Friday, January 28, 2022

The Missing Piece by John Lescroart

Wes Ferrell is a former district attorney in San Francisco who now practices as a defense attorney with his buddy, Dismas Hardy.  Ferrell struggles with his role because his years as DA have convinced him that everyone charged with a crime is probably guilty.  He wonders if he is harming his clients by not trying harder or doing an injustice to society by trying at all.  What he really longs for is an innocent client. 

Then Paul Riley, a criminal who Ferrell had prosecuted eleven years earlier for rape and murder is released from prison through the efforts of the Exoneration Initiative.  This group sponsors inmates who can be proven innocent and springs them from prison.  Soon after his release, Riley is murdered and Doug Rush, the father of the woman that Riley was accused of murdering, is the chief suspect.  Rush hires Ferrell as his defense attorney.  Of course, Ferrell assumes Rush is guilty but when Rush is murdered Ferrell can’t help but wonder.  Now feeling guilty for his assumption of the worst from his client, Ferrell hires Abe Glitsky, retired head of homicide now P.I. to investigate.  Glitsky’s poking around results is two other murders and an attempt on his own life.  Now Glitisky can’t let it go and uncovers several potential perpetrators but none seem to have motive to commit all four murders.  A complex ‘who-done-it’ follows.

This is Lescroart’s nineteenth Dismas Hardy novel and I’ve enjoyed every one.  The author has created an interesting cast of characters and is a great storyteller.  I look forward to the next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advance read.

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