act as her attorney in the federal grand jury investigation into the accusations. Along with Rik, comes Clarice “Pinky” Granum, a licensed P.I. and a thirty-three-year-bisexual with plenty of ink and a memorable piercing. Pinky is Ric's secret weapon, she's smart, strange, and has keen observation skills.

Pinky is the narrator and she is definitely a colorful one. While she is clearly working on the case for Rik, she is also has other diversions. Pinky is extremely curious about her neighbor, so naturally she is investigating him too. You do have to suspend disbelief at time as far as Pinky's intuition in picking up clues or putting pieces together, but she does entertain. I'm not sure I'd want to read a whole series featuring her, but she did provide engaging escapism

This is part of Turow's series of novels set in Kindle County, but can easily be read as a stand alone. The writing is excellent. There is enough going on in the complicated investigation and the plot is sufficiently intricate to keep you guessing to the end.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

I have not read a Scott Turow book in years. I liked the description of this one because it turns a major issue on its head. A female chief is accused of sexual misconduct.
The book reveals the seamy underbelly of law enforcement. I did struggle to stay engaged with the principle characters and I never really could relate to them.
I thought the narrative was very casual and it didn’t really fit with the action.

Scott Turow has been behind such classics...but in his new novel, has brought a fresh new character with the same excellent plot and storyline. Complex story which goes well beyond the initial court case. Great cast of characters. Scott, we hope you are not done here!

Although I have read several of this author's previous works, this book caught me by surprise. The main character, Pinky, is a somewhat flaky young PI, with a nail through her nose and tatoos galore. Pinky is working in the family law office, where her boss is defending a female police chief who has been accused of forcing male officers to have sex with her. Despite her quirks, Pinky's investigative instincts are good - even if her methods are a bit untraditional. And she lacks impulse control. She just does whatever comes to mind (not always realistic). Pinky is excited about the case and intrigued by her new neighbor, handsome of course, and does her best to investigate both at the same time.

It took me a while to warm up to Pinky (I cringed at every mention of that nail) and to get into the story. I also had trouble relating to Lucy (the alleged sex offender) not so much because of her actions in the past, but more because of her attitude and demeaner. Once I got further into the story, I enjoyed the book more as the plot took a circuitous route to its resolution, with more than one surprise in store for the reader. Overall, an engaging read that spotlights issues related to gender and law enforcement in today's world.

Pinky, granddaughter of the great Sandy Stern, is working as an investigator for Ric Dudek when he takes on the case of Lucy Gomez, a police chief who has been accused by three of her officers of forcing them to engage in, ahem, relations to get promotions. Pinky discovers there's a lot more to the story, especially once she makes the connection between the Ritz, once Lucy's police partner but now a real estate and narcotics tycoon. As always in Turow novels, there's corruption afoot but the extent will not be revealed until you hit the masterful courtroom scenes. It's an interesting twist on the usual but it does sag a bit in the middle. That said, I always learn something about the law from Turow and this was no exception. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An interesting read.

Characters that are several degrees off center can go either way in my book - either I can't relate to them at all or I want to hug them when I've finished. Clarice "Pinky" Granum, happily, falls into the latter category; parts of her mind and body are a little bit nuts, but clearly there's more than a little sharp cookie mixed in.

This is the twelfth in the Kindle County Legal series, and while this isn't the first book I've read by this talented author, it's my series first. For the record, I had no trouble following the story, so it stands alone well (and I definitely plan to read more). Ever her own person, self-described bisexual Pinky lives alone and prefers the formally unattached life as she works for attorney Rik Dudek as a licensed private investigator. They just got a new case defending Highland Isle Police Chief Lucia Gomez, who's been accused of demanding sex from her staff in exchange for promotions.

Meanwhile, Pinky is curious, to say the least, about her next-door neighbor - a mysterious and (to her) weird guy she dubs TWO. He comes and goes at strange hours wearing strange clothing; when he's home, no sounds can be heard inside his apartment save the occasional sneeze. As the trial for Chief Gomez begins, Pinky begins to follow her building mate to see what he's up to. Finally, she reaches a conclusion as to what he's doing, but the question now is why and on behalf of whom. Since he's not the most sociable of guys, she's got her work cut out for her; but then, she never been known as a shrinking violet.

As details of the charges against the chief come to light, it appears a maniacal former police colleague and now wealthy real estate mogul may be trying to settle a score. And could it be there's a connection to what Pinky's building mate is up to? Whatever that is, it can't be good for Pinky's mental or physical health. In the end, it's a fast-paced romp that's strong on relationships and kept me turning the pages all the way to the end. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with a pre-release copy to read and review. Recommended!

