The Second Chair 
By John Lescroart

    In Lescroart's newest Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky legal thriller, they have both moved up the ladder in their professions. Abe is the deputy chief of investigations in the San Francisco Police Department, and Dismas heads his own flourishing law firm. However, the excitement has gone out of their jobs. Diz seldom appears in court now. He is spending his time as a fix-it attorney for clients who don't want to take their chances in the courtroom, and he, himself, has lost faith in the law. Abe is bored with what he does and wants to be back at the hands-on level of investigations.

      Hardy's young associate, Amy Wu, is grieving over the recent loss of her father and parties too much. She accepts the high profile case of a 17-year-old who has been arrested for the double murder of his girlfriend and her drama teacher. The kid just happens to be the son of a prominent San Francisco family. Amy makes a huge blunder-- in her zeal to get him tried as a juvenile, and out of adult court--by admitting the accused teen's guilt to the prosecutor before she even talks to her client.

      Diz decides to step in as second chair during the hearing and try to salvage his firm's reputation. In the process of preparing the defense, Diz becomes convinced that their client is innocent in spite of mounting evidence of his guilt. Abe has his own problems with a crime wave that has seized the city. Both men have their own demons to tame in this highly charged, passionate story.

     Lescroart is one of the very best in writing courtroom drama. The characters are old friends that I have come to love, and there are some new ones that are equally compelling. John makes you feel their every emotion, as the suspense builds relentlessly to a breathless, smashing finish. Lescroart books always end with me wanting more and making me impatient for his next book. He's a writer you can count on for great entertainment with escalating suspense, and a complicated plot that fulfills its promise.