Considering this is book 18 and I have not read any of the other books, I wasn't familiar with the characters however, it didn't matter. it easy to follow. Overall I liked it but the ending threw me off. I'm not sure if this happens in his other books.

Wonderful legal thriller. Enjoy this author. Nice plot and great character development.
I read everything from this author.

really enjoyed this one, i have read this series from the beginning and if this is the swan song for these characters, what a way to go out as this ties up most loose ends. best one in years!

The Rule of Law by John Lescroart is a 2019 Atria Books publication.

It feels like old times, now that the gang is back together, working as a unit again. However, that also means there has been a new DA elected to office- a DA that was once suspected of murder.

But, Dismas Hardy finds himself embroiled in a prickly situation involving his longtime secretary Phyllis, whose brother has just been released from prison. When Phyllis is arrested as an accessory to murder, Hardy must work quickly to discover who really killed Hector Valdez and to what extent Phyllis’ brother was involved.

Meanwhile, the new DA has gotten himself in hot water, right off the bat. Not only that, it would appear he is still on the hook in that old murder case!!

I’ve read this series on and off for many years. This book is one in which the author is basically tying up a few loose ends from previous chapters. But, sadly, my memory just could not recall the details needed to connect the dots vaguely alluded to here.

A little time spent on refreshing the reader’s memory might have been prudent, since some time has passed since I last picked up a book in this series, and some people may have simply picked this book out randomly.

All the same, the thread centered around Phyllis is easy to follow, and I basically got the gist of the story involving the new DA, although I was apparently missing some key parts of the backstory and plot lines JL felt the need to tidy up.

Simply put, this is not one of JL’s best efforts. Some parts of the story were good and concluded satisfactorily, while others were unimaginative and anticlimactic after such a big build up.

Overall, this was just an okay read for me. It was enjoyable enough, but in truth, this is a weak and tepid addition to this long running series.

I had not read John Lescroart for over a decade. I simply lost track of his Dismas Hardy series (18) but recall having enjoyed the early books in the series. So Net Galley delighted me by offering me “The Rule of Law” the latest in the (now) long time series. My review shall be short-and-simple: The book was a pleasant read. That is both it’s strength and it’s weakness. The characters are comfortable and engaging; the plot is interesting — though not “electrifying” as was marketed, Hardy’s secretary, Phyllis, has been charged as an accessory after the fact with murder. There are side stories, including a new District Attorney who may or may not be either corrupt, or a murderer, or both. Yet, all that being said, this story did not engage me the way I had hoped. Perhaps it was the inclusion of topical subtexts including illegal aliens, sanctuary cities, and the so-called “Dreamers” that subtracted from a good ole suspense novel.
So thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy.

This is the first Dismas Hardy novel that I have read, and is #18 in the series. Given that this was my first foray into this world, I was behind the eight ball a bit when it comes to characters and their past interactions. While this wasn't critical to my enjoyment of the novel, it would definitely add additional color and enhance the reading experience to have read the other books. I also understand that this novel circles back to a stand alone novel by Lescroart (Fatal) which I have also not read. That wasn't an issue, in fact, it is something I just learned talking with another about the book.
I don't want to give away any spoilers, or rehash the general plot lines of the novel. You can check out the jacket cover or look online to get the plot line.
The "bad guys" are introduced fairly early in the novel, so the story is more of a hunt for Dismas Hardy (defense lawyer), his firm, and others to find evidentiary proof that would allow them to bring justice. I thought the book was generally well paced. There were some parts that I felt were slow, but overall it moved along at a decent clip. The characters are well written and even though they were all new to me, I was given enough background to fill in some color around them, but not so much that if I had read other books in the series that it would be burdensome to rehash and reread.
I thought the writing style was good. I have heard great things about John Lescroart previously, and this book certainly met my expectations. Fans of legal thrillers will enjoy this book. While not much time is spent in the courtroom, this is a legal drama/thriller that will excite readers.

8.5 of 10 stars

Thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of the book in exchange for my thoughts and review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I have read previous Dismas Hardy novels by John Lescroart, and I did recognize several of the characters but was still lost during a lot of this one. I think this is a series that needs to be read in order, so the reader knows the background and what has happened previously in the story.

Taken alone, it works, you just don't get all the effect. A former law partner of Dismas Hardy has lost his bid for re-election as District Attorney, and the new one is a little shady. In fact, he was previously investigated for a murder, but events happened that caused that case to be dropped. So now Dismas and his old partners are reuniting and putting back together their old law firm. But they know they have an enemy in the new DA, and he wastes no time in showing just how he will use his power to make members of the firm uncomfortable.

Dismas' long-time secretary suddenly leaves work and is not heard from for several days. Almost as soon as she returns, with little explanation as to what is happening, she is arrested as an accessory to murder. Dismas, of course, will defend her, but he has a lot of questions about how she got involved with this matter in the first place. It seems she has this ex-con brother that no one has ever heard of.................

