Customer Reviews

The Burden Of Proof

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really enjoyed this book, but people looking for a typical terse, thrilling courtroom or legal thriller may find that this one is deeper than what is typical for this genre.

This book is more like a novel with very developed, deep characters, who have very complicated issues, all of which are essential to the story. It's a novel about the lead character, Sandy Stern, who happens to be a lawyer, and who does get entangled in a legal mess as the result of his wife's suicide, but the legal tangle and it's solution is not really the point. The major theme of the novel seems to be that appearances are deceiving, that people within the same family often work at cross purposes, and that even what seems to be direct communication can be totally misinterpreted. Sandy Stern is deceptive and deceiving, and so are all his family, friends and aquaintances. As he uncovers secret after secret he realizes how his life and everyone in it is largely a reflection of his own behavior.

Turow is a much better and deeper writer than others in the "legal thriller" genre he's lumped in with.

Scott Turow writes literature. Like John La Carre, the joy of reading his works lies in the journey through the book. Characters come alive; scenes are rich with description. Though not stream of consciousness novels, we are able to witness the thoughts of the actors, and discern their emotions as well as their understanding of life. In reading the "Burden of Proof " I often forgot that I was reading a mystery. To many readers that may be seen as a novelistic flaw, but to me it was a source of pleasure.

Sandy Stern has to cope with losing his wife who has committed suicide. How does a middle aged man make his way through this tragedy? How does a reserved, formal lawyer re-enter the world as a single man? How does he manage to legally represent his adventuresome, risk taking brother-in-law? These are a few of the challenges he faces.

Yes it is a mystery; a double one in fact. One sub-plot involves the federal investigation of his brother-in-law for some questionable futures trading. Some readers may find this less interesting than the typical legal thriller where the protagonist is faced with defending a suspected murderer (as in Turow's "Presumed Innocent"). The other sub-plot concerns a medical mystery surrounding the death of Stern's wife.

This is not a book for lovers of heart pounding, action thrillers. It is a story where you savor the quality of the writing; where you enjoy the development of the characters, and where you take pleasure in the scenes and setting of the story.

One complaint I've come across in reviews of various books is the comment that the author could have told the same story in less than half the actual pages. Turow could have written this novel in half the actual 570 pages, but then we would have missed the beauty of the story as he wanted to tell it. One reviewer of this book indicated that Turow was trying to show his knowledge of the dictionary. That puzzles me; I didn't have to look up a single word, and I'm sure you won't have to either.

If you like both fine writing, and a good story Turow can't be beat.

Scott Turrow took me on a trip that was amazing. One hundred pages before the end of the book I put it down and figured out the ending. It turned out that I "figured out" exactly what Sandy Stern did, but both of us were wrong. This book is the model for legal thrillers. I've read the book three times. I'm upset with myself for lending it out and not getting it back. I need to order another copy from amazon.com because I discover an entirely new dimension every time I read it. Enjoy...

This was my first Turow book to read. It took me awhile to get used to his writing style, but once I did, I was hooked. I was enthralled by the characters and the story line and couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Throughout the first 4/5 of the book, Turow adds many unexpected plot twists that add to the mystery. However, what could have been a great book just turns into an average book because of the end. I guess I expected too much. I wanted to see a totally unexpected surprise that went against everything I thought would happen, but it just never came. Instead, Turow lays out slowly piece by piece the solution to the puzzle. Sure, the ending was not what I expected, but it wasn't a surprise. Turow never gives you time to be shocked or surprised at the ending.

I liked this book because Turow does shock and surprise throughout the first part of the book. His characters are well written. I will probably read another of his books, I just won't expect the big surprise ending.

Written as a loose sequel to "Presumed Innocent," this novels takes us into the world of legal drama in the very capable hands of a true master of this genre. Though not as gritty or compelling as it forebarer, this work does bring vivid, realistic and personable characters to life in a way only Turow can.

The tables have now turned and Alejandro Stern, ace defense counsel now must face trial for an unspeakable crime. The evidence and tension mounts as his former client, and former prosecutor battles to clear his friend's name in the pool of fascinating characters and locales of Kindle County.

This book is not "Presumed Innocent" for those who enjoyed that book. It is a great effort and very entertaining. A bit longer and more ponderous, it is still a tremendous story and flawlessly written. I say it is a must read. It is far better courtroom fiction than most Grisham novels. Deserving of Five Stars, a good read and a great novel.

