63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Shocking Secret!, July 4, 2009
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!
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Plague of Secrets leaves unanswered questions, July 6, 2009
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.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
"There's a piece missing somewhere.", July 3, 2009
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.
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Steve Berry is the New York Times bestselling author of international suspense thrillers, 
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