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Dismas Hardy is the main character in a series by John Lescroart. Dismas is an ex-cop and a lawyer based in San Francisco. The series centers on the adventurous lawyer and his best friend Officer Abe Glitsky and other associates and friends.
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Order of Dismas Hardy Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dead Irish | 1989 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Vig | 1990 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Hard Evidence | 1993 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | The 13th Juror | 1994 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Mercy Rule | 1998 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Nothing but the Truth | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | The Hearing | 2000 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | The Oath | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | The First Law | 2003 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | The Second Chair | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | The Motive | 2004 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | Betrayal | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | A Plague of Secrets | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | The Ophelia Cut | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 15 | The Keeper | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 16 | The Fall | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 17 | Poison | 2018 | Description / Buy | |
| 18 | The Rule of Law | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 19 | The Missing Piece | 2021 | Description / Buy |
The first book in the series by John Lescroart is Dead Irish published in 1989. It starts with Dismas picking up with his new job as a bartender at Little Shamrock after leaving the police department and his law career. He is trying to live a new life but sooner he is forced to go back to all the things he sought to leave behind after his best friend Eddie dies. He must investigate up and down and untangle the web the web of secret and deceitful passion for the sake of dead friend’s widow.
DISMAS HARDY AWARDS
Dead Irish (1989) and 13th Juror (1994) novels of the Dismas Hardy series by John Lescroart were nominated for Shamus and Anthony Awards for being the top Mystery novels respectively. The 13th Juror is listed among the 100 Must-Read Thrillers of All Time in the International Thriller Writer Publication. The book Hard Evidence (1993) is listed in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to the Ultimate Reading List. Also, Nothing But the Truth (2000) & The Mercy Rule (1998) were listed as major Book Club Selections. In 2007, John Lescroart won the award The American Author Medal. Additionally Libraries Unlimited included among The 100 Most Popular Thriller and Suspense Authors.
BEST DISMAS HARDY BOOKS:
These are the best two books by John Lescroart. 13th Juror- written under the Speculative Fiction genre was originally published in September 1994. The Second Chair the second best book by the same author was published in 2004
The 13th Juror: in this novel, the San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy acts as the defense counsel for Jennifer Witt, a woman accused of the murder of her husband and son. The woman says nothing about $300,000 she kept hidden from her husband. She is denied release on bail. However, she escapes from the prison and hides in Costa Rica for three months. She even denies her lawyer from submitting the evidence that she was abused severally. The prosecutor paints Jenifer and a money killer lady who even shot her son Matt seven times. The thing starts to sour up as the prosecutor add some new evidence that Jenifer killed her first husband some years back.
The fate of Jennifer now lies between seesaw balance between the prosecutor and the defense team. Unfortunately, Jennifer ends up being found guilty, and during the trial session, Diz, the only member left in the defense team hopes against hopes that Jenifer’s mother or possibly a psychiatrist to testify about the abuse that Jennifer consistently denies. As the trial continues the complex truth changes until only one person is left to convince, the 13th Juror- the Judge. The 13th Juror is an exciting and suspenseful book of good intentions, moral ambiguity, poor judgments and the hard path to the finding justice.
The Second Chair: Laura Wright and Mr. Mooney are found dead in Mr. Mooney apartment. Two months later, Andre Bartlett is charged with murder. Amy Wu takes on this case even though she believes that her client is not innocent.
Amy Wu convinces the seventeen-year-old Andrew to plead guilty and be charged as a minor. Andrew agrees to the suggestion since the evidence against him is overwhelming. However, he later pleas to be innocent.
In this novel, Dismas takes an active role in this case in search of evidence, through interviews with the witnesses and also acting as the second chair in Andrew upcoming case hearing. Dismas Hardy is portrayed as the 21st Century Perry Mason who is more personable through his interactions with wife, children, employees, and friends. The novel gives the reader a fascinating observation of the California judicial body more so when it comes to the right of a minor.
OTHER BOOK SERIES YOU MAY LIKE:
Many Dismas Hardy fans also love the “Amanda Jaffe” series by Phillip Margolin. The main protagonist in the series is Amanda who is an attorney in Portland Oregon.
“Christopher Paget“, a series by Richard North Patterson, is also an ideal novel for the lovers of Dismas Hardy series by John Lescroart. The main character in this series is Christopher, a lawyer, in the Department of Special Investigation of Washington Economic Crimes.
What Is The Next Book in The Dismas Hardy Series?
There doesn't seem to be an upcoming book in The Dismas Hardy Series. The newest book is The Missing Piece and was released on November, 16th 2021.