Aaron had always been in love with Mae-they were an item since junior high school. When Rusty Sabich fell for Aaron's mother, Bea, Aaron became a member of their almost family, or would, when Bea finally set a date for the wedding. Adopted at birth, Aaron was one of the only black residents in their mid-western white community, and he felt it every day. Low-key and artistic, he was the perfect foil to beautiful, effervescent Mae, whose rich and powerful family made all of the decisions in their county.
They did everything together, including substance abuse which resulted in Aaron's drug conviction. Put on probation, one of his restrictions was that he wasn't allowed to drive, so Mae was his transportation. On the weekend they went camping in the mountains to finally consider marriage and a life together, they had a terrible fight-he tried to talk but she was only concerned with recording herself for a tik tok video. Aaron was done-he grabbed her cellphone and walked away, while Mae furiously tried to grab it back. What he didn't know, as he hitchhiked back to his house, was that her car was found in a ditch with her dead body spilling out of it-she had been strangled to death and abandoned.
Everyone knew he did it-all the evidence pointed his way. As Rusty and Bea attempted to find Aaron a topnotch defense lawyer, it became clear that only Rusty had the right creds. As a prosecutor, sometime defense lawyer, judge and finally, mediator, he also had that small town vibe which would connect with potential jurors. And the trial begins.
In Presumed Guilty, Turrow leads you through the agonies of a defense lawyer in the case of his life. The pressures of a murder case where the deck is so stacked against his client, coupled with his love for Bea and her son makes this an excruciating thrill ride through lawyer hell. Rusty does not have to prove that Aaron didn't kill Mae, but he does have to convince a jury that there was a plausible alternative and he didn't have a lot of time to do this. Will he succeed or go down in flames?
This was a perfect example of "couldn't put it down" -ness...once you start this novel, you're on the hook to complete it, and fast. But you also need to give it a thorough close reading, as Turrow walks you through the myriad details of legal procedure-read with your full attention, or you might miss something important!
Glad to see that the king of the legal thriller has still got it...and that we get to follow his journey to the truth.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
January 14, 2025
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