This is the 11th book in Scott Turow’s Kindle County series. It features a now 85 year old Alejandro “Sandy” Stern, who back in the day was a brilliant defense lawyer. We first met Sandy in Presumed Innocent, the first book in this series where he defends a prosecutor being framed for the murder of his former lover. (This novel was was later made into a movie with the same name, starring Harrison Ford as the unlucky prosecutor and Raul Julia as Sandy Stern, his defense lawyer.) However, at 85, Stern does not have the stamina that he used to, and his daughter, who is a partner in her father’s law firm, is not always certain his mental capacity isn’t slipping a bit too.

But when an old friend begs him to take his case, Stern, is not able to resist the thought of being in the courtroom one more time. His friend, Dr. Kiril Pafko, a Noble Prize winner in Medicine, is charged with insider trading, fraud and murder and his whole life’s work is now in jeopardy. Stern, initially believes that his friend can’t possibly be guilty of any of these things, but as things move forward Stern begins to see a side of his friend that he never knew before and begins to question everything he knew about him. Now Stern’s belief in the power of the judicial system to find truth and justice begins to conflict with his duty to defend his client, creating an existential crises that he must overcome in the courtroom.

As I have said previously, lawyers appreciate Turow because he writes within the reality and possibility of the law and wrestles with its limits. It is an imperfect system, but nonetheless it is the best we have, and Turow instinctually gravitates to those places where there are gaps in what the law can offer in terms of justice, and its ability to find the truth. This is a “legal thriller” in the best possible meaning of that phrase and I devoured it as fast as I could!  

Brenda’s Rating: ***** (5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Keith, Sharon, and Marian

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in e-library format.