Mack Malloy, ex-cop-turned-attorney at a prestigious law firm in Kindle County, is sent to retrieve their star litigator & $5.6 million which have both gone missing at the same time. The road leads to his former police partner & nemesis--and a cold corpse. ANNOTATION The author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Presumed Innocent and The Burden of Proof delivers another stellar bestseller. An ex-cop partner at a high-powered law firm tracks the firm's star litigator, who has disappeared with $5 million of a client's money. Don't miss Turow's bestselling backlist titles listed below. FROM THE PUBLISHER In Pleading Guilty, Scott Turow takes us back to Kindle County, the setting of his previous bestsellers and now one of the most renowned and fascinating locales in contemporary American fiction. As the novel opens, we learn that the star litigator at one of Kindle County's top law firms is missing. Also missing is $5.6 million from a fund established to settle a massive air disaster class action suit against Transitional Airlines, the firm's biggest client. It becomes the assignment of "Mack" Malloy, ex-cop, almost ex-drunk and partner-on-the-wane to find both the missing partner and the money. Immediately. Mack's search takes us into the inner sanctums of corporate law and into the dark heart of the city itself. As Mack pursues the truth, his own past pursues him, forcing him to confront his own ineradicable weakness and long-hidden secrets. Lovable, unreliable, a master sleuth, and an inimitable guide to an ominous and enthralling world, Mack Molloy may well be Scott Turow's supreme fictional creation to date--and Pleading Guilty may be judged his most accomplished novel yet. SYNOPSIS In Pleading Guilty, Scott Turow takes us back to Kindle County, the setting of his previous bestsellers and now one of the most renowned and fascinating locales in contemporary American fiction. FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly Murder, embezzlement, bookmaking, offshore banking, and the politics of a high-powered law firm supply varying shades of corruption as Turow ( Presumed Innocent ; The Burden of Proof ) returns to Kindle County in this wise, surefooted legal thriller. World-weary attorney Mack Malloy, 50-ish ex-cop and recovering alcoholic, is the protagonist and narrator. Despite humiliating annual pay cuts, Mack plods on at Gage & Griswell, nearing the end of his usefulness. When another partner in the firm disappears, along with several million dollars, Mack is assigned the difficult and potentially dangerous job of discreetly discovering his whereabouts. During a one-month time span, Mack dictates his account onto six tapes corresponding to the book's chapters.

It is an engaging, street-wise narrative full of plain talk and homespun philosophy, as well as a candid account of the behind-the-scenes workings of a powerful law firm. Though every element of the novel is polished and professional, the charisma of Mack's narration is its triumph. Add that to a taut, twist-filled plot, expert pacing, colorful and well-rendered supporting characters, and an appealing whiff of larceny, and Turow surpasses Grisham hands down.

Scott Turow's thriller features a maverick partner absconding, perhaps, with $5.6 million belonging to the firm's most important client. Stacey Keach is the perfect voice to capture the rough-textured character of ex-cop turned lawyer Mack Malloy who goes looking for the money and his wayward partner. Keach draws each character with real insight and conveys these less-than-polished characters with great flair. Even la femme, Mack's partner, Brushy, is convincing, showing how a professional voice can present cross-gender characters with great success. Pacing and inflection add to Keach's mastery. Overall entertainment value is high.