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wildweasel105's review
3.0
Out of all of the 17 Dismas Hardy legal thrillers I've read, this was one of the two or perhaps three that rated 3 stars instead of the usual four or five stars. It was still very enjoyable, and almost as comfortable as pulling on your favorite sweater on a cold October morning. But Lescroart has done better in most of his past novels to capture that thrilling court room ambience and 11th hour discovery to change the course of the trial Dismas has been fighting on.
"Poison" engages you with a plausible whodunit, and although we see the list of suspects grow that are involved in the murder of a plumbing wholesaler magnate, the twist isn't as satisfying as I was expecting.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading about Dismas getting into another murder investigation...even though he knows his past few investigations and trials have nearly cost him his life.
Is it time for Dismas to retire? That, my friends, is the question to consider, but I truly hope not, for I am a true fan of Dismas Hardy.
"Poison" engages you with a plausible whodunit, and although we see the list of suspects grow that are involved in the murder of a plumbing wholesaler magnate, the twist isn't as satisfying as I was expecting.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading about Dismas getting into another murder investigation...even though he knows his past few investigations and trials have nearly cost him his life.
Is it time for Dismas to retire? That, my friends, is the question to consider, but I truly hope not, for I am a true fan of Dismas Hardy.
raeerin22's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Easy not too intense of a read!
laurenpedersen's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first time I’ve read anything by John Lescroart and it was pretty good. I could have done without some of the language but it wasn’t as bad as it could been and the story was well paced.
martyfried's review
3.0
I'm disappointed in this book for a few reasons. One is personal; my love for this series is in a large part due to the interactions between Hardy and Abe Glitsky, and there wasn't much of that in this book.
But there were a couple of technical things that bothered me. These might be considered spoilers, somewhat, so I'll put spoiler tags around the rest of the review just in case. I don't know that it's really a major spoiler, but read at your own risk.
The first problem I had was when Hardy's wife, Frannie, came down hard on him because she thought he was putting their son, Vincent's life at risk due to his involvement in the murder case Hardy was handling. But in my opinion, this wasn't happening at all. Vincent got involved because a friend of his was murdered. Nobody suspected it was related to Hardy's case. In fact, Hardy's family became aware of the involvement only because they later suspected it was related, so if Hardy had not been handling the murder case, they may never had even known of the danger. Nevertheless, it would have happened whether Hardy was handling the case or not.
Another problem was when they had a suspect, but no proof, so his investigator, Wyatt Hunt, was to follow the suspect hoping he would walk into a trap, which involved trying to kill someone using the same gun as he used in two other shootings. The gun was the only link, and was very important. Yet Hunt was following him alone, and in fact almost lost him once. It seems like for something as important as this, there should have been more than just one person following him.
But there were a couple of technical things that bothered me. These might be considered spoilers, somewhat, so I'll put spoiler tags around the rest of the review just in case. I don't know that it's really a major spoiler, but read at your own risk.
Spoiler
The first problem I had was when Hardy's wife, Frannie, came down hard on him because she thought he was putting their son, Vincent's life at risk due to his involvement in the murder case Hardy was handling. But in my opinion, this wasn't happening at all. Vincent got involved because a friend of his was murdered. Nobody suspected it was related to Hardy's case. In fact, Hardy's family became aware of the involvement only because they later suspected it was related, so if Hardy had not been handling the murder case, they may never had even known of the danger. Nevertheless, it would have happened whether Hardy was handling the case or not.
Another problem was when they had a suspect, but no proof, so his investigator, Wyatt Hunt, was to follow the suspect hoping he would walk into a trap, which involved trying to kill someone using the same gun as he used in two other shootings. The gun was the only link, and was very important. Yet Hunt was following him alone, and in fact almost lost him once. It seems like for something as important as this, there should have been more than just one person following him.
claudetteb's review against another edition
2.0
By the time we rehashed everyone's backstory, and got through all the family/friend dynamics, there wasn't anything left of the actual story. My head was nodding and in general, I just found this book boring!
