Customer Reviews

The Second Chair

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This latest John Lescroart novel starts slowly and I was worried at first, but he knows what he's doing, for the pacing overall is excellent in this tale of disillusionment with the justice system. The book picks up speed as you go along and gives testament to the way this author crafts his work.

The thing that stuck me most about this book was the wonderful character developement and dialogue. The only other author that comes close to this is Grisham and "The Firm" and a handfull of other books come to mind--"The Last Juror" being the latest one.

I did find a few minor flaws with this book, but feel that it's not important to point them out--if you find them, then so be it, but I don't want to be the one to take anything away from this well-written novel.

Also recommended: Bark of the Dogwood

Having read all his last six books Lescroart disappointed me with this one. I was able to guess both the Executioner and how the two stories involving Glitsky and Hardy were going to converge half way through the book. The next 200 odd pages were then difficult to get through.

Lescroart still retains his captivating style and warm characters but this book is living off the success of his last couple with constant references to events from the First Law. If I hadn't read The First Law before this one I would have struggled to understand what all the references to the previous year was about.

I would only recommend this book to his die hard fans.

Voice performer David Colacci gives a vital, arresting reading of John Lescroart's legal thriller "The Second Chair." As with previous works by this author there are dramatic courtroom scenes, and easy to relate to characters. His setting is the City by the Bay.

Once again lawyer Dismas Hardy and his detective buddy, Abe Glitsky, are paired. Now Glitsky is the Deputy Chief of the Investigations Bureau and Hardy is managing partner in what seems to be a soon-to-be-successful law firm.

Amy Wu, a promising young attorney in his firm, brings him a challenging and headline grabbing case. The son of an upper level San Francisco family, Andrew Bartlett, has been arrested in the double murder of his girlfriend and teacher. He's 17 and the District Attorney is determined to try him as an adult. Wu is equally determined to take the case to juvenile court. However, she needs some help to do this and so she turns to Hardy, asking him to sit second chair.

Evidence against young Bartlett seems sound. But there is chaos to come when a string of murders chills San Francisco. Citizens are shot in what are apparently random killings. Thus both Hardy and Glitsky are pitted in challenges that may change their lives - one must try to save a client, the other must stop a psychotic killer.

Lescroart just keeps getting better and better.

- Gail Cooke

THE SECOND CHAIR is an excellent addition to the series of legal thrillers by John Lescroart featuring San Francisco lawyer Dismas Hardy and his good friend Abe Glitsky, recently promoted to Deputy Chief of the Investigations Bureau. While the novel is adequate as a standalone story, I don't believe that I would have rated it as highly without the detailed background knowledge of Abe's and Diz's experiences that formed the basis of Lescroart's previous book, THE FIRST LAW ( 2/9/2003 review), which I strongly suggest be read prior to this book. (Since the events in THE FIRST LAW in some ways represented a crucial divide in the lives of all participants, perhaps the numbers incorporated into these titles indicate the author's intention to make it easy for new readers to understand the order of the subsequent books in the series. If so, his fans will be glad to see that he has left himself unlimited possibilities for additional sequels whereas the author Sue Grafton is already more than halfway through the alphabet.)

In contrast with the two most recent novels somewhat deviating from the typical format of this series, this book much more closely resembles the earlier stories. FIRST LAW had been about the failure of the justice system and the emotional and physical damage that the episode described caused to everyone in Abe's and Diz's circles of friends and families. Prior to that THE OATH (9/11/2002 review) had basically been a story that cast Diz in the role of a detective with very little courtroom action and with Abe having only a very minor role. This story combines what initially seem to be unrelated murder investigations by Abe and Diz with legal maneuvering, courtroom drama, and more than the usual quota of psychological stress and character development. While supposedly recovered from the psychological trauma which he recently endured and now managing partner of a successful law firm, in reality the deep scars which Hardy received are far from healed. He has essentially switched from being a litigator defending the innocent to the highly lucrative legal business of negotiating deals for the guilty. And Glitsky has become enmeshed in the political pressures brought on by a recent wave of violence.

The parents of Andrew Bartlett, a seventeen-year-old who Hardy's young associate Amy Wu has previously represented for a minor offense, contact her when he is arrested for the double murder of his girlfriend Laura Wright and his well loved high school drama teacher Michael Mooney. Amy ( who is introduced in a manner which suggests that she will be a new addition to the continuing cast of this series) believes the evidence against Andrew to be overwhelming and thus arranges a deal with the DA to accept a plea bargain in return for Andrew being sentenced as a juvenile offender rather than being tried as an adult. When the deal falls apart and Amy incurs the wrath of both the DA and the judge assigned to the case, Hardy concludes that it is necessary for him to sit as THE SECOND CHAIR with Wu (psychologically numb from the recent death of her father) and help in the preparation of Andrew's case for trial. As further apparently random murders occur and increasingly terrorize the city, a tenuous link finally appears between Glitsky's investigations and Andrew's case. The complex plot is ingenious and the conclusion satisfying. And fans of the series will be glad to see the inclusion of a strong legal element as an integral part of this story.

I downgraded my rating from a full five stars for three reasons. First, the book certainly does not deserve five stars on a standalone basis, yet to make the background understandable to new readers it dwells on the events in the previous book in excruciating detail for readers already familiar with that background. Second, I thought that although Amy's self-destructive behavior and preoccupation with her own problems was a totally integral element of the plot, it was carried to such an extreme level that it made her behavior even more frustrating than was necessary. Third, in a few cases the perspective of the narrative made certain elements of the case clear to the reader well before it was obvious to the participants, which somewhat lessened the suspense.