Another great mystery from Scott Turow! This is a solid read with intriguing characters plus twists and turns to keep your interest to the very last scene. You’ll find yourself pulling for Pinky to succeed in her professional and work life as she’s had some difficult times. She is a brilliant, but unorthodox, investigator despite those challenges. Suspect is part of an ongoing series loosely tied to previous characters and locations but this book certainly can be read easily as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read this great mystery ARC.

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but found that later ones were so dry they were tough to get through, so I was a bit apprehensive when I got an early copy of this book. But I was so pleasantly surprised and ended up really enjoying this! The story was intriguing, and I loved the main character, and I loved the sex-positive attitude of the female characters. I think I was expecting a tiny bit more drama from the end, but this was without a doubt my favorite of the series since the first.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest legal thriller by Scott Turow - a long time favorite - and wonderfully narrated by Helen Laser. 5 stars!

Lucia Gomez has always had a spotless reputation as police chief of Highland Isle near Kindle County. But now 3 patrol officers have accused her of extorting them for sex in exchange for promotions. Chief Gomez hires local attorney Rik Dudek to help fight the charges. Rik is a small town guy, with the shabby office and clients to prove it. His PI is Pinky Granum, Sandy Stern's granddaughter. Pinky flunked out of the police academy and relishes her new role in helping to prove the Chief's innocence. She's also intrigued with her mysterious next-door neighbor and his nighttime activities, which leads her to investigate a former police officer turned real estate magnate.

I loved the latest edition to the Kindle County legal series, although if you haven't read any of them, they are all stand alones as well. Pinky is a great character and I hope we get more of her in the future. Turow is the master at the legal thriller genre and this one is no exception. There's a lot going on in this book but everything comes to a great conclusion. I switched between the audio and digital versions and the narration was wonderful as well. Highly recommended!

The plot was good and I loved the main characters. Pinky is a private detective who flunked out of the police academy when she flunked a drug test. She now works for an attorney who was hired by the chief of police, accused of requiring three officers to have sex with her before they are promoted. Pinky also has a mysterious neighbor, Koob who she is sure is up to no good.

This kept my attention the who way through. I would love for this to be the beginning of a series.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this work in advance for no compensation other than an honest review.

In the 35 years of fiction works, Scott had let me down only once; Testimony.

He was going through a divorce and perhaps his frame of mind was otherwise occupied.

This book feels a second swing and miss.
His main characters have "aged out" and this is a desperate attempt to cling to what brought Scott to our attention.

I loved "Pinky" in the Last Trial. She was a change of pace who punched up the story. Sadly, I think I misread her. Scott did not use her sparingly as much as I feel now, he didn't know how to use her. For a first time, many of these characters resonated two dimensional.

Scott is vastly smarter than I am so the mystery always leaves me missing something until his reveal.

I will continue recommending him ( although so many of my friends have left him behind ) But, I think a change of scenery may be needed or we will have the third strike and I will be out

I was excited to read this book. Scott Turow in my mind is one of the exemplary courtroom drama writers and there aren't enough of them to feed my appetite. The cast of characters in Suspect are interesting and varied, but I quickly found to be typical, like those I've read in other books--the hard and driven female Chief of Police who has to work harder than male because of her gender, the quirky female investigator covered in tattoos and colorful hair with a difficult personal life that becomes part of the story, and the smart lawyer whose job it is to protect his client and direct his investigator. The more I read, the more I realized the focus was too much on the relationships among the characters with not enough time on the courtroom drama I wanted. Though I gave this 3/5 stars, I may give the next Turow novel a try, hoping to get back to the clever intrigue of courtroom shenanigans that originally drew me to this author.

Suspect - Scott Turow

Release Date: September 20, 2022


When last I read Scott Turow, legal favorite Sandy Stern was facing his last trial, looking back on his life as he contemplated the ravages of aging. In this novel, Turow takes readers back to Kindle County and the adventures of Sandy’s granddaughter, Pinky, a unique individual who works as a PI for a local attorney. The police chief of Highland Isle has been accused of soliciting sex from some of her subordinates in exchange for promotions and Pinky’s boss is defending her. The investigation into this case unravels a web of corruption involving a former police officer now turned real estate mogul. As a parallel, or maybe related interest, Pinky is obsessed with her mysterious new neighbor and vows to find out his secrets as well.

