The soul inside the legal thriller

For fans of legal fiction, there are few characters more memorable than Scott Turow's protagonist, Alejandro "Sandy" Stern, whose crusading work as a defense counsel first appeared in his 1987 book, "Presumed Innocent." Now, with Turow's latest novel, "The Last Trial," it appears we are witnessing the end of a long arc of a beloved character. In this discussion with Robert Amsterdam, Scott Turow talks about what went into the creation of Sandy Stern, and the process by which he plots his many bestselling legal thrillers. Amsterdam and Turow share their contrasting experiences of large firm and small firm defense counsel, and how lawyers must manage the role fully investing themselves, personally and emotionally, into the cause of their clients, sometimes with the consequences that may bear. "I think that the transmission of motif and milieu and information from my practice to my novels is pretty obvious," says Turow. "It keeps me current on the law, gives me a sense of what's going on now. On the other hand, occasionally it's useful to be the novelist in the courtroom."