The Last Trial – Scott Turow

Attorney Alejandro “Sandy” Stern agrees to argue one last case before closing the practice he shares with his daughter and retiring when his friend, accused of falsifying the test results of the revolutionary drug that saved Sandy’s life, is accused of fraud, insider trading, and murder.  While Stern tries the case, and tries to get his client to tell him some truths, he also tries to find out the truth on his own, both about the case and about a car accident that nearly took his life during pre-trial interviews.  When he collapses following his final closing argument, he is forced to take stock of his life, especially in comparison to his friend.

Scott Turow first introduced Sandy Stern in his debut novel, Presumed Innocent, in 1987.  He then took center stage in his second novel, The Burden of Proof, which was published in 1990.  I read both of them in 1992 and, frankly, have little memory of their specifics but do recall enjoying them both.  He then moved into the background of Turow’s work, but returns to the forefront in The Last Trial.  As usual, I enjoyed this trip to Turow’s Kindle County.  He has 5 additional novels that I haven’t gotten to yet, but just may now that I have this library card burning a hole in my pocket.