In "master of the legal thriller" (Chicago Sun-Times) John Lescroart's electrifying new novel, attorney Dismas Hardy is called to defend the least likely suspect of his career: his longtime, trusted assistant who is suddenly being charged as an accessory to murder.Dismas Hardy knows something is amiss with his trusted secretary, Phyllis. Her out-of-character behavior and sudden disappearances concern Hardy, especially when he learns that her convict brother—a man who had served twenty-five years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder—has just been released. Things take a shocking turn with Phyllis is suddenly arrested at work for allegedly being an accessory to the murder of Hector Valdez, a coyote who'd been smuggling women into this country from El Salvador and Mexico. That is, until recently, when he was shot to death—on the very same day that Phyllis first disappeared from work. The connection between Phyllis, her brother,...

Auguste Lupa, reputed son of the greatest detective of all time—and possessor of a brilliant deductive mind in his own right—is summoned to the court of the Czar. There, with a bit of assistance from none other than Holmes and Watson, he untangles a chilling plot that holds the Winter Palace in a lethal grip... Publishers Weekly

When San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy gets a call saying his wife never picked the kids up from school, he's worried. Frannie's a great mother. Turns out there's a good explanation: she's in jail. Unbeknownst to her husband, Frannie has just appeared before a grand jury--and refused to share a crucial piece of information about her friend Ron, who's accused of killing his wife. Now it's up to Dismas to race the clock and find a culprit, all the while wondering: Why would his wife go to jail to protect another man? Who really killed Bree Beaumont--and why? He's looking for the truth. But he's not quite sure he wants to find it...

Defense attorney Dismas Hardy returns to defend a close friend against murder charges in New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart’s most suspenseful and intricately plotted novel to date.Brittany McGuire is the beautiful, twenty-three-year-old daughter of Susan Weiss and Moses McGuire—and the niece of defense attorney Dismas Hardy. Popular and pretty, Brittany has always moved easily from one boyfriend to the next, but her most recent ex, a young man named Rick Jessup, can’t seem to get over her. His abuse escalates, culminating in a terrible night when Brittany is raped. Within twenty-four hours, Rick Jessup is dead, Moses McGuire is the prime suspect in the investigation, and Dismas Hardy has been hired to defend his old friend. Making things even more complicated, this case threatens to bring to light old secrets that could destroy the careers of Hardy and police lieutenant Abe Glitsky. As the overwhelming evidence against Moses piles up, Dismas Hardy focuses on planting doubt in the minds of the jurors—until, in a feat of legal ingenuity that is staggering in both its implications and its simplicity, Hardy sees a new way forward that might just save them all. But at what price?For the first time since 2009, the author’s most popular protagonist returns in a masterful novel that bears all the hallmarks of John Lescroart’s extraordinary storytelling gifts: a cast of flesh-and-blood characters, morally complex situations with no easy answers, and—of course—relentless, nail-biting suspense that will leave you breathless.

Sal Russo's body is found, with a "Do Not Resuscitate" note. Dismas Hardy finds himself as Graham Russo's defence. How long can Russo protest innocence, when it's discovered Sal wasn't penniless, and all San Fransisco is intent on making the apparent mercy killing media issue of the year?

Wyatt Hunt is a self-employed P.I., working low-profile surveillance and insurance fraud cases. Following the death of his fiancée and a twelve-year stint with San Francisco's Child Protective Services, he isn't looking for any trouble. So when a federal judge is found murdered in his Pacific Heights home with his mistress, Wyatt figures it's someone else's case - until his friend and business associate, attorney Andrea Parisi, becomes the lead suspect in the murder. The case takes a wild turn after Andrea mysteriously disappears, and with the help of his confederation of friends, stringers, and associates - known as the Hunt Club - Wyatt does whatever he must to find Andrea and bring a murderer to justice.

In the latest of his acclaimed novels featuring Dismas Hardy, John Lescroart skillfully and subtly weaves together a story of a privileged youth on trial for murder, and an entire city on the brink of panic, taking this popular series to new heights of stylish suspense.

From Publishers WeeklySan Francisco homicide chief Abe Glitsky takes on a particularly nasty villain in Lescroart's hair-raising 16th novel featuring Glitsky and lawyer Dismas Hardy (after A Plague of Secrets). After Ro Curtlee serves 10 years of a long prison sentence for the rape and murder of one of his family's housekeepers, an appeals court orders a new trial and his wealthy and powerful parents post bail of million for his release. Cocky and ruthless, Curtlee eliminates one of the witnesses who testified against him and threatens Glitsky's family, while his parents, who own San Francisco's #2 newspaper, and their favorite columnist, Sheila Marrenas, apply other kinds of pressure to new DA Wes Farrell, among others. Either influence or lack of hard evidence frustrates every move Glitsky and his colleagues make to try to nail Curtlee. What at first appears to be a stunningly stark black-and-white portrayal reveals many subtle shadings by book's end. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. FromWes Farrell, the lawyer who appeared in A Certain Justice (1995) and Guilt (1997), has a new job: he is San Fransisco’s new district attorney. And his first case looks like it’s going to be a doozy. Ten years ago, Roland Curtlee, scion of a wealthy and powerful family, was convicted of the rape and murder of a family employee. Now he’s been let out pending a retrial (on what seems an especially nit-picky technicality). When the first trial’s chief witness appears to be killed in a house fire, and someone else involved in the case dies under similar circumstances, Wes must fend off pressure from the Curtlee family and find the truth in a case that’s full of confusion and lies. Naturally, he turns to his old friend and colleague, Abe Glitsky, the homicide cop who acts as a sort of link between the Farrell novels and Lescroart’s series featuring attorney Dismas Hardy (who also appears, in a minor role, in this book). Another solid, well-constructed legal thriller from the popular author. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: How’s this for a track record: more than 8.5 million copies of Lescroart’s novels have been sold in the past decade, and his books have been translated into 16 languages in more than 75 countries. Piggy-backing on all that, his latest will profit from a six-figure marketing campaign. --David Pitt