As always, Turow is at his best in depicting courtroom and investigative scenes. They are fast paced and engrossing. I thought Pinky’s contemplations about her love and social relationships a bit slow and repetitive. I found myself skimming a bit, something I typically have not done in past Turow novels.

The plot is interesting, the characters, many of whom are unlikable, richly drawn. I’m looking forward to more stories featuring Pinky. She is much more capable than the initial introduction to her makes her seem. I started out not liking her very much, but by the end she had endeared herself to me.

Although this is part of a loose series (The Kindle County Books), it is not at all necessary to have read any of the prior ones. Although readers who have may enjoy the brief cameo appearances by Sandy Stern.

• Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is September 20, 2022.

#StoryGraph: fiction legal crime mystery
464 pages | first published 2022

Series: Kindle County Legal Thriller #12

Three male police officers have accused Chief Lucia Gomez trading sex in order to be promoted. The Chief hires Rik Dudek, a trusted friend, to represent her in a federal grand jury investigation. Rik and his assistant, Pinky, hop on the chance to gain national attention.

Pinky is an investigator for her friend's law firm. She is steeped in contacts both in law enforcement and the legal and judicial world. She has a mysterious neighbor. He makes no noise, comes and goes on a regular schedule, and spends a lot of night time seemingly observing something. Pinky's current case is a female minority sheriff who is being accused of forcing her law enforcement underlings to have sex with her in return for promotions. Pinky works to uncover what is happening to the sheriff and her interesting neighbor. She also renews an old acquaintance with whom she was once romantically involved. I enjoyed this new book by author Scott Turow. I suspect Pinky will star in a few more for him as she is a likable though complicated heroine. The book has an interesting plot, with interesting characters, including that of the sheriff, whom it turns out has some interesting antics of her own. It is an enjoyable read. Thanks to #Suspect#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Sorry! I thought this was an audio. I can’t read digital files. I’ve applied for the audio. Love this author I’m sure this is great and the cover is very eye catching!

It's been a while since I've read a Scott Turow novel, and I was looking forward to some good old-fashioned courtroom scenes. Unfortunately this isn't much of a courtroom novel, it focuses more on an investigation. Clarice "Pinky" Granum is an unconventional woman working as a private investigator for a criminal defense lawyer, Rik Dudek. He is hired by the female police chief, Lucy Gomez, to represent her in a hearing regarding allegations that she demanded sex from male underlings in return for advancing their promotions. In addition to delving into these allegations, Pinky takes it upon herself to investigate her "weird" neighbor. With tattoos and a nail through her nose, she isn't exactly inconspicuous, but whatevs.... I was mildly interested in the investigations but would have liked more courtroom drama.

Clarice Granum known as Pinky is a thirty something free spirit who currently works for attorney Rik Dudek as a private investigator. Pinky has made her share of misteps in life, from illegal drugs, to tattoos and facial piercings to failed relationships with members of both genders, to washing out of the police academy. The only person who seems to understand her is her grandfather the renowned, Sandy Stern. For Scott Turow fans, you will remember the now retired Sandy Stern as the attorney representing Rusty Savage in Presumed Innocent.
Rik’s latest defendant is Lucia Gomez, the female police chief of Highland Isle, near Kindle County. The chief is accused by three male police officers of soliciting sex in exchange for promotions within the police department. Gomez insists the accusations against her are part of an ugly smear campaign intent on destroying her career. She suspects ‘The Ritz,’ a local drug dealer, real estate tycoon, underworld criminal and Gomez’ former patrol partner as the instigator of her problems. But Pinky has to prove it.
Meanwhile an interesting man, Koob moves into the apartment next to Pinky and her natural investigator instincts can’t leave him alone. He keeps to himself and has an odd schedule. Pinky begins following him in her spare time and ultimately builds a relationship with him. She finds he has a connection to The Ritz.
Of the three witnesses against the chief, two are proven unreliable by Rik and the third is murdered. Pinky is allowed in on the police investigation of the murder because of her work on the chief’s case and because she knows the lead detective from when they were in the academy together. But her tenacity puts her in grave danger as they close in on the truth.
I remember reading Presumed Innocent while on vacation in 1990. I was so entranced I ignored family and friends until I finished the book. I thought it ranked right up there with Grishams’s A Time to Kill. While Suspect is no Presumed Innocent, it does hold your interest. The Pinky character is not someone you’d expect from Scott Turow, but through in depth introspect written from Pinky’s perspective, you grow to enjoy her quirks and eccentricities making her a great protagonist in a mystery novel.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance look.