Helpful Score: 1
good murder mystery thats keeps you guessing throughout the whole book!!
Helpful Score: 1
This book really was one that was hard to put down, I really wanted to know what happens next. These are always the best read././.enjoy it like I did.
With their park view and their old fashioned detail, the Victorian houses on San Francisco's Steiner Street were highly valuable. With their wooden construction, there were also highly vulnerable. So when Paul Hanover's multimillion dollar home went up in flames, it was oll over very quickly. And when the bodies of Hanover and his girlfriend were found in the charred debris, it appeared that the end came even more quickly for them-judging from the bullet holes in their heads.
But this isn't just any double homicide. Hanover was a friend-and donor-to the mayor. She wants answers, now. And she wants Abe Glitsky, Deputy Cheif of Inspectors, to provide them. With the help of his close friend, attorney Dismas Hardy, Glitsky reluctantly jumps on the case-trying no to step on departmental toes along the way. Before it's over, the pair will have to face an old lover and an old enemy-and follow a trail of evidence that stretches far beyond their usual jurisdiction....
With their park view and their old fashioned detail, the Victorian houses on San Francisco's Steiner Street were highly valuable. With their wooden construction, there were also highly vulnerable. So when Paul Hanover's multimillion dollar home went up in flames, it was oll over very quickly. And when the bodies of Hanover and his girlfriend were found in the charred debris, it appeared that the end came even more quickly for them-judging from the bullet holes in their heads.
But this isn't just any double homicide. Hanover was a friend-and donor-to the mayor. She wants answers, now. And she wants Abe Glitsky, Deputy Cheif of Inspectors, to provide them. With the help of his close friend, attorney Dismas Hardy, Glitsky reluctantly jumps on the case-trying no to step on departmental toes along the way. Before it's over, the pair will have to face an old lover and an old enemy-and follow a trail of evidence that stretches far beyond their usual jurisdiction....
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this one - kept me guessing to the end.
Helpful Score: 1
This is such a slow beginning, it really doesn't get moving until half way in, but once it gets moving you cannot stop reading, wich the entire story could have been that way, but hang in with it, it is worth it!
As usual, another great Dismas Hardy book from John Lescroart.
Helpful Score: 1
An exciting Dismas Hardy book with the usual intrique.
Helpful Score: 1
Couldn't put it down!
Helpful Score: 1
Great story!!
Lescroart ranks alongside John Grisham; he has created a family of characters lawyers, police who appear in a series of page-turner legal thrillers; this volume is one of the latest, and also one of the best if you like this genre.
Must be good, I bought it twice.
Love this author!
Most enjoyable.
legal thriller, unpredictable plot,courtroom drama
An unpredictable plot and thrilling page turner! If you like John Grisham novels then you will love this one.
Another great Dismas Hardy novel...this time with quite a different plot twist.
Success has its disadvantages. Abe Glitzky, once a homicide cop and now a high-level administrator in the San Francisco Police Department, is none too thrilled to be called upon by the mayor, his longtime friend Kathy West, to help investigate a case. Both Paul Hanover, a wealthy businessman and significant contributor to West's campaign coffers, and a woman were found dead in Hanover's home, and the fire that leveled the house wasn't the cause: both victims died of gunshot wounds. Although it looks like a "clean" murder-suicide, forensics proves otherwise, much to the mayor's relief. But now there's a double-homicide to solve. Normally, Glitzky wouldn't mind helping out his old department, but the lead investigator on the case is Dan Cuneo, someone Glitzky, along with his friend, attorney Dismas "Diz" Hardy, had locked horns with some time ago. The likelihood of Glitzky and Cuneo working together amicably is remote, especially when it turns out that the chief suspect is Diz's ex-girlfriend. In typical Lescroart fashion, personal conflicts, political favors, and top-notch courtroom drama converge for a gripping, page-turning drama. Mary Frances Wilkens
This book is a cross between Grishom, Clancy and a little bit of Scott Turow, capitvating to read
Seems to have Dismas more on the outskirts of the story, but still a great read
Dismas and Glitsky are at it again in another enjoyable legal thriller. I found this one to be one of the better of this series. Lots of interesting ins and outs and a late denouement with a different ending for Glitsky. And during this novel, Glitsky gets a surprise that he deals with very well, even when something goes wrong. A very good read.
Enjoyed the book a lot. Great twists and turns. Just ordered another in the series.
