Rating: 
Summary: A must-read legal thriller
Review: Dismas Hardy is the new managing partner of his reorganized law firm after his former partner was gunned down. A new associate to the firm, Amy Wu, is grieving over the recent loss of her father. She brings the firm a high-profile case in which Andrew Barlett, the seventeen-year-old son of a prominent family is charged with the murder of his pregnant girlfriend and drama coach. Wu tries to keep Andrew in juvenile court where his maximum sentence is eight years as opposed to adult court where it would be life without parole. At first Wu is convinced that Andrew is quilty and pushes him to accept the plea bargain offered by the D.A. in which is admits to his guilt in order to stay in the juvenile system. The problem is he adamantly protests his innocence despite all the evidence against him. With the firm's reputation is on the line, Dismas agrees to sit second chair at the trial.John Lescroart writes one of the best legal thriller series if not the best. His characters are fully realized, emotionally complex people that grow with each book. If you have never read this series, it is not a bad idea to start from the beginning. It would be worth it because most of the books in the series are excellent. Lescroart is able to draw on the reader's emotions regarding his characters. I strongly disliked the Wu character in the beginning of the story. She had this boy's life in her hands and she was just trying to ramrod him through the system because she thought he was guilty. She was busy feeling sorry for herself: drinking, picking up men, overall irresponsible behavior. She was just not a very sympathetic character. In the course of the story, you really get to see her evolution. By the end you can understand why she was acting the way she did and even sympathize with her. Abe Glitsky, another mainstay from the series is also present in a parallel storyline. There is not quite as much interaction between Dismas and Abe this time out, but the storylines do tie together in the end. John Lescroart fans will enjoy this entry in the series and new readers will become fans.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: Having read all his last six books Lescroart disappointed me with this one. I was able to guess both the Executioner and how the two stories involving Glitsky and Hardy were going to converge half way through the book. The next 200 odd pages were then difficult to get through. Lescroart still retains his captivating style and warm characters but this book is living off the success of his last couple with constant references to events from the First Law. If I hadn't read The First Law before this one I would have struggled to understand what all the references to the previous year was about. I would only recommend this book to his die hard fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Utterly Predictable
Review: Having read all his last six books Lescroart disappointed me with this one. I was able to guess both the Executioner and how the two stories involving Glitsky and Hardy were going to converge half way through the book. The next 200 odd pages were then difficult to get through. Lescroart still retains his captivating style and warm characters but this book is living off the success of his last couple with constant references to events from the First Law. If I hadn't read The First Law before this one I would have struggled to understand what all the references to the previous year was about. I would only recommend this book to his die hard fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Second Chair is a first-rate legal thriller - 4 1/2 stars
Review: Having recently read The First Law, I decided it was time to go back for more. With the Second Chair, Lescroart spins a intriguing tale - one that is clearly better than The First Law. Perhaps my familiarity with some of the characters this time around helped. Throughout the story, Dis Hardy and Abe Glisky continue to search for their way in life in the wake of the action in the First Law, adding an extra dimension for those who have read the previous book. That said, my sense is that, while the exposure to the previous work was beneficial, the plot here was simply more compelling. The Second Chair is clearly a page turner that grabs the reader early and keeps him guessing. Prepare for some level of sleep deprivation as you stay up too late in order to read "just one more chapter."
Rating:
Summary: One major flaw and a couple of little ones
Review: I have followed Dismas and Glitsky since their birth and always look forward to the next installment of their adventures together and after reading this latest I had to find fault with the main plot, that of the killing of the teacher and pupil. In the resolution to the book the killings were for revenge yet an innocent person was killed in the process. That wasn't in tune with the character of the guilty party who wanted revenge against those who had done him wrong yet was an intergral part of the plot of which Hardy was brought into the case for. Why would the murderer put himself in a position to require him to kill a witness when such elaborate steps were taken to remain anonymous otherwise?