Dismas Hardy must save his secretary, Phyllis from a long prison sentence. With plenty of bad guys to overcome, there’s a lot of twists. This is a gritty legal thriller that will have your pulse racing and your blood pumping. A very thrilling read for all fans of suspense. Fantastic read!

Lescroart is definitely one of the best legal authors this century who writes in such a manner that keeps you captivated to the end. His novels are always riveting and powerful

*3-3.5 stars

I used to have a rule to never jump into a long-running series but since joining NetGalley, that has been broken many times, including this one, my first Dismas Hardy novel. In the acknowledgements of this book, John Lescroart says he 'wanted to tie up several hanging elements from disparate past Dismas Hardy books' which probably made it a far worse book to make my first read since I had no clue what those hanging elements were.

One thing I dislike about long-running series is that the crimes seem to be directed at the main characters themselves and that is true with this story where Hardy's law firm and friends are targeted by the new San Francisco DA and his cronies.

I did enjoy the dogged police work of Beth Tully and her partner, even while risking the displeasure of those higher up in the system.

I think there were some points Lescroart wanted to make in this novel: about the Dreamer/immigrant situation and about the importance of the Rule of Law that supports our legal system. As Dismas Hardy says, 'A few little changes and suddenly things start to fall apart. It's damn fragile.' So be ever vigilant!

I received an arc of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. Now I'll have to go back and start the series from the beginning, won't I?

Atria Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Rule of Law. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The Rule of Law is the eighteenth book in the Dismas Hardy series and it shows, but not in a good way. The central case involving Hardy's long time secretary Phyllis is overshadowed by the overwhelmingly unrealistic story line regarding the newly appointed District Attorney, Ron Jameson, and his vendetta. The hot button issue of San Francisco as a sanctuary city for illegal immigrants, with all of the challenges that those involved can face, should have been maintained as the central focus. The author instead goes off on a tangent, basically relegating the issue to the background as Ron Jameson continues his power hungry dismantling of anyone who dares challenge him. Realistically, corruption does exist in the many halls of justice, but I find it hard to believe that the exaggerated response of the DA would have gone unnoticed by those who adhere to the rule of law.

I also had issues with the conclusion of the novel, as it seemed to come out of nowhere. It was as though the author reached the desired page count and decided it was time to end the novel. Overall, The Rule of Law was a disappointment. Author John Lescroart attempted to highlight a social and political issue, but really just put it out there without any kind of satisfactory conclusion. The book represents a missed opportunity for me and I would be hesitant to recommend it to other readers.

Not difficult to understand why Mr. Lescroart has the following that he does, although admittedly he does occasionally strike the tone of today's often misled or misinformed SJWs. Still, even with that having been said, the story kept my interest and moved at a solid speed from start to finish. I don't believe this is the author's best, but it's still better than most. Recommended.

** I thank the publisher and/or author for allowing me to read this novel as an ARC, without recompense, in exchange for my honest review. **

A legal mystery thriller with lawyer Dismas Hardy in a difficult case involving his trusted secretary of the past 25 years, Phyllis, who is surprisingly arrested as an accessory to murder of Hector Valdez, a man who has been smuggling women into the States from Mexico and Central America as sex slaves. Unknown to Hardy up to that point, Phyllis’ brother is an ex-con just released from prison after serving a 25 year sentence for armed robbery and attempted murder.

There is an interesting subplot going on as well, as the new DA seems to want to pin an old crime on Hardy, and his colleagues. It becomes a question of who will get who first .... and the ending has a very surprising twist. A very well-written book, I highly recommend it!

Through a variety of points of view, the story is told, weaving a web of potential suspects, each one as likely as the next. It keeps you guessing right until the very end and each time you are sure you know who the murderer is, bam! –

Dismas Hardy is back in the 18th series entry in Rule of Law.

Dismas’ longtime secretary, Phyllis, is acting strangely. Perhaps it has something Phyllis’ brother, Adam, who has just been released from prison. After disappearing for a few days, Phyllis returns to work only to be arrested as an accessory to murder. The victim is Hector, who is a known human trafficker and pimp. Concurrently, Wes has lost his bid for reelection to District Attorney. The new DA has a grudge against Dismas due to his vocal support of Wes.

There is a lot going on here. In addition to the two plots described above, there is the reforming of the original Dismas law firm plus the story ties up two previous novels’ loose ends. I wanted more about Phyllis and her legal issues. For a legal thriller, there are only minimal courtroom scenes. It reads more like a police procedural. This would be a four star read for readers that have read every book in the series. However, as a standalone, Rule of Law only rates 3 stars.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Rule Of Law – John Lescroart

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Dismas Hardy and his colleagues are preparing to resurrect their old law firm now that contender Ron Jameson has recently unseated Wes Farrell and assumed the role of District Attorney for the California district. Jameson, in assuming the office, has started a very regimented administration, quite unlike the relaxed office of Farrell, and seems to have it in for Dis and his colleagues.

Phyllis, Dis’s secretary and longtime employee has been missing work with little explanation and this has Dis worried. Suddenly, she’s arrested by the DA’s office for accessory to murder, and Dis immediately steps up to defend her, and learns some very interesting information about his quiet, reliable secretary.

