Review by Booklist Review
Lescroart regulars Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt return to contribute wit and expertise, but they take a backseat this time to Dismas' daughter, Rebecca, a rookie attorney in her father's firm who is quickly developing her own legal instincts. Here Rebecca lands her first murder case, defending Greg Treadway, an apparent good guy charged with murdering a teenage foster child. Treadway was an advocate for the brother of the victim, Anlya Paulson, and he became a quick suspect when investigators uncovered evidence that he'd lied about having a romantic relationship with Anlya and about the evening he spent with her just before she was killed. The case against Treadway looks solid, but Rebecca executes some surprisingly adept legal maneuvers, while Wyatt searches for evidence pointing toward another killer. The investigative and courtroom story lines are woven together seamlessly, and readers will become quickly invested in the outcomes, as Lescroart plays Rebecca's growing cynicism against the gut-wrenching betrayals Anlya suffered. Lescroart's popularity as a legal-thriller author only stands to grow as his firm adds another strong lead character to the mix.--Tran, Christine Copyright 2015 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Each of the protagonists in Lescrorat's four series-lawyer Dismas Hardy, San Francisco DA Wes Farrell, his special investigator Abe Glitsky, and private eye Wyatt Hunt-are all present for the author's 25th novel, but it's Hardy's daughter, Rebecca, who takes first chair in this murder trial, defending the likable Greg Treadway. A middle-school teacher and volunteer advocate for foster children, Treadway is being accused of murdering one of those foster children, a 17-year-old named Anlya Paulson with whom he was supposedly having an affair. It's Rebecca's first time in a lead role in a murder trial, and her aggressive opponent has never lost a prosecution. Colacci has been narrating the author's legal thrillers for so long that his interpretations of the main characters are established. As always, his Farrell is a little higher pitched and nasal than the slower-speaking, more thoughtful Hardy. In this instance, his Rebecca sounds acceptably feminine, smart, with a touch of apprehension and nervousness that disappears once she's stumbled through her debut day in court and stands ready to do battle. Colacci's interpretive skill is just as effective in capturing others in the cast-best of all is his portrayal of the suspect Greg, whose winning charm and charisma begin to wilt once the going gets rough. An Atria hardcover. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Dismas Hardy's daughter, Rebecca, the most junior associate at his law firm, gets her own first case, and it's a doozy.The San Francisco legal system has made little progress lately on homicide cases involving African-American victims, and rabble-rousing city supervisor Liam Goodman, along with his rabble, is turning up the heat. So when Anlya Paulson, 17, takes a header from the Bush Street overpass to land on the hood of a Subaru passing through Stockton Street below, district attorney Wes Farrell sends mixed-race Inspector Abe Glitsky over from his own office to help Inspectors Eric Waverly and Ken Yamashiro. Soon enough, a gift falls in their laps: Greg Treadway, a schoolteacher who's serving as Court Appointed Special Advocate for Anlya's twin brother, Max. Greg had dinner with Anlya hours before she died, and his first statement to the cops fudges on several key details. That's good enough for the SFPD, who hustle him off to jail. Rebecca, who met Greg only a few minutes before he made that first statement, agrees to represent him, and the game is afoot. The circumstantial evidence against her client piles up, and The Beck, as Hardy calls her, makes several greenhorn mistakes in court. But she also pokes unexpected holes in several witnesses' testimonies. Meanwhile, events conspire to put three alternative suspects into play: Royce Utlee, the pimp who's partnered with Anlya's friend Honor Wilson to manage a stable of prostitutes; Leon Copes, the former live-in boyfriend of Anlya's and Max's mother, Sharla, who molested the girl before the twins were removed to foster care; and Ricardo Salazar, a killer who escaped trial in California only to kill again in Minnesota. "You're never going to believe what just happened," as The Beck's roommate tells her at one point, could be a motto, for better or worse, for the whole wild tale. The final twist, however, is sadly predictable. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
