"Rozat “Rusty” Sabich is chief deputy prosecutor for Kindle County, his boss Raymond Horgan is up for re-election, and his associate beautiful Carolyn Polhemus has been brutally raped and murdered in her apartment. Life for Rusty gets very complicated. Carolyn was a divorced, absentee mother with a very promiscuous lifestyle. The upcoming election will determine if Rusty will have a job; if Horgan wins he stays, if he loses he's done. Rusty's affair with Carolyn ended several months earlier when she dumped him.
Rusty is handling the investigation of the murder despite the conflict of interest no one else knows. Dan “Lip” Lipramzer is investigating the details and evidence for Rusty. Convicted sex offenders, those Carolyn helped to prosecute, are initially suspect. Rusty learns Horgan had a brief relationship with Carolyn. Meanwhile Rusty's marriage is in a shambles as his wife Barbara knows about the affair. As evidence surfaces that implicates Rusty he is indicted for the killing. For his defense, he hires lawyer Alejandro “Sandy” Stern an Argentinean who has been a frequent opponent over the years.
The prosecution is led by Nico Della “Delay” Guardia, who has now defeated Horgan for the position of Prosecuting Attorney (PA), and Tommy Molto. The evidence against Rusty is serious; calls made from his home to hers on the night of the murder, a bar glass with his fingerprints on it, carpet fibers found at her home, etc. The courtroom drama that ensues takes many turns for and against him. Expert forensic testimony is proven unreliable. Rusty learns the judge had a relationship with the deceased and that the judge, Carolyn, and Horgan all took bribes from suspects. A crucial piece of evidence for the prosecution goes missing. The judge dismisses the case on lack of evidence before it goes to the jury for deliberation. Rusty is able to piece together the facts and events after the trial and discovers the killer is someone very close to him."
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
" In the novel Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow, the main character Rusty Sabich, chief prosecutor of Kindle County, is helping his friend Raymond Horgan, run for re-election. During this time, Carolyn Polhemus, a colleague of Rusty's is brutually raped and murdered. With the case becoming an important issue, Rusty, who had a short affair with Carolyn, was assigned to it. The case goes no where due to the lack of evidence and no clues.
After Raymond loses the election, Rusty is accused of killing and raping Carolyn. The newly elected Nico Della Guardia and his right hand man, quickly bring up evidence against Rusty as he has to battle to prove his innocence. Rusty can only rely on the team of layers he assembled and a mysterious B file.
This novel provides deep insight into the day to day struggle between the defense and prosecution."
Bo Morris, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of Presumed Innocent
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book descript. of violence and chases - 20% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40% How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
How difficult to spot villain?
- Very difficult--no foreshadowing/clues
Time/era of story:
- 1980's-1999
What % of story relates directly
to the mystery, not the subplot?
- 70%
Special suspect?
- relative
Murder of certain profession?
- lawyer creatures
Misc. Murder Plotlets
- character killed during/after sexing
- Proving innocence of very obvious suspect
- Big focus on forensic evidence
- Killer purposely leaves clues
Kind of investigator
- hard boiled/private eye
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- politics
Legal Thriller
Yes
Legal Plotlets
- finding out whether someone is really guilty
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- police/lawman
- a lawyer creature
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric/Mental:
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
Ethnicity/Race
- White/American
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
- a lawyer creature
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an average amount
- a substantial amount
The antagonists are:
- government bureaucracy
- lawyer creatures
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
City?
Yes
City:
- Dirty, dangerous (like New York)
- dangerous
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
- very gorey references to deaths/dead bodies and torture
How many deaths?
- 1
- 2
Sex
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
- touching of anatomy
- licking
- actual description of sex
- descript. of breasts
- descript. of other female areas
- descript. of male nudity
- rape (yeech!)
A lot of techno jargon?
Yes
Unusual forms of death
- rough sex
- drowned
- blunt clubbing (like seals)
Unusual form of death?
Yes
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