Meanwhile the alleged shooter, a young immigrant girl, supposedly commits suicide in prison, allowing the DA to close the case in triumph. But the homicide inspectors investing the case aren’t quite sure it was that simple – and they’re not quite sure about the new DA either. One of them suspects he is a killer.

Thus begins the newest thriller with Dis at the helm, as he and his team attempt to investigate the possibility that Jameson was part of a homicide several years ago, while trying to vindicate Phyllis from a trumped up charge. Meanwhile Jameson and his team work just as hard to bring Dis & Wes’s alleged misdeeds to light, culminating in an surprising sequence of events that will leave you shaking your head and asking for more!
This book does a nice job of tying up some loose ends from prior Dis Hardy adventures, as well as illustrating the sanctuary city of San Francisco, and how a modern-day underground railroad works to assist immigrants to safety. Whether you’re a fan of Dis, or you pick this book up as a standalone, it is a great read!!

Not compelling enough to keep the reader moving past the first few pages--slow and difficult to get into. Perhaps having read others in the series would have helped.

3.5 stars

What I like best about this book is that it featured Ukiah, CA. in it. Ukiah is the next town to us where we go to eat In and Out, Costco shop and visit doctors. I just love that it's a major stop on the Sanctuary Underground running undocumented people to Canada. Way to go Ukiah!

Dismas Hardy's secretary is arrested for assisting in a murder and thrown in jail by the new corrupt DA. Hardy comes to her rescue and uncovers a huge can of worms. This book ties up loose ends of several past stories. There are the murders committed by the new DA and his wife (no spoiler -mentioned right away) and an old murder that Hardy was involved in.

This could be quite confusing if you are not up on the old stories. There is another story of a murder involving Hardy's secretary's brother, an Underground railway and S.F.'s Sanctuary status. There were a few times I got quite confused.

Still, it's a fun book book with lots of twists and turns. And it features Ukiah so how could it not be good?

John Lescroart is a well known, well loved author of mystery/thrillers. His readers know they can count on a great read. This story line continues the Hardy series. Mr Lescroart has developed this cast of characters into your neighbors and/or people in your community...you know them well. There are several different stories all happening at once that keep the thrill in thriller. When the one character who you'd least suspect of crime, Phyllis, is arrested as an accessory after the fact for murder, the line is drawn between the good guys and the bad guys. The good guys are not always good and the bad guys are REALLY bad so the story does keep you reading trying to figure out how to save Phyllis. I enjoyed this book very much and have happily recommended it to my reading friends.

When you're talking about a crime..."there's a difference between knowing it and being able to prove it. And if you get that mixed up, you're on a slippery slope."

It comes to pass that Ron Jameson is elected as the new DA in San Franciso. He beat out Dismas Hardy's friend and law partner, Wes Farrell, and is determined to shake things up. In fact, Jameson seems to have a vendetta against the entire firm and his first target is Hardy's secretary, Phyllis McGowan. She's served with a warrant after the grand jury indicts her as an accessory to murder! It seems that the intrepid and hard-working Phyllis has kept several secrets, and one of those happens to be that she is working as part of an Underground Railroad system that helps undocumented immigrants get out of the USA and into Canada, thus avoiding deportation. The other is that her ex convict brother, Adam, has been staying with her as he is trying to get back on his feet Unfortunately, Adam is not reformed after his time in prison. Dismas scrambles to help Phyllis with her legal troubles and incurs the wrath of the new DA. Now he and his colleagues and friends have a target on their backs as the DA also seeks to uncover evidence to further discredit them in an old case known as the Dockside Massacre. In retaliation, or as an aside, the SFPD has two detectives investigating Ron Jameson in cold case that involved murder! Yes, there's a lot going on. NO SPOILERS.

This is the 18th in a long running series featuring the attorney, Dismas Hardy, and though it is classified as a legal thriller, it really didn't have much about the practice of "law" but was more a mystery and cat-and-mouse game between all the players on opposing sides. Although I've read only a couple of the previous titles, I wasn't lost as the author keeps the reader in the loop as far as who is who in the characters. It took me awhile to become invested in the story as I kept getting distracted by the political messages imbued in the narration -- those about immigration, deportation, ICE, DREAMers, sanctuary cities, etc. The loose ends are tied up, explanations are given, solutions occur in a most convenient fashion making it all a little hard to swallow. Sometimes I wasn't even quite sure that Dismas was a "good guy" as he's painted. But then again, we're talking about criminal defense attorneys. I think most of the characters in the book are of the "either - or" variety and it was quite clear that the bad guys were awful and the ones on Hardy's side were not. Just seemed like there was quite a bit of shady stuff going on -- on both sides.

I enjoyed the book well enough but never fully invested myself in the characters though I liked Hardy's sense of humor and his love of the arcane. It might be better to read this if you have been following along the entire series instead of picking this up as a start point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-book ARC to read and review.