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I cannot imagine anybody picking up one of John Lescroart's novels, such as last year's THE SECOND CHAIR or the just-published THE MOTIVE, without reading from beginning to end in one sitting and then taking steps to obtain his backlist. He is that good.
If you are unfamiliar with Lescroart's work, permit me to take a minute of your time to make the introduction. The majority of Lescroart's novels are set in San Francisco, a city that appears to be on its last legs due to a lack of adult supervision of several decades' duration. The focus of the novels is on Dismas Hardy and, more recently, Abe Glitsky. Like the city where they live, Hardy and Glitsky are a study in contrasts. Hardy is a former policeman, presently a very successful defense attorney; Glitsky is the Deputy Chief of Inspectors of the San Francisco Police Department. Hardy is lace curtain Irish, and not without humor, with Glitsky more often than not being his target. Glitsky is of mixed heritage --- his father is Jewish, his mother African-American --- with a grim and taciturn demeanor. The two men are good friends, though their common ground is not immediately evident. Yet their friendship works and more often than not becomes the motivation for them to cross the lines of their respective roles to achieve a common purpose.
This is the case with THE MOTIVE, beginning with a fire that is a smokescreen for a double homicide. The victims are a politically connected lobbyist who is being considered for a U.S. Cabinet position and his beautiful, enigmatic fiancée. The mayor of San Francisco quietly interjects herself into the investigation, asking that Glitsky take it over. This immediately creates a problem, as Glitsky and Dan Cuneo, the detective already assigned to the case, have an adversarial relationship. Things become even worse, however, when Cuneo's inverted pyramid style of investigation --- choose a suspect, then find the evidence --- leads him to Catherine Hanover, the daughter-in-law of one of the victims and the former girlfriend of Dismas Hardy. When Hardy agrees to defend Hanover, it appears that Glitsky and the mayor are involved in a cover-up. Glitsky, however, is concerned not only with establishing Hanover's innocence but also with discovering the true identity of the murderer --- a concern that ultimately puts him in grave danger.
As always, Lescroart's plotting is impeccable. The beginning and end of THE MOTIVE are given over primarily, but not exclusively, to investigation, with the middle of the book focused primarily, but not entirely, on Hardy's courtroom strategies. Yet Lescroart brings his protagonists together seamlessly, and also switches story tracks just before one begins to get played out. Along the way Lescroart quietly paints a picture of contemporary San Francisco, a city of contrasts where the beauty without belies the quiet decay within. The result is an engrossing tale that will not soon be forgotten.
Lescroart continues to build an intriguing and imposing bibliography. If you are as yet unfamiliar with his work, go to your bookshelves and make lots of room. After reading THE MOTIVE, you will need it.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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