Back in July, I read Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow. This is a legal thriller, and a few friends questioned why I was reading a legal thriller while also studying for the bar. I didn’t intend it to happen like that, certainly, but a friend recommended this book, I put it on hold at the library, and that was when it came up. So I read it.
Honestly I think Presumed Innocent really helped me understand what the heck was going on with evidence in my bar prep course. I didn’t take evidence in law school, so studying for the bar was the first time I was learning it, and it was a lot. This book gave me examples I could connect with more (because I connect better with fiction than casebooks).So whatever else I think of the book, and I have thoughts, Presumed Innocent for the win.
Also, I just found out this morning that I passed the bar, so pro tip: If you’re studying for the bar, maybe read some legal thrillers?
My brain immediately started trying to concoct a secured transactions legal thriller and now I’m horrified with myself. Let’s talk about this actual book.
Presumed Innocent is about a prosecutor who is arrested and tried for the rape and murder of his coworker. The coworker he was having an affair with. That’s about all I’ll say.
I liked this book. It took a while to get going, but once we got to the trial I was hooked. It got pretty technical with the legal stuff, but I liked that because it seemed more real to me. Bonus points because it tallied with what my professors in my bar prep course were saying about criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence. I only took criminal law my first year of law school and didn’t take the other two classes at all so basically learned all the subjects for the bar. I wonder how it would be to read this book with just a layperson’s understanding of the law. If I didn’t know what was going on, I’d feel like the book got bogged down in specifics I found confusing, but my friend who recommended this book to me is not a lawyer, and she said she followed what was going on reasonably well and enjoyed all the specificity. I also really liked the way the book ended. It’s been months, but it’s definitely stuck with me.
This book wasn’t perfect for me, however. It was honestly a little too graphic for my taste in some places. Also, the pacing was weird. I already said it took a while to get going. Given that we know from the back cover that the main character is going to be accused of murder, the first third of the book until that actually happened dragged. Also, there’s a good quarter of the book after the trial ends, and it was basically way, way too much denouement. And I’ve written too much denouement before. I know.
This book is actually the start of a series that follow various characters from this book through other cases. The library didn’t have the second audiobook, and honestly I wasn’t invested enough to go find it somewhere else. It’s been a few months, and while I still think about this book from time to time, I honestly don’t think I’m going to continue with the series.
I did enjoy this book, however, and if you like legal thrillers this is definitely one for you. If you read it, I’d love to know what you think, and if you’ve already read it, do you agree with my opinion?
I read this book when it was first written, in the 1980s. I thought it was riveting. I really loved the details of procedure and evidence. (There’s also a movie which skips a lot of that; this diminishes the story, IMHO.) I don’t remember having any trouble with the pacing. I think the details about the characters pulled me along.
Several things you might find interesting: the author, Scott Turow, is an actual lawyer and his first book was a best-selling, non-fiction book about the first year at Harvard Law—Called “One L.” I’ve not read it, but I’ve kind of been interested in it. Maybe I’ll get around to it.
Other books aren’t really a series, though they feature some of the same characters you meet in this book. Some of them are good. None are quite as good as Presumed Innocent. (Well… about them not being a series: there is, now . . . after decades, a kind of sequel to Presumed Innocent that is about Rusty Sabich many years later. I haven’t read it. I’m not sure I’m going to.)
This is really interesting. Thank you for sharing.
My problems with the pacing were minor. I was also pulled along by the intricacies of the characters. He did a really good job with them. I guess, knowing that Rusty was going to be charged with murder, it felt like it took a long time to get there. And honestly, my problems with the pacing could also probably be put down to the timing of when I read it. I had so much going on over the summer that I definitely found myself preferring books that took off right away. It felt like a more productive use of my reading time.
Goodreads calls it a series, which is where I got that, but I guess there isn’t a better way to indicate companion novels on the platform.
Also, I’ve heard of 1L, but didn’t realize Scott Turow was the author. I’ve heard it’s good, though honestly having lived the first year of Harvard Law I’m not sure I want to read a book about it.