I've read all of the books in the "series" and once again, was not disappointed. The twists and turns were engaging and I, as always, like the interaction amount Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitzky and Wes Farrell (and would like to see more of that). I will admit that I didn't see the ultimate "villain" coming so definitely was surprised there - especially since his "face time" was fairly minimal.

John Lescroart’s latest novel, The Missing Piece, begins with a portrayal of police brutality in subduing an alleged crime suspect- complete with a video recording of the event - and continues with thrilling twists and turns to a completely satisfying conclusion.

The author also gives us an insight into what an attorney actually thinks about a client’s innocence or guilt. We learn about the Exoneration Initiative, a group dedicated to proving the innocence of persons convicted of crimes for which they have been wrongfully imprisoned and some of their clients figure prominently in this book.

If you are a fan of the author’s novels, as I am, you will find it interesting to see many familiar characters in different roles - the former District Attorney who prosecuted alleged criminals is now a defense attorney and the former head of the police Homicide Division is now a private investigator.

The novel is highly recommended for readers of thrillers who will not mind missing sleep with this riveting, stunning page turner.

It’s always nice to spend time with old friends you’ve made over the years. When you reconnect with Hardy, Glitsky and Farrell you’ll always spend time at the bar, eating good food and throwing darts, that’s just a given.
   Fierce loyalty, trust among partners and devotion to family are always a priority and this visit with them reinforces all that.
   What seems like a simple, straightforward murder has so many side stories. Glitsky can’t believe that it’s so matter of fact as the police may think. He starts down a winding path that sets off a sequence of events that results in more murders and him getting attacked and concussed.
   All the while he is convinced they are missing something important item and he is determined to connect all the dots to find the murderer. The final exposure of the murderer was drawn out till the final moments and it was a surprise. I never made the connection.
   Always a good read with characters you’re happy to spend time with.

Another great book featuring John’s main set of characters. I like books in a series like this, as it lets the reader catch up with the characters. This was an interesting storyline and one I didn’t have figured out until the end. Thanks for the chance to read this as an early copy.

Can I just start by saying I am a huge John Lescroart fan, and this book was no exception!

Wes Farrell, back when he was a DA sent Paul Riley to prison for the rape and murder of Dana Rush, move forward 11 years and Riley is released with the help of Exoneration Initiative, his crime pinned on someone else who confessed.

Riley has gone back to his old 'job' of breaking and entering while he awaits a hefty payout for false imprisonment. He is found dead by his father who saw the person who shot him or did he?

Doug Rush lost his daughter Dana to Paul Riley and at the time of the trial was very vocal in what he wanted to do to Riley, so it's no big surprise when he is arrested for the murder, even his own attorney (now working in defense), Wes Farrell believes him to be guilty.

This is a great book, all the old favourites are back, and it was great to see Abe take a starring role.

Really written with an ending I did not see coming!

Highly recommended and

I haven’t read Lescroart in a very long time. I was delighted to be reintroduced to his work and his character Dismas Hardy. A good read. Well-paced. I can easily imagine this leading me back to the books I have missed over the years.

I really enjoyed this book. I don’t read many thrillers, but this one had good characters and plenty of twists and turns that made it hard to put down. I actually didn’t know this book was part of a series when I requested to read it - let alone book #19, but I now want to go back and start from the beginning. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read the book!

The usual cast of characters shows up again. John Lescroart gets better with each book he writes. The characters are at once familiar yet still evolving.

Throughout, the author keeps your attention and makes you think. These are essential to a good story. You should read all his books yet this will stand on its own.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley fior the opposition to read this advance copy.

This book felt like going back to an old friend. This one primarily focuses on Abe. If you've read any of the others, this will be exactly like them. If you haven't , no need to read the ones before. There is an easy familiarity with the characters which is refreshing. The whodunit was easy to figure out but otherwise a solid read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book follows the case of a father who wishes the guy who raped and murdered his daughter to die. However when doubt is cast upon his guilt Doug, who is generally decent had a change of heart. Wes the attorney thinks his client is guilty when the rapist is murdered. Abe, the private investigator, carries on after all the others have given up. He finds the killer in an unexpected quarter.

