Another Scott Turow classic legal thriller. It is what you would expect: very detailed (meaning a bit long) novel that has deep detail and interesting. story. Can’t wait for him to write another one.

Top-tier legal thriller that certainly rivals Turow's first bestseller, Presumed Innocent. Once again, the protagonist is Rusty Sabich. A very different Rusty Sabich from the earliest book. It's decades later and he's semi-retired living with a fiancee and her son. Her son is adopted, on probation from a drug conviction and Black. When his girlfriend is found dead, the son is soon arrested for her murder.

Admittedly the book is long at close to 600 pages and the first quarter of the book is mostly the setting of the scene and the characters. Once the trial gets underway it's riveting, almost unputdownable. Shrewd machinations in the courtroom combine with savvy insights into characters, motivations and the harsh realities of society, including racism. One of the most gripping elements is how it did not follow the expected beats of a typical legal thriller and the emphasis on how a murder trial can pummel the souls of all the participants, including families. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rusty Sabich is back for another outing in the courtroom. He's pressed, much against his will, into acting as a defense attorney when his fiancée's son Aaron is arrested and charged with murder. Aaron had a volatile relationship with his girlfriend Mae, and when she doesn't come home from a camping trip the two of them took together, suspicion immediately falls on him. It doesn't help that he's had several drug-related convictions in his past. Although Rusty is a retired judge, acting as a defense attorney is something he's not comfortable with. No one wants to go against the victim's powerful family by representing her alleged killer, so Rusty is Aaron's only hope.

I was expecting the book to be a legal thriller, and for sure, there was plenty of courtroom drama to be had. The pace of the book was just really, really slow, with the first quarter taken up with everyone searching for Aaron and then Mae. Then the long, drawn-out court scenes took up the majority of the book, with lots of legalese that had to be explained. I found the eventual explanation for the death to be preposterous, so that definitely ended the book on a sour note for me.

Scott Turow has been one of my favorites since reading One L, and this proves he is still at the top of his game in the genre. Thank you, Scott Turow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC of Presumed Guilty.

I loved PRESUMED INNOCENT and I love PRESUMED GUILTY, as well. Turow's writing is brilliant and he's the kind of the original simile and metaphor. All writers can learn something here. He's scheduled to be on my podcast, Writers on Writing, and I can't wait. Love the story and the writing.

I love books by Scott Turow! Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Presumed Guilty. This is the third installment of the story that began with Presumed Innocent, which is a must read.

Presumed Guilty follows Rusty, who now is a retired judge and is planning to be married to Bea. His life, he feels, finally feels settled down from the dramatics of years prior. Bea’s adult son Aaron is staying with them while he is in probation for drug possession. That is, until he disappears. He does end of reappearing and gives kind of haphazard story of a camping trip with his girlfriend Mae. She also has issues of her own. Then she goes missing, except unlike Aaron, she doesn’t come back, because she is found dead and Aaron is accused of her murder. Bea begs Rusty to come out of retirement and defend Aaron.

This was so good, but I expected no less. Turow’s books, while they tell a great story, they always teach a little along the way in my opinion. Highly recommend.

4.5 stars. This is a Scott Turow legal thriller. It starts slowly but once the trial started, I could not put it down. I read Presumed Innocent a long time ago. Here he brings back the main character in later life. Rusty defends his fiancé's son from murder charges.

PRESUMED GUILTY - My first by this author and now I want to start this series. Well written with a variety of characters and secrets, interesting story lines, misdirection and a good pace. I like the writing style of Mr. Turow and found myself reluctant to put the book down. It was easy to get immersed in the pages and not surface for a spell. Source: Netgalley. 5*

3.5 trial stars. Not rounded up

Turow’s writing is solid, but nothing special in this 'case.'. “Shrunken by age, he can’t be more than five two now, and stands there with his metal cane in a pair of bib overalls.” The writing is ‘distant lawyerly’ straight forward. As in his past books, Presumed Guilty is one you read for the plot and to gain insights into law trials.

The beginning of the book introduces characters in detail and has loads of backstory. The book picks up around 20% in, when a body is found. Turow has some surprises, but on the other hand, nothing really surprised me. Presumed Guilty is enjoyable, but not spectacular. Perhaps this is because Rusty, the main character, a 70-year-old male judge was just not to my liking. I did like Aaron, the accused, and his quiet ways.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There were pages and pages of backstory and information, along with descriptive passages, that did nothing to move the story along.

