The 13th Juror: A Novel (G K Hall Large Print Book Series) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

John T. Lescroart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994 | Series: G K Hall Large Print Book Series

In The 13th Juror, Dismas Hardy, lawyer/investigator, undertakes the defense of Jennifer Witt, accused of murdering her husband and their eight-year-old son as well as her first husband, who had died nine years earlier from an apparent drug overdose. While preparing his case, Hardy learns that both of Jennifer's husbands had physically abused her. But Jennifer refuses to allow a defense that presumes her guilt. She is not guilty, she claims. Hardy is now driven to seek an alternative truth a jury can believe. As the trial progresses, the complex truth itself begins to change, to bend, to fade in and out of focus as the clock keeps ticking on Jennifer's fate, until there seems only one person left to convince, and she is "the 13th juror" - the judge.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Further evidence that Lescroart ( Hard Evidence ) can hold his own among legal-thriller writers comes with this taut novel about an abused San Francisco housewife who is arrested for shooting both her seven-year-old son and her physician husband, a control freak. Narrator Dismas Hardy, defense attorney and hero of four previous Lescroart novels, has plenty of suspects and issues to grapple with. First there's his icy, recalcitrant client, Jennifer Witt, who refuses to go with a battered-wife defense; Jennifer's aloof psychiatrist, who may or may not be her lover; some financial shenanigans concerning the victim's business that provide plenty of motive for high-stakes murder. Then there's the problem of Dismas's grandstanding boss, whose flamboyant, hit-or-miss style leaves Dismas constantly scrambling for higher legal ground. Finally, there's Dismas's wife, who resents the time her husband spends on the case but who insists on striking up a friendship with the accused without telling her husband. The story gets off to a slow start, and sometimes Lescroart belabors the obvious. He also comes close to telegraphing the solution to the mystery, and much of his writing about the characters' personal lives is hamfisted. Despite these flaws, however, an intricate story and satisfying courtroom scenes carry the day. Fans of the genre should find the second half of the book, which covers the trial, especially engaging. 60,000 first printing; major ad/promo; paperback rights to Dell; audio rights to Bantam Doubleday Dell; large print rights to Thorndike; Literary Guild and Dou ble day Book Club featured alternates.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Jennifer's fairytale life as the wife of Dr. Larry Witt seems perfect. When Larry and their seven-year-old son are murdered while Jennifer is out jogging, the newspapers have a field day weeping with the photogenic young widow. After she is arrested for the crime, a full-fledged tabloid feeding frenzy erupts. Into this fray steps Dismas Hardy, a fortysomething former district attorney's office hotshot and an ex-bartender who is 43 days into his new job with a prestigious law firm. Dismas, new to the role of defense lawyer, is uncomfortable with his growing belief in Jennifer's innocence, especially since she is reluctant to take her one chance at a "Not Guilty" verdict: acknowledging Larry's years of abuse. A very readable novel with engaging characters and a riveting plot that fans of Scott Turow and John Grisham will love; recommended for most libraries.
Dan Bogey, Clearfield Cty. P.L. Federation, Curwensville, Pa.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 705 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816174482
• ISBN-13: 978-0816174485
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,693,620 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very compelling book, May 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The 13th Juror (Dismas Hardy) (Mass Market Paperback)

My boss was reading this book and I picked it up one day out of curiosity (she had been talking about how good it was). I read the first page, then the second, and the next thing I knew I had read the entire prologue. Very compelling and chilling - in those few pages, Lescroart delves into the mind of a battered woman and gives real insight into her psyche. Here and throughout the book, he answers the often-asked naive question "Why doesn't she just leave him?" I then bought my own copy of the book (my boss had passed her copy on to her husband). Lescroart takes his time and carefully constructs his characters; the drama builds steadily as the murder trial looms and Hardy tries to convince his client to help herself. When the trial begins, the story starts to race as new evidence comes to light and the plot takes some wild turns (the analogy of a roller coaster comes to mind - trite, but true). This is more than a simple courtroom drama or whodunit - Lescroart really gets into what makes his characters who they are and why they do what they do. I actually found myself forgetting to try to figure out who the killer really was (although until the climax of the book there remains a shadow of a doubt as to whether the wife really did it or not - she's not exactly a warm, lovable gal and she certainly had plenty of reasons to off the guy). This is an intricate, multi-layered story that goes way beyond the basics - there's a lot more to it than the central theme of justice prevailing over injustice. Lescroart explores the grey areas of ethics and morality as his characters interact and their own stories intertwine. This is a fascinating and engrossing book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The defense finally wakes up, March 25, 2005

By 

J. Grattan "Ideas can move the world" (Lawrenceville, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The 13th Juror (Dismas Hardy) (Mass Market Paperback)

It is stretching it a bit to call this book a legal "thriller." The dual murders occur before page one. Most of the book involves the legal wranglings of an over-eager assistant DA, who just happens to be running for political office; a flamboyant, high-profile defense attorney, who has taken on ex cop and prosecutor Dismas Hardy as his assistant; and a helmet-haired, no-nonsense female judge. First one, then the other side, seems to have the upper hand in the evidence, testimony, and gamesmanship. And there is the constant speculation as to whether the accused, Jennifer Witt, did or could have killed her abusive husband along with her only son with Hardy doing most of the wondering while balancing a faltering home situation.

Beyond the trial, Dismas works on the "other dude" theory: someone else did it. The list of suspects is hardly compelling: Jennifer's abusive family members, a family who blames Jennifer's husband for a botched abortion, and those involved in a sleazy financial deal involving the husband's medical facility. The end is not necessarily predictable, but one may rightly feel that the last minute realization could have come much earlier and easier. At times the book becomes a bit laborious, but overall it is okay - not quite four stars.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars They Call It a Page Turner and They're Right, March 28, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The 13th Juror: A Novel (Dismas Hardy) (Hardcover)

I bought this three-year-old legal thriller while on vacation in Uruguay because it was the least objectionable book in English I could find. I'm glad I discovered it--even at $11 for a paperback. The book is not as slick as Grisham and probably longer than should be but it's an easy read and quite engrossing. It's a nice look inside the legal system, a story about a cop-turned-attorney and his first murder trial. The lawyer is likeable, the client not so much, which makes it all the more fun. I hate to even hint at the ending because I get angry at reviews that do. I'll just say, I wasn't disappointed