In "Burden of Proof", lawyer and novelist Scott Turow returns the character of Alejandro "Sandy" Stern, the smooth-spoken, Argentine-Jewish defense attorney introduced in the earlier novel, "Presumed Innocent". In that earlier novel, Stern defended a prosecutor in a high-profile murder case. In "Burden", Stern now has all the questions. Just when his existence seemed routine enough, Stern returns home from a business trip to find his wife dead - an apparent suicide. Reeling from the loss, Stern must also confront a grand jury proceeding against his client and brother in law, Dixon Hartnell. A web of complex (and suspicious) financial transactions involving futures-trading on Kindle County market run by Hartnell has whet the interest of the US Attorney's office, itself run by a foe of Stern. Though Hartnell is the sort of guy who routinely seems to hover at the edge of indictment for something, the charges now offer the chance of landing the embattled broker in a federal lockup and, because Stern's son-in law works for Hartnell, threaten to tear at the fragile Stern family. Into this mix of family and legal problems, Turow throws in Stern's romancing of his enemy at the US Attorney's office and of a nearby neighbor, his suspicions harbored against a neighbor who may have had an affair with Stern's now dead wife, and the story of his own romance, years ago, with Clara Mittler-Stern.

"Burden" has Scott Turow's great prose and obsessive character dissection, but it's not as enveloping a book as "Presumed Innocent". The sense of an underlying secret isn't as enticing as the murder investigation in the earlier book, and the characters don't grab you as well either. Most annoying is Stern whose silver-tongued erudition was cute when he was a supporting character in the older book. Dixon Hartnell would have been a more interesting choice of main character, but the plot makes that impossible. Turow dangles the names of characters from the first book just to get our attentions (ex-PA Ray Horgan almost becomes the defense lawyer for Stern's embattled son in-law; Rusty Sabich is referred in passing as "Judge Sabich"; the specter of the corrupt Mayor Augie Bolcarro seems to hang like a smog over Kindle County) but remains it's own book. Even the fictional choice of legal venue seems troublesome - exchanging the Kindle county court in "Presumed" with the anonymous Federal Court here. Kindle County, which seemed so real and unique in the older book seems just another mid-west city. The nivel concentrates instead on the byzantine relationships of its main characters, but after you've finished, you wonder why you should care. This is a pretty good novel, but it loses something and suffers in comparison to its prequel.

Turrow is a master of plot twists in this drama, but his characters are less than endearing. The descriptions and interplay among lawyers and clients are exceptional, and they support the center plot throughout. In the family interactions, which are frequent and central to the story, Turrow struggles. One wants to get to the fierce competitiveness and fine secrecy of the law story, but finds himself plowing through the uneasy muck of insecure relationships and misplaced affections. It still makes for a good read, but at times you will find no trouble putting the book down and going to bed.

If you enjoy reading a "novel", read Turow; if you prefer comic books, read Grisham or Patterson, or the rest of said ilk. This is a complex story of a middle-aged man, who loses his much-loved wife to a mysterious suicide. Turow develops the personalities of his characters, and weaves a multi-faceted plot line, just as occurs in real-life circumstances. "Burden of Proof" is one of the best novels I have ever read, and quite different from "Presumed Innocent", which most folks know from the Harrison Ford movie.

Since I am relatively new to Scott Turow, I continue to be amazed by his writing. The story has been well described by others. While it is a very interesting story, what make this book (and his other books as well) exceptional is the depth of emotions and the insights of individual characters about themselves and others. This puts Turow well above other authors on this genre. The Burden of Proof explores the vast range of feeling connected with Sandy Stern's dealing with the suicide of his wife, his family members and friends as well as the very complex and fascinating legal situation of his brother-in-law and how the rest of his family was involved. I found the book to hold my interest from beginning to end. Who knew when reading "Presumed Innocent" that Sandy Stern would be such an interesting character!

This is the second Turow novel I've read and I'm hooked. He's an excellent story teller and really knows how to take a plot through unexpected twists and turns. This book is solid evidence of his skills and I recommend it heartily.

I know how popular Grisham is and I've enjoyed some of his writing, but I'd rate Turow as easily the better writer. This book has plenty to help me reach that conclusion: family and business deceit, awkward romantic liasons, legal and personal grudges and jealousies, securities fraud, etc. Try it, I'll bet you'll like it.