I read as an escape from the current political climate. The author chose to insert politics into his story. Authors should restrain themselves when writing fiction.

Published by Grand Central Publishing on January 14, 2025

My favorite novels about the nature of law and justice are The Ox-Bow Incident and A Covenant with Death. My favorite novels that mock the legal system are Bleak House and A Frolic of His Own. My favorite novel about a trial is To Kill a Mockingbird. My favorite legal thriller is Presumed Innocent. I highly recommend them all.

Published in 1987, Presumed Innocent told the story of Rusty Sabin, a prosecutor who was wrongly accused of killing an illicit lover. Sabin, by then an appellate judge, was accused of killing his wife in the follow-up novel, 2010’s Innocent. Presumed Guilty marks Sabin’s third starring role, this time as a defense attorney rather than a defendant.

The categories I invented for my list of favorite novels about the law overlap. All are represented in Presumed Guilty. Sabin entertains the reader with his hard-earned opinions about the relationship between law and justice. At times, the novel mocks the legal system, although Scott Turow does so by depicting it accurately. The system too often mocks itself.

Rusty Sabin respects the law but has been known to break it. He is easily forgiven for harmless and well-intended transgressions. Given his experiences, Sabin harbors an understandable contempt for those who place the freedom of others at risk by undermining rights that are essential to a fair trial.

Through Sabin, Turow spotlights the criminal justice system’s imperfections and explains why they impair an accused’s opportunity to have a fair shake against the government. Without lecturing, he identifies social problems — racism, the growing belief that facts are whatever you want them to be — and illustrates how they stain the justice system.

Turow also mocks prosecutors who see themselves as avenging warriors, a self-important conception that excuses any violation of rules that stand in the way of a conviction. Turow reminds us that prosecutors have a dark history of excluding Blacks from juries, hiding exculpatory evidence, and violating court orders to keep silent about inadmissible evidence, among other offenses.

While Presumed Guilty thus earns praise for its astute analysis of a flawed legal system, it also excels as a legal thriller. It isn’t as fresh or astonishing as Presumed Innocent, but it tells a compelling story that, like many legal thrillers, centers upon a whodunit mystery. Is the defendant guilty and, if not, can the reader identify the true culprit? As is often the case in the real world, evidence is murky and open to interpretation. Turow lets the suspense build before the reader learns the (somewhat) surprising and (mostly) plausible truth.

Because this is how Sabin’s life has gone, the story centers on a crime that touches his family. Sabin has retired and is living in a quiet place outside of Kindle County. He lives with Bea and her adopted son Aaron. On Sabin’s 75th birthday, Bea agreed to marry him, but they haven’t set a date.

Aaron is a 22-year-old Black man who abused drugs during his teens. He was joined in that addiction by Mae Potter, with whom he fell madly in love. Mae has a streak of wildness that, combined with narcissism, compulsive behavior, and moments of deep depression, make her a difficult girlfriend and a challenge to her family’s high place in the county’s social hierarchy.

Mae’s grandfather, Mansfield “Mansy” Potter, is Sabin’s best friend in the county. Mae’s father, Harrison “Hardy” Potter, is the county’s prosecuting attorney. Sabin tolerates Hardy for the sake of his friendship with Hardy’s father.

Aaron is on probation because he was arrested while holding Mae’s drugs. He isn’t allowed to leave the county. Sabin becomes concerned when Aaron is late returning from a camping trip with Mae. He will be forced to report Aaron’s absence if he doesn’t come home. Although Aaron finally returns, Mae doesn’t. Nor does Aaron seem overly concerned about her disappearance.

Aaron will be charged with Mae’s murder when her decomposing body is found in her wrecked car some weeks later. It doesn’t help that he apparently flees when the body is discovered, only to be arrested when he makes a mysterious appearance at the place where Mae’s body was found. Was he there to destroy evidence, as the prosecutor contends?

A pathologist concludes that Mae died of strangulation. Against his better judgment, Sabin agrees to represent Aaron for lack of a more skilled and affordable alternative. I doubt any lawyer who has never defended a murder case would start by representing his fiancé’s adopted son, but Turow creates a background that makes the representation plausible, if not inevitable. Anyway, the story just wouldn’t be as good if Sabin didn’t defend the case.

Turow plants clues that could incriminate other suspects, including Hardy and Bea. Sabin seizes the clues to create doubt in the prosecution’s case. The reader will use them to ponder the killer’s identity — unless Mae committed suicide, a possibility that the forensic evidence suggests. But how does that theory account for the absence of a rope around her neck when it was recovered from the wrecked car? And how did a similar rope end up in Sabin’s garage?

