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lmkramer507's review against another edition
4.0
I've read many Lescroart courtroom/crime novels over the years, and while this was the first real page-turner I'd picked up in a while, it was nonetheless not as good overall as some of his previous books.
One of the plotlines was quite contrived--the outsider who is met by accident and suddenly comes into all aspects of the lives of the main characters.
The ending and epilogue were perhaps most disappointing. There was no prior hint to the final event in the book, so it seemed out of place; the ends were tied up too neatly and quickly. And the epilogue didn't fit at all, unless there's a plan in the works to take off on a new series of books and a setup was needed for that. There are other questions that actually dealt with the meat of the book that I would have preferred to have wrapped up in the epilogue.
Still, a good read. If you like Grisham, you should like Lescroart, and though you don't need to read the books in the order they were published, it is helpful since the characters and events do progress from book to book.
Four stars; solid read, but not perfect.
One of the plotlines was quite contrived--the outsider who is met by accident and suddenly comes into all aspects of the lives of the main characters.
The ending and epilogue were perhaps most disappointing. There was no prior hint to the final event in the book, so it seemed out of place; the ends were tied up too neatly and quickly. And the epilogue didn't fit at all, unless there's a plan in the works to take off on a new series of books and a setup was needed for that. There are other questions that actually dealt with the meat of the book that I would have preferred to have wrapped up in the epilogue.
Still, a good read. If you like Grisham, you should like Lescroart, and though you don't need to read the books in the order they were published, it is helpful since the characters and events do progress from book to book.
Four stars; solid read, but not perfect.
geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
The Ophelia Cut is the 14th book in the Dismas Hardy series. Dismas is a lawyer in San Francisco with a cast of family and friends from previous novels. Even though I haven't read any of the other books, I had no problem jumping in and reading this one. There was one event that was mentioned that happened in a previous book, but it just made me curious to find out more about it.
When Dismas' brother-in-law is accused of murder, and subsequently falls off the wagon, it's up to Dismas to put it all back together again. It turns out that Moses' daughter was seeing a young politician who liked getting a little rough with his dates. When he ends up dead, all fingers point to the father of one of his victims. But it turns out that there may have been other people who also wouldn't mind seeing him gone as well. Add to that a young man who may be in the witness relocation program and there are more than a few red herrings along the way. The drama culminates in a trial with Moses on the stand and Dismas doing all he can to keep Moses out of jail.
These are all likeable characters (with the exception of the murder victim) and Lescroart writes them well. They feel like real people with their fears and flaws. They lack the overvirtuous characterizations you see in most novels. I'm not familiar with the series, but I'd like to revisit these characters in the future.
I was given a review copy by Atria Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this book.
When Dismas' brother-in-law is accused of murder, and subsequently falls off the wagon, it's up to Dismas to put it all back together again. It turns out that Moses' daughter was seeing a young politician who liked getting a little rough with his dates. When he ends up dead, all fingers point to the father of one of his victims. But it turns out that there may have been other people who also wouldn't mind seeing him gone as well. Add to that a young man who may be in the witness relocation program and there are more than a few red herrings along the way. The drama culminates in a trial with Moses on the stand and Dismas doing all he can to keep Moses out of jail.
These are all likeable characters (with the exception of the murder victim) and Lescroart writes them well. They feel like real people with their fears and flaws. They lack the overvirtuous characterizations you see in most novels. I'm not familiar with the series, but I'd like to revisit these characters in the future.
I was given a review copy by Atria Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for letting me review this book.
stevem0214's review against another edition
5.0
OH...MY....GOD!!! What a surprise ending!! I can't say much about this book without giving it away, but Moses McGuire is accused of a crime. You never know (at least not in this book) if he truly committed the crime; as David Freeman told Hardy years ago, that's a question you never ask. But this one has a twist at the end that I never saw coming. Great book as always!! I need to finish reading this series!!
bethanito's review against another edition
1.0
This is the second Lescroat book I've read in an attempt to give his writing another chance, but I won't be reading any more. His descriptions and portrayals of women are cringeworthy, often unrealistic, sexist, and honestly disheartening that someone okayed them to be published in the first place. He would benefit from a team of female editors (or just learning that women are not objects and things to be viewed). Disappointing.
corriespondent's review against another edition
3.0
I usually like his books, but I may have missed something earlier in the series. Now I have to reread to see what I missed.
monicamjw's review against another edition
3.0
I've read Lescroart for years and always enjoyed the setting in San Francisco. This seemed a little contrived, though, and I'm still rather stunned by the ending.
whaney's review against another edition
3.0
I love this series, but this one wasn't quite up to par. Still good, and unexpected ending. But felt like the author was stretching at the end.
cook_memorial_public_library's review against another edition
4.0
A 2013 staff fiction favorite recommended by Becky K.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sophelia%20cut%20lescroart__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sophelia%20cut%20lescroart__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=pearl
jasmyn9's review against another edition
3.0
While most of this story is potentially a stand alone that can be read outside of the series, there were repeated referenced to some incident that they had all been sworn to secrecy that lost me. The characters were also a little hard to keep straight without more background on them, but once the trial started it became much easier. I really didn't like Brittany. She used men and then casually tossed them aside - but after several horrible encounters with Rick Jessup, ending with her being raped, she really became a different person. Her growth was one of the highlights of the story. Dismas Hardy would be a fantastic defense attorney if he were real. The story wrapped up the trial and the book with quite a twist - I'm still trying to decide what I think of it all. Most of this story moves very quickly with very few slow points. The conspiracy theories from sides of the case were classic and fit right in with the story - enhancing it in the perfect way. This would have been a home run book if I had a little more background and could have kept the characters straight easier. I would recommend reading at least some of the previous books to help. - See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2013/06/review-ophelia-cut-by-john-lescroart.html#sthash.aHS1iDRA.dpuf