3.5 rounded up to 4. I've read all of Scott Turow's book and do not rate this among his very best. Still, Turow writes well and readers who have read the first two books in this series will find this a satisfying continuation. Former prosecutor and judge Rusty Sabich is now settled in an area outside of his previous life in Kindle County with Bea, his younger fiance and her son Aaron. When Aaron is charged with murdering his longtime girlfriend Mae, 77-year old Rusty reluctantly takes the case, despite his lack of experience as a defense attorney. The story contains few surprises but while the writing is good and the characters are well developed, I found it to be slow in parts and the resolution unbelievable, for reasons I'll withhold so as not to include any spoilers. There are parts of the book that could use some tightening. Nonetheless, fans of the series and of Turow's other works will be happy to get their hands on Presumed Guilty.

A captivating legal thriller with lots of court room drama. I liked the backstory being that it’s been quite some time since I read Presumed Innocent. An engaging read.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #PresumedGuilty

This was my first Scott Turow novel, and even though I hadn't read the previous two following Rusty's story, I was able to hop right in and get invested in Presumed Guilty!

There is a LOT of back-story and detail here. This isn't a quick read in-terms of the pace. However, you will be so eagerly following along that you just may fly through it.

This was GREAT - even better than Presumed Innocent! Rusty is back, and will return to the courtroom one last time to defend his fiancee's adopted son in a murder trial - does he have a chance in the judicial system when he is already presumed guilty by all? Turow is a masterful teller of courtroom dramas, and this one is no exception.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read and review this ARC.

4.5 stars rounded up
I can remember being several years younger and not as wise *wink* and picking up my very first Scott Turrow book Presumed Innocent. I'll never forget the impression it left me of an intriguing and riveting thriller. I became hooked from the start of that book until the spine tingling conclusion and feel like it's one of my first legal thrillers that had me guessing the whole time. Rusty Sabich is back in this book but many (many) years later after his wrongful conviction. This time the focus is on his fiancé's son and the legal troubles he finds himself in. This book is over 500 pages long and at time I really wanted the story to move faster. However, after finishing it, I can't think of a single thing that I would edit out or condense as it makes up the whole complete story necessary for the bigger picture. Rusty is engaged to Bea who has a 20 something son who is accused of murdering his girlfriend. Bea is pushing Rusty to represent him. Rusty has not been a defense attorney during his long career (he always was a prosecutor or a Judge) and fears that if he does this it could potentially lead to a conviction for Aaron. There is a lot of focus on the trial and the details of each supporting character. In usual Turrow style, we get some interesting character driven details and we get shades of grey in our main characters. The morally grey within each of us is what Turrow does best to highlight. None of us are completely free of fault or bad decisions and he highlights them well within this story to keep you guessing who may be the person that ultimately took the life of Mae, the girlfriend of Aaron.
I am going to run out and pick this up in print when it comes out and add it to my "favorites" pile of books. It's a book to read over and over to appreciate the truly brilliant writing of Mr. Turrow.

Thank you for the chance to read this. I am looking forward to publication date and will recommend to others.

Scott Turow has readers in the palm of his hand in Presumed Guilty. Now in his 70's, Rusty Sabitch is a semi-retired judge living in a small lake town in Wisconsin with his fiancée Bea and her adopted son Aaron. When Aaron is accused of killing his on-again off-again girlfriend Mae, Bea convinces Rusty to defend him. Arron and Mae share a volatile history that includes drug use for which Aaron in on probation when the two of them decide to go on a camping trip and she does not return.
The courtroom drama, which is makes up the majority of the book, is masterfully written. Turow has a keen way of taking the reader through the legal process.
Thank You, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc in return for an honest review. I look forward to highly recommending this book when it is published in January and suggesting they clear out their weekend for it. If it had been published prior to Christmas, it would be my go-to gift to friends who love to read.

I really enjoyed this thriller and getting to know the characters of Rusty, Mae, and Aaron. Aaron's predicament is immediately captivating, and Turow (as always) weaves a fascinating and entertaining story with just the right amount of twists and turns. My one complaint is that the book should have been shorter. Overall I recommend PRESUMED GUILTY for fans of legal thrillers.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-galley; all opinions in my review are 100% my own.

Great read and great thriller with awesome courtroom scenes. Rusty has a great life as a retired lawyer/judge who lives with his fiance in a lovely home on a midwestern lake. But, that life has a wrench thrown into it when Rusty's fiance's son is accused of murdering his on-again-off--again girl friend. Rusty takes the case and finds himself wondering whether the young man is guilty or is the guilty party one of the others in the immediate circle of family and friends. The story is told by Rusty and carries the reader into the minds and motives of the characters in a setting that exposes the good and bad of people. Thanks to Net Galley for the arc. Totally enjoyed this!

I usually enjoy a Scott Turow’s books, especially Presume innocent. This one was tough to get into. It was slow at the beginning, too much description in the first half of the book to build the scenes but hard to get through that to the more captivating second half

I’ve always loved Turow, and no one makes a trial more.compelling. This is no exception, except early on I figured whodunnit, but the pages flew- already looking forward to the next one.

