The Fall

March 2, 2015
San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy’s grown daughter, Rebecca, plays a central role in bestseller Lescroart’s subpar 19th series legal thriller (after 2014’s The Keeper). When 17-year-old Anlya Paulson, an African-American, dies after falling from an overpass into the path of a motorist, the police quickly conclude that she was pushed to her death. Rebecca, who now works for her father’s law firm, happens to be with middle school teacher Greg Treadway, in the bar her father owns, when word of the tragedy reaches Greg. Greg, who had dinner with Anlya on the last night of her life, becomes the prime suspect. The police and DA’s office are under political pressure to move quickly because of accusations that the authorities aren’t pursuing killers of African-Americans hard enough, and Greg, who is white, is soon arrested and facing trial. Rebecca, also white, is convinced he’s innocent and decides to defend him. That defense, of course, involves some amateur sleuthing to identify the real killer, complete with coincidences that strain belief and an action-packed resolution outside of the courtroom. Agent: Barney Karpfinger, Karpfinger Agency.

June 29, 2015
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.

May 1, 2015
Lescroart regulars Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt return to contribute wit and expertise, but they take a backseat this time to Dismas' daughter, Rebecca, a rookie attorney in her father's firm who is quickly developing her own legal instincts. Here Rebecca lands her first murder case, defending Greg Treadway, an apparent good guy charged with murdering a teenage foster child. Treadway was an advocate for the brother of the victim, Anlya Paulson, and he became a quick suspect when investigators uncovered evidence that he'd lied about having a romantic relationship with Anlya and about the evening he spent with her just before she was killed. The case against Treadway looks solid, but Rebecca executes some surprisingly adept legal maneuvers, while Wyatt searches for evidence pointing toward another killer. The investigative and courtroom story lines are woven together seamlessly, and readers will become quickly invested in the outcomes, as Lescroart plays Rebecca's growing cynicism against the gut-wrenching betrayals Anlya suffered. Lescroart's popularity as a legal-thriller author only stands to grow as his firm adds another strong lead character to the mix.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)