The Fall

Publisher's Summary

From New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart, a riveting new novel of legal suspense featuring Dismas Hardy and his daughter, Rebecca, now grown up and an associate in Hardy's law firm.

Late one night, a teenage African American foster child named Tanya Morgan plummets to her death from the overpass above San Francisco's Stockton tunnel. But did she fall...or was she pushed?

Rushing to produce a convictable suspect in the glare of the media spotlight, homicide inspectors focus their attention on a naïve young man named Greg Treadway. Greg is a middle school teacher and he volunteers as a Special Advocate for foster children. At first, the only thing connecting him to Tanya's death is the fact that they shared a meal earlier that night. But soon enough, elements of that story seem to fall apart...and Hardy's daughter, Rebecca, finds herself drawn into the young man's defense.

By the time Greg's murder trial gets underway, Dismas and Rebecca have unearthed several other theories about the crime: a missing stepfather who'd sexually assaulted her; a roommate who ran a call girl service; a psychologically unstable birth mother; and a mysterious homeless man who may have had dealings with Tanya. Or Greg Treadway himself, who is perhaps not all that he first appeared. But how will they get these theories in front of a jury? And if they can, what price will they have to pay?

With signature suspense and intricate plotting, The Fall puts Dismas Hardy and his only daughter in the middle of one of John Lescroart's most complex and thrilling cases yet.

©2015 The Lescroart Corporation (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

I love these guys.

Would you listen to The Fall again? Why?

This is an odd question. I may listen to it again, but by the time I got around to it, Mr. Lescroart may have written book number 17! I have been listening to these books for as long as I can remember, probably twenty years or more. You might think that the series would become formulaic by now, but it just does not. Mr. Lescroart is so smart, and so creative, and Mr. Colacci is such a terrific narrator, that they keep surprising me. The characters keep growing in real time, not being frozen as in other serials. You get to know them better, and each of them changes with time. In this book, Rebecca Hardy is a grown woman, not just Dismas's daughter, and she is a lawyer in his firm. She defends a man named Greg Treadway in a murder trial in San Francisco, where the series is set. The whole plot is impossible to describe in this context, but take it from me, it is so readable that you will not put it down for very long.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rebecca is my favorite character. She has grown up with a lot of her father's smart-ass humor and wit, and she is like him a terrific attorney. Once again Abe Glitzky plays a crucial role in the case, and, as I have said before, this is such great writing that I feel like I know these people in real life.

What does David Colacci bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This is the entire reason why I love audiobooks. The performance, when it is this good, makes the experience so real, so vivid that it is a little like an eleven hour movie that you get to cast in your head. At the end I am really amazed at how many people Mr. Colacci can convince you are not just leaping out of his imagination and his skill. It is just an astonishing talent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I can't do that, and I don't really want to. Eleven hours at a stretch? You have got to be kidding me.

Any additional comments?

You can start anywhere in this series. Just please start somewhere. I feel a little bit like I am selling you something here, but I am no salesman. This is great entertainment. I hope you get to enjoy it like I do.

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Terrific Read

This book is a bit different then past stories in this series. In this book we now have Dismas’s daughter Rebecca Hardy join the firm as a newly minted attorney. She takes the case of Greg Treadway, a middle school teacher who was in the wrong place at the wrong time or at least we are led to think that. Treadway volunteers as an advocate for foster children. Anlya Paulson, a seventeen year old who lives at a group home falls from an overpass and an eyewitness claims to have seen Treadway there.

The story is located in San Francisco as is most of the “Hardy” series. Lescroart is known for his meticulous research to provide authenticity to his legal dramas. The story is well written and Lescroart is a master at building tension to a complicated climax. The suspense will keep you on the edge of your chair. I enjoyed watching Rebecca gain confidence in her court room skills. I have watched her grow up in the pages of this series. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. David Colacci does an excellent job narrating the story.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

Very.... Very good! I'm a picky reader

First novel by John Lescroart & I really hesitated because it was book 16 and I thought "How much can he have left in his brain to write a good story?" I was happily shocked to find this story to be good through and through. A good plot - Good characters - Good courtroom drama - Very good Narrator - Interesting twists... I usually don't go backwards - But...... I already have book 10 in my cart.. I won't go too far back - Especially with a different narrator in the mix before 10. I wish and also am glad not to find this series before now because - I may have been disappointed with a narrator change or some books. Now I can pick at my leisure.

For what its worth. J

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Dismas & Abe

I love John Lescroart's series with the amusing variety of characters in all his books!!! I highly recommend the entire series!!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great addition to a fine series! Twists, galore!

The Dismas Hardy series is one of my favorite collection of legal mysteries. The Fall, #16, is both a fine mystery/thriller as well as the debut of Rebecca Hardy's career as a defense attorney. The story opens with an gruesome event in which a young black woman falls from a parapet above the exit from what sounds like the Stockton Street tunnel. Was she thrown? Did she jump? Was it an accident? As time goes on, there are numerous alternative interpretations and no shortage of candidates for the perpetrator, if indeed, it was murder.

Rebecca ("The Beck") is a lead character and, I suspect, will initiate a new direction for this series that was otherwise growing old. I like her as an adult.

There are numerous scenarios to be worked out while the trial is in progress. The number of surprises toward the end stretches credibility, and one procedural blunder by the SF police department or district attorney is completely unbelievable. Having come to love the characters of Hardy and Glitzky and their families, I can overlook these weaknesses. When I finished reading, I wished the book had been longer.

If you are not already familiar with the series, you should know that the characters age and evolve, so it pays to read them in more or less chronological order. They are not all as good as the Fall, but most are fun reading. Lescroart writes well, and his stories are well-paced, and the interactions among the characters filled with humor.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Very good!

I like how he develops new characters for future books! Excellent read! Lots of expected and unexpected twists and turns. Ready for the next book.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Excellent storytelling

This was my first time reading John lescroart, and I think I found a new series! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and the narrator did a good job of bringing the characters to life. It was so good I couldn't stop listening. Everything tied in nicely by the end. I highly recommend!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Back to form!

I think the last two episodes of the Dismas Hardy series were somewhat forgettable, although I always enjoy them. This one felt different and I found it thoroughly enjoyable.

Rebecca, all grown up, is now practicing law with Dismas and she takes center stage for a twisty tale and a trial filled with tension. Even though I felt throughout that I knew a lot of what was going to happen, it didn't deter from my enjoyment of the book.

Recommended!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Best in a whilr

Great story. Twists and turns. the Beck is grown up and an attorney working for her fathers firm. The story starts fast and continues the pace. The Beck is in for a hard education. Great listen.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

A good book, but...

Would you consider the audio edition of The Fall to be better than the print version?

The audio version is well done.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Beck was new and refreshing.

What does David Colacci bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Colacci has great versatility with his voice. Well done.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

Any additional comments?

The book is well-paced. By introducing a new main character, Lescroart has breathed new life into the series. I am not sure about the ending, though.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful