Presumed Innocent

Presumed Innocent (1987) is Scott Turow’s first novel, originally published by Farrar Straus & Giroux. The hit novel stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 44 weeks and is often credited as an early example of the modern legal thriller, helping to shape the genre’s conventions. Turow went on to publish 12 additional novels and three nonfiction works. He also continued to practice law, specializing in criminal defense, contrasting with Presumed Innocent’s protagonist, prosecutor Rusty Sabich. In the novel, Turow probes themes of Performance’s Role in Courtroom Strategy, The Effect of Parenting on Adult Children, and The Connection Between Law and Politics.

This guide refers to the 2023 Kindle edition of the novel, published by Grand Central Publishing.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide contain descriptions of child abuse, rape, sexual assault, murder, racism, anti-gay bias, and misogyny. In addition, the source text uses offensive racist, anti-gay, and misogynistic terms, replicated in this guide only in direct quotes of the source material.

Plot Summary

Rusty Sabich, deputy chief for the Kindle County Prosecuting Attorney, is shocked when one of the prosecutors from the office is raped and murdered.