Limitations [Paperback]

Scott Turow's "Limitations" is the story of George Mason, a fifty-nine year old former criminal defense attorney who is now an appellate court judge. The case currently keeping him up at night is "People vs. Jacob Warnovits." Four white men, now in their middle twenties, were convicted of criminal sexual assault for depraved acts that they committed back in high school. The victim was fifteen-year-old Mindy DeBoyer, an African American girl who passed out after a night of heavy drinking at a party; Jacob Warnovits assaulted Mindy while she was unconscious, and he subsequently videotaped his buddies raping her. Warnovits kept the tape and later showed it to his fraternity brothers in college. Someone tipped off the authorities, and the young men were arrested, tried, convicted, and given the mandatory minimum sentence of six years. They remain free on bond pending the results of their appeal.

Judge Mason and his colleagues must decide whether to affirm or reverse the lower court's ruling. Possible arguments for reversal are that the three-year statute of limitations passed before the case came to trial, and that the videotape, which was illegally shot and prejudicial in nature, should not have been admitted into evidence in the first place. Mason is perturbed, not only because the law is unclear, but also because he himself had been guilty of a sexual indiscretion back in college. He fears that his personal history may taint his ability to act impartially.

Mason has other worries, as well. His devoted wife, Patrice, is being treated for thyroid cancer, and an anonymous individual has been sending him a series of threatening messages. There is speculation that Jaime Colon, the sadistic leader of an infamous street gang, may be out to take revenge on the man who upheld his conviction and sent him to prison.

Turow's cast of characters is varied and lively. They include Judge Nathan Koll, a brilliant megalomaniac who is as paranoid as he is ambitious, Cassandra Oakey, an aggressive law clerk who refuses to defer to her superiors, and Mason himself, who sometimes wonders whether anyone is capable of judging others fairly. "Limitations" refers not just to legal statues but also to the frailties and imperfections that are part of being human. In spite of his occasional self-doubt, Mason believes in the power of the law to mete out justice and impose a semblance of order on an often hate-filled and chaotic society.

Turow lucidly explores the complex issues raised in the emotionally charged Warnovits case. He puts the reader on the bench along with Mason and his colleagues; we get to decide what we believe the ultimate fate of the defendants should be. The book's sole flaw is the jarring and unnecessary story line about Mason's stalker. Not only is this plot element poorly integrated with the rest of the narrative, but its resolution is implausible and unsatisfying. This quibble notwithstanding, "Limitations" is an entertaining, fast-paced, and thought-provoking legal thriller.

I am new to Turow, having read "Ordinary Heroes" just recently. I liked "Heroes" and was in need of a book for a long flight so I picked up "Limitations." I was really disappointed. I completely agree with the reviewer who commented on the lack of suspense. This was a book with a few loosely pulled together subplots: the threatening emails/text messages, the ailing wife, the current court case and the past incident from college might have worked in a different context, but they didn't really build on one another here. I am usually easy to please, but this book was uninspiring and lackluster.

This novel, right at 200 pages, is short by today's standards. However, Turow has found the right length to tell his story and spared us the padding that one frequently finds in longer works. It is terse, well written, and gives us a deeper perception of the lives of lawyers and judges than we usually get. It deals with guilt, sin, punishment, and justice. Atonement is not discussed, but that is what this is about. The characters are human and real. The legalese and argot of the courts lend an authentic flavor. This is not a book for those who don't like to think.

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