canada_matt's review against another edition
5.0
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, John Lescroart, and Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
As a long-time fan of John Lescroart and his work, I was pleased to receive an early copy of his latest legal thriller, which offers series fans much to digest while being highly entertained. Dismas Hardy is still recuperating from the harrowing end of the last novel, when he was shot twice at point blank range. Vowing to scale back at the legal practice and refuse any significant criminal work, Hardy is contacted by a former client whose was arrested for the murder of her boss. Hardy is willing to at least provide some early legal advice to Abby Jarvis, though remains at least somewhat dedicated to his promise, something his wife will demand he honour. The death of Grant Wagner shocked everyone, particularly since it was originally deemed a heart attack, only to be re-examined when one of the Wagner children could not understand the finding. Further inspection reveals that Wagner was actually poisoned, paired with other interesting pieces of evidence, including that Jarvis had been skimming from the company’s profits and that she had been spending a great deal of extra time with Wagner before his death. While the legal system moves forward, it is not only Hardy who feels that his client might be innocent. The entire Wagner family seems shocked that Jarvis might have murdered their father, aware of some secrets shared between Grant and Abby. As Hardy agrees to represent Abby at her arraignment, he pulls out all the stops, upsetting his former partner and current district attorney, challenging the validity of the evidence used to arrest his client, which opens a rare bail hearing and leaves everyone watching what else Hardy might have in store for the courtroom. When Wagner’s recent love interest is shot in the face and killed, it leaves SFPD Homicide to use all their resources to see if the shooting might be tied to Wagner’s murder. Trouble is, Abby Jarvis was behind bars during the shooting and could not have committed the crime. Can the Grant Wagner murder be fuelled by financial gain or might there be something far more sinister at play here? And how does all this tie into another recent shooting that has baffled SFPD Homicide? Lescroart does a masterful job with his full collection of San Francisco characters, sure to impress series fans and those who love a well-crafted legal thriller.
It is always a pleasure to pick up a John Lescroart legal thriller, or more generally, a piece from his ever-expanding ‘San Fran crew’ as I call them. As this extended series keeps its quality throughout the twenty-plus novels, it is enjoyable to dive into Lescroart’s work and discover the legal nuances he has to offer. Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy is always an interesting character, who has evolved throughout the series. While there has been little backstory offered over the last number of novels, the ever-flourishing developments within his family and legal units keeps the reader connected to this unique man. Hints throughout leave the reader wondering if there is some major change brewing, though surely Lescroart will force everyone to wait for the next novel to unveil his plans for this central character. There are a number of strong secondary characters, both those who appear regularly (and receive their own novels in the extended series) and the one-timers who appear within this novel. All the characters mesh well and promote a multi-faceted story that keeps the reader wondering as the narrative develops nicely. Turning to the story, Lescroart delivers a strong piece that looks not only to explore the legal nuances of Abby Jarvis’ case, but also some key areas of poison, finance, and familial interactions. Lescroart never enters a topic half-assed, choosing instead to show that he has done his work to permit the reader the most detailed information as possible. The narrative is heavy with all these areas of insight, but things do not get bogged down by this. Rather, they flourish and permit the reader new areas of interest that might pique their interest for personal exploration. I would be remiss if I did not mention the quality of Lescroart’s work. The novels always flow so well and chapters seem to melt away as the reader rushes through the narrative and finds a well-crafted story throughout. I can only hope that Lescroart will stick with the San Fran gang and let those novels propel him to continued greatness.
Kudos, Mr. Lescroart, for another stellar piece of writing. I have loved this series since first I discovered it and will recommend it to anyone who has an interest in legal thrillers.
This book fulfils Topic #1 in the Equinox #2 Book Challenge, A Book in a Series (not a debut).
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
As a long-time fan of John Lescroart and his work, I was pleased to receive an early copy of his latest legal thriller, which offers series fans much to digest while being highly entertained. Dismas Hardy is still recuperating from the harrowing end of the last novel, when he was shot twice at point blank range. Vowing to scale back at the legal practice and refuse any significant criminal work, Hardy is contacted by a former client whose was arrested for the murder of her boss. Hardy is willing to at least provide some early legal advice to Abby Jarvis, though remains at least somewhat dedicated to his promise, something his wife will demand he honour. The death of Grant Wagner shocked everyone, particularly since it was originally deemed a heart attack, only to be re-examined when one of the Wagner children could not understand the finding. Further inspection reveals that Wagner was actually poisoned, paired with other interesting pieces of evidence, including that Jarvis had been skimming from the company’s profits and that she had been spending a great deal of extra time with Wagner before his death. While the legal system moves forward, it is not only Hardy who feels that his client might be innocent. The entire Wagner family seems shocked that Jarvis might have murdered their father, aware of some secrets shared between Grant and Abby. As Hardy agrees to represent Abby at her arraignment, he pulls out all the stops, upsetting his former partner and current district attorney, challenging the validity of the evidence used to arrest his client, which opens a rare bail hearing and leaves everyone watching what else Hardy might have in store for the courtroom. When Wagner’s recent love interest is shot in the face and killed, it leaves SFPD Homicide to use all their resources to see if the shooting might be tied to Wagner’s murder. Trouble is, Abby Jarvis was behind bars during the shooting and could not have committed the crime. Can the Grant Wagner murder be fuelled by financial gain or might there be something far more sinister at play here? And how does all this tie into another recent shooting that has baffled SFPD Homicide? Lescroart does a masterful job with his full collection of San Francisco characters, sure to impress series fans and those who love a well-crafted legal thriller.
