The Mercy Rule

"The Mercy Rule" is a story that one will remember long after the book is finished. Dismas Hardy is back in the role of defense attorney and sometimes that means being at odds with his best friend since the friend is Lt. Abe Glitsky now in homicide but both always remember where the friendship began when they were both young cops walking their beat. Diz's client, Graham Russo, an estate case suddenly becomes a client charged with murder. The prosecutor begins his case with "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. The defendant, Graham Russo, murdered his father for money." But opening statements may be simple but there's always more to the story. This story is an evocative portrayal of the multiple complexities of assisted suicide between show more definitions - from the viewpoint of humanity vs. from the law.
The story is also compelling due to the introduction of new characters to the series, Sarah Evans and her partner, Marcel Lanier - the Sal Russo investigating team working for Abe. One of the wonderful things about Sarah is on a night home alone, "Carrying her afghan in from the bedroom, she gets herself settled in her chair and spent most of another hour finishing a paperback about Kat Colorado going on tour with a country singer in Nashville, saving the woman's life, of course, winning another one for the good guys. Sarah liked these books about women private eyes, especially the quick-witted, smart-mouthed ones. She didn't fancy herself like them, but it was fun to live in their shoes for the space of a book..." Oh yes, I definitely like Sarah Evan's choice of private eye, Kat Colorado, Sacramento Private Investigator created by Karen Kijewski.
As I've said in other reviews of John Lescroart's titles, this is not my first read of a title by John Lescroart nor my first read about character Dismas Hardy and definitely will not be my last. show less

Lescroart's books are a mystery to me. They aren't thrilling or amazing. But, I have yet to pick up one and not get sucked into the story before I even know it. The Mercy Rule is no different. Former cop, bartender and now lawyer, Dismis Hardy nearly accidentally gets a client charged with the murder of his father who was fatally ill with a Do Not Resuscitate order. Lescroart's books are so complete and just plain good stories and this one is no different.

I was so confused nearing the end of the book I wasn't sure who did what. One thing was for certain, no one should have been punished for "murdering" a man dying of a terminal brain tumor and advanced alzheimers who had a known DNR. I was glad to see things unravel for the judge, don't know why. Maybe it's one of those "down with the man" things. In the end it didn't seem like anyone was truly innocent.

Solid Dismas Hardy story although it dragged a bit in the middle. Overall a good, solid read. Dismas Hardy and John Lescroart make good "filler authors" between Harlan Coben and Michael Connelly releases.

Another winner by Lescroart. Not quite as happy an ending as some of the previous ones I've read, but it all seemed to turn out OK in the end. A bit of a surprise at the end, which seems common for his books.

Pretty good, though I found it hard to get in to. I thought the ending was a good surprise.