Unfortunately not one of his best. Very complicated start and therefore hard to get into.

A taut thriller that will delight Turrow fans and should certainly earn him new ones. Turrow at his best.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book.
What a great read! It has been years since I have read a Scott Turow. I may have become bored with legal thriller. This book is anything but boring and it is actually more a detective novel since not much time is spent in the courtroom. Bill Ten Boom leaves his life in Kindle County and accepts a job with the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He is to investigate the disappearance of 400 Roma refugees in Bosnia. It is an intricate plot with well-developed, interesting characters that keeps one reading. Lots of action and unexpected events that keep one guessing.
4.5 stars.

Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Testimony. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

When former prosecutor Bill ten Boom is given the opportunity to work for the International Criminal Court, which is responsible for prosecuting international crimes of an egregious nature, he gets embroiled in a case that takes him far from The Hague. In the aftermath of the Bosnian War, 400 citizens were taken from their community and mass buried in a cave. The lone adult survivor has a horrific story to tell, if only Boom can find some corroborating evidence to bring the murderers to justice. When it becomes increasingly evident that the story they were told is just not adding up, will Bill and the rest of the team find out the truth and bring the guilty party to justice?

Although the book is relatively long, author Scott Turow manages to keep up a high level of intensity. As the investigation deepens and certain realizations place Bill in danger, readers are really able to gain insight into his character. Testimony highlights certain issues that are prevalent in today's society, with the frustrations that law enforcement faces on a daily basis. The book contains a realistic view of the difficulties in prosecuting international crimes, with the political pressures and personal moral dilemmas. The story does get bogged down in places, especially in regards to Boom's personal life. Testimony would have been a much stronger book had the author chosen to focus mostly on the criminal case and legal aspects, instead of Boom's relationships with others.

This is classic Turlow ! a explosive thriller with action that never ends.
Former prosecutor Bill ten Boom is 50 and ready to end his career when he is handed a case that will change his life and his reputation in the legal world. The International Criminal Court has requested he personally investigate a terrible crime against a entire village . He is to investigate the disappearance of a entire refugee camp. Only one witness survived and he is willing to work with Boom to bring justice against those responsible.
The excitement never ends in this fast paced dark thriller . Classic Turlow with many sub plots and great characters. Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my review.

Published by Grand Central Publishing on May 16, 2017

Testimony is the first legal thriller I’ve read that focuses on the International Criminal Court. It is primarily fiction that is only based on fact at the edges of the story, including the ill-considered diversion of arms from Bosnia to Iraq that probably ended up in the hands of terrorists. The guts of the story, however, are pure fiction, written to Scott Turow’s usual standard of detail and deception.

Bill “Boom” Ten Boom has resigned from his Kindle County law firm and left his family behind to prosecute war crimes. In 2004, a group of soldiers allegedly wiped out a village inhabited by 400 Roma in Bosnia. The nearest soldiers happened to be Americans, and the massacre is rumored to have been an act of retaliation for the deaths of American soldiers in a failed attempt to capture a Serbian leader named Kajevic, a war criminal on the order of Slobodan Milošević.

In 2015, a friend of Boom who works for one of America’s spy agencies invites Boom to prosecute the case, which (in the spy’s view) means proving that the killers were not Americans. The thought is that having an American lead the investigation will prevent “some yahoo in Congress” from triggering an international crisis because the ICC is investigating a crime in which American soldiers are the suspected culprits.

Who killed the Roma? A furtive group working for Kajevic? American soldiers? Or, as some insist, did the massacre never happen? Boom’s investigation takes him from the Hague to Washington to Bosnia, placing him in danger while challenging the reader to figure out who is threatening Boom and what really happened to the Roma. Of course, as is common in Scott Turow’s work, the answer requires the careful dismantling of a cover-up.

Boom becomes involved in relationships with a couple of women during the course of the novel. The relationship drama is integral to the story while never threatening to overwhelm the legal drama. While he’s in Holland, Boom also learns something dramatic about his roots, another layer that interweaves with but doesn’t overwhelm the central story.

