Presumed Innocent

infobox Book |
name = Presumed Innocent
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Scott Turow
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Legal thriller, Crime novel
publisher = Farrar Straus & Giroux
release_date = 1987
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 448 pp (first edition, hardback) 432 (paperback)
isbn = ISBN 0-374-23713-1 (first edition, hardback) ISBN 0-14-010336-8 (paperback)
preceded_by = One L
followed_by = The Burden of Proof

"Presumed Innocent", published in 1987, is Scott Turow's first novel, which tells the story of a prosecutor charged with the murder of his colleague. It is told in the first person by the accused, Rusty Sabich.

The novel begins with the discovery of Carolyn Polhemus dead in her apartment. Rusty Sabich is a prosecutor and co-worker of Carolyn and assigned her case by the district attorney. The story is complicated by the fact that Rusty is an ex-lover of Carolyn's and assigned her case. The novel follows the eventual discovery of their affair, as well as, the trial of Rusty for her murder.

Many of the minor characters in "Presumed Innocent" also appear in Turow's later novels, which are all set in fictional, Midwestern Kindle County.

Film

In 1990, a motion picture based on the novel and bearing the same title was released.