Customer Reviews

A Plague of Secrets (Dismas Hardy Series)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Get ready to stay up all night! John Lescroart's newest entry into the Dismas Hardy series is full of plot twists, political ambition and heart pounding courtroom scenes.

The book opens with Harlen Fisk, a reoccuring character who is a county supervisor, asking Dismas if he would take a call from his sister, Maya Townshend. It seems that the manager of her coffee house was murdered, and Maya might be in the sights of the police. Another murder later, and Maya is arrested. Dismas once again has to defend a complicated murder trial, in which the defendant is facing life in prison, without the possibility of parole.

The courtroom scenes are realistic, and the portrayal of a pro prosecution judge made my blood pressure rise! Throw in a ladder climbing Federal Prosecutor, and it's enough to give anyone a headache.

Abe Glitsky, Dismas' long time friend and lieutenant in the police dept, is dealing with his own heartbreaking personal problems, when his young son is in a tragic accident. Without Glitsky's supervision, two cops under his command are a little too eager to rush to judgement about Maya, and the drama that unfolds kept my heart pounding, right until the shocking climax of the story.

I personally think this is one of Lescroart's best entries into the series, and I can't wait for the next one!

Let me begin by stating that I'm a big John Lescroart fan. I am a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and really enjoy Lescroart's work because they are based here. The characters of Abe Glitsky, Dismas Hardy, Gina, Will and others are well developed and it's been a joy the progression of the kids growing up, etc.

I'm not a big fan of this particular book in the Dismas series. I don't want to delve into the plot but suffice it to say; I agree with another reviewer that suggests pieces of the plot appear to be missing. The secret that Harlen Fisk held was never revealed. It almost feels as though there were many tennacles to the plot and this one fell through the crack.

In John Lescroart's "A Plague of Secrets," San Francisco-based criminal defense attorney Dismas Hardy once again takes center stage, along with his close friend, Abe Glitsky, the head of San Francisco's Homicide Department, and Hardy's investigator, Wyatt Hunt. Hardy's latest client, thirty-two year old Maya Townshend, is a wealthy woman whose husband makes millions in the real estate business. She also owns Bay Beans West, a popular coffee shop. When the shop's manager, Dylan Vogler, who sidelines as a marijuana dealer, is found shot to death in an alley behind Bay Beans, suspicion falls on Maya. An aggressive homicide inspector, Debra Schiff, contends that Maya had a strong motive to want Vogler dead and a flimsy alibi to account for her whereabouts during the shooting.

Schiff is concerned because Maya's brother is Harlen Fisk, a former cop and member of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, and Maya's aunt is Mayor Kathy West. With connections like these, it will be difficult to nail her. However, Debra is willing to go the extra mile to insure that Townshend is arrested, even if it means widening the probe with the help of federal attorney Jerry Glass. Because of a serious personal issue that is preoccupying Abe Glitsky, he gives Schiff more leeway than he normally would in such a high profile matter. Fearing that his sister is being railroaded, Fisk asks Dismas to be Maya's criminal defense attorney; she will need Hardy's considerable skills and courtroom savvy to get out of this mess. When another body turns up, the stakes are instantly raised. Although there is only a small amount of physical evidence pointing to Maya, the circumstantial evidence is damning.

Unsurprisingly, political shenanigans, underhanded tactics, and jockeying for favorable media attention all interfere with the dispensation of justice. Hardy fears that "the entire courtroom drama could unfold as a large multi-tentacled conspiracy fueled by drugs and moral turpitude in high places." On the plus side, Hardy is an old pro who has rarely lost a case, and he is not easily intimidated. In addition, he knows how to navigate the difficult terrain of a criminal trial with the best of them. The most absorbing scenes are those that take place in the courtroom. Diz and his opponent, assistant DA, Paul Stier, both try to score points with the jury and attempt to stay on the "good" side of the ill-tempered and sardonic Superior Court judge, Marian Braun. If Maya is innocent, then it is reasonable to assume that she was framed by a clever perpetrator. This is the famous SODDI (Some Other Dude Did It) defense. While Hardy and his team search for the "other dude," the only clear thing about this murky case is that a number of witnesses are lying, including Maya herself.

