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Any fan of mysteries and thrillers knows if you read enough of them, you'll eventually develop a knack for predicting the outcome. Read a handful of Agatha Christies and you've nailed down her pattern. Harry Bosch will prevail over evil, Spenser will find justice, Bernie will be exonerated. It doesn't diminish the fun of getting there --- I've enjoyed every one and can't wait for the next release --- but Scott Turow's legal thrillers are clearly on a different plane. They're never predictable; he can pack more surprises into a plot than you would think imaginable. Who could forget the bizarre twist at the end of PRESUMED INNOCENT? His latest novel is a masterful challenge jam-packed with 90 degree turns that will keep you perpetually off balance and relishing every moment. PERSONAL INJURIES is clearly going to be the hottest topic of the season.
Robbie Feaver is a personal injury lawyer, winning a surprising number of cases and raking in the money, until he finds himself wedged between a rock --- United States Attorney Stan Sennett --- and a hard place --- Judge Brendan Tuohey. Sennett is a formidable politician determined to clean out the decades-old corruption that has flourished in Kindle County. Tuohey is Presiding Judge of the Common Law Claims Division and a reputed leader of organized crime. When the IRS stumbles onto Robbie's secret bank account and the connection to judicial bribery, Sennett makes him the pawn in an FBI sting to take down an entire hierarchy of judges.
But there's far more to a Turow novel than smashing good suspense. Turow's characters --- composed of varying degrees of good and evil --- are as humanly complex as you'll find in any fiction. With his wife dying from ALS, Robbie appears to be a man desperate to fulfill his bargain with the FBI. Stan Sennett is an idealist, intolerant of any minor indiscretion or bending of the law. Undercover agent Evon Miller is tough, dedicated and impervious to Robbie's repertoire of charms. Or so they seem --- until Turow skillfully slides his characters under a literary microscope and, as the they come into focus, we see the breakdown of definitive heroes and villains into numerous shades of gray.
With the FBI orchestrating an ambitious plan, the action becomes treacherous for all the principle players as Murphy's Law intervenes with almost comic regularity. Turow keeps us suspended from chapter to chapter speculating on who, if anyone, is manipulating events. As the plot twists and spins in dramatic new directions --- just go with the flow and save yourself the frustration --- you won't see what's coming until it runs you over.
--- Reviewed by Ann Bruns
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