The back cover blurb gushes, "Surpasses anything Grisham ever wrote and bears comparison whth Turow." While it's not that hard to surpass some of Grisham, this book does not measure up to Turow - even the one Turow book I didn't like.
I've read all the Dismas Hardy books, up to and including this one, and they have diminished in quality as the series progresses. The first effort in the series, "Dead Irish", which introduced Dismas Hardy, was excellent, and several of the others, like "The Mercy Rule" were extremely good, but this book really doesn't measure up. The author may have ridden this cast of characters as far as he can.
The author commits a cardinal sin by obliquely referring back to events which took place in one of the earlier offerings ("The First Law", I thinkl) without filling in enough back story to let us know what he is talking about. It has been almost two years since I read that book, which wasn't that memorable and I've forgotten what he's referring to.
I'm also getting weary of the San Francisco locale. The city by the bay was a lovely place to visit, but I don't think I could live there. The author mentions several times how people have to find a parking place, sometimes six blocks from the house, to leave the car overnight. If people are that crammed together and property values are so high nobody can afford a driveway and/or garage, that's not for me. Guess I'll stay in Teaxs where there is room to have both a driveway and a garage, even if I can't get a glimpse of the Goldan Gate Bridge through the fog.
The author spends a lot of time on "family values"; both main male characters are working on their second wives and spend a lot of time on tender moments and relations with offspring. Abe Glitsky, well into his fifties, is has started a whole second family to supplement his first family which is colege age. I'm surprised anyone has time to solve a crime.
When I find an author I like, I usually buy everything I can find that he/she has written, then read the books in order. As a result, I still have five or six Lescroart's books to read, but doubt that I'll buy any more.
I've read all the Dismas Hardy books, up to and including this one, and they have diminished in quality as the series progresses. The first effort in the series, "Dead Irish", which introduced Dismas Hardy, was excellent, and several of the others, like "The Mercy Rule" were extremely good, but this book really doesn't measure up. The author may have ridden this cast of characters as far as he can.
The author commits a cardinal sin by obliquely referring back to events which took place in one of the earlier offerings ("The First Law", I thinkl) without filling in enough back story to let us know what he is talking about. It has been almost two years since I read that book, which wasn't that memorable and I've forgotten what he's referring to.
I'm also getting weary of the San Francisco locale. The city by the bay was a lovely place to visit, but I don't think I could live there. The author mentions several times how people have to find a parking place, sometimes six blocks from the house, to leave the car overnight. If people are that crammed together and property values are so high nobody can afford a driveway and/or garage, that's not for me. Guess I'll stay in Teaxs where there is room to have both a driveway and a garage, even if I can't get a glimpse of the Goldan Gate Bridge through the fog.
The author spends a lot of time on "family values"; both main male characters are working on their second wives and spend a lot of time on tender moments and relations with offspring. Abe Glitsky, well into his fifties, is has started a whole second family to supplement his first family which is colege age. I'm surprised anyone has time to solve a crime.
When I find an author I like, I usually buy everything I can find that he/she has written, then read the books in order. As a result, I still have five or six Lescroart's books to read, but doubt that I'll buy any more.
John Lescroart is to mystery-thrillers as espresso is to coffee...This is not literature in the sense of a Joyce Carol Oates or Norman Mailer, but it is very good writing. I've probably read a dozen of Lescroart's books, and they are excellent. There's a grittiness that intrigues me. His characters are real, meaning they have flaws. They are distracted with the details of life, like being tired, hungry or lonely. And yet they are determined. Similarly, his villains are not unusually evil people. True, they've killed or robbed, but like his heroes, they are people doing what they have to do. I won't give away the plot, but in a surprising and surprisingly satisfying twist at the end, I found myself sympathizing with the villain, recognizing her dilemma, and empathizing with her. I read a lot of novels and I often refer to them as "guilty pleasures" because they are just casual fun. Lescroart, however, rises above his contemporaries, and I recommend this to anyone who wants a good read and enjoys a tightly-written whodunit. Pick it up next chance you get.
I enjoyed this book until I got to the ending of the story. It doesn't fit with the plot.
Mostly a trial book but a good story.
Wow, what a mystery! A Fire, 2 Murders, a Trial, and SUSPENSE
If you like John Grisham, you will love John Lescroart.
