A Plague of Secrets (Dismas Hardy)

In the past few years, Lescroart has been introducing a new stable of characters--Gina Roarke, Wes Farrell, and Wyatt Hunt--while slowly phasing out appearances by Glitsky and Hardy. While new characters are okay, they just don't hold a candle to the Hardy/Glitsky relationship that originally captured me. I'm sick of Wes' novelty t-shirts and his girlfriend's rabid rhetoric. I'm tired of Roarke's shapely calves. I miss the undercurrent of respect that runs through all of the Glitsky/Hardy books.

Plague of Secrets is a court room drama that primarily features Hardy with support from Farrell and Hunt, and with cameos by Roark and Glitsky. The mystery was excellent, but I confess that slogging through 100+ pages of court room testimony to find out whodunnit was b-o-r-i-n-g.

Even more, I suspect that "Plague of Secrets" is setting the stage for Glitsky's retirement from the force. Dig him while you can.

Dylan Vogler, who manages the Bay Beans West coffee shop in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, is the first murder victim. When his body is found, inspectors discover that his knapsack is filled with high-grade marijuana. It soon becomes clear that many in San Francisco flocked to Bay Beans West for more than coffee.

Maya Townshend is the beautiful socialite niece of the city's mayor, and the absentee owner of Bay Beans West. How much did she really know what was going on inside her business? And how well had she really known Dylan, her old college friend? When another of Maya's acquaintances falls victim to murder, and as the names of the dead men's customers become known, press coverage takes the investigation into the speculative realms of conspiracy and cover-up. Maya has her own secrets, which makes it challenging for Dismas Hardy to defend her effectively.

This is a fast-paced novel with a number of different strands. Most of those impacted by the murders have secrets, and this meant that for much of the novel there were a number of different people who could have been guilty of murder. While most of the loose ends are tied together by the end of the novel, there were a few that weren't.
I enjoyed this novel: it was an ideal escapist read and I will be looking to read the earlier novels in this series. Dismas Hardy, former policeman and now defence lawyer, is a character I like, and I want to explore more of his fictional world.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This is my second Dismas Hardy book, and while it is mildly interesting, it is not worth staying up late to read. Well, I did, and in hindsight, it was a letdown. In this installment, Hardy is tasked with defending Maya Townshend, absentee owner of the local Bay Beans West, a popular coffee spot. Bay Beans West's manager, Dylan Vogler has been found shot dead in the alley, and Maya was in the vicinity. The investigation further reveals that although Dylan and Maya did not seem to get along, they had known each other for a while, and Maya was paying Vogler twice what a manager would make at another coffee shop.

Compounding the problems of this case is the political slant. Maya's aunt is San Francisco mayor Kathy West, and her brother, Harlen Fisk, is a member of the city's Board of Supervisors. If that isn't enough, a second murder takes place, and this time, Maya's DNA are on the victim's doorknob and a witness places her at the scene.

The plot is solid, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Halfway through, the plot and characters got too convoluted and confusing. I know Lescroart was trying to put in various twists and turns, but instead of drawing the reader in more, I think the book started to become disengaging. There weren't any real cliffhangers, and I didn't warm up to any of the characters. Overall, it is a decent book, but not one that I'd put on my `absolute must read' list.

I'm a big fan of this series, good characterization, interesting plots. This one is especially good. But one constant theme running through. Have you noticed how dangerous it is to be one of Dismas' or Abe's
best friend/partner/godson/spouse/cousin/neighbor/secretary/in-law/etc? Chances are you are going to be sued/falselyaccused/blackmailed/runoverbycar/attacked/murdered/cancerstricken/struckbylightning?
This time it's Abe's son, struck by car. Other times it involves any one of the cast members mentioned above. Not a complaint, mind you. Makes it interesting. But if I were Abe's/Dismas' next door neighbor, I would consider moving to safer parts.

Not my most favorite John Lescroart book. Took awhile to develop and by the time it finally did, I was a little bored. Still, towards the end, it came together, but I was able to figure out who "did it". So I always don't care for that, but glad I used the library instead of shelling out $27.00.

When this is finished, I will have written two reviews, the other being for John Grisham's The Appeal, which, after more than three decades in trial practice, I endorsed for its realism, and the importance of the societal issues it portrays.

Mr. Lescroart is a serious writer of serious yet very enjoyable books. As Le Carre rose above the genre in The Honorable Schoolboy, so does Lescroart rise far above the typical legal thriller with this, as he has before.

As Wouk, with the Caine Mutiny Court Court Martial, read years ago, described courtroom practice, and the motivation for tactic, well and accurately, so does Lescroart do the same here, with a realistic eye for nuance.

As a litigator who has familiarity with San Francisco intra-governmental politics, including as to personnel matters, I know that this paints a portrait not distant from reality, as this author has done before in same regard. Most importantly, it is an engaging read, all the more so because it lacks contrivance.

I thought this was a good read...many others didn't like it but I found the plot believable and gave me pause as to what the government can do if they want with your property. Some people didn't like the fact that there was no answer to what was on the mind of Harlon Fisk...well authors don't have to tie every question up for us in each book.

The story was interesting and entertaining, buit I thought it was also uneven, maybe even confusing. Dismas & Abe were as appealing as ever but the judge was a little excessive in her hostility to Dismas. Still, it held me.

The book will work best for readers familiar with the series, of which I am one. If you're new to the series, you might start with one of the stronger titles.

My first time reading this author ... I was disappointed. Didn't feel the 'breakneck speed' and I can't say I found it all that compelling.

Loose ends ... yes, I thought so too.

Like the Dismas Hardy character and love the SF atmosphere - will try another in this series.

I love Lescroart books. Each successive book's plot takes more twists and turns than Lombard Street. And almost always explain every nuance and issue. This book, however, leaves out one explanation. Who fired the second shot and why was it so important (or did I miss something)?

If John Lescroart really wrote "A Plague of Secrets", then he is definitely losing his touch! I have loved all of the previous books, but this one has none of the gentleness and warmth of the characters that I have come to know and love. I will probably try just one more of Lescroart's books, but if he's not back up to speed, then I'll put him in my corner of "yawn --- toooooooo boring" books! John, if you've been using a ghost writer, like Robert K. Tannenbaum does (Michael Gruber), please, please get him back to writing for you!!!