On a final note, this book also includes a strong negative perspective regarding the current childrearing practices and self-centeredness of many professional and upwardly mobile parents. In addition to the lack of communication between Andrew and his parents, we are introduced to two wonderful minor actors in this drama. First is Jeri (Honey) Croft, an actress in the play which starred Andrew and Laura, and whose wisdom and sensitivity contrast fiercely with her punk look and outward demeanor of disdain, Second is Catherine Bass, who is an attorney suffering from CDD (the well known but often misdiagnosed affliction Chocolate Deficit Disorder) but more importantly for this story is Mr. Mooney's former wife who specializes in areas which make her very knowledgeable regarding the troubled lives of psychologically estranged teenagers. So, if you enjoy literary series which employ plots with a lot of interwoven threads and that take the time to leisurely provide the necessary details for continuing character development, THE SECOND CHAIR is a very worthwhile addition to the Diz and Abe show.

Tucker Andersen

Like many serial productions, picking up this volume and being transported back into the lives of Glitzky and Dismas (not to mention Diz' amazing black skillet) was like slipping on a favorite pair of houseslippers, comfortable -- familiar -- engrossing. I had the advantage of having read all the previous novels in this series, so it was with pleasure I snatched up Second Chair. Now there are only two questions to be answered: When do we get the next Lescroart epic ...... and how do you pronounce Lescroart, anyway?

Something about The Second Chair by John Lescroart just did it for me. I have been reading the Dismas Hardy/Abe Gilsky series since very early and have experienced a lot along with this clever and entertaining pair. I have been there for judges accused of murder, wrongfully accused individuals fighting for their lives in the legal arena, political scandals, police misconduct, murder, mayhem and a huge gun battle that left not only my head spinning, but the collective heads of our protagonists and their friends and family about to explode. Now all seems well on the legal landscape of Lescroart's San Francisco. Hardy is now the managing partner of a profitable law firm, Abe is in a real position of power in the police force, the DA and police chief are both friends of our hero's and most importantly, no one is shooting at them. Yet, what may seem fine on the surface is decidedly not fine underneath. Hardy is now a "fixer" wielding influence for clients he never would have touched before and in-between his fixing sessions slipping a few nips from the ole' wet bar. Abe is frustrated by the seemingly futile nature of politics and dealing with the press, and becoming more and more concerned about the burning pain in his gut. To add to Hardy's troubles, one of his associates, Amy Wu, sick with grief over the death of her father, is taking on her first real murder case, and not doing that good of a job with it.

Oh, and somebody is going around killing people too, for apparently no reason.

Lescroart does something with The Second Chair that just really amazed me. Here Lescroart the writer and Dismas Hardy the Lawyer become one and find a way to solve their mutual problems. Lescroart's problem is a series with growing tension with each edition, bordering on getting out of control. Hardy's problem is a lost faith in the Law. So Lescroart steps back and goes to the root of his story telling, by letting Hardy go back to his roots, a murder trial. Gone are the corruption and conspiracies, the ever escalating cycle of violence. Lescroart takes us back to a human tale, a tale of flawed individuals working in a flawed system, yet good intentioned and honest. Here the lawyers aren't battling a corrupt DA or biased cops, but their own prejudices and problems. This is simply good story telling at it's core without cheap stunts or gimmicks. While this may not be a perfect book, it is the perfect tone for this edition that just might save a series.

I like this writer and thought The Second Chair:A Novel was a terrific addition to this series.

I have read all the Dismas / Abe books, and it seems like I can usually figure out "who done it" before the characters. I guess this is because the author plays fair with the clues in the books, but it tends to lessen the enjoyment compared to other authors.

The "plot hole" of the bystander did not bother me too much, but given the skill of the perp it does make you wonder how this could have happened.

I would warn first-time Lescroart readers to get the books in order, there is a LOT of back-story in this book that would spoil the previous novel for you if you read them out of order. Again, I didn't mind this as much as some - as I read a LOT and for enjoyment, not to remember every detail of the novel. So having a refresher of what happened before was OK for me.

The highlight of the book for me was Dismas' new car! He now drives a Honda S2000 convertible - since I have one too this added to the read.

Another solid entry in the series, but if you pay attention you will figure it out.

See storyline above.

This was an average novel for Lescroart. It moves at a steady slow pace and sometimes seems a little dry. Though the story was good, it just didn't pull me in like some legal thrillers can.
If you liked the previous Dismas Hardy novels you'll probably like this one.

This latest John Lescroart novel starts slowly and I was worried at first, but he knows what he's doing, for the pacing overall is excellent in this tale of disillusionment with the justice system. The book picks up speed as you go along and gives testament to the way this author crafts his work.

The thing that stuck me most about this book was the wonderful character developement and dialogue. The only other author that comes close to this is Grisham and "The Firm" and a handfull of other books come to mind--"The Last Juror" being the latest one.

I did find a few minor flaws with this book, but feel that it's not important to point them out--if you find them, then so be it, but I don't want to be the one to take anything away from this well-written novel.

Also recommended: The Last Juror, Bark of the Dogwood, Pompeii