Courtroom scenes make or break legal thrillers. Turow is the genre’s master of capturing the drama of a riveting cross-examination. He also reveals the “inside baseball” of criminal defense, the strategic choices that lawyers make minute-by-minute in response to the changing trial dynamic. Courtroom politics are central to the story, given the prosecutor’s contempt for the judge — and for the law when it gets in the way of his self-righteous belief that only he is the true arbiter of justice.

Aaron might be Turow’s most sympathetic character. He has a tough but credible backstory. He has learned that he needs to embrace truths rather than run from them. That guiding principle makes him want to testify, pitting him against Sabin’s fear that the jury will want to convict him as soon as it learns about his history of drug abuse and probation violations.

This is Turow’s best novel since Presumed Innocent. It mixes a credible mystery with a suspenseful trial that leads to surprising revelations. Sabin digs deep within himself to resolve conflicting feelings about his relationships with Bea, Mansy, and Aaron. The story reveals powerful truths about the law but doesn’t let them slow the pace of an engaging story.

RECOMMENDED

Presumed Guilty truly made me feel like a fly on the wall in the life of a lawyer. And when the lawyer is fighting for someone he knows, it seems so much harder. Scott Turow does a great job of creating believable characters. My anxiety for Aaron was constant. Although it seemed like it took a long time for the story to unfold, I sort of appreciated learning details as Rusty did. Life isn’t a 2 hour movie. But this book would make a great limited series production! Thank you for giving me a book I couldn’t wait to read every day.

This is Scott Turow's third book featuring Rusty Sabich, the first two being Presumed Innocent and Innocent. It's not necessary to read the previous books to enjoy 'Presumed Guilty'.

****

Seventy-seven year old Rožat "Rusty" Sabich was a long-time prosecutor, and then a judge, in Kindle County [think Chicago]. For the past fourteen years Rusty has been living in a town called Mirror, 100 miles north of Kindle County, where he moved after 'his life collapsed under the impact of a series of calamities that began with the death of his wife and culminated in a prison sentence for him, which ended when the prosecutor suddenly conceded he was innocent.'

Rusty slowly rebuilt his life in Mirror, and now works as a mediator and arbitrator. In addition to reviving his career, Rusty is happily engaged to a clever grade school principal called Bea; and Rusty enjoys spending time with his best friend Mansfield "Mansy" Potter, a retired judge.

Rusty and Bea currently share their comfortable home on Mirror Lake with Bea's 22-year-old son Aaron, who's had his share of problems. Bea and her then husband Lloyd adopted African-American Aaron when he was a baby, and the boy grew up in the almost all White environs of Mirror. In junior high school, Aaron fell in love with a beautiful blonde girl called Mae Potter, and the twosome, both of whom became troublemakers and drug users, have had a tumultuous on-off relationship ever since. Aaron's current difficulties arise from his latest arrest over a year ago, which landed him in jail for four months. Aaron was holding drugs Mae had purchased, and since Mae's father, Harrison "Hardy" Potter, is the local Prosecuting Attorney, Aaron got ALL the blame.

Aaron is now on probation, with the following stipulations: he must live with Bea and Rusty; he must inform them of his whereabouts at all times; he must not drive; he must not leave the county; and he must not associate with drug users, which means he can't hang out with Mae. Of course Aaron doesn't always follow the rules.

As the novel opens, Aaron has 'gone dark': he hasn't been home for several days and he's turned off his phone and voicemail. If the situation continues Rusty will be REQUIRED to inform the court, and Aaron will go back to prison. Rusty and Bea keep trying to call and text Aaron, and they become increasingly worried when they hear nothing in return. Rusty is about to phone the judge when Aaron finally returns to Mirror, his explanation being that he and Mae traveled up north to go camping and discuss a possible future together. According to Aaron, the trip went badly because Mae - who has the notion of being an influencer on Insta and TikTok - was more interested in taking selfies than talking.

After a couple of days Aaron got fed up; grabbed Mae's phone; said he was through with her for good; and left to hitchhike home. The trip back took several days because 'most people up there don't pick up Black men'. Meanwhile, Mae had the car and plenty of cash, and Aaron expected her to get home before him.....but she hasn't returned.