I haven't read one of John Lescroart's books in a long time and this one didn't disappoint. Great thriller with many twists and turns with Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky. I devoured the book in 3 days. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

John Lescroart has done it again! What a wonderful well written thriller with great characters and full of twists and turns. Despite the thriller genre being one of my favorites, and reading many thrillers, there were still twists and turns that I did not see coming! I highly recommend The Missing Piece by John Lescroart. If you have never read one of
his books you are missing out!

Thank you to Net Galley & the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. What a great read. Twists and turns and solid, solid characters and great plotting/writing. I'd be tempted to say 'classic Lescarot' but that would be understating how good this newest book was. Y'all, no matter how familiar you are with Abe and Wes and the other great characters Lescarote populates his San Francisco books with, you are not going to figure this one out ahead of time! If this author is new to you, you deserve to start with earlier books and watch the characters' relationships build before reading this one; of course, not doing so won't make this book any less good but you will miss out on some of the nuances.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley on Kindle for a review....this is a popular author with familiar characters. The issues addressed are familiar and intriguing. Try this one.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it is an excellent read. I was totally engrossed from beginning to end so much so I purchased three more books to read more of his work. A strong plot with well develpoed characters which provided some very entertaing reading, I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This was a great comeback with Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky. The basic premise is the Exoneration Initiative reviews old cases and weighs new evidence in order to determine if someone has been convicted wrongly.

There are so many characters, I recommend keeping a list, great book and many conclusions you will make prematurely.

I would never miss a book by this author. This one was crisp, clean and moved along like a turnpike with light traffic. Great read.

Another good one by John Lescroart! Abe Glitsky uses his expertise as a retired homicide detective to track down the killer (or killers?) of a man recently released from prison by the Exoneration Initiative, an organization that tries to free wrongly convicted prisoner. But was Paul Riley really wrongly convicted? And was he murdered by the father of the girl Riley alleged killed. Lescroart is great at coming up with interesting plots. And he uses his characters to illustrate (somewhat cynically) problems with the justice system.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The gang is back! If you’re not familiar with this author, or the background on this series, feel free to check out my author review post of #JohnLescroart.

In this latest installment of the Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky series, the author focuses the story around Abe and his investigation of a series of murders related to the “Exoneration Initiative”, which is an “Innocence Project” type fictional initiative that seeks justice for incarcerated humans.

And that’s where the rub lies. “Exonerated”, as Lescroart explores in this book, does not mean “innocent”, but rather incorrectly prosecuted - due to some fault in the handling of the evidence, trial, or case. This makes for a number of tricky ethical quandaries which Lescroart debates with us skillfully. Is “justice” served by freeing a criminal who did in fact commit a crime but ended up being “incorrectly” prosecuted? How does a legal defense team morally process their role in freeing defendants who are actually guilty?

These themes come to life with the release of Paul Riley, a convicted rapist and murderer who is freed after eleven years in prison due to the work of the Exoneration Initiative. This time, the story only peripherally includes the legal team of the series (Dismas, my favorite character has only a very brief appearance in this book) but rather focuses on the crime(s) that occur and the investigative ups and downs performed by Abe and his police contacts that lead us to the twisty and satisfying climax.

All in all, this book is a wonderful journey with old friends. I’ll be interested to see (no spoilers here), how the author resolves next steps for conflicted prosecutor-turned-defense-lawyer Wes Farrell in future books.

A big thank you to NetGalley; the publisher, Atria Books; and the author John Lescroart for an advance review copy of this book. All thoughts presented here are my own.

#bookreview #Netgalley #JohnLescroart #Atriabooks

Not sure how I’ve missed this author! I’ll definitely be reading more of his books. This one kept me wondering until the end. It had enough twists and turns that I didn’t figure out the killer. A murderer/rapist let out of prison on a technicality is murdered and the father of his victim is accused. It takes a surprising turn after that. It seemed to drag just a little in the middle but overall it was a good read.