The Fall
A Novel
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4.4 • 182 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Each of the protagonists in Lescrorat's four series lawyer Dismas Hardy, San Francisco DA Wes Farrell, his special investigator Abe Glitsky, and private eye Wyatt Hunt are all present for the author's 25th novel, but it's Hardy's daughter, Rebecca, who takes first chair in this murder trial, defending the likable Greg Treadway. A middle-school teacher and volunteer advocate for foster children, Treadway is being accused of murdering one of those foster children, a 17-year-old named Anlya Paulson with whom he was supposedly having an affair. It's Rebecca's first time in a lead role in a murder trial, and her aggressive opponent has never lost a prosecution. Colacci has been narrating the author's legal thrillers for so long that his interpretations of the main characters are established. As always, his Farrell is a little higher pitched and nasal than the slower-speaking, more thoughtful Hardy. In this instance, his Rebecca sounds acceptably feminine, smart, with a touch of apprehension and nervousness that disappears once she's stumbled through her debut day in court and stands ready to do battle. Colacci's interpretive skill is just as effective in capturing others in the cast best of all is his portrayal of the suspect Greg, whose winning charm and charisma begin to wilt once the going gets rough. An Atria hardcover.
Customer Reviews
One Great Read
One of those novels you just can't put down. Finished it in three readings.
Not his usual
Decent story but a little simple for John, usually love his books, figured this one out early & couldn't wait to finish it, but was never excited to pick it back up