The days pass, Mae doesn't show up, and her family grows more and more frantic. When Mae's body is found, apparently strangled to death, Mae's father Hardy Potter - who's VERY influential in the area - makes sure Aaron is charged with murder. The prosecuting attorney will be Hiram Jackdorp, a bulldog lawyer who almost never loses.

Bea asks Rusty to defend Aaron, despite the fact that Rusty isn't a defense lawyer. Conversely, Rusty's best friend Mansy, who's Mae's grandfather, implores Rusty NOT to take the case, insisting it will ruin their friendship. To cut to the chase, Rusty agrees to defend Aaron, against his better judgment.

The book is largely a legal drama, with extensive descriptions of trial preparation and many courtroom scenes. The issues that arise include a rush to judgment; bias; racism; Brady violations (when the prosecution fails to disclose evidence favorable to the defense); reluctant witnesses; expert witnesses; etc. Meanwhile, Aaron remains locked up during the trial, which is very hard on Bea and other family members.

It's fascinating to follow the examination and cross-examination of witnesses, and the book highlights some 'tricks of the trade' (i.e. So, you were once convicted of a crime. You're a criminal. How can we believe anything you say?) Author Scott Turow, who's a lawyer himself, is among the best writers for this kind of story.

Of course the truth comes out at the end, but I felt the denouement wasn't quite credible.

Legal thrillers are among my favorite genres and I enjoyed the book. That said, one plot point that arose mid-book struck me as an unnecessary 'add-on' that doesn't work. (Just my opinion.) On the upside, Turow includes wonderful descriptions of the upper Midwest, with the lakes and trees and wildlife and leisurely pace of life.

All in all this is a very good book, highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, Scott Turow, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.

Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow is the third in the attorney Rusty Sabich series, which began almost 40 years ago with Presumed Innocent. Now Rusty is in his mid-70s and comes out of retirement to defend his step-son of murdering his girlfriend while on a camping trip. Turow is excellent yet again in this legal thriller. Afterall, he literary redefined the sub-genre with his wonderful prose over those years with 13 books.

Characterization is Turow’s forte. Here we meet Aaron, who is a college drop out with drug convictions and who is African American in a small Wisconsin town. Charged with killing his girl friend who he fought with and who he left at the camp site with no phone while he hitched home. As you can guess, the evidence is stacked high against Aaron. But like all Turow novels, we don’t know how the trial comes together and who did it until the last pages. Turow excels in the courtroom scenes.

I have always loved the character of Rusty – like most of Turow’s characters, Rusty is flawed and that is his strength. In this outing, Turow dwells on the topic of remaking your life. Can one do that after failing so publicly? Rusty, Aaron, and his mom (and Rusty’s wife) Bea are all dealing with remaking their lives after rough times. Rusty, as we know from the other books in the series, has served time for a murder he did not commit.

One of the only problems I had with the novel was it size – I thought that some of the prose could have been edited out as it did ramble on at times. Also, there were some references that I thought were outdated with vocabulary that did not fit the character. And I had to suspend my disbelief with Rusty taking on the case of his own step-son. Not likely! But forgiven because I wanted Rusty to take the case…

But since I read One L (a 1977 non-fictional account of Turow’s first year in Law School) shortly before entering law school, I have been a major fan of his works. Apparently, this will be Rusty’s last starring role in a novel, as Turow is going to leave Rusty behind. If you are lucky, you have this series still to read. But at least you now can read the final chapter in Rusty’s life.

This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. Presumed Guilty was published on Jan. 14, 2025.

4.5 stars

I first read Presumed Innocent decades ago, and in my head, Rusty Sabich will always be Harrison Ford, not Jake Gyllenhaal. I loved that book, loved the movie, and eagerly awaited anything and everything else Scott Turow would write. But I never loved any of his subsequent books as much as I loved that first one. Until now.

Presumed Guilty catches up with Rusty years after he was accused of murder, falsely imprisoned, and then set free with a huge settlement from the Kindle County law-and-order types who put him in prison to begin with. Rusty is now a retired judge, respected and well-known for things besides his murder trial, and living happily with a new love, Bea. Bea's son, Aaron, is now the one on trial for murder, and Rusty has been called reluctantly out of retirement to defend him.

