The First Law

Rating:
Summary: What next?
Review: A good read, but the book makes you wonder what Lescroart can do next with his batch of characters. I'm betting the next book will feature new characters as this one would be hard to follow with just another story about Dismas and company.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing "Cop"-out
Review: Don't get me wrong - I love Dismas and Abe, and read this book with the usual enthusiasm. I won't bore you with the plot, but it follows the usual - Lescroart sets up a moral dilemna with a lively mix of characters and dialogue, although bro in law Moses comes off a cardboard straw man in this edition.
But the ending - nothing resolved except a simplistic shootout that does nothing to resolve the moral dilemna, a weepy worthy of Danielle Steel maybe, left me wondering if Lescroart is getting a bit fat-happy-and-lazy. Get serious, John, if you want these books to stand with writers like Michael Connelly, etc.


Rating:
Summary: Getting to know you
Review: I found this book a much more interesting read than some of the previous books in this series. Yes, you do get a lot of the ending first, and thus the life and death suspense level isn't as high. However, this is balanced by the revelation of more of the inner workings of Glitsky's psyche, something I felt long overdue. He has been a much more intriguing character than "Diz" since the beginning of the series, but well worth the wait. I hope this trend continues. I found the pace of the book was well measured, and the ending wrought a wry grin from me, something which rarely happens. I also enjoy his female characters (seemingly a difficult to impossible expectation for most male suspense writers) and hope the author sees fit to explore more about them in future books. Good read!

Rating:
Summary: Not His Best
Review: I have enjoyed the Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky series of books very much. This one however, although containing all the characters left a lot to be desired. As others have said, the prologue pretty much tells you where this book is going and then it seems to take forever to get there. Having made the trek you are left wondering if it was worth the effort. The first law may be survival, but the way it is portrayed in this novel leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Rating:
Summary: An only qualified four stars...wait
Review: I once wrote a n essay in uni, for a play of which I had not read the last act. I received a decent enough grade, considering my prof wondered how I could come to my conclusions in light of the fifth act. I wish I'd done the same here. This is the familiar Abe and Dismas story, and none the worse for that; but the slam-bang, dismissive, wrap it up before I get to 450 pages ending is:
1. Unworthy of the excellent writing;
2. Unworthy of the two sympathetic protagonists;
3. Unworthy of our, the readers', respect.
Lescroart has done much better in this fine series...on second thoughts, three stars (for whatever my opinion is worth).

Rating:
Summary: A welcome first exposure to Lescroart
Review: I picked up a copy The First Law in an airport bookstore when faced with an unexpected flight delay. I had not read any of Lescroart's other works and did not know what to expect. The storyline was intriguing, effectively bouncing back between the present and the past while building to the final scenes in the book. Character development was solid, although I suspect that the book would have been better is I was more familiar with some of the characters that clearly had been part of Lescroart's previous works. The First Law was not spectacular but it was definitely good enough that I will be back to sample more of Lescroart's works.

Rating:
Summary: Not the usual quality
Review: I really enjoy Mr. Lescroart's books so this one was a real disappointment. Hardy and Glitsky, normally full of character were just going through the motions in this book. Reading it was like walking through sludge instead of zipping through. Thats the problem with being excellent, good is not good enough.

Rating:
Summary: Not the usual quality
Review: I really enjoy Mr. Lescroart's books so this one was a real disappointment. Hardy and Glitsky, normally full of character were just going through the motions in this book. Reading it was like walking through sludge instead of zipping through. Thats the problem with being excellent, good is not good enough.

Rating:
Summary: A Bit Of A Stretch
Review: I'm a big John Lescroart fan, and have read all of his novels. While this one doesn't have quite the page turning, I can't put this down, quality of his past works, he has never wriien a bad novel. I do have to say, he has guts. One of his most interesting characters, David Freeman, well let's just say some of us could never get enough of Mr. Freeman and leave it at that.
I'll be eagerly awaiting Mr. Lescroart's next novel, and hopefully Dismas Hardy will be the center of it. Missed that courtroom stuff this time around.

Rating:
Summary: End of Hardy/Glitsky era?
Review: In a way, I thought this novel is a closure for the Hardy/Glitsky serial that is going on since the first novel "Dead Irish". I am a fan of Lescroart for his style and the flow of his books though almost all his novels, the end comes like a revelation to Hardy. But, this once was a bit of a stretch making the city like a pawn for the big bad wolf. In spite of it, it was very entertaining though I hate to see David character die. I would definitely recommend it.