And did Hardy agree to take the second chair to appease his conscience after being guilty of compounding a felony? Fictional lawyers have always skirted the lines of legality but Hardy seems to have jumped over the line with both feet mirroring what the legal system in the United States has become.
And is Hardy liable for his stolen ski equipment and his broken window when the legal profession is responsible for the escalating crime rate. Punishment for a crime was supposed to be so severe as to deter future violators from copying that wrongful act yet has become the cost of doing business.
One can only hope that Hardy will become the lawyer that every layman hopes exists in the real world, that of one working for Mrs. "Blind", that blindfolded lady holding the scales of justice.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed the book - but not much of a "who done it"
Review: I have read all the Dismas / Abe books, and it seems like I can usually figure out "who done it" before the characters. I guess this is because the author plays fair with the clues in the books, but it tends to lessen the enjoyment compared to other authors. The "plot hole" of the bystander did not bother me too much, but given the skill of the perp it does make you wonder how this could have happened. I would warn first-time Lescroart readers to get the books in order, there is a LOT of back-story in this book that would spoil the previous novel for you if you read them out of order. Again, I didn't mind this as much as some - as I read a LOT and for enjoyment, not to remember every detail of the novel. So having a refresher of what happened before was OK for me. The highlight of the book for me was Dismas' new car! He now drives a Honda S2000 convertible - since I have one too this added to the read. Another solid entry in the series, but if you pay attention you will figure it out.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed the book - but not much of a "who done it"
Review: I have read all the Dismas / Abe books, and it seems like I can usually figure out "who done it" before the characters. I guess this is because the author plays fair with the clues in the books, but it tends to lessen the enjoyment compared to other authors. The "plot hole" of the bystander did not bother me too much, but given the skill of the perp it does make you wonder how this could have happened. I would warn first-time Lescroart readers to get the books in order, there is a LOT of back-story in this book that would spoil the previous novel for you if you read them out of order. Again, I didn't mind this as much as some - as I read a LOT and for enjoyment, not to remember every detail of the novel. So having a refresher of what happened before was OK for me. The highlight of the book for me was Dismas' new car! He now drives a Honda S2000 convertible - since I have one too this added to the read. Another solid entry in the series, but if you pay attention you will figure it out.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting addition to series,
Review: I like this writer and thought The Second Chair:A Novel was a terrific addition to this series.
Rating:
Summary: great legal thriller
Review: In San Francisco, Laura Wright and her drama teacher Mr. Mooney are killed in his apartment. Laura's lover, Andrew Bartlett, the father of her unborn child is arrested two months after the double homicide and charged with special circumstances murder. Amy Wu, an associate in the law firm in which Dismas Hardy is the managing partner, takes the case even though she believes her client is guilty. With his parents' permission, Amy plea bargains for her seventeen year old client so that he will plead guilty if he's charged as a minor. She explains to Andrew that he will be remanded to a juvenile youth facility for eight years and then would be a free man. Andrew agrees to Amy's suggestion since the evidence against him is so overwhelming, but at the last minute he declares his innocence. Dismas takes a more active role in the case, seeking evidence, interviewing witnesses and acting as THE SECOND CHAIR in Andrew's upcoming hearing. No doubt about it, Dismas Hardy is the twenty-first century's Perry Mason only more personable since the audience sees his interactions with his employees, friends, wife and children. THE SECOND CHAIR is a great legal thriller with a cast of characters easy to like. The intrinsic workings of the California judicial system especially when it comes to the rights of a juvenile is fascinating to observe. John Lescroart's latest work, THE FIRST CHAIR is definitely heading to the New York Times bestseller list. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: A Compelling Novel --- Clearly One of Lescroart's Best