You don't have to know all the details of Rusty's backstory to enjoy this book, but it helps. There are a lot of references to Barbara, and Nat, their son, is even in this book in a small capacity. This book doesn't give away the ending of Presumed Innocent, but it comes very close. Save yourself some wondering and read Presumed Innocent before you pick this one up -- it will go a long way toward explaining where Rusty is coming from at times. Or at least read a good synopsis or watch the movie. Do NOT watch the TV show, as it ends completely differently. As for the rest of the Kindle County book series, read them if you like, but they're not necessary to understand this one at all. Sandy Stern gets a brief mention or two, but that's about the only overlap. This one stands pretty well on its own.

It's been a long time since I read a courtroom thriller as well done as this one. And when I say courtroom thriller, I mean it quite literally -- EVERYTHING takes place in that courtroom. I know it sounds dull, but the defense lawyer "gotcha" moments are so good that it's not dull at all. In some ways it's a bit predictable, and the final whodunit isn't a huge shock. But there are enough red herrings along the way to be interesting, and given Rusty's background, some of them are downright harrowing.

Turow is a little bit law-professorish in the way he explains every nuance of what happens in the courtroom, and now that he's in his mid-70s, some of his writing screams "old white man." But Rusty, too, is an old white man, so it hardly seems out of place. And even though I've found some of his previous books heavy on the procedural stuff to the point that I couldn't enjoy the story, this one strikes a good balance between instruction and drama.

I've been where Rusty is, watching a family member be victimized by the court system, and Turow does a great job of capturing the sleepless nights, the doubts, the anger, the helplessness, and everything else that comes with that. The drama that goes on behind the scenes is well-depicted, and is a great companion to the drama inside the courtroom.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a sneak peek at this book!

At the end, I really enjoyed this book. The problem, for me, was that it took me until 50% in to get into it. I felt like there was a lot of information that didn't really need to be included and it just left me a little distracted.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

A return to Kindle county and Rusty who is now an elderly retired judge who must defend his stepson who is charged with murdering his girlfriend. This one starts slowly- so slowly I almost gave up - but the trial brings this one to life. There are quite a few twists and turns along with a red herring or two. Thanks to NetGalley for the read!

He is in his mid 70s now. He knows the legal system from every side. We know him from his early career. His name is Rusty Sabich, and we met him in Presumed Innocent
Rusty Sabich is a character we have known for many years and he is consistent in his regard for the law, come what may. He is a man of honor and visionary who has lived many ups and downs in his life.
Scott Turow knows the legal system well after working in the court system for his career. His books are brilliant and compelling , and his characters are fully drawn and well-depicted. We know them for better or worse. He gives a dignity and calm elegance to his novels. He was a lawyer before writing his marvelous books and it is fascinating to read how the trial unfolds. The entire procedure is authentic and jumps off the page, making his books compulsively readable.
When I see a new Scott Turow, I don’t even read the description because I know how good it will be.
I carried Presumed Guilty around with me and read every chance I got. I loved it and hope he will keep writing..I could not put it down and cared about the case, the characters, and their lives.
There are no spoilers in this review because I want the reader to feel the excitement and immerse himself, or herself in a fabulous read.

Thank you to the author and to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
i

"Presumed Guilty" by Scott Turow continues the story of Rusty Sabich, the Kindle County attorney and judge who, in the aftermath of the tumultuous events in Turow's earlier books "Presumed Innocent" and "Innocent," has retired and retreated north to the fictional rural town of Mirror Lake, where he has just become engaged to elementary school principal Bea. Life has finally settled down for Rusty--until, that is, Bea's son Aaron goes on a camping trip with his girlfriend Mae and returns without her several days later. This is problematic enough, as Aaron has potentially violated his parole for a previous drug conviction, but as events escalate, Rusty once again finds himself in the middle of a trial that could cost him everything. Readers will make the obvious comparisons with the Gaby Petito story, but this isn't a thinly veiled ripped-from-the-headlines story. Rather, the pleasure in this book, like in all Turow's novels, comes from his insider's experience of how trials work, given voice here in Rusty's first person narrative of the investigations, the strategies, the pitfalls, and the gambles that characterize jury trials. "Presumed Guilty" is a fairly long book and while I think the beginning could have been edited down a bit, by the time I arrived at the courtroom scenes--the venue where Turow's writing shines brightest--I was hooked and turning pages late into the night.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

This was an amazing follow up to what has turned into a blockbuster hit. This can be read as a standalone but I suggest reading these books in order because they’re just that good and they stand out. I don’t think anyone writes legal thrillers the way Scott Turrow does and he has definitely set a standard for the genre.

I found this story to be riveting and I wasn’t sure what to believe. The best kind of story!