This is not one of Lescroart's best works. The complex plot generates few sparks and most readers will not be sufficiently invested in the lifeless Maya to care very much about her fate. Rather slow moving at times, "A Plague of Secrets" lacks the freshness, character development, and thought-provoking themes that have made Lescroart so popular in recent years. Although red herrings abound to keep readers guessing, this novel lacks the electricity and originality that we have come to expect from the talented John Lescroart.

I have been a loyal LESCROART reader from day one... and go all the way back to the beginning with the formerly interesting and exciting Dismas Hardy... but between Dismas and his "BLACK-FRYING-PAN" (Luckily only mentioned once in this saga.)... and the constantly morose and always on the verge of jumping down someone's throat... homicide Lieutenant Abe Glitsky... the characters AND potential readers need a bottle of Geritol to generate any enthusiasm in this latest installment. The "lack" of action starts when Dylan Vogler who manages Bay Beans West, a local San Francisco coffee shop is found murdered in an alley behind the store. It turns out that Vogler was selling marijuana as well as coffee. The absentee owner of Bay Beans West is Maya Townshend who in addition to being married to a rich real estate mover and shaker... is also the niece of the Mayor of San Francisco. A second murder is committed... and there seems to be some "not-too-stimulating" evidence that hints/links Maya's days as a cheerleader and "mildly-bad-girl" when she attended USF a decade or so ago with both victims. Maya's brother is Supervisor Harlen Fisk who recommends Hardy to represent her.

With perhaps the least amount of verified evidence ever presented in a major legal thriller... Maya is arrested for both murders. It should be noted that Glitsky who never needed any excuse to brood and glower... is more sullen than normal due to the fact that his young son Zachary got hit by a car when Glitsky turned around for a second to get Zachary's bike helmet... and so of course... "old-life-of-the party" Abe blames himself. In one of the author's few shining moments he describes Abe as he sits in his office with the lights off: "GLITSKY'S ELBOWS RESTED ON HIS BARE DESK, HIS HANDS COVERING HIS MOUTH. EVEN WITH HALF OF HIS INTIMIDATING FACIAL ARSENAL COVERED UP. GLITSKY'S EYES ALONE COULD DO THE TRICK-THEY GLEAMED LIKE GLOWING COALS, THE WINDOW TO HIS MIND, ANNOUNCING TO ANYONE PAYING ATTENTION THAT IT WAS SCARY IN THERE." And as any longtime Lescroart fan knows... Abe has a thin scar between his lips that always turns some color during every episode. This book is four-hundred-thirteen pages long and at times the story moves at an excruciatingly slow pace. There is more action in the last thirty pages than in the entire three-hundred-eighty-three previous pages put together. There are a number of mini-plots that are set up... but never culminated. Overall this is a desultory writing performance by a proven talented author. If you could give decimal ratings I would rate it 2.5... but since you can't... I'll round it up to 3.0 for old-time sake. But if his next book is of this type quality... there will be no courtesy "round-up".

Like many of the other reviewers, I look forward to the newest Dismas Hardy adventure both for the plot and the characters. In this novel both were shortchanged. The mystery didn't seem particularly compelling and the characters were either missing (Frannie Hardy) or droopy (Abe Glitsky). The biggest problem, however, was that the client had almost no personality. It was difficult to care about her predicament because you wanted to give her a virtual shake and say, "Act like a grownup". I was also curious why Lescroart decided to have her attend college at fifteen. She didn't appear to be a genius in any way. The complete turnaround in her relationship with her husband was hard to believe.

This had the bones of a great story but, other than Hardy, the characters seemed two-dimensional. The judge was over the top and the police officers less than professional. I am a big fan of this series and I hope it hasn't become too tired to continue.