There are political overtones to the story, but they transcend party politics to ask fundamental questions about the nature of political and military leadership. The novel touches on the colossal political blunder that America made in invading Iraq, and the series of military and political blunders that followed. It also illustrates the debate between those who believe that America should not be subject to international law (among other reasons, because they perceive American soldiers as a likely target of persecution) and those who believe that America should avoid the double standard of judging other countries while being unwilling to be judged by them. The rule of law, after all, should apply equally to everyone, including Americans.

Those issues aside, this is fundamentally a legal thriller rather than a political story. Turow follows Boom and the other characters as they interview, investigate, excavate, and examine the evidence to see where it leads. The book is a model of how all criminal investigations should proceed, as investigators strive to find the truth, not to prove that their pet theory is accurate.

Turow’s characters, as always, have depth and substance. The story moves quickly without glossing over the fact that complex criminal investigations are painstaking affairs. The original plot and the strong characters make this one of the better novels that Turow has written in recent years.

RECOMMENDED

Bill ten Boom ("Boom") is at a crossroads in his life. After spending decades as a prosecutor in our beloved Kindle county, putting white collar criminals in jail, he has retired. His children and grown and living lives of their own, giving him a chance to consider his marriage in a different light and deciding it's not for him. Now he is middle-aged, unemployed, unmarried, and wondering what's next in his life. 

And then the phone rings . . .

An old college buddy calls him up and offers him the chance of a lifetime--to go to the Hague and prosecute a case involving a mass murder of Roma refugees in Bosnia from 10 years ago with the International Criminal Court. It's an intriguing offer, at a time when Boom needs more intrigue. He barely has time to pack before he's on a plane to the other side of the world. The case is based on the testimony of one man, the sole survivor of the refugee camp. He claims that soldiers speaking in a language he did not know forced the occupants of his refugee camp to stand in a mine. The soldiers told the 400 Roma refugees that they were being moved and to wait there, trucks would be along in a few minutes to take them to their new camp. As they waited, an explosion caused an avalanche that buried them all alive. 

The mass grave is just a couple of miles away from a NATO base where the U.S. Army still had soldiers. But the relationship that America has with NATO ties Boom's hands in the investigation. And what's more, how did the Americans on that base not know of the mass murder, unless they were somehow involved or at least covering for someone? Boom's investigation of who massacred these refugees, why they were killed, and if his witness if even telling the truth leads Boom down a rocky path filled with political minefields, half-truths from fellow Americans, doubts, lies, car thieves, a disgraced U.S. Army General, organized crime, a brutal genocidal leader, and more questions than answers. And that's not even adding in the very attractive advocate for the survivor and witness who seems to be hiding an agenda of her own. 

Sound complicated? It did to me too. Honestly, I'm intimidated by anything having to do with international politics. But don't worry. Scott Turow's got your back. In Testimony, he walks you through the international intrigue and political relationships like someone explaining a season of The Real Housewives of (insert city of your choice here). He explains things beautifully without talking down to us, and he leads us through it all with a deft hand and the gentle intelligence of a favorite college professor. This novel is an education, but it's also a moving tale of our humanity in all its horror and beauty. Do I recommend this book? Absolutely. It will remind you of the importance of living your best life in every moment. And that is something we all need. 



Galleys for Testimony were provided by Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

I enjoyed this book; I'm a big Scott Turow fan. The book was long but kept my interest. I'll be back with my full review soon.

WORLD VIEW OF CRIME

I was a fan of Scott Turow when his career began but for one reason or another, perhaps the seemingly endless number of books released year round, I stopped reading his books a while back. So when I saw this one up to read at Netgalley I decided to give him a try again. I found it a mix of thing but all of them providing an interesting story that is well told.

Bill ten Boom is a lawyer whose just turned 50 and decided upon a career change. Divorced with two grown sons, he leaves behind the law practice he helped create but became bored with and has taken on the job of prosecutor for the International Crime Court in The Hague. The first case that comes his way involves the Bosnian war and two characters that will change his life forever.

