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In the past several years the American justice system has fallen under heavy scrutiny, more often than not, in an unfavorable light. Detractors point to tainted investigations, overburdened courts, and the vagaries of the jury system. Supporters reiterate the sentiment that, with its constitutional guarantees, it's still the best possible form of justice relative to the rest of the world. The fulcrum for both arguments should be obvious --- human beings --- and human beings are, of course, fallible. In REVERSIBLE ERRORS Scott Turow has applied his considerable talents to writing a compelling story spun from an astute reflection of those fallible humans that underly the fragile structure of the judicial process.
In 1991, three people are brutally murdered in a late night diner. Ten years and countless appeals later, convicted murderer Rommy Gandolph is spending his final weeks on death row unless his court-appointed attorney can pull one turow, convincing appeal out of some magical briefcase. Attorney Arthur Raven views his assignment to the case as just another unhappy stroke of fate to add to the dismal résumé of his life. But when he uncovers discrepancies in the case that lead him to believe his client might actually be innocent, Raven becomes inspired to ferret out the truth of what actually took place in that diner so long ago.
The suspenseful storyline ebbs and flows between the past and present, ushering in Turow's other key players --- an experienced detective, an aspiring prosecutor, and a corrupted judge --- and what has propelled them all to this final juncture. Detective Larry Starczek and Prosecutor Muriel Wynn are star-crossed lovers who allowed their professional ambitions and private desires to cloud the original homicide investigation. Now the moral dilemma of their shared responsibility in a mangled prosecution threatens to destroy both their professional and personal lives. Gillian Sullivan, the presiding judge on the original case, is drawn back into the limelight after spending several years in prison for taking bribes. Her reluctance to become involved with the case, and defense attorney Raven, are overridden by her guilt that somehow she may have played a role in convicting an innocent man. Despite her fatalistic sense that her involvement with Raven will eventually end badly for the both of them, even she isn't prepared for the cataclysmic events that are about to unfold in The State Vs Rommy Gandolph.
REVERSIBLE ERRORS is a dual revelation in both juris prudence and the human psyche that reflects our own personal struggles to understand the moral issues that refract our lives. The frightening possibilities are all too apparent, and timely, as revelations of law enforcement misconduct and prosecutorial fiascoes continue to fuel our rage and re-ignite the age-old controversy over capital punishment. Yet Turow never succumbs to the temptation of fellow authors by simply fictionalizing the sensational for his own intent. On the contrary, he has crafted a magnificent exposé that takes us deep into the souls of each character to examine every watershed moment and the consequences they've wrought. And as he finally brings each character to the edge of their own moral abyss, we're haunted by one of life's essential truths. When one human being crosses paths with another, both lives are dramatically altered --- for better or worse --- forever.
--- Reviewed by Ann Bruns (BkPageWC@aol.com)
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