Nothing but the Truth

Dismas Hardy, Book 6

By: John Lescroart

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 16 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

When San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy gets a call saying his wife never picked the kids up from school, he's worried. Frannie's a great mother. Turns out there's a good explanation: She's in jail.

Unbeknownst to her husband, Frannie has just appeared before a grand jury - and refused to share a crucial piece of information about her friend Ron, who's accused of killing his wife. Now it's up to Dismas to race the clock and find a culprit, all the while wondering: Why would his wife go to jail to protect another man? Who really killed Bree Beaumont - and why? He's looking for the truth. But he's not quite sure he wants to find it....

Check out more titles in the Dismas Hardy series.

©2009 John Lescroart (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Great enterainmen for lovers of Courtroom banter!!

This was my first John Lescroat (Dismas Hardy) drama and it has triggered a desire to read others. I am hoping they are just as interesting and worthwhile.

Suspend Reality

Any additional comments?

This is typically the kind of books I like, but this time I just could not buy into the characters behavior. The main characters constantly are doing things that make you think, "they would never do that in real life". I know it's fiction, but I feel in every story you have to buy into the reality of the book, be it time travel, wizards or lawyers. In this book the actions just does not match what a normal person (what these people are suppose to be) would do.

The reader was excellent as always and I did finish the book. Some of the other reviews state this is one of the weaker books in the series, so I am going to give another one a try and hope for better results!

Lescroart is a romantic.

Having listened to all of John Lescroart's novels at least once, I just recently have come to recognize his romantic nature. While he always writes intelligent, intriguing, intricate stories about police work and legal puzzles, they also always contain a sub-plot involving love and family. In the case of "Nothing but the Truth," our hero, Dismus Hardy, has to go to great lengths -- breaking some of his own ethical rules along the way -- to rescue his wife from unjust incarceration. The effort brings him to understand the importance of his marriage and kids in his life. So, Lescroart, I have your number now: You are just an old softie. Fans of hard-boiled noir might not like the careful unfolding of Lescroart's plots, where the characters' softer emotions come into play; but, if you have the patience to immerse yourself an alternate reality for a while, where events move and collide at unpredictable paces, then I would recommend "Nothing but the Truth" to you. As always, David Colacci delivers a masterful reading, adding color and verisimilitude to the story.

Best in the series

This is the third Lescroart book I have listened to and it is by far the best. As usual, if you are a fan of and know San Francisco, you will feel that you are in different parts of the city during the story. It makes me wants to go back for a visit. The story itself requires some suspension of common sense as it based on the premise that the police would tolerate a group of private citizens who put up their own reward money for clues leading to the solving of a murder. This group also gets information directly and decides what it wants to pass on to the police. After that, the amateurs advance the case where the police can't...that aside, the story is interestingly told, although it is one of the stories that you can't really solve on your own before the ending because of unknown (to the reader) information. If you are old enough to remember, it has the feel of an old Agatha Christie/Poirot story at the end.

If you like San Francisco and a mystery solved without high tech forensics you will like this story

Couldn't wait to see where this was going!

What did you like best about this story?

I had no idea where this mystery was going. This is my first Lescroart book and I'll definitely read (or listen!) to more. An enjoyable murder/thriller. I couldn't wait to hit play and see who-dun-it!

Not his best

I generally love the Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky books. However, if this had been the first one I read, it definitely would have been the last. Not one character was likeable. Just petty, childish, ridiculous behavior by all the characters, particularly Frannie and Dismas. The situations were implausible or just annoying. I will read more, because I have enjoyed them in the past, but not this one.

And the use of "Jesus Christ" as an expletive is offensive and tiresome.

Best Lescroart book yet!

I started reading about midway through the series just to try it out, and decided I liked the Dismus Hardy series so well that I went back and started from the beginning. This is the best book I’ve read so far. Buy it you’ll like it

I'm Not Disappointed

I've made one mistake with Lescroart's books and that is not read them in the order written. I usually do research to do that regardless of when they were made into audio books. I did not in this case. Thus, sometimes his kids are 3 or 4 and sometimes gone from the nest. Or a character dead in one book and alive in another. I like character detail so you begin to know the ins and outs of the main characters. My favorite books are about 20 hours plus in this genre. Can't find too many of those but Lescroart is good and I normally don't like courtroom drama but his are exceptional. I will read every damn one of them before all is said and done and then read them again a couple of years down the road. Each of us have our own taste but I hate it when people write review and try to make themselves some sort of professional book critic. None of us are pros or we would be making a living at it. These are excellent books and yes........some we like better than others. I'm not going to tell you about the story except that I liked it a lot and yes........I do like books with modern day forensic techniques and I like them a lot but it's still a darn good book.

Legal thriller and a mystery,

If you could sum up Nothing but the Truth in three words, what would they be?

Lies and more Lies.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. Right when I thought I figured it out another hiccup. Great plot.

Which character – as performed by David Colacci – was your favorite?

Frannie.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh and cry. A little of both. I guess more laugh and sad. Not tearful.

Any additional comments?

Another great addition to the series.

Not my favorite

There were too many insignificant details for my taste. It caused me to lose interest and even occasionaly lose track of what was going on.