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A review by weaselweader
The Second Chair by John Lescroart
3.0
Three stories for the price of one!
The first, and for my money, the least interesting of the three, is a straight-up police procedural hunt for a serial killer dubbed The Executioner. Well, yeah … what else would you call an apparently motiveless killer whose MO involves getting up close and personal with his victims before dispatching them at virtually point blank range with a silenced handgun? The plot execution (argh … forgive me!), while not as low as mundane or pedestrian, certainly never reaches gripping or compelling. Interesting and workmanlike is perhaps the best description.
The second story is a legal procedural which provides an in-depth description of the juvenile trial of a minor charged with a double murder. Interesting, informative and even occasionally heartwarming but, once again, it fails to clear the hurdle of becoming a page-turner or a gripping thriller. Some readers might describe this piece of THE SECOND CHAIR triad as compelling, but it would almost certainly be because of the high level of interest involved with the legal twists and turns of dealing with a minor defendant and the systemic differences between juvenile and adult arrest, court procedures, imprisonment and sentencing.
The third and final tale (and, IMO, the cream of the crop) is strictly a character-focused behaviour driven story. Abe Glitsky is now SFPD’s Deputy Chief of Investigations and Dismas Hardy is the managing partner of his law firm. Both are successful and have arguably reached the zenith of their successful careers as a result of a combination of skill, luck, management, focus and performance. So what’s the problem and why aren’t they happy? Blend in an up and coming, young female lawyer who seems hell bent on a path of failure and self-destruction because she is devastated by the loss of her father. Although the idea that job performance and success is not synonymous with happiness and satisfaction seems obvious, it makes for an interesting story when the resulting behaviours drive the day to day work in the resolution of the two procedural plot-lines.
THE SECOND CHAIR is not a novel that will leave readers breathless but I can still say the John Lescroart is a great go-to author for a relaxing, enjoyable read. You might not close the last page with a “Wow” on your lips but you’ll still have a satisfied smile. I’m a continuing fan and John Lescroart remains on my go-to reading list.
Paul Weiss
The first, and for my money, the least interesting of the three, is a straight-up police procedural hunt for a serial killer dubbed The Executioner. Well, yeah … what else would you call an apparently motiveless killer whose MO involves getting up close and personal with his victims before dispatching them at virtually point blank range with a silenced handgun? The plot execution (argh … forgive me!), while not as low as mundane or pedestrian, certainly never reaches gripping or compelling. Interesting and workmanlike is perhaps the best description.
The second story is a legal procedural which provides an in-depth description of the juvenile trial of a minor charged with a double murder. Interesting, informative and even occasionally heartwarming but, once again, it fails to clear the hurdle of becoming a page-turner or a gripping thriller. Some readers might describe this piece of THE SECOND CHAIR triad as compelling, but it would almost certainly be because of the high level of interest involved with the legal twists and turns of dealing with a minor defendant and the systemic differences between juvenile and adult arrest, court procedures, imprisonment and sentencing.
The third and final tale (and, IMO, the cream of the crop) is strictly a character-focused behaviour driven story. Abe Glitsky is now SFPD’s Deputy Chief of Investigations and Dismas Hardy is the managing partner of his law firm. Both are successful and have arguably reached the zenith of their successful careers as a result of a combination of skill, luck, management, focus and performance. So what’s the problem and why aren’t they happy? Blend in an up and coming, young female lawyer who seems hell bent on a path of failure and self-destruction because she is devastated by the loss of her father. Although the idea that job performance and success is not synonymous with happiness and satisfaction seems obvious, it makes for an interesting story when the resulting behaviours drive the day to day work in the resolution of the two procedural plot-lines.
THE SECOND CHAIR is not a novel that will leave readers breathless but I can still say the John Lescroart is a great go-to author for a relaxing, enjoyable read. You might not close the last page with a “Wow” on your lips but you’ll still have a satisfied smile. I’m a continuing fan and John Lescroart remains on my go-to reading list.
Paul Weiss