I usually enjoy a Scott Turow’s books and a great legal thriller. This one was tough to get into. It was very slow in the beginning, too much description in the first half of the book. It didn’t hold my interest.

An interesting approach by an author I have read since Presumed Innocent. Always a good story teller, and story. Loved it

Scott Turow has written another engrossing, detailed, and highly enjoyable courtroom drama. No one does it better.
I gave it the following SCORE:
Setting: Present Day, small towns in Wisconsin
Characters: The narrator, Rusty Sabich returns along with a new fiancée, Bea, her adopted son, Aaron, her family, Aaron’s girlfriend, Mae, and a perfect cast of prosecution and law enforcement.
Overview: Aaron has been accused of murdering Mae with an overwhelming amount of evidence and Rusty, reluctantly and because of his age, is pressed into service to defend him. His investigator, Susan DeLeo, is particularly intriguing and influential. The prosecution is headed by Hiram Jackdorp - really his name - perfectly portrayed as the nemesis you love to hate. And the interplay between the judge, Jackdorp, and Sabich throughout the trial is a terrific story within a story.
Recommendation: I rate this book 5 stars
Extras: This book is long and takes a while to get into the characters and move the plot along. But when the courtroom scenes begin, it is exceptionally hard to put the book down. This is one book that I’m actually willing to postpone sleep for to see what happens in the next chapter after the last chapter’s cliffhanger line. Highly recommended and equal to Turow’s classic, “Presumed Innocent.”
Thanx to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to provide this candid review.

I have read this author before and enjoyed his books but this one was a disappointment. This one was really slow and never grabbed me. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Retired judge Rusty Sabich is finally living the good life in a rural town with his fiancée Bea when Bea’s adopted son, Aaron is arrested for the murder of his on-again off-again girlfriend Mae. Against his own good judgment, Rusty agrees to defend Aaron against the charges. Presumed Guilty is a powerful, lyrical legal thriller that will engross you from page one. Narrated by Rusty (whom longtime readers may remember from earlier novels) who has his own personal baggage, this book hits on a wide range of issues, all delicately handled and presented without bias, as Rusty walks the reader through every step of the legal process. Every chapter provides the reader with pertinent plot information, as well as thought-provoking social commentary that intertwines with Aaron’s journey. This is an outstanding book in so many respects, from the eloquence of the storytelling to the fierce courtroom scenes that will leave you spellbound. One of the best I’ve read this year, absolutely loved it. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rusty knows the ins and outs of the legal system. As both a former judge and a wrongly convicted criminal, he's seen both sides of the law. Bea, his fiancé, also knows the legal system from dealings with her son, Aaron. Aaron has been on probation and recently released to the both of them, mainly because they think Rusty, being a judge, will be a good influence on him and prevent him from running from the law.

Aaron has had a complicated life, with divorced parents and a volatile relationship with his girlfriend, Mae. Having dated since high school, they are constantly on again off again with many issues. One day, Mae volunteers that they should marry. Aaron isn't sure he agrees, but commits to a weekend trip camping to try and figure out if this is the best move for both of them. They agreed to leave their phones, social media, and all others at home. Except Mae doesn't stick to that rule and as soon as they are up there, starts in with the drugs again. Aaron gets very mad, takes her phone, and leaves to go home. Except now Mae is dead. Did Aaron kill her?

It was a great courtroom drama and Turow never disappoints. I had recently watched the Apple series so I had a struggle to see Rusty as an old man at the beginning. Once the trial began, you never knew where it was going. The reader was always waiting for the next shoe to drop and WOW did it. A truly surprise ending. This book kept me awake and away from the TV on election night when I really needed a distraction. I stayed up all night reading it.

PRESUMED GUILTY, despite its way too cute title, is a truly excellent novel that transcends the legal thriller genre. I read a lot of so-called genre books, but the depth and resonance of Turow's narrative here lifts PRESUMED GUILTY to another level of literature altogether.

One quibble. I thought the ending was awkward and unworthy of the fine storytelling that had come before. Turow's effort to mirror the memorable ending of PRESUMED INNOCENT was strained, to say the very least. He's a better writer than that, and a book as extraordinary as PRESUMED GUILTY deserved a better ending than this.

Totally riveting legal suspense read by the master of them all.
Rusty is back - now a retired judge enjoying a peaceful existence with Bea, the woman he hopes to marry, when everything they know is up ended by her son.
With a volatile relationship history, Bea's son Aaron returns home, alone, after going dark for 3 days, with his on again off again love Mae, while on probation. Breaking probation is the least of his worries as the girl, who also happens together as daughter turns up murdered. When all evidence seemingly turns to him, he is arrested and under duress and not entirely convinced of the boy's innocence, Rusty agrees to defend him.
And thus the story begins with the precision, incredible attention to detail and totally entertaining
sidelines that make Turow such a giant in his genre.
Fascinating story with courtroom twists and turns that you never see coming.
Great read with a myriad of fascinating legal instruction.
I almost feel like I could hire myself out as a legal aide.
Almost.