Review: John Lescroart is one of those writers who is able to grab the reader's imagination with his first sentence: "Only four minutes remained in sixteen-year-old Laura Wright's life as she came out of the bathroom of the small apartment on Beaumont Street in San Francisco." From this high-pitched beginning, his new book, THE SECOND CHAIR, wends its way through a zigzag plot that is littered with dead bodies, blind alleys, red herrings, courtroom drama and a denouement sure to keep pulses racing. Andrew North is the privileged son of rich self-centered parents: Linda, his biological mother, and Hal, his stepfather. Andrew, a popular high school student, and his girlfriend were the leads in the school play and had made a habit of rehearsing in the evenings at the home of their teacher, Mr. Mooney. One fatal night, when Andrew goes for a walk to rehearse his lines, Mooney and the ingénue are murdered. Each time the police question Andrew, they assure the family that he is not a suspect. Thus, he talks to them without the benefit of counsel. He and his parents know he's innocent, but approximately two months into the investigation, he is arrested. Nobody is more surprised by this event than Andrew. When the Norths finally contact Amy Wu, an attorney they had used years before when Andrew had gotten into a small scrape, Andrew was being held at the Youth Guidance Center (YGC) charged with double murder. He was booked into juvenile hall because, although he was seventeen, for the purposes of this arrest he was still technically not considered an adult ... yet. When Amy gets to the house and begins asking the elementary questions a lawyer called into a double murder case always asks, she is appalled by the naiveté the parents had displayed in the pre-arrest of their son. These successful, rich and presumably savvy parents "knew" Andrew was innocent and believed that he was lucky to have been out of the house when the murders occurred. Their belief in their son's innocence could cost him his life. Up until he was taken away in handcuffs, the family felt that none of them had to worry. After listening to all of the reasons and rationalizations the parents had devised in their attempt to "protect" Andrew and convince themselves that their son was innocent, Wu, who is flabbergasted by what she is hearing, asks why the police decided to arrest him two months later after talking to him several times. Linda explains that in the early stages of the investigation, the police asked if they owned any guns. Hal responded in the affirmative, but was unable to locate it. The police later found a casing in Andrew's car --- the gun had disappeared, but it was the same caliber as the murder weapon. Amy Wu is an associate of Dismis Hardy, Lescroart's "regular attorney." THE SECOND CHAIR comes on the heels of his last blockbuster, THE FIRST LAW, in which David Freeman, Hardy's mentor, is murdered and the people who truly loved him "took care to see that 'justice' was carried out." All of them are still reeling from what they did and are trying as best they can to cope with his death. Each in his/her own way is haunted by the part they played in making sure his killer paid with his life. Amy is not doing too well in the emotional stability arena, either. Her father died a few months ago and she is drinking too much, indulging in one night stands and has cut herself off from any help or support friends might offer. Nevertheless, she takes the case. Based on her belief that all or most of her clients are guilty, her approach to a case is to plead down and get as little time as possible for the perp. In Andrew's case she takes the same route and rationalizes a defense of sorts in her mind. She will do what she does best: fight for the best deal she can get, and then hope she can sell it to the Norths and then to Andrew. Her plan is to have him plead guilty to the murders, even if he is innocent, as he claims. If he agrees, he will get eight years of incarceration as a youth offender. If he goes to trial, it will be as an adult and he could go to prison for life. The cliffhanging tension while Andrew, his family, Wu and Hardy try to decide his fate is both heartwrenchingly realistic and perfectly pitched. THE SECOND CHAIR is a compelling novel. It is timely and not so far fetched that readers won't identify with the painful situation facing the characters. John Lescroart brings to the courtroom thriller a mix of anecdotes that explain the law, an ensemble of characters who are fully limned and struggle with the human problems that beset all of us. The ability to shape and reshape them lends verisimilitude, which allows them to mature. This is Lescroart's fourteenth book and it is clearly one of his best. He is such an accomplished storyteller that a reader can pick up any of his books in or out of sequence and miss none of the nuances between his characters or get lost in a panoply of references to earlier novels. This author crafts his tales with due diligence, and that is what makes his work stand tall among the plethora of lawyer-writers whose books line shelves everywhere. This one is a keeper! --- Reviewed by Barbara Lipkien Gershenbaum
| 