If you like John Grisham, you will love John Lescroart.
Fast paced, captivating and suspenseful. A great read
This is an extremely well written story. As usual,he keeps you guessing until the end.
"Top-notch courtroom drama....gripping,page turning." Booklist
"An unpredictable plot.....engrossing from start to finish" The Times Union (Albany NY)
"An unpredictable plot.....engrossing from start to finish" The Times Union (Albany NY)
Good read
Great Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky who-dunnit.
This is a great cant wait to finish so Ill stay up all nighter!
legal thriller, excellent in the LesCroart tradition
Another excellent Dismas Hardy story and trial. I look forward to each new book I haven't read by this author (Lescroart). He combines a well-thought-out plot with carefully developed characters, especially Hardy and his police buddy Abe Glitsky and their wives, and believable dialogue. He is, in other words, a fine writer.
The English version of John Grisham. Wonderful story.
A very good read! I really encourage to read this one!
A smashing legal thriller
strong story line..multiple threads...keeps your interest throughout the entire book.
New York Times Best Seller. A smashing legal thriller!
This is a very entertaining addition to the series involving Dismas Hardy, San Francisco criminal defense attorney, and his friend/colleague, Police Inspector Nathan Glitsky. Lescroart has evolved story lines for these characters over the years (as well as their families, and they are well delineated and interesting. The plot plot in this book was full of twists and turns to say the least!
This book has more plot twists than I ever would have expected... and was certainly a good book!
This book has more plot twists than I ever would have expected... and was certainly a good book!
A murder with a woman on trial that looks like she did it. But some things don't add up. A book with characters that I could relate to with some court room drama and an unexpected ending.
This is the second book I read by this Author, and if you enjoy books where you can't figure out WHODONEIT or think of a character but at the end its someone else, then you will enjoy this one.
A great legal thriller! Very engrossing from the beginning with a great plot. I've read every one of John Lescroart's books and he just keeps getting better and better!
A smashing legal thriller.
terrific book
"A Smashing Legal Thriller" - The Washington Post
"Surpasses Anything Grisham Ever Wrote and Bears Comparison With Turow." - The Washington Post
"A Captivating Read." - Los Angeles Times
"Surpasses Anything Grisham Ever Wrote and Bears Comparison With Turow." - The Washington Post
"A Captivating Read." - Los Angeles Times
This was my first novel by Lescroart and I really enjoyed it. The courtroom scenes were very well written and I liked the witty dialogue among the characters. While I'm loathe to start a new "series" I will definitely read more from this author.
You can't go wrong with Lescroart's stories. A good page-turner that keeps you guessing.
As usual, Lescroart does a great job. Loved the characters and the story.
The 11th novel in this author's series featuring San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy and cop Abe Glitsky
"Hardy and Glitsky are embroiled in a murder that begins in the upper echelons of San Francisco society, where money and political influence collide...
"Hardy and Glitsky are embroiled in a murder that begins in the upper echelons of San Francisco society, where money and political influence collide...
Very intriguing. Lots of twist and turns. Certainly an unexpected ending.
From Publishers Weekly: "In this installment of the Glitsky-Hardy crime-solving series (The 13th Juror; The Second Chair; etc.), San Franciscobased Lescroart again demonstrates his mastery of how things work in the city by the bay. Arson investigators at a Victorian townhouse fire do not call in Abe Glitsky or Dismas Hardy when they discover two bodies believed to be the remains of influential businessman Paul Hanover and his girlfriend, Missy D'Amiens. Glitsky, now deputy chief of inspectors, doesn't handle individual cases, and attorney Dismas Hardy has long since left the police force. Sgt. Dan Cuneo takes charge, quickly jumping to conclusions and slowly rekindling his grudge against the detecting duo. Unhappy with Cuneo's approach, the mayor puts Glitsky on the job, while Hardy is hired by Hanover's daughter-in-law, who was also Hardy's college sweetheart and is now a murder defendant with no alibi but plenty of motive. Parallel inquiries uncover contradictory evidence as well as loose ends: at the time of his death, Hanover was up for a federal appointment, his company was up for a city contract and his girlfriend has a mysterious past. Lescroart draws the reader in with a step-by-step description of the fire, mesmerizes with an account of the intricacies of the auto-towing business and winds up with a disturbing parable of intrigue abroad, adding the wistful touch of a new baby in the Glitsky household...." Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
