Local Authors

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Scott Turow is a household name.  We have all read one of his books, watched one of his movies, enjoyed one of his articles, listened to one of his television and radio interviews, or cheered over the verdict of one of the highly publicized cases he tried as an attorney…

He is also our neighbor  -- an Evanston resident  --  who stopped home during his whirlwind global book launch tour to sign 3 of his mega-hit books and donate them to the auction.

• INNOCENT hit the stands on May 4 and is the long-awaited sequel to PRESUMED INNOCENT, the novel that propelled him to the top of the literary world. 

•  THE BURDEN OF PROOF:  Newsweek said that they “…transcend their genre.  They are literature that will last.”

• ORDINARY HEROES:  “…is a beautifully wrought, finely achieved reconstruction of an elusive, a clandestine life—a World War II life, as it happens—by Scott Turow at the very top of his form. So, be warned, a book to start on Friday night." —Alan Furst

"No one writes better mystery suspense novels than Scott Turow." — Los Angeles Times

Turow didn’t just write a book with “Presumed Innocent,” he was credited with the popularity of an entire genre. The Los Angeles Times said he propelled legal thrillers to the top of the bestseller list, “paving the way for successors such as John Grisham.” The book sold 4 million copies.  His highly anticipated sequel, “Innocent” was released on May 4^th, 2010, and has already garnered fantastic reviews:

The Washington Post called “Innocent” an “intelligent, thoughtful novel: a grownup book for grownup readers.”

USA Today praised it as going beyond genre, saying “in the jaded world of best-selling authors, Turow has always seemed refreshingly uncynical. He's not just cranking out formulaic moneymakers. Tracing Rusty’s path allows Turow to explore serious issues including aging, marriage, raising children and death.”

About INNOCENT:

More than twenty years after Rusty Sabich and Tommy Molto went head-to-head in the shattering murder trial of Presumed Innocent, the men are pitted against each other once again in a riveting psychological match. When Sabich, now over sixty years old and the chief judge of an appellate court, finds his wife, Barbara, dead under mysterious circumstances, Molto accuses him of murder for the second time, setting into motion a trial that is vintage Turow—the courtroom at its most taut and explosive.

With his characteristic insight into both the dark truths of the human psyche and the dense intricacies of the criminal justice system, Scott Turow proves once again that some books simply compel us to read late into the night, desperate to know who did it…

 "Mesmerizing prose and intricate plotting…his best novel since his bestselling debut, Presumed Innocent." —Publisher's Weekly


"Scott Turow not only knows what his readers want, he delivers just about perfectly… Turow is the closest we have to a Balzac of the fin de siècle professional class." —Chicago Tribune

"Turow has set new standards for the genre, most notably in the depth and subtlety of his characterizations… The kind of reading pleasure that only the best novelists—genre or otherwise--can provide." —The New York Times

"Of all the lawyer-storytellers who have clambered onto the bestseller lists in recent years, Scott Turow is the champ. Not only are his plots absorbing and his characters persuasive, but his sentences flow with an artful cadence." —Dennis Drabelle, The Washington Post Book World

"Turow brings a literary sensibility to a grit-and-gravel genre: if he calls to mind any comparison, it's to John le Carré. His novels are shaped by [a] studied bleakness, an introspect's embrace of the gray-zone ambiguities of modern life." —Gail Caldwell, Boston Sunday Globe

"Turow is well established as one of the greater writers of modern legal thrillers… Turow's prose is beautiful and his observations, particularly the perceptions of small-scale human vulnerabilities, can take your breath away." —The Times (London)

"One begins with admiration for Turow's skillful evocation of the thrill of detection; one finishes fascinated by his deft probing of the mysteries of character and family. Like John le Carré in the realm of spy novels and P. D. James in that of mysteries, Scott Turow has the goods to transcend the limitations of the genre." —Dan Cryer, Newsday

Item Special Note

Scott Turow is a writer and attorney. He is the author of seven best-selling novels: Presumed Innocent (1987), The Burden of Proof (1990), Pleading Guilty (1993), The Laws of Our Fathers (1996), Personal Injuries (1999), Reversible Errors (2002) and Ordinary Heroes (2005). A novella, Limitations, was published as a paperback original in November 2006 by Picador following its serialization in The New York Times Magazine. His works of non-fiction include One L (1977) about his experience as a law student, and Ultimate Punishment (2003), a reflection on the death penalty.  He frequently contributes essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Playboy and The Atlantic. Mr. Turow’s books have won a number of literary awards, including the Heartland Prize in 2003 for Reversible Errors and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award in 2004 for Ultimate Punishment and Time Magazine's Best Work of Fiction, 1999 for Personal injuries. His books have been translated into more than 25 languages, sold more than 25 million copies world-wide and have been adapted into one full length film and two television miniseries.

Mr. Turow continues to work as an attorney. He has been a partner in the Chicago office of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal, a national law firm, since 1986, concentrating on white collar criminal defense, while also devoting a substantial amount of time to pro bono matters. In one such case, he represented Alejandro Hernandez in the successful appeal that preceded Hernandez’s release after nearly twelve years in prison, including five on death row, for a murder he did not commit.

Scott Turow was born in Chicago in 1949. He graduated with high honors from Amherst College in 1970. That year, he received an Edith Mirrielees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which he attended from 1970-1972. From 1972-1975, Mr. Turow taught Creative Writing at Stanford, as E.H. Jones Lecturer. In 1975, he entered Harvard Law School, graduating with honors in 1978. From 1978-1986, he was an Assistant United States Attorney in Chicago. He was a prosecutor in the trial of Illinois Attorney General William J. Scott, who was convicted of tax fraud. Mr. Turow was also lead government counsel in a number of the trials connected to Operation Greylord, a federal investigation of corruption into the Illinois judiciary.

Mr. Turow has been active in a number of charitable causes including organizations that promote literacy, education and legal rights.  In 1997-1998, he served as president of the Authors Guild, which is the national membership organization for professional writers, and continues to serve on its governing board.  He is also a Trustee of Amherst College.  Additionally, he performs with the Rock Bottom Remainders, a musical group of best seller authors raising funds for various literacy charities. 

Mr. Turow has been appointed to a number of public bodies. He is currently a Member of Illinois' Executive Ethics Commission. From 2002-2004, he served as Chair of the Illinois State Appellate Defender’s Commission, which oversees the state agency that represents indigent criminal defendants in their appeals. He served as one of the fourteen members of the Commission appointed in March, 2000, by Illinois Governor George Ryan to consider reform of the capital punishment system.  From 2000-2002, Mr. Turow was a member of the Illinois State Police Merit Board, which determines matters of hiring, promotion and discipline for members of the Illinois State Police. He also has served in 1997 and 1998 on the United States Senate Nominations Commission for the Northern District of Illinois, which recommends appointments of federal judges.

• All books are hardcover and signed by the author.  INNOCENT is a first edition.
• Package will be mailed via UPS to the winning bidder at close of auction.