Dismas Hardy Series

This series follows the life and career of a San Francisco-based attorney navigating the complexities of the legal world. Each installment presents challenging cases that test his sharp intellect and ethical compass. Readers are drawn into intricate courtroom battles and personal struggles that blur the lines between justice and compromise. It's a gripping exploration of law, morality, and the human condition.

Recommended Reading Order

Dead Irish
John T. Lescroart
A ex-cop names his poison. For former San Francisco cop Dismas Hardy, Guinness Stout with Bass Ale is the drink of choice, but a straight Irish whiskey will do anytime. The news of young Eddie Cochran's death calls for a double. The cops think it's suicide, but even to a lapsed Catholic like Hardy, it sounds wrong. Doubts lead him back into the heart of the Little Shamrock, into memories of warm kitchens, cold churches, and sins unforgetten. Blood ties still bind Eddie's family--his beautiful mother, his pregnant widow, his hot-tempered brothers, his compassionate priest. But old secrets and raw angers gnaw at the fabric of their lives. And Hardy's insticts warn him-someone else is going to die.
1
3.8
The Vig
John T. Lescroart
375 pages
14 hours of reading
The vig is the interest on a loan and already it's the key to a killing. For Dismas Hardy it could be the key to his own demise if he can't find out why an ex-con, Louis Baker, is on the loose.
2
3.8
Hard Evidence
John T. Lescroart
563 pages
20 hours of reading
When Assistant DA Dismas Hardy finds himself on the trail of a murdered Silicon Valley billionaire, he seizes the opportunity to emerge from a mountain of minor cases. Before long he is prosecuting San Francisco's biggest murder trial, but with a sinking suspicion that the accused is innocent.
3
4.0
The 13th Juror
John T. Lescroart
544 pages
20 hours of reading
In John T. Lescroart's brilliant new novel, The 13th Juror, Dismas Hardy, lawyer/investigator, undertakes the defense of Jennifer Witt, accused of murdering her husband and their eight-year-old son as well as her first husband, who had died nine years earlier from an apparent drug overdose. While preparing his case, Hardy learns that both of Jennifer's husbands had physically abused her. But Jennifer refuses to allow a defense that presumes her guilt. She is not guilty, she claims. Hardy is now driven to seek an alternative truth a jury can believe. As the trial progresses, the complex truth itself begins to change, to bend, to fade in and out of focus as the clock keeps ticking on Jennifer's fate, until there seems only one person left to convince, and she is "the 13th juror"—the judge. The 13th Juror is a stunning and suspenseful novel of moral ambiguity, of good intentions, bad judgements and the tortuous path to ultimate justice.
4
4.2
The Mercy Rule
John T. Lescroart
640 pages
23 hours of reading
Set in a captivating backdrop, this stylish whodunit showcases a masterful blend of suspense and intricate plotting. The narrative unfolds through a series of twists and turns, keeping readers engaged as they piece together clues alongside the characters. The author, praised for reaching new heights in storytelling, delivers a compelling mystery that delves into the complexities of human nature and morality, making it a must-read for fans of the genre.
5
4.0
Nothing but the Truth
John T. Lescroart
452 pages
16 hours of reading
From the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of Guilt and The 13th Juror comes an electrifying thriller featuring San Francisco defense attorney Dismas Hardy, who faces the case of his career when his family becomes involved. Dismas, a devoted husband and father, is thrown into turmoil when his wife, Frannie, fails to pick up their children from school. His fears are confirmed when he learns that Frannie is in jail, summoned before a grand jury in a murder investigation. She has refused to disclose a secret entrusted to her by a friend, a fellow parent accused of killing his wife, who has now vanished. To free Frannie, Dismas must clear her friend of murder, but finding him proves challenging. As he navigates the intricate world of San Francisco's politics and big business, Dismas grapples with his wife's loyalty to another man, leaving him questioning the nature of truth and the depths of their relationship. What could compel a wife to protect another man at such a cost? With a masterful blend of suspense and emotional complexity, the author delivers a gripping narrative that explores the fragility of trust and the lengths one will go to for family.
6
3.9
The Hearing
John T. Lescroart
656 pages
23 hours of reading
The story revolves around Lieutenant Abe Glitsky, whose hidden past comes to light after the murder of his daughter. The initial suspect, a heroin addict found at the scene, appears guilty, but as Glitsky and his best friend Hardy delve deeper, they uncover a web of complexities surrounding the case. Their investigation puts them in danger as unseen forces attempt to thwart their pursuit of the truth, revealing the lengths some will go to protect their secrets.
7
4.1
The Oath
John T. Lescroart
624 pages
22 hours of reading
A morning jog turns fatal for HMO executive Tim Markham when he is struck by a car and later dies under suspicious circumstances in his own hospital. The situation escalates when his family is murdered, leading Lt. Abe Glitsky to suspect Dr. Eric Kensing, who has both motive and opportunity. As Glitsky navigates the investigation with the help of inexperienced rookies, defense attorney Dismas Hardy must protect his client while also safeguarding a close friend, all while uncovering a conspiracy that threatens their lives.
