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A super-charged, exquisitely suspenseful novel about a vicious triple murder and the man condemned to die for it.Rommy "Squirrel" Gandolph is a Yellow Man, an inmate on death row for a 1991 triple murder in Kindle County. His slow progress toward certain execution is nearing completion when Arthur Raven, a corporate lawyer who is Rommy's reluctant court-appointed representative, receives word that another inmate may have new evidence that will exonerate Gandolph.Arthur's opponent in the case is Muriel Wynn, Kindle County's formidable chief deputy prosecuting attorney, who is considering a run for her boss's job. Muriel and Larry Starczek, the original detective on the case, don't want to see Rommy escape a fate they long ago determined he deserved, for a host of reasons. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Gillian Sullivan, the judge who originally found Rommy guilty, is only recently out of prison herself, having served time for taking bribes.Scott Turow's compelling, multi-dimensional characters take the reader into Kindle County's parallel yet intersecting worlds of police and small-time crooks, airline executives and sophisticated scammers -- and lawyers of all stripes. No other writer offers such a convincing true-to-life picture of how the law and life interact, or such a profound understanding of what is at stake -- personally, professionally, and morally -- when the state holds the power to end a man's life.
A corporate lawyer discovers potential exculpatory evidence for a death row inmate, triggering a high-stakes race against time to prevent a wrongful execution. Arthur Raven, a reluctant court-appointed attorney, must navigate a labyrinth of legal bureaucracy and institutional resistance to challenge a decade-old murder conviction. He faces off against a formidable prosecutor and a disgraced judge, both of whom have significant personal and professional stakes in maintaining the original verdict. The narrative employs a multi-perspective framework, shifting between the legal maneuvers of the defense and the calculated obstructionism of the state, all while examining the moral weight of capital punishment.
This novel is widely recognized for its dense, realistic portrayal of the American legal system and the moral complexities inherent in capital punishment. Readers and critics often highlight the author's ability to balance technical legal accuracy with a compelling, character-driven narrative. The work is frequently cited for its nuanced exploration of how personal histories and professional ambitions influence the pursuit of justice. It stands as a significant entry in the legal thriller genre, noted for its refusal to offer simplistic resolutions to the ethical dilemmas it presents.
Page Count:
433
Publication Date:
2002-10-28
Publisher:
HarperCollins Publishers
ISBN-10:
0002005301
ISBN-13:
9780002005302