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).  In November, 2006, Picador published his latest novel, Limitations, which was originally commissioned and published by The New York Times Magazine.  He has also written two non-fiction books—One L (1977) about his experience as a law student, and Ultimate Punishment (2003), a reflection on the death penalty, and has frequently contributed 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.  His books have been translated into more than 25 languages and have sold more than 25 million copies world-wide.

Scott 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 part of his 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.

His new book, Limitations is a compelling new legal mystery featuring George Mason from Personal Injuries. Originally commissioned and published by The New York Times Magazine, this edition contains additional material.   

Scott explains the initial impulse that led him to write “Presumed Innocent” and why he sets his novels in the fictional Kindle County.

"I seldom write from beginning to end. I'm about to begin this stage on a new book. What I will do is just write down scenes. A lawyer told me a story about a coroner's inquest and I sketched out the scene. Someday I'm going to figure out where that scene fits in the book."

I didn't want to get stuck with having a geography I couldn't alter. I find novels set in real places, involving fictionalized historical events, to be hokey. I'd rather make the fictional cut at the first level and just say this is a nonexistent place, these are nonexistent people. Now, we're all gonna sit around and agree it's real.