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wildweasel105's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of twists and turns to this thriller, which happens to be Rebecca Hardy's first criminal case. A young African-American woman falls to her death from an overhang to a busy traffic tunnel entrance below. The ensuing investigation and the city political climate threatens Rebecca in a potentially lost case as she defends the one person who couldn't possibly be responsible for the woman's death...or could he? Lescroart is still the master in keeping our fingers turning the pages on this, the "last" of the Dismas Hardy series.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
5.0
A special thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
THE FALL by John Lescroart is a riveting multi-layered complex legal crime thriller; my kind of book. Has it all - from murder, sex, courtroom drama, legal, corruption, racial, crime, social injustice, mystery, psycho, and more. Love Dismas Hardy and his daughter, Rebecca (The Beck) - quite the team.
When Hardy joined the marines out of college, then Vietnam, he became a cop in San Fran while attending law school. After passing the bar, he worked for a year as an assistant district attorney. Afterwards bartending at Little Shamrock (he now co-owns) after his first child had died in a crib accident and then the breakup of his first marriage. He remarried twenty six years ago to Frannie, whose child Rebecca he adopted, now his newest legal associate at his firm. She is about to land her first complex case.
There are some strange happenings in San Francisco, now a body is falling out of the sky and is dead. For the past several months, Juhle’s Homicide department, as well as the city’s DA’s office had been defending themselves separately and together against mounting accusations that the PD was soft pedaling investigations, and the DA was mishandling trials of, killers of African Americans.
In the city's last eight murders of African Americans the police had made no arrests. During the same time period the district attorney had gone to trial six times to prosecute suspects in the homicides of African Americans and gotten zero convictions. The public thinks there is a pattern – could there be? The fact remained that though the nonwhite to white murder rate in the city was nine to one there had not been one successful murder case involving a black victim in the previous six months.
Now Liam Goodman, a city supervisor with mayoral ambitions is riding this political magic and talking about more than just cutting the homicide budget.
The victim, Anlya Grace Paulson, age seventeen, a mixed up foster kid falls from an overpass tunnel with four witnesses, making it appear it is a murder, not a suicide. What is her story (boy, oh boy is there a past here) with numerous suspects. And there is a diary entry talking about someone with initials G and L. Wes Farrell is closing in on four years as district attorney. Inspectors Eric Waverly and Ken Yamashiro are on the case and PI Hunt.
Abe Glitsky, a lifelong policeman, mixed race – from patrolman to homicide lieutenant to deputy chief of inspectors and for the past few months—after a squabble with the chief of police had led to his resignation (had been under Wes Farrell’s command) as an inspector with the DA’s Investigative Division. Abe’s father was Jewish, his mother African American – he is back on the case.
Greg, a twenty-seven year old white teacher and court appointed special advocate (CASA) for Anlya’s twin brother Max had dinner with Anlya shortly before she died. Greg happened to be at the bar, Little Shamrock --Hardy co-owns and his daughter Rebecca, is there, when the news comes on about the girl. Rebecca agrees to represent Greg (what a first case). She has no clue what she is getting into.
As the corruption mounts, so does the suspects and complexities. There is Royce, the boyfriend and pimp, a partner with Honor Wilson, Anlya’s friend managing prostitutes – nervous about the cops looking into their business. Life as Honor had imagined it is not going as she planned and her life may be in danger.
Leon Copes, the psychologically unbalanced, crack head and child molester, former live in boyfriend of the twin’s mother, Sharla with a history of abusing Anlya and screwing up their mother with drugs and booz, and then there is Ricardo Salazar, the Minnesota murderer.
Hardy had decided to let his daughter handle this, but he was not about to throw her to the wolves. He could not allow her to choose her first murder jury selection without the benefit of his experience… Who would push an innocent girl to her death? What a mistrial? Who had motive? What about all the city's murder suspects who are arrested and never tried?
I love a good crime legal thriller and social injustices; Lescroart mounts the suspense from court room, to crime mixed with some personal emotions and humor, with Hardy, his daughter, friends and family.
