The Fall (Dismas Hardy Series #16)

by John Lescroart

Overview

A “courtroom thriller extraordinaire” (Providence Journal) from “master craftsman” (Associated Press) John Lescroart puts Dismas Hardy and his daughter in the middle of an uncertain murder case where winning the trial could mean losing everything.

On a cool night in May, a teenage foster child named Anlya Paulson plummets to her death from a San Francisco overpass. But did she fall…or was she pushed?

Homicide inspectors focus their attention on a likeable but naïve middle school teacher and volunteer foster care advocate. At first, his only connection to Anlya’s death is the meal they shared earlier that night. But soon his story falls apart, and Rebecca Hardy, now an associate at her father’s law firm, is drawn into his defense.

As the case rushes toward trial, Dismas and Rebecca battle an aggressive prosecutor, a disinterested police force, and their own client, who isn’t faring well in jail. When a dying woman’s last words cast a surprising new light on the evidence and problems develop with a key witness, the father-daughter duo begins to glimpse the intricate web that connects the young victim to the city’s complex political and judicial machine. Proving their case in court, however, will be harder, as Rebecca comes to realize that a trial doesn’t always end with the truth.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476709222
Publisher:	Atria Books
Publication date:	07/18/2017
Series:	Dismas Hardy Series , #16
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	151,642
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

John Lescroart is the New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine previous novels, including the The Rule of Law, Poison, and Fatal. His books have sold more than ten million copies and have been translated into twenty-two languages. He lives in Northern California.

Hometown:

El Macero, California

Date of Birth:

January 14, 1948

Place of Birth:

Houston, Texas

Education:

B.A. in English with Honors, UC Berkeley, 1970

Read an Excerpt

The Fall
THE BODY FELL straight out of the sky.

Those were the words in her original statement, and that was exactly how it had appeared to Robyn Owen. No foreshadowing, no warning. She had just turned right out of the Sutter-Stockton garage and was about to enter the tunnel when all at once the body fell out of the sky and landed on the hood of her brand-new Subaru. The head bounced against the windshield, shattering the safety glass into a spiderweb. Robyn had slammed on her brakes as she screamed. She’d been going fast enough to send the body flying, rag doll–fashion, what seemed an impossibly long distance in front of her.

The time was exactly 11:03 P.M. on her dashboard clock. She was leaving the parking garage after a nice dinner at Campton Place—and no, she was not drunk!, as she’d told the police officers about a hundred times, blowing into a breathalyzer twice to prove it.

Before turning, she had checked to her left for oncoming traffic in her lane and noted the car about a block down, coming toward her. This turned out to be the BMW that had tried to stop after Robyn had slammed on her own brakes, but still plowed into her after the impact. Robyn hadn’t been speeding. The Beemer had not been speeding, either: It hadn’t forced her to super-accelerate out into her lane; it was a normal safe distance from her when she had turned. Robyn did not lay rubber coming out of the garage. She couldn’t have stopped or slowed to keep from hitting the woman, because she never saw her, never had even a hint of her existence, until she landed on the Subaru’s hood. There hadn’t been anything she could have done that would have led to a different outcome.

And who was going to pay for the repair to her car? Did insurance cover bodies that fell out of the sky? She suspected it did not.

Editorial Reviews

There’s something special about The Fall… a courtroom thriller extraordinaire that matches the best of John Grisham and Scott Turow.

Providence Journal

"Nothing short of magic, dark and delicious. The Ophelia Cut is the work of a master at the top of his game."

William Kent Krueger

Praise for The Ophelia Cut

"Smart, riveting, and utterly compelling, The Ophelia Cut has an incredible cast of characters from whom you will not want to depart...hands-down the best legal thriller I have read in years and a perfect case study for why readers love the brilliant John Lescroart.

Brad Thor

Lescroart’s popularity as a legal-thriller author only stands to grow.

Booklist

[A] smart and riveting legal thriller that is more complicated that it first appears to be. The plot and characters are all superb.

Daily American

Bristling with red-hot suspense, The Ophelia Cut is the roller-coaster ride of a lifetime... You'll love this book."

Gayle Lynds

"Fresh, interesting and evolving."

Daily Republic

The Fall is both a mystery and a courtroom thriller in the best ways possible."

The Bookreporter

"A terrific courtroom mystery... Lescroart is a master craftsman. He knows how to juggle story elements to keep readers guessing up to the last chapter. The Fall is a tantalizing legal thriller."

Associated Press

Lescroart is a master at building tension to a complicated climax that will satisfy both old and new readers alike.

The Florida Times-Union

Lescroart’s popularity as a legal-thriller author only stands to grow.

Booklist

"A terrific courtroom mystery... Lescroart is a master craftsman. He knows how to juggle story elements to keep readers guessing up to the last chapter. The Fall is a tantalizing legal thriller."

Associated Press Staff