Reversible Errors by Scott Turow

So I was in Sayulita Mexico last week. Hence the radio silence here. While there I stayed in the house of a friend right on the beach. Could surf right outside the door on a great left. Unfortunately my arms couldn’t handle paddling all day, so there was quite a bit of time to read. The house was full of books people had brought and left, so most were just right for the beach. One I particularly enjoyed was Reversible Errors by Scott Turow.

Another in the lawyer murder genre which for some reason I have become enamored with. Reversible Errors though stands a bit apart in how developed the characters are. The basic story is a guy on death row gets a new (third) court appointed (high powered pro-bono) attorney to handle his latest haebus corpus to stave off execution. Of course he didn’t do it. The busy, expensive lawyer of course doesn’t believe him, but is earnestwhile and dedicated. Through some investigation, he finds new witnesses that attest to his client’s innocence. Of course the prosecutor who put the guy in jail the first time, is now about to run for Chief Prosecutor and doesn’t want to see her career making case fall apart. Where it gets interesting is when the defendant’s lawyer gets traction on his long term crush on the disgraced former judge who originally sentenced his client. Meanwhile the formerly single, now married to high powered congressman, prosecutor has had an on/off affair with the married detective who was in charge of the case. The haebeus corpus and various court motions bring these characters back into each others lives after 10 years of turmoil.

In most murder/lawyer who dun-it’s the primary dramatic tension is: Did he do it? Maybe if you are lucky, you may get some tension because the bad guy is still out on the loose and he may do it again. Here, the tension is different. The guy is already is jail. We know who they think did it. But there is still tension on who really did it because there are witnesses that come in late. The former head of security at an airport near the restaurant where the original murder took place is now an inmate at the same prison as the accused and is dying of cancer. He says he did it. But you don’t know his motivations for saying this. There is also the love tension between defense lawyer and former judge in the case. Of course complicated by possible wrong-doings by the judge in the case. Who does the defense lawyer side with, his client (who is a scumbag anyway) or his long-term crush and now possible lover? The prosecutor also has her hands full with an illicit wild sex affair with the detective who made the original arrest and obtained the original confession. As evidence provided by the detective gets called into question, the prosecutor begins to question her ability to believe him in other areas.

Each of the multiple plot lines kept me engaged. There was enough tension to keep me reading to the last line. Without giving away the ending I will tell you that Turow doesn’t succumb to the temptation many writers have of using the last chapter to tie everything up in a nice bow. Bravo!