Customer Reviews

Limitations (Center Point Platinum Mystery (Large Print))

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Scott Turow's "Limitations" is the story of George Mason, a fifty-nine year old former criminal defense attorney who is now an appellate court judge. The case currently keeping him up at night is "People vs. Jacob Warnovits." Four white men, now in their middle twenties, were convicted of criminal sexual assault for depraved acts that they committed back in high school. The victim was fifteen-year-old Mindy DeBoyer, an African American girl who passed out after a night of heavy drinking at a party; Jacob Warnovits assaulted Mindy while she was unconscious, and he subsequently videotaped his buddies raping her. Warnovits kept the tape and later showed it to his fraternity brothers in college. Someone tipped off the authorities, and the young men were arrested, tried, convicted, and given the mandatory minimum sentence of six years. They remain free on bond pending the results of their appeal.

Judge Mason and his colleagues must decide whether to affirm or reverse the lower court's ruling. Possible arguments for reversal are that the three-year statute of limitations passed before the case came to trial, and that the videotape, which was illegally shot and prejudicial in nature, should not have been admitted into evidence in the first place. Mason is perturbed, not only because the law is unclear, but also because he himself had been guilty of a sexual indiscretion back in college. He fears that his personal history may taint his ability to act impartially.

Mason has other worries, as well. His devoted wife, Patrice, is being treated for thyroid cancer, and an anonymous individual has been sending him a series of threatening messages. There is speculation that Jaime Colon, the sadistic leader of an infamous street gang, may be out to take revenge on the man who upheld his conviction and sent him to prison.

Turow's cast of characters is varied and lively. They include Judge Nathan Koll, a brilliant megalomaniac who is as paranoid as he is ambitious, Cassandra Oakey, an aggressive law clerk who refuses to defer to her superiors, and Mason himself, who sometimes wonders whether anyone is capable of judging others fairly. "Limitations" refers not just to legal statues but also to the frailties and imperfections that are part of being human. In spite of his occasional self-doubt, Mason believes in the power of the law to mete out justice and impose a semblance of order on an often hate-filled and chaotic society.

Turow lucidly explores the complex issues raised in the emotionally charged Warnovits case. He puts the reader on the bench along with Mason and his colleagues; we get to decide what we believe the ultimate fate of the defendants should be. The book's sole flaw is the jarring and unnecessary story line about Mason's stalker. Not only is this plot element poorly integrated with the rest of the narrative, but its resolution is implausible and unsatisfying. This quibble notwithstanding, "Limitations" is an entertaining, fast-paced, and thought-provoking legal thriller.

I am new to Turow, having read "Ordinary Heroes" just recently. I liked "Heroes" and was in need of a book for a long flight so I picked up "Limitations." I was really disappointed. I completely agree with the reviewer who commented on the lack of suspense. This was a book with a few loosely pulled together subplots: the threatening emails/text messages, the ailing wife, the current court case and the past incident from college might have worked in a different context, but they didn't really build on one another here. I am usually easy to please, but this book was uninspiring and lackluster.

This novel, right at 200 pages, is short by today's standards. However, Turow has found the right length to tell his story and spared us the padding that one frequently finds in longer works. It is terse, well written, and gives us a deeper perception of the lives of lawyers and judges than we usually get. It deals with guilt, sin, punishment, and justice. Atonement is not discussed, but that is what this is about. The characters are human and real. The legalese and argot of the courts lend an authentic flavor. This is not a book for those who don't like to think.

This isn't Turow at his best. At his best he combines vivid characters, literary prose, his knowledge of the legal system AND that all-so-important ability to create an intricate plot to examine larger moral and social issues. Yes, at his best there aren't many better writers of the legal thriller genre.

Now Turow is his own tough act to follow. The central question of this book, which inspires the inspired title, is about responsibility: Is a fifty-eight year old man responsible for the actions of his eighteen year old self? If not, then when did that responsibility expire? And to what extent can any human being to judge another? There has to be some limitations there, too, but how do we draw them?