The first is an exotic lawyer named Esma Czarni whose main witness, Ferko Rincic, claims he witnessed the elimination of a group of gypsies by what may have been American soldiers. Ten Boom follows the clues, files the charges and investigates the clues with Esma on hand all the way, not only in the field but in his bed as well. Ten Boom finds himself drawn to her animal magnetism as well as her passion for justice in this instance.

But as with most thrillers not all is as it seems. Just who ten Boom can and cannot trust becomes suspect at every turn. His search for the truth leads him to Washington, D.C where he meets with a disgraced US major general now working the private side who wants to protect his legacy. He meets an on-site operative who’s made a lucrative career out of information and illegal supplies. He meets with the criminal element still working the area for any and all profits to be made. And he must maneuver his way through the courts of The Hague in an attempt to find not just the truth but to bring those guilty to justice.

The book is interesting in that it takes the lawyer fiction mode and moves it from the courtrooms of the US to the national courtroom in The Hague, a location few are willing to discuss let alone created an entire novel around. The system of law and prosecution here is different than in the US and that makes an interesting portion of the book as does the style of investigating the cases brought forth.

On the whole the book works well, is easy to read and holds your interest from start to finish. My only fear is that readers in the US will not care about what happens in other parts of the world and will bypass the book because of it. That’s a shame because in doing so they will miss a solid book with topics most of us should be thinking about no matter where we live. For me I’d suggest the book be read and enjoyed. I know I did.

Much more than a legal thriller... 5 stars

Middle-aged successful American lawyer, Bill Ten Boom, is having a bit of a subdued mid-life crisis. He has ended his marriage, not over another woman but simply because he felt there was no real love or passion in it. And he has given up his partnership in a big legal firm – a role he primarily took on to satisfy the aspirations of his ex-wife. So when he's offered the job of prosecuting a case at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, he decides it's too good an opportunity to pass up. The case involves the rumoured brutal killing of four hundred Roma in Bosnia in 2004. It happened near an American base, so the case is further complicated by the fact that the US, under George W Bush, pulled out of the ICC. First, Boom (as he is known) must establish that the atrocity did in fact happen, and if so, must then try to find out who should be held responsible.

Scott Turow is one of those writers whose books transcend easy genre definition. On the surface this is a legal crime novel with all the aspects of an investigation, suspects, clues, trial procedures, and so on. But it is also a careful, revealing look at the way the Roma have been dealt with throughout history, in Bosnia and elsewhere – a group at least as victimised as the Jews over the centuries but somehow still left under the radar of popular concern. Turow avoids the easy route of making the Roma seem too much like helpless victims though – he shows how their determination not to assimilate into the societies within which they live puts them in the position of always being seen as outsiders, who are often involved in criminal activity of one kind or another. He also discusses their cultural attitudes towards girls and women, which to our western eyes display all the sexism we have fought so hard to overcome. But Turow doesn't do any of this as an information dump. It's woven into the story as Boom himself learns about the Roma during his investigation, and as he becomes attracted to a woman of Roma heritage who is acting as a support to one of the witnesses.

We are also given a look at how the ICC operates: slow to the point of glacial on occasion, bound up in all kinds of procedures and restrictions, but grinding on in its efforts to bring justice for some of the most atrocious crimes in the world. Turow shows how the process can seem cold and unemotional, almost clinical in its approach, but how even this great legal bureaucracy can be shocked by some of the evidence that comes before it.

The story also touches on the other big American war of the early years of this century – some of the errors and miscalculations that turned “victory” in Iraq into the quagmire of factionalism that is still going on today, with consequences for us all. But while Turow is perhaps grinding a political axe of his own to some degree, he also shows the dedication and sacrifice of so many US soldiers at all levels, and the basic integrity of much of the legal and even political classes. And if all that isn't enough, there's another minor strand about Boom's European roots and the seemingly never-ending after-effects of earlier atrocities under Nazi Germany.