It is always a pleasure to pick up a John Lescroart legal thriller, or more generally, a piece from his ever-expanding ‘San Fran crew’ as I call them. As this extended series keeps its quality throughout the twenty-plus novels, it is enjoyable to dive into Lescroart’s work and discover the legal nuances he has to offer. Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy is always an interesting character, who has evolved throughout the series. While there has been little backstory offered over the last number of novels, the ever-flourishing developments within his family and legal units keeps the reader connected to this unique man. Hints throughout leave the reader wondering if there is some major change brewing, though surely Lescroart will force everyone to wait for the next novel to unveil his plans for this central character. There are a number of strong secondary characters, both those who appear regularly (and receive their own novels in the extended series) and the one-timers who appear within this novel. All the characters mesh well and promote a multi-faceted story that keeps the reader wondering as the narrative develops nicely. Turning to the story, Lescroart delivers a strong piece that looks not only to explore the legal nuances of Abby Jarvis’ case, but also some key areas of poison, finance, and familial interactions. Lescroart never enters a topic half-assed, choosing instead to show that he has done his work to permit the reader the most detailed information as possible. The narrative is heavy with all these areas of insight, but things do not get bogged down by this. Rather, they flourish and permit the reader new areas of interest that might pique their interest for personal exploration. I would be remiss if I did not mention the quality of Lescroart’s work. The novels always flow so well and chapters seem to melt away as the reader rushes through the narrative and finds a well-crafted story throughout. I can only hope that Lescroart will stick with the San Fran gang and let those novels propel him to continued greatness.
Kudos, Mr. Lescroart, for another stellar piece of writing. I have loved this series since first I discovered it and will recommend it to anyone who has an interest in legal thrillers.
This book fulfils Topic #1 in the Equinox #2 Book Challenge, A Book in a Series (not a debut).
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/248185-a-book-for-all-seasons
skinnypenguin's review
4.0
I have read almost all of John Lescroart's books and they always seem to keep me interested. This one isn't quite as riveting as some others but I enjoyed it. It is filled with a lot of the mundane work that police officers and lawyers have to do and lets you know that in reality it is not all fast paced action like on TV.
In this story Dismas Hardy is contemplating cutting back on work when he gets a call from a former client who is being charged with the murder of her boss. He is reluctant to take the case but agrees to look into it and help her out. He is assisted by several associates that have been with him for many years (and in previous books). Some are friends who work on the opposite side of the law as he is a defense attorney and are not all that happy with helping him. Some think his client is guilty and don't want to help him and there is a bit of a rivalry ongoing between Dismas and the prosecuting attorney.
The two detectives that investigated the case are dealing with another murder at the same time and one of them has a lot of personal issues going on. He is still recovering from being shot and it is causing problems at home and on the job. He gets involved with a victim's sister that actually aids in helping solve the crime down the line.
Dismas's family makes several appearances throughout the story. His son knows one of the murder victims and despite his father telling him to stay away from the investigation he becomes involved. His wife is on edge about him putting himself and the family in danger by taking the case and he is conflicted over what to do. He is not sure he believes his client is innocent after finding out more information about her and the case but also wants to look into other suspects. When one of those people is also killed he knows he is on the right track and that his client needs his help.
Through many twists and turns all is eventually figured out in the end.
In this story Dismas Hardy is contemplating cutting back on work when he gets a call from a former client who is being charged with the murder of her boss. He is reluctant to take the case but agrees to look into it and help her out. He is assisted by several associates that have been with him for many years (and in previous books). Some are friends who work on the opposite side of the law as he is a defense attorney and are not all that happy with helping him. Some think his client is guilty and don't want to help him and there is a bit of a rivalry ongoing between Dismas and the prosecuting attorney.
The two detectives that investigated the case are dealing with another murder at the same time and one of them has a lot of personal issues going on. He is still recovering from being shot and it is causing problems at home and on the job. He gets involved with a victim's sister that actually aids in helping solve the crime down the line.
Dismas's family makes several appearances throughout the story. His son knows one of the murder victims and despite his father telling him to stay away from the investigation he becomes involved. His wife is on edge about him putting himself and the family in danger by taking the case and he is conflicted over what to do. He is not sure he believes his client is innocent after finding out more information about her and the case but also wants to look into other suspects. When one of those people is also killed he knows he is on the right track and that his client needs his help.
Through many twists and turns all is eventually figured out in the end.
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