Since this is my first book by Lescroart, I am busy clicking to buy the previous books to listen on audio in between new releases; starting with The Keeper: Dismas Hardy, Book #15. So excited David Colacci, one of my favorite narrators is performing (love him, with Tami Hoag's books). Looking forward to reading all the ones I missed.
Fans of Scott Turow, John Grisham, Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer, Daniel Palmer, Robert Parker, and Stuart Woods will enjoy this mix legal crime thriller.
As I have mentioned previously, you can always count on Atria Books to deliver the "best of the best"!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
THE FALL by John Lescroart is a riveting multi-layered complex legal crime thriller; my kind of book. Has it all - from murder, sex, courtroom drama, legal, corruption, racial, crime, social injustice, mystery, psycho, and more. Love Dismas Hardy and his daughter, Rebecca (The Beck) - quite the team.
When Hardy joined the marines out of college, then Vietnam, he became a cop in San Fran while attending law school. After passing the bar, he worked for a year as an assistant district attorney. Afterwards bartending at Little Shamrock (he now co-owns) after his first child had died in a crib accident and then the breakup of his first marriage. He remarried twenty six years ago to Frannie, whose child Rebecca he adopted, now his newest legal associate at his firm. She is about to land her first complex case.
There are some strange happenings in San Francisco, now a body is falling out of the sky and is dead. For the past several months, Juhle’s Homicide department, as well as the city’s DA’s office had been defending themselves separately and together against mounting accusations that the PD was soft pedaling investigations, and the DA was mishandling trials of, killers of African Americans.
In the city's last eight murders of African Americans the police had made no arrests. During the same time period the district attorney had gone to trial six times to prosecute suspects in the homicides of African Americans and gotten zero convictions. The public thinks there is a pattern – could there be? The fact remained that though the nonwhite to white murder rate in the city was nine to one there had not been one successful murder case involving a black victim in the previous six months.
Now Liam Goodman, a city supervisor with mayoral ambitions is riding this political magic and talking about more than just cutting the homicide budget.
The victim, Anlya Grace Paulson, age seventeen, a mixed up foster kid falls from an overpass tunnel with four witnesses, making it appear it is a murder, not a suicide. What is her story (boy, oh boy is there a past here) with numerous suspects. And there is a diary entry talking about someone with initials G and L. Wes Farrell is closing in on four years as district attorney. Inspectors Eric Waverly and Ken Yamashiro are on the case and PI Hunt.
Abe Glitsky, a lifelong policeman, mixed race – from patrolman to homicide lieutenant to deputy chief of inspectors and for the past few months—after a squabble with the chief of police had led to his resignation (had been under Wes Farrell’s command) as an inspector with the DA’s Investigative Division. Abe’s father was Jewish, his mother African American – he is back on the case.
Greg, a twenty-seven year old white teacher and court appointed special advocate (CASA) for Anlya’s twin brother Max had dinner with Anlya shortly before she died. Greg happened to be at the bar, Little Shamrock --Hardy co-owns and his daughter Rebecca, is there, when the news comes on about the girl. Rebecca agrees to represent Greg (what a first case). She has no clue what she is getting into.
As the corruption mounts, so does the suspects and complexities. There is Royce, the boyfriend and pimp, a partner with Honor Wilson, Anlya’s friend managing prostitutes – nervous about the cops looking into their business. Life as Honor had imagined it is not going as she planned and her life may be in danger.
Leon Copes, the psychologically unbalanced, crack head and child molester, former live in boyfriend of the twin’s mother, Sharla with a history of abusing Anlya and screwing up their mother with drugs and booz, and then there is Ricardo Salazar, the Minnesota murderer.
Hardy had decided to let his daughter handle this, but he was not about to throw her to the wolves. He could not allow her to choose her first murder jury selection without the benefit of his experience… Who would push an innocent girl to her death? What a mistrial? Who had motive? What about all the city's murder suspects who are arrested and never tried?
I love a good crime legal thriller and social injustices; Lescroart mounts the suspense from court room, to crime mixed with some personal emotions and humor, with Hardy, his daughter, friends and family.
