Book Review: "Innocent" by Scott Turow

Warning: Possible Spoiler

This is the sequel to "Presumed Innocent".

About 20 years after Tommy Molto unsuccessfully prosecuted Rusty Sabitch for the murder of Carolyn Polhemus, they again face off in court.  Now, Rusty is now the chief judge for the 3rd Appellate Court, with an eye on the State Supreme Court.  Tommy is now the acting Prosecuting Attorney. Tommy is married and has a son, and is a better man than before..  He seems to have learned from his mistakes.  Rusty, on the other hand, is having an affair again.

Rusty's wife Barbara is found dead, seemingly of natural causes.  But why did Rusty wait 24 hours to call anyone?    Tommy's assistant, Jim Brand, is particularly determined to nail Sabitch, Most of the case revolves around the fact that Barbara took phenelzine, and ate food that was known to interact with it. 

I really liked the unique style with which Turow told the story.   The first half of the book tells of events both  prior to, and after  Barbara's death, moving easily between the two time frames, and telling the story  from different characters' perspectives.  The second half of the book focuses on the trial and its aftermath.  Throughout the trial, Rusty is supported by his son Nat

Although I very much enjoyed the story, I was disappointed with the ending, which I found to be somewhat anti-climactic.   I also found it highly implausible that they'd make it through the entire trial without Nat finding out who his father had had an affair with.

Content warning: There is some offensive language throughout the story, and sometimes there is more information than necessary regarding Rusty's affair.