by Scott Turow (1987)

Turow’s first novel, about a state prosecutor accused of murdering his colleague/mistress, helped establish the legal thriller as a literary genre. Sure, there’s plenty of political intrigue, legal maneuvering and a genuinely unexpected payoff at the end. But between the covers Turow commits an act of literature: jumbling good with bad, juggling wrong with right, and bleeding the insider’s knowledge that the law can be as much about politics as justice.

Note: Alejandro “Sandy” Stern, though a subordinate character, is every bit as charismatic and honorable as Atticus Finch. He even wins the case.