The book felt sloppy. The story was interesting enough, although confusing at times. Dismas & Abe et.al. were as appealing as ever -- I want to have a beer with them and be part of their crowd. The judge is a little over the top in her hostility to Dismas. Although, sadly, there are many judges who allow personal dislike to influence their decisions, in my experience judges hate being reversed more than they hate any person.

My biggest issue is that I totally didn't get Maya's determination to keep her "secret" from her husband. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it never did. Seemed like pretty benign stuff to me.

I would not recommend this particular book to someone unfamiliar with the series, but if you are already a Dismas fan you must of course read it. But you already knew that.

I will inevitably buy the next Lescroart book, but after this effort I won't be as excited about it as I have been in the past..

John Lescroat's latest book is a page-turner, among his best. There is mystery; there is suspense. It is reassuring nonetheless to read about the familiar characters; places; things. Hardy is involved with work, with associates, investigators, and his family, in that order There are the regular characters: the dour Abe Glitsky, head of San Francisco's homicide department but not functioning at his best due to family worries. Familiar places: Hardy's brother-in-law Moses McGuire's bar; Lou's awful but awfully popular restaurant with what the owners may think of as fusion of Greek and Asian cuisine (but is instead a confusion of the two); and there is the unique topography of San Francisco itself.

Dismas's black frying pan, of which he is perhaps inordinately fond, serves as a touchstone to his personal side. As a prominent lawyer, he can get bogged down in time-consuming investigation, preparation, and litigation. (When this happens, he neglects his family, and he knows it.) But every now and then he thoughtfully prepares a meal for his wife using the frying pan, perhaps a signal that things on all fronts are going to start cooking. Rearranging the elephant figurines on the family mantel seems to help as he focuses his thoughts. These small tasks humanize him.

The constants are what make the characters, both old and new, tick, and the plot moves along apace. There are red herrings that are distracting--fair enough--but one or two issues remain baffling, even at the end of the story. What do they mean? Will we learn more soon in another novel?

Regardless, this is a first-class yarn, by a first-class writer.

The plot line of this book has been well described, so I won't repeat it. I thought the plot was complex, but well developed and never confusing. The characters of Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky are fantastic and I love their relationship. I definitely feel that Lescroart's writing has improved over the years and that this book was very well written. I usually am able to figure out "who done it" with his novels, but not with this one. The main characters were well developed and the relationships explained well considering that there were many different people related to one another in many different ways. The dialogue was clever, at times funny, and always true to its character. "A Plague Of Secrets" is truly a page turner that is enjoyable from beginning to end.

I'm an avid Lescroart fan, but this book was definitely not one of the best.

For starters, any true Lescroart fan loved his characters as much as his plots, if not more. This didn't have as much of the character development as his usual. I missed hearing about Hardy and Glitsky's families. There was the trajedy in the beginning, but it almost seemed like it was thrown in to give a character plot. In "Guilt" the coverage of the death of Abe's 1st wife (in the middle of a GREAT story line) was great!!! This wasn't even close.

And I agree with other reviewers that the end seemed a little cobbled together. The book definitely felt like it was going in one direction, then it switched to another without any rhyme or reason. A plot twist needs to be able to be understood, otherwise it's not a twist, but just bait and switch.

All and all it was not his best book by a long stretch, but it was an interesting read. I think if you were new to Lescroart, you might not notice. But if you are a follower, you'll be a little disappointed.

I will definitely come back for more (unless he goes crazy like Tannenbaum, then I'll drop him like a bad habit!) I just hope it gets back to the way it used to be!

The story was interesting and entertaining, buit I thought it was also uneven, maybe even confusing. Dismas & Abe were as appealing as ever but the judge was a little excessive in her hostility to Dismas. Still, it held me.

The book will work best for readers familiar with the series, of which I am one. If you're new to the series, you might start with one of the stronger titles.