In December of 1986, former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago Scott Turow gave us all a delightful gift, one that keeps giving, even today. His first novel, Presumed Innocent, hit bookstore shelves over 30 years ago, and Turow just keeps giving us more (stay tuned for tomorrow's blog post about his latest crime thriller, Testimony). I read Presumed Innocent for the first time many, many, many years ago, and after listening to it on audiobook over the last few weeks, I'm here to say that it stands up just beautifully.
Chief Prosecutor of a large Midwestern city, Rozat "Rusty" Sabich is going through a difficult time. His boss lost his re-election bid, so Rusty isn't sure if he will still have a job under the new administration. Especially since his last investigation didn't go so well. Fellow prosecuting attorney Carolyn Polhemus was murdered, and Rusty was asked to look into it. He did have an advantage looking at her life, because he'd been a part of it. But his romantic relationship with her didn't prepare him to find out about her other lovers or her involvement in a possible bribery investigation.
And then the worst happens--Rusty Sabich, Chief Prosecutor, is accused of the murder of Carolyn Polhemus.
Through the ensuing trial, the courtroom battles between the attorneys, the investigations into Polhemus' life and into the old bribery allegations, and Rusty's moments with his wife and son, Turow takes us on a roller coaster ride of facts and emotions. He keeps us spinning until the very end, and then the hammer falls. And we're all left breathless.
The audiobook is read by the late, great Edward Hermann, whose acting career started in the 1970s and included television (Gilmore Girls, The Good Wife, Law and Order) and film (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Lost Boys, The Aviator, and one of my all-time favorites, The Cat's Meow). His iconic voice brought such life to this novel that I'm not going to recommend that you read this book. You should definitely listen to it, read by a master actor with a marvelous voice.
But beware that ending. You won't see it coming (unless, of course, you've already see the movie, also highly recommended). Turow is a master, and we are all so fortunate that he chose to share his gift with us.