Turow's writing is as good as always – he's a slow, undramatic storyteller, so that he relies on the strength of the story and the depth of his characterisation, and he achieves both in this one. If I have made it sound like a political history, then that's my error, not his. Running through all this is an excellent plot – almost a whodunit – that kept me guessing till very late on in the book. He is skilled enough to get that tricky balance when discussing the various atrocities of bringing the horror home to the reader without trading in gratuitous or voyeuristic detail. And as well as Boom, he creates a supporting cast of equally well drawn and credible secondary characters. More political than most of his books, I'm not sure I'd recommend this one as an entry point for new readers (Presumed Innocent, since you ask), but existing fans, I'm certain, will find everything they've enjoyed about his previous books plus the added interest of him ranging beyond his usual territory of the US courtroom. Highly recommended.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Grand Central Publishing.

Bill Ten Boom (Boom) is in the middle of a mid-life "funk". He's financially secure from working many years as an attorney. He divorced his wife after many years of marriage, has two grown sons and seems to feel stuck. He accepts an opportunity to move to the Hague and investigate the case of 400 missing Romani (gypsies) presumed massacred and buried in a pit in Bosnia during the ethnic conflicts. There's a single Romani witness to the massacre and Boom, with his Australian partner and forensics expert, Goos are charged with determining if there's a case, maybe a cover up? and bringing said case to the International war crime courts. Over the next 35 chapters, the reader jumps back and forth from the US to the Netherlands and Bosnia in between. While this is billed as a legal thriller, it's also a bit of a history lesson about the Serbia-Bosnia conflict with significant intrigue, passion and adventure built in. There are a number of significant other players in this novel including a heroic, but sex-scandal tainted US Commander General, a mysteriously sexy Romani witness advocate, Boom's landlady, Boom's CIA friend Roger and Atilla, an unusual woman that seems to know all the "dirt". While the first few chapters drag it's mainly to provide the background for the balance of the story. Once it picks up, there's no stopping the pace, nor the events of this highly engaging international thriller. The colorful characters draw the reader in and make you want to know more about each one of them and how their future evolves. Let's hope that author Turow has the next Boom book already in the works.

Bill ten Boom is contacted by an old friend and persuaded to accept a job as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Boom, a recently retired lawyer is intrigued about prosecuting crimes against humanity. Boom gets involved in more than he bargained for when the evidence he and his companion seek to prove a reported case of mass killings of gypsies in Bosnia isn't as expected. While I liked Testimony, I didn't love it as much as other books by Scott Turow. The mixture of real and fictionalized history along with some interesting characters and intrigue held my interest. However, the pace was slow and the love interests didn't seem believable. The last few chapters were left to explain the plot as it was a very complicated story of cover up on top of cover up. It's not until the very end that you are left to decide who the bad guys were and what motivated them.

Turow tells a good story in legal thriller 'Testimony'
By Sandy Mahaffey For The Free Lance–Star

“Testimony” by Scott Turow is not your average legal thriller. Brilliant? Yes. Compelling? Yes. Complex? Yes. Fraught with misperceptions, twists and turns? Yes. Most of the time spent in a courtroom? Not even close.

Turow has ventured into the international world of law—specifically the ICC, an international war crimes tribunal located in The Hague. The narrative is seen through the eyes of Bill Ten Boom, known to most as “Boom.” He has recently left his job with a successful law firm, amicably divorced his wife, and seems to be looking for a new direction for his life. An old friend asks him to take his place at the ICC, and Boom is intrigued enough to give it a shot.

The incident is fictional, but the setting and surrounding issues are historically based. Four hundred Roma (Gypsies) were massacred at a refugee camp in Bosnia 10 years ago. It could have been American military from a nearby base, organized crime or the Serbian paramilitary.

Boom’s investigations raise political questions, create tension with the military and other attorneys, and get him into some rather tense situations. He becomes involved with two women during his time with the court, and there are some rather graphic scenes and a bit of rough language. The main characters are very well developed and all play vital roles in the investigation.


