Kindle County's chief deputy prosecutor, Rusty Sabich, has recently been asked to investigate the murder of one of his colleagues, Carolyn Polhemus. The only thing that his boss, the chief prosecuting attorney, Raymond Horgan, doesn't know is that Carolyn and Rusty were having an affair at the time of her death. Since Prosecutor Horgan is in the midst of a vicious re-election campaign, his opponent - Nico Della Guardia would like nothing more than to find proof that Raymond Horgan is somehow unfit to be Kindle County's chief prosecutor.
As he nears forty, both Rusty's marriage and his career seem stalled; almost stagnant. His wife Barbara seems so uncaring and cold - actively avoiding Rusty as much as she can. Subsequently, he focuses all his attention and energies on his son Nathaniel, and his desperate, unhappy love for Carolyn. Rusty's investigation fuels his fantasies of what might have been between Carolyn and himself, although he makes very little progress in finding the killer.
Citing the slowness of the murder investigation, and using the fact that the Prosecutor apparently can't find the murderer of someone who worked in his office, Nico gains more popularity in the polls. Claiming that Kindle County deserves a change in its office, he handily wins the election. He then sets his sights on prosecuting Carolyn Polhemus' murderer - in the case of the People versus Rozat K. Sabich - who is known as the chief deputy prosecutor, Rusty Sabich.
Now, Rusty is put on trial, facing possible conviction for the most terrible of all crimes. This is a stunning portrayal of one man's all-too-human, all-consuming fatal attraction for a passionate woman who is not his wife, and the story of how his obsession ultimately endangers everything he loves and values - eventually putting everything on trial - including his own life.
Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow reveals a shocking world of betrayal and murder, as well as the hidden depths of the human heart. It's a story that will alternately hold you spellbound and will haunt you...long after you have turned the final page and reached its shattering conclusion.
I must say that this is actually the first book by Scott Turow that I've ever read, although I do have several more on my bookshelf. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I was absolutely dying to know how the story turned out. Although this was somewhat heavy reading for me in parts - with such a strong focus on politics and a very detailed look at the intricacies of the prosecutor's office - I still enjoyed the story immensely and give the book a definite A+!
I look forward to reading more by this author in the future. Mareena reminded me that I had actually received the book fairly recently, after we noticed that the 1990 movie adaptation starring Harrison Ford and Brian Dennehy was on television several days ago.
If you enjoy golden age or cozy mysteries, this might not be for you. I enjoy those types and gave up on this about 80 pages in. Writing was ok, but I didn't care about all the tangents we were taken on or the characters themselves.
Greatly recommended. Also based on the movie.