8
4.0
The first law
John T. Lescroart
In this thrilling novel from the acclaimed Dismas Hardy series, Hardy’s friend and client finds himself the prime suspect in a homicide investigation. While Dismas Hardy has built a solid legal practice and a happy family, his friend John Holiday, a proprietor of a rundown local bar, has not followed the same path. Despite this, Hardy has remained Holiday’s attorney and confidant, and when Holiday is suspected of murder, Hardy and Glitsky find ample reason to question Holiday’s guilt. But Hardy’s case falls on hostile ears, and to avoid arrest, Holiday turns fugitive. The police now believe three things: that Hardy is a liar protecting Holiday, that Holiday is a cold-blooded killer, and that Glitsky is a bad cop on the wrong side of the law. As the suspense reaches fever pitch, Hardy, Glitsky, and even their families may be caught in the crossfire and directly threatened—and this time, the police won’t be on their side.
9
3.9
Die alten und die neuen Hexen
Thomas Hauschild
283 pages
10 hours of reading
Der Mord an einem älteren Pfandleiher erregt die Öffentlichkeit in der Stadt. Schnell ist ein Verdächtiger gefunden. Doch dem Anwalt Dismas Hardy kommt diese Eile seltsam vor, zumal er den mutmasslichen Täter persönlich kennt. Es ist für ihn eine Frage der Ehre, dass er seine Verteidigung übernimmt.
9
The Second Chair
John T. Lescroart
624 pages
22 hours of reading
A respected citizen's son in San Francisco faces serious charges for the brutal murders of both his girlfriend and a teacher. Defense attorney Dismal Hardy is tasked with uncovering the truth and navigating the complexities of the case. This gripping legal thriller by bestselling author John Lescroart delves into themes of justice, morality, and the intricacies of the legal system.
10
4.1
The Motive
John T. Lescroart
With their park view and old-fashioned detail, the Victorian houses on San Francisco's Steiner Street were highly valuable. But with their wooden construction, they were also highly vulnerable. So when Paul Hanover's multimillion-dollar home went up in flames, it was all over very quickly. And when the bodies of Hanover and his girlfriend were found in the charred debris, it appeared that the end came even more quickly for them-judging from the bullet holes in their heads. But this isn't just any double homicide. Hanover was a friend-and donor-to the mayor, who wants answers. And in trying to provide them, Abe Glitsky and Dismas Hardy will face an old lover and an old enemy-and follow a trail of evidence that stretches far beyond their usual jurisdiction.
11
4.0
Betrayal
John T. Lescroart
New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart presents an ambitious thriller featuring San Francisco defense attorney Dismas Hardy. “Betrayal is provocative…a tour de force of a legal thriller.”—The Providence Journal Dismas Hardy agrees to take an appeal to overturn the murder conviction of National Guard reservist Evan Scholler. Scholler had plenty of reasons for revenge—but as Dismas delves into the case, he begins to uncover a terrible truth that drops him right into the complicated world of government conspiracy, assassination, and betrayal...
12
3.9
A Plague of Secrets
John T. Lescroart
512 pages
18 hours of reading
Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt return When high-grade marijuana is found on a coffee-shop manager murdered in San Francisco, it suggests that the shop's owner, Maya Townshend, may be behind more than a caffeine fix. But when another murder exposes a drug-buying A-list celebrity and political clientele, a tabloid-fueled controversy takes the investigation into the realms of conspiracy and cover up.
13
4.0
The Ophelia Cut
John T. Lescroart
418 pages
15 hours of reading
"Defense attorney Dismas Hardy returns to defend a close friend against murder charges in New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart's most suspenseful and intricately plotted novel to date"--
14
3.7
The Fall, 16
John T. Lescroart
320 pages
12 hours of reading
San Francisco lawyers Dismas Hardy and his associate and only daughter Rebecca find themselves in the middle of a difficult murder case involving a teenage African American foster child
16
3.7
The Rule of Law
John T. Lescroart
336 pages
12 hours of reading
In “master of the legal thriller” ( Chicago Sun-Times ) John Lescroart’s electrifying novel, attorney Dismas Hardy is called to defend the least likely suspect of his career: his trusted assistant who is suddenly being charged as an accessory to murder. Dismas Hardy knows something is amiss with his secretary, Phyllis. Her out-of-character behavior and sudden disappearances concern Hardy, especially when he learns that her convict brother—a man who had served twenty-five years in prison for armed robbery and attempted murder—has just been released. Things take a shocking turn when Phyllis is suddenly arrested for allegedly abetting the murder of Hector Valdez, a coyote who’d been smuggling women from El Salvador and Mexico until he was shot to death on the very same day that Phyllis first disappeared from work. Hardy realizes that if his cherished colleague has any chance of going free, he must figure out how all these strands connect—and fast. Proving that he is a “certifiable A-Lister” ( Booklist ), John Lescroart crafts yet another whip-smart, roller coaster of a novel that will keep you on your toes until the very last page.
18
3.8