The incident may be fictional, but the setting and circumstances made me feel as if I have seen a glimpse of what it was like in Bosnia during the war. It was not a read-it-all-in-one sitting book for me, the story was too complex for that, but I honestly feel my time was well spent reading it. Turow knows how to tell a good story.

Sandy Mahaffey is the former Books editor at The Free Lance–Star.

I reviewed this book for Reviewing the Evidence ...

Scott Turow is a pro at writing substantive legal thrillers, and Testimony (Grand Central Publishing, digital galley) is further proof as middle-aged Midwest attorney Bill ten Boom heads to the Hague. The rumors of a heinous war crime have circulated for years: In 2004, 400 Romas -- Gypsies -- living in a Bosnian refugee camp all vanished one night never to be seen again. Now, more than a decade later, a surviving witness has come forward to testify to the circumstances, and it's up to Boom and a Belgian investigator to determine the truth of his testimony. Were the masked men with guns who herded the villagers into trucks Serb paramilitary, or were they from a nearby American base? The complicated case takes Boone to Bosnia and elsewhere in Europe, and he encounters such fascinating characters as a femme fatale Roma lawyer, a retired American general and a ruthless war criminal with blood on his hands and more murder in mind. Befitting the intricacy of the house-of-cards plot, the pace is mostly measured, even slow, the exception being a heart-stopping kidnapping scene. Things are not what they seem, and so things do not go as planned. But as in the masterful Presumed Innocent, Turow doesn't miss a trick.
from on A Clear Day I Can Read Forever May 2017

Ultimately enjoyed the book but I was .not totally comfortable with the style of writing. A bit too didactic.

Been talking up the latest installment with everyone- engaging, taut and terrific. My only note is that I found the characters to be a bit cookie-cutter, but the story moves and engages.

Combining middle-age angst, international law, war crimes against the Roma in Bosnia and long expositions into a single thriller won’t work for most novels like it works in “Testimony” (Grand Central Publishing).

But that’s because most novels aren't written by Scott Turow.

Set against a background of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia at The Hague, former United States attorney and criminal defender Bill ten Boom, of Dutch descent, leaves behind Illinois, his ex-wife and adult children to work at the I.C.C. in Switzerland. At age 54, the successful attorney is running away from home to take on an unsolved case from the Bosnian war — the disappearance of more than 400 Roma, or Gypsies, who, from all appearances and an eyewitness account, were victims of mass murder.

The story that results is intriguing in that Turow trades the American courtroom for a court in the Netherlands. And, while readers may rightfully say the novel is bogged by the international politics surrounding an international tribunal, Turow keeps the pace moving at a decent clip, introducing a clever cast to propel the action forward.

That is, there are enough generals, spies, lovers and at least one confusing female defense contractor to obfuscate and add intrigue to any story, and especially one so far removed from what most American readers will know about Bosnia — or the Hague.

Despite a distressingly descriptive but thankfully brief affair between Bill ten Boom and one of the above-mentioned dilettantes, and the more distressing flights into expository writing, Turow manages some poetry — “their small pale petals decorated every breeze, a showy reminder, after our discussion of mayhem and force, of the delicate things that still enhance life” — that reminds us the author knows his craft.

“Testimony” isn’t Turow at the top of his game — we have “Presumed Innocent” and “The Burden of Proof” for that — but as a solid thriller tackling heady subjects, the author manages an important story that makes you care enough to keep the pages turning.

This volume, as with most others by Turow, was written with a concision and engrossing quality that rendered it a rapid but fully enjoyed read. As a practicing attorney, the depth of the legal knowledge possessed by the author is apparent throughout the plot and is balanced by a careful introspection into a subject traditionally not considered greatly in general fiction-the journey toward punishment for those guilty of the elimination of a population. In the current political climate, it was refreshing to read the tale of a competent litigator seeking justice for those unable to speak for themselves, regardless of the associated costs. Such courage, in reality, seems much more scantly available now.

I am a big fan of his writing and he did not disappoint with this novel.