The Oath (Dismas Hardy) (Hardcover)

by John Lescroart (Author) "Her stupid, old American car wasn't working again..." (more)
Key Phrases: homicide detail, homicide inspectors, coffee group, Tim Markham, San Francisco, Jeff Elliot (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Bad medicine makes good plotting in John Lescroart's latest, which brings back lawyer Dismas Hardy and his best friend, homicide cop Abe Glitsky. A string of suspicious deaths at a San Francisco HMO don't look like murder at first--until Tim Markham, the head of the HMO, dies from injuries received in a hit-and-run accident. But did the injuries really kill him? Glitsky believes that Hardy's client, Dr. Eric Kensing, killed his boss. Kensing had at least two good reasons: not only was Markham having an affair with his wife, but his cost- cutting restrictions were threatening the lives of Kensing's patients. Kensing is a bit too heroic for the reader to ever believe in him as a suspect, and the real murderer is pretty obvious from the get-go, which cuts down the suspense. Still, the reappearance of Glitsky and Hardy will be welcomed by Lescroart's many fans, who'll be delighted with the widowed cop's new wife and new life and happy to see the guys back in familiar if well-trodden territory. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
With their reputation for rolling up hefty profits while doling out penny-pinching care, HMOs have emerged as a favorite villain of crime writers. Lescroart gets in his licks with this scalpel-sharp thriller, the ninth in the Dismas Hardy line. This time around, the San Francisco attorney finds himself representing Dr. Eric Kensing, who stands accused of murdering his boss, Tim Markham, the CEO of the Parnassus Medical Group, a struggling HMO providing health services to all the city's employees. An autopsy shows that Markham, hospitalized in critical condition following a hit-and-run, died not of his injuries but of a potassium overdose. It doesn't look good for Kensing. Not only was he the doctor on duty, but he had plenty of motive; his wife was having an affair with Markham. As police investigators, led once again by Lt. Abe Glitsky, home in on Kensing, the case veers in another direction. The police discover that Markham is actually the 12th person to have been killed recently while under Parnassus's care. And Kensing can't be blamed for all of them. The investigation leads police and Hardy to a multitude of suspects, most connected to Parnassus's zeal for ruthless cost cutting. Burdened at times by Hardy's musings and a few awkwardly placed clues, Lescroart's latest featuring the cunning, self-effacing attorney and dedicated family man is still a skillfully researched and executed piece of work. The author wisely steers clear of taking cheap shots at the HMO industry, yet manages to direct a sharp beam into some of its darker crevices. Fans of the popular series should know that there are no courtroom scenes, unusual for the trial-prone Hardy, but Lescroart manages to squeeze in almost every member of his usual large and always entertaining cast. (Feb. 4)Forecast: The reliably excellent Lescroart carries on, delivering yet another winner. A massive ad/promo campaign including the simultaneous release of the paperback edition of The Hearing, a 10-city author tour and a one-day laydown should swell the already well-populated ranks of his fans.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1st ed edition (January 14, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525945768
• ISBN-13: 978-0525945765
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #698,455 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 10 in The Dismas Hardy Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling story of money and ethics in the world of medici, March 31, 2002

By	Narayan Radhakrishnan (Trivandrum, Kerala, India) - See all my reviews

Best-selling author of the fantastic The Thirteenth Juror & The Guilt, John Lescroart enters the Robin Cook territory of doctors & medical mysteries in his new thriller.

Last year Phillip Margolin, an acclaimed practitioner of the legal thriller genre, took to the medico-legal mystery genre with "The Associate", & close on its heels comes this new thriller from John Lescroart. The Oath can at best be described as a medico-legal mystery, the author having mixed in right proportion the medical stuff & the legalese to bring up a top-notch thriller.

Tim Markham the head of San Francisco's largest HMO dies seemingly of injuries suffered in a hit-&-run accident. At first, it is classified as an accidental death, but the autopsy reveals that Markham died due to potassium overdose.

All evidence points to Markham's attending physician Eric Kensing. It seems that Kensing had every reason to kill Markham - for one thing, Markham was sleeping with Kensing's wife & for another, Markham had threatened to cut off funding to Kensing's patients, thus putting the life of the patients at risk.

Kensing approaches attorney Dismas Hardy, (the hero of many Lescroart works) & Hardy attempts to clear the good doctor of murder, & bring home the guilt on the real culprits.

Pitted against him is Homicide Cop Abe Glitsky who believes that Kensing is guilty & is trying hard for a conviction. What follows is top-notch action with Hardy discovering unpleasant truths in the running of HMO, & slowly discovering why & how Kensing was made a pawn in someone's bigger plans.

The Oath is definitely not a whodunit - but it is a great whydunit. The suspense is riveting & the action is thick & steady throughout. Good medico-legal thrillers have been rare, save for a Fourth Procedure by Stanley Pottinger or Autopsy by John R. Feegel, & The Oath clearly satisfies the reader who is fond of this sub-genre.

I enjoyed it, & for a good evening's read - it is highly recommended.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A STUNNER !, March 25, 2002

By	Tim Smith (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews

For those who are faithful readers of John Lescroart and have developed a "reader relationship" with his two primary characters, Abe Glitsky and Dismas Hardy, THE OATH is a stunner!

As usual, Lescroart's plotting, characterization, and dialogue are excellent. However, what sets this book apart from his previous work, is the emotional reactions it creates. Reading THE OATH is very similar to watching two best friends fight and not being able to do anything about it. Glitsky, San Francisco Chief of Homocide, and Hardy, ex-District Attorney turned brilliant defense counsel, are at odds over the guilt or innocence of Dr. Eric Kensing, the prime suspect in the murder of the CEO of a high profile but financially troubled physicians' medical group.

Throughout the book, the reader can only passively stand by while Glitsky and Hardy present their points of view and reveal their own personality traits and unique perspectives. Lescroart masterfully introduces and develops several suspects and motives in this complex, multi-layered legal puzzle. However, the concern for both Hardy and Glitsky is never far away. As the suspense and interest build toward the story's climax I was stunned and begging for answers in the final pages. Thankfully Lescroart provided satisfaction, but you'll have to read this highly recommended thriller to find out how.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Starts slow, ends strong., January 17, 2002

By	Cammy Diaz (Fictionland, USA) - See all my reviews

I love legal fiction. This one started slow; I tend to prefer the "hit the ground running" thrillers like those written by a Norm Harris, or a Nelson DeMille, or even some of Grisham's books. But "The Oath" did end strong. So I was eventually satisfied.

The opening scene is seen through the eyes of Mrs. Lopez, the worried mother of a sick child. Here John Lescroart makes a strong statement as we see a concerned mother manhandled by a less than caring HMO system. I have long held the opinion that the term "health care" has become an oxymoron.

In the next scene a man is killed by a hit and run driver. Enter Lescroart's protagonists Dismas Hardy and his best friend, homicide cop Abe Glitsky.

In this story we know whodunit early on. One of the early reviews of this book pointed this out, saying that knowing who the killer is "...cuts down the suspense." It was my understanding that when we know who the antagonist is from the onset of the story, that the story is a thriller. When we do not know who did the deed until the end of the story, then it is a mystery. This is a thriller, so I had no problem with knowing whodunit early on.

John Lescroart is a master of characterization and dialogue. From the book: (Luz tried to smile. She couldn't help but worry. Ramiro was no better. In fact, she knew that he was worse. Despite her resolve, a tear broke and rolled over her cheek. She quickly, angrily, wiped it away, but the doctor had seen it. "Are you really so worried?") That's great stuff.

If you love legal thrillers, as I do, then you will love this book. Highly recommended. Cammy Diaz, lawyer