Good questions, with more raised, but the characters are pleasantly dull and the plot is surprisingly slow, given the incendiary (and distasteful) subject matter: rape. I don't think Turow has ever outdone his debut novel, *Presumed Innocent,* and I can recommend that one without reservation -- even if you saw the movie. (It's really, really good if you haven't.)Get That Novel Written

Normally an avid Turow fan, I was very disappointed in this book. It started slow and it was all I could do to read more than 3-5 pages at a time. Knowing how I've enjoyed his previous works, I kept up the struggle, however, and it just never got any better. Quite honestly, I am very surprised that there were so many good reviews on the book, but, as they say, different strokes. The story line, such as it was, was just plain boring, the suspense level almost nil. The long awaited opinion of the Court was nothing short of an insult to any one with any legal back ground. Someone please tell me - what did I miss? I read your reviews and still don't get it

I read and enjoyed Presumed Innocent and bought Limitations thinking it would be on par. I was quite disappointed. There was no plot to speak of; there were no colorful, interesting characters; and little to no suspense... just a potpourri of boring and disconnected events. This was a lazy attempt by Turow.

Scott Turow burst onto the literary scene 20 years or so ago in a big way with 'Presumed Innocent'. That was a fabulous novel and set a very high standard for him.

Over the years, he has written several very good books. He has lots of talent and creativity.

'Limiations' is not in the class of most of his former work. It is an adequate story that might be considered very good for most authors. Turow, however, is not most authors. He is a top notch writer of legal thrillers. For him, this 'novelette' is just ok.

It features several characters who have been in his previous books including George Mason and Rusty Sabich. They are in way different roles here, but still present. The setting is Turow's normal locale: Kindle County, Illinois.

Perhaps Turow is running out of ideas and thinks that he must rehash characters and the same place forever. That formula does not work in 'Limitations'.

If you are a big Turow fan and think that you must read it, I would recommend waiting for the paperback. This book is alright, but it is certainly not in the league with his previous works.

The only other Scott Turow book I had read previous to this one was One L, which I loved. My sister had just started Law School, and told me to read the book so I could understand what she was going through. It's a good thing I read it, because she took me through law school blow-by-blow, tort-by-tort. By the time she graduated, I thought I should have received my own law degree. I find the law fascinating, which is what made me pick up Limitations in the first place.

I really really got into this book. Turow is a master at pulling your conscience in different directions. Yes, it was heavy on the law, but for anyone that finds the law as interesting as I do, this is a good thing. Limitations takes one of the most horrific sexual assault cases you can imagine and puts a very human spin on it that makes you question not only the limitations of the law, but the limitations of one's humanity. For anyone that enjoys courtroom drama, I highly recommend this book.

[...]

Scott Turow's Limitations is limited by plot, scope, and character development. It reads quickly, and is fairly well written, but the storyline feels restricted and I never felt connected to any of the characters. Many of these characters are from previous books, and the author assumes we know something about them already instead of forming them completely within this novel. With that said, the book is not all bad. The protagonist, George Mason, is conflicted by his past in relation to a case he is considering as a judge of the Court of Appeals. He is being threatened by e-mail and is trying to protect his ailing wife from the difficulties with which he has been dealing. The ending ties up the two plot lines conveniently. The main problem is that this thin novel seems more like an extended short story, and after reading it I found that it had, indeed, been serialized in a magazine. There is not enough mystery to this book, and not enough suspense. My advice is to skip this one entirely and reread Presumed Innocent, a novel that is everything that this one is not.

This was not one of ST's best novels. It tried to mix law with mystery. The "Limitation" refers to whether a crime can still be successfully prosecuted after a certain period of time has passed i.e. whether the limitation period has passed. There was a little bit of philosophical posturing around the subject but not enough to warrant much interest or excitement.

This is a concept, which might be marginally interesting to lawyers, and I am one - so it was slightly interesting. But to all non-lawyers? I doubt it.

The mystery story line centred on a spate of evil sounding emails to a Judge -and the hero of our story. There were some half arsed attempts to track down the sender - but it hardly got a head of steam. Quite honestly it was an incredibly weak story line.

When the perpetrator was revealed it went off like a damp squib.

That is it folks: the total sum of this book.

It was a lazy and uninspired effort from a great writer. ST needs to have a holiday and return to writing some great novels.

But this one? Forget it