The First Law - LARGE PRINT [Paperback]

John Lescroart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2003

LARGE PRINT MYSTERY THE FIRST LAW Recovering from a near fatal gunshot wound, Lieutenant Abe Glitsky is back at the San Francisco Police Department. But instead of his old job as chief of homicide, he's assigned to a desk job in payroll. He has no business investigating murders - until his father's closest friend is shot dead in a pawnshop. Prodded by his father, Abe inquires about the case. The brass tells him to stay out of it. They've already targeted their prime suspect: John Holiday, proprietor of a run-down local bar, and a friend and client of Dismas Hardy. But while Dismas Hardy built a solid legal practice and a happy family, Holiday didn't follow the same path. Still, Hardy finds ample reason to question Holiday's guilt.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Warner Bros. Publications (2003)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002ADE59M
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,520,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder and mayhem in San Francisco., April 24, 2003

By 

E. Bukowsky "booklover10" (NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Law: An Abe Glitsky/Dismas Hardy Mystery (Hardcover)

In John Lescroart's new thriller, "The First Law," San Francisco resembles the Wild West. A corrupt and malicious individual named Wade Panos wields tremendous political power. Panos and his gang rob and murder whomever they please with impunity, and the police either cannot or will not stop them.

Abe Glitsky, a veteran detective, has been moved out of homicide and into the payroll department of the police force, much to his chagrin. However, when Sam Silverman, an elderly friend of Abe's father, is robbed and murdered, Abe takes a look at the case. Much to his surprise, Abe is stymied in his inquiries at every turn; it soon becomes clear that his colleagues on the force do not want Abe interfering in their investigation. To make matters worse, Abe's good friend, Dismas Hardy, represents a man who is being framed for killing Sam. As Abe and Dismas continue to challenge Wade Panos, dead bodies begin piling up and it becomes clear that if Dismas and Abe do not back off, they may be risking their lives.

I love the characters of Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky. They are macho and sensitive as well as intelligent and compassionate. I admit that the plot of "The First Law" is a bit far-fetched. It is difficult to believe that such lawlessness would prevail in a city as cosmopolitan as San Francisco. However, Lescroart makes the point that evil people with no conscience do exist. If normally law-abiding citizens are to fight such individuals, they sometimes have to act in unorthodox ways in order to survive.

At four hundred pages, "The First Law" is a bit too long. However, the plot and the dialogue are lively and compelling and the characters are nicely drawn. Lescroart maintains a high level of suspense and excitement until "The First Law" reaches its dramatic and action-packed conclusion.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Weak addition to series, January 11, 2007

By 

JoeV "Reader" (Arlington Hts, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Law (Dismas Hardy) (Mass Market Paperback)

This series tracking Dismas Hardy, (attorney), and his good friend Abe Glitsky, (San Francisco Homicide Detective), has gone through some changes, both in the characters' lives as well as the narrative perspective, i.e. Dismas vs. Abe. But on the whole it has been solid - usually with our two protagonists facing an impossible situation, (heavy-handed politics, seemingly insurmountable evidence stacked against an innocent client, etc.), but who prevail at the end against all odds. The plot is no different here - Abe and Dismas find themselves battling police corruption/incompetence while dealing with personal threats to both family and friends - with a crooked and evil, (and of course wealthy), businessman at the center of this web. What is bizarre is that the solution to this crusade is given away in the first two pages of this not so small book - with the rest being a chronicle of how bad these bad guys can be, (they even shoot Bambi from a helicopter), while poor Abe and Dismas "pursue" all available options until they are simply "forced" to act on their own. Excitement, tension, subtlety are all absent in this one and if there was a point - I missed it. Pass on this one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A welcome first exposure to Lescroart, September 29, 2004

By 

Timothy J. Kindler (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Law (Dismas Hardy) (Mass Market Paperback)

I picked up a copy The First Law in an airport bookstore when faced with an unexpected flight delay. I had not read any of Lescroart's other works and did not know what to expect. The storyline was intriguing, effectively bouncing back between the present and the past while building to the final scenes in the book. Character development was solid, although I suspect that the book would have been better is I was more familiar with some of the characters that clearly had been part of Lescroart's previous works. The First Law was not spectacular but it was definitely good enough that I will be back to sample more of Lescroart's works.