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Summary: An Engrossing Story of a Murder Trial
Review: Jennifer Witt has been arrested for the murder of her husband and child. The evidence against her is overwhelming, but she steadfastly claims to be innocent. Her attorney, Dismas Hardy, faces a seemingly impossible task, but gradually finds that things are not exactly as they seem. He becomes convinced that she is innocent, but how to prove it? The author takes you, step by step, through the preparation and conduct of this murder trial, and you see the price it extracts from the lives of all concerned. I am not a fan of novels about attorneys, but this one held my attention throughout.
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Summary: Good, albeit terse, murder/love story
Review: John T. Lescroart's 'The 13th Juror' is a compelling novel that pits the truth against a complex web of lies all in one book. Good character development and one big red herring (too big, in fact) will keep readers guessing to the very end! Lescroart's niche is in upbeat and lively prose. His character's speed is always moving. His reading is easy on the eyes and imaginative, though sometimes too familiar with any genre now bursting with now all-too-familiar plots. Unique twist and evidence will keep readers turning pages! This one is a buy!
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Summary: Powerful courtroom drama
Review: Keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout the whole book. It's hard to put down! Characters are believable. You want to shake Jennifer Witt, and make her admit she's a battered woman. And you also want to force her into counseling (with a woman, please -- you'll understand if you read the book!). The book also makes you want to hug Jennifer and her mother, Nancy, and tell them how beautiful and worthwhile they are, and that they deserve better men than the ones they choose. A VERY good description of the mind of the battered woman who loves her husband, and the desperate lady who falls in love with the wrong man, very wrong, deadly wrong. Captures deep emotion. The lawyers are very believable. I've met lawyers just as heartless as David Freeman and just as giving, loving and determined as Dismas Hardy. Of course, Hardy is the character you fall in love with in the book, loving husband and father, determined defense attorney. The 13th Juror is shocking, with a great surprise ending you will never guess. Hardy lucked out -- I'm afraid in real life, this woman would have gotten the death penalty. A fast read, MUST READ for anyone interested in crime and courtroom drama. Anyone who knows a battered woman or who has been battered should read this powerful book.
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Summary: Superb in every respect
Review: Lescroart writes and plots with amazing precision and clarity. Others have gone into detail about content, so let me just say that once I finished reading The 13th Juror I jumped right into A Certain Justice (don't start that one before going to bed) and now The Hearing. I'll be reading everything John Lescroart has written or will write. Although there are multiple threads in each book, Lescroart does not ever leave the reader at loose ends. The settings are described in enough detail to bring them alive, but without excess. Characters are strong -- maybe not "larger than life," but some of them about as large as life gets. And he carefully researches the details. Enough. Buy his books. Read them. If you like legal/crime/suspense you will be pleased.
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Summary: Superb in every respect
Review: Lescroart writes and plots with amazing precision and clarity. Others have gone into detail about content, so let me just say that once I finished reading The 13th Juror I jumped right into A Certain Justice (don't start that one before going to bed) and now The Hearing. I'll be reading everything John Lescroart has written or will write. Although there are multiple threads in each book, Lescroart does not ever leave the reader at loose ends. The settings are described in enough detail to bring them alive, but without excess. Characters are strong -- maybe not "larger than life," but some of them about as large as life gets. And he carefully researches the details. Enough. Buy his books. Read them. If you like legal/crime/suspense you will be pleased.
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Summary: A very compelling book
Review: My boss was reading this book and I picked it up one day out of curiosity (she had been talking about how good it was). I read the first page, then the second, and the next thing I knew I had read the entire prologue. Very compelling and chilling - in those few pages, Lescroart delves into the mind of a battered woman and gives real insight into her psyche. Here and throughout the book, he answers the often-asked naive question "Why doesn't she just leave him?" I then bought my own copy of the book (my boss had passed her copy on to her husband). Lescroart takes his time and carefully constructs his characters; the drama builds steadily as the murder trial looms and Hardy tries to convince his client to help herself. When the trial begins, the story starts to race as new evidence comes to light and the plot takes some wild turns (the analogy of a roller coaster comes to mind - trite, but true). This is more than a simple courtroom drama or whodunit - Lescroart really gets into what makes his characters who they are and why they do what they do. I actually found myself forgetting to try to figure out who the killer really was (although until the climax of the book there remains a shadow of a doubt as to whether the wife really did it or not - she's not exactly a warm, lovable gal and she certainly had plenty of reasons to off the guy). This is an intricate, multi-layered story that goes way beyond the basics - there's a lot more to it than the central theme of justice prevailing over injustice. Lescroart explores the grey areas of ethics and morality as his characters interact and their own stories intertwine. This is a fascinating and engrossing book.
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Summary: Great
Review: So good i read it in one clas
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Summary: interesting legal thriller
Review: that seemed realistic . . . in particular, i felt the court scenes were quite realistic.
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Summary: Magnificent Courtroom Drama
Review: The 13th Juror was my introduction to John Lescroart and I was pleasantly surprised. The character development was superb and the suspense of whether Jennifer actually committed the crimes left me wondering right up to the end. I can honestly say, I had a hard time putting this book down. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a suspenseful thriller!
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Summary: I am hooked on Dismas Hardy!
Review: This book was in a bag of paperbacks my mom (another avid mystery reader) passed along to me a couple of weeks ago. I devoured it cover to cover and have since read two other novels in this series. Hardy makes a very human, very believable hero, and the San Francisco setting could only be painted by a lover of the city. This book draws you in and won't let you put it down! I recommend it highly as well as the rest of the Dismas Hardy series. Note: It is helpful to read these in order, but not absolutely necessary. What a page-turner!
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