The dedication that precedes the opening of John Lescroart's latest
novel begins with the words "(B)ack to basics." Indeed, from its
no-frills, no-nonsense title to its surprise coda, THE SUSPECT is
just that. Those who feel that Lescroart may have strayed off the
path a bit with 2006's THE HUNT CLUB will find much here for which
to rejoice. This is a work that is beautifully written and
carefully plotted, with solid characterizations --- a joy in every
way.

THE SUSPECT marks the return of Gina Roake, a partner in Dismas
Hardy's high-power San Francisco law firm. Roake receives a client
referral from Jedd Conley, an old friend who is a rising star in
state and local politics. Conley has a friend, an outdoors writer
named Stuart Gorman, whose wife, Caryn Dryden, has been found dead.
A successful and wealthy orthopedic surgeon, Dryden had asked
Gorman for a divorce, a request that made him furious.

San Francisco homicide inspector Devin Juhle has been doing the
math and figures that an angry husband plus a rich wife --- with a
life insurance policy worth millions --- adds up to murder. Gorman
has an alibi, but it's not exactly rock solid. And a witness, who
is somewhat but not totally reliable, places him at the scene.
Dryden's death may be an accident, a suicide or a murder; Juhle is
betting on the latter. Roake is convinced of her client's
innocence, even though Gorman is not acting particularly
grief-stricken over his loss. However, Roake has a more significant
problem with Gorman: he hasn't been telling her the truth, lying by
omission. As any trial attorney will tell you, the toughest
adversary to beat is your own client.

Still, there are other suspects. They include Dryden's business
partner, who had quite a bit to gain from her death; Dryden's
sister, who is poised to jump her brother-in-law's bones before
Dryden even makes it to the cooling board; Gorman and Dryden's
daughter, a real piece of work who didn't get along with mom all
that well to begin with; and a mystery man who might have been
Dryden's lover. And this doesn't even cover all of the
suspects.

The most fun part about this book is trying to eliminate them one
by one, even as the reader gets the feeling that the best suspect
is Gorman, perhaps one of the most interesting creations of
Lescroart's universe; though not particularly likable, Gorman is
not a bad guy. Roake is a bit of an underdog here, given the fact
that this is her first murder trial, and believably she is by turns
tentative and surefooted. Her greatest assets, however, are
ultimately displayed outside of the courtroom, as she lays a trap
that hopefully will reveal the true cause of Dryden's death.

THE SUSPECT is Lescroart at his best, skillfully blending an
interesting and intricate plot with solid characterization and even
an in-joke or two (one of the minor characters shares his name with
an enigmatic but influential real-world musician). This is a
must-read for fans of the author or anyone with even a passing
interest in the mystery genre.