Since this is my first book by Lescroart, I am busy clicking to buy the previous books to listen on audio in between new releases; starting with The Keeper: Dismas Hardy, Book #15. So excited David Colacci, one of my favorite narrators is performing (love him, with Tami Hoag's books). Looking forward to reading all the ones I missed.
Fans of Scott Turow, John Grisham, Michael Connelly, David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer, Daniel Palmer, Robert Parker, and Stuart Woods will enjoy this mix legal crime thriller.
As I have mentioned previously, you can always count on Atria Books to deliver the "best of the best"!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
whaney's review against another edition
4.0
Always love these books. Was fun to see the introduction of Rebecca, and I like her character. Look forward to more with her involved. If you read enough of the same author you get a sense of how things generally work out, so... I kind of figured things out. But, once never knows when Lescroart is going to throw another twist in.
ollie1976's review against another edition
4.0
This was a great lawyer mystery. The court scenes were not overwhelming as some other authors. The mystery had some very interesting twists and turns-one in particular, I wasn't expecting. I would definitely recommend.
kathyemmons's review against another edition
4.0
Classic Lescroart: great story, clever dialog. Always good.
mmcclung's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kylieeason's review against another edition
I did NOT know this was a book in a series, let alone number 16 when I read it. That being said, I don't think you need to read all 15 before reading this one.
The fall was slightly disappointing. I love a good thriller, and maybe I watch too many crime shows, but I found many of the scenes and most of the dialog boring.
Since most of the story takes place in a court room, it became tedious to read, as the defense attorney (The Beck) asked the same question seven ways to Sunday.
I think I was most excited when I pieced a significant event together before it was revealed to the reader.
I'm not sure if I'm being cynical of this story because it's story line is similar to that of a Law and Order: SVU episode (which is one of my faves) or if it was really just a disappointing book.
With that, I wouldn't recommend this book to any crime show buffs, or anyone in the field of crime stopping.
I'm left feeling rather empty... And that's never good!
The fall was slightly disappointing. I love a good thriller, and maybe I watch too many crime shows, but I found many of the scenes and most of the dialog boring.
Since most of the story takes place in a court room, it became tedious to read, as the defense attorney (The Beck) asked the same question seven ways to Sunday.
I think I was most excited when I pieced a significant event together before it was revealed to the reader.
I'm not sure if I'm being cynical of this story because it's story line is similar to that of a Law and Order: SVU episode (which is one of my faves) or if it was really just a disappointing book.
With that, I wouldn't recommend this book to any crime show buffs, or anyone in the field of crime stopping.
I'm left feeling rather empty... And that's never good!
books_and_tea_with_me's review against another edition
5.0
It was the last one I had to read in this series. It was different because it had Rebecca Hardy as a main character instead of a child.
aly36's review against another edition
4.0
I have never read any books by this author. I feel the characters in this story were complex. Rebecca, the main character, is trying her first murder case in this book. This is a good entertaining legal thriller. There are a few twists and turns but I figured out who did it before the story got there. * I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
martyfried's review against another edition
5.0
Although this story included the humorous interactions between all the usual suspects, there were some welcome additions. The most obvious was the addition of Diz's daughter "the Bec" as a lawyer in Dismas Hardy's firm. This was a nice addition, as it gives us one more target for his wisecracks, which I enjoy.
Another addition, or change, was in the basic formula of most of his stories, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. If you've read it, you probably know what I mean, but here it is.... Anyway, there's some added excitement after the trial.
I speak about the basic formula, but I don't think that detracts from the enjoyment of the stories. The plots vary enough to be interesting, and the main attraction to me is the interaction between Dismas, Abe, and other characters. I would be happy to have friends like these in my life.
Another addition, or change, was in the basic formula of most of his stories, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. If you've read it, you probably know what I mean, but here it is...
Spoiler
The formula I speak of is the one where innocent people get accused of a crime, and it looks like they are going to be found guilty through unfair circumstances.I speak about the basic formula, but I don't think that detracts from the enjoyment of the stories. The plots vary enough to be interesting, and the main attraction to me is the interaction between Dismas, Abe, and other characters. I would be happy to have friends like these in my life.