Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Motive by John Lescroart

John Lescroart is one of my favorite contemporary U.S. authors. I can’t think of another author who conveys the complexities and contradictions of long-term human relationships better than he does. He claimed San Francisco and its legal and law enforcement community for his own in the 22 (so far) books he wrote about Dismas Hardy, a defense attorney, and his best friend Abe Glitsky, a homicide cop. Lescroart tells complicated stories in clear, down-to-earth language. His plots unfold logically while maintaining momentum. I especially appreciate the realism; Hardy is open about the cost of a legal defense. There’s nothing quixotic about him. I have read all of the books in the series and in the spin-off books about Hardy’s private investigator Wyatt Hunt. I like them so much that I re-read them occasionally.

The Motive (Dutton, 2004) is the 11^th book in the series. It starts with a fire in one of the iconic Painted Ladies, the exquisitely painted Victorian homes near Alamo Square Park. Because of the proximity of the buildings, any blaze threatens the entire neighborhood and galvanizes the fire department. In this instance, the house where it started could not be saved and homes on either side were damaged. In the ashes were found two bodies, each with a fatal bullet wound. They were identified as home owner wealthy Paul Hanover and his fiancé Missy D’Amiens. While it looked like a murder-suicide, the angle of the shots suggested otherwise. The pervasive presence of gasoline clinched the determination of homicide.

Hanover had donated heavily to mayor Kathy West’s election so she pulled strings and had deputy chief of inspectors Abe Glitzky assigned to the case. The lead detective resented Glitzky and his political influence, which slowed the investigation. Then suspicion fell on Hanover’s daughter-in-law, who had been vocally concerned about Hanover’s plan to change his will in favor of his new second wife. She invoked her long-ago relationship with Dismas Hardy to persuade him to represent her. Glitzky and Hardy navigate a rocky path between the shadow of mayoral influence with accusations of political bias and complex personal interactions.

Great detail about arson investigation and fire forensics. Clever misdirection delivers a courtroom bombshell. Glitzky’s and Hardy’s enduring friendship forms the bedrock of this very good series. It’s possible to read these books out of order without losing much context, but they make more sense if read sequentially. For fans of legal thrillers.

 

·         Publisher: ‎Dutton Adult; 1st edition (December 16, 2004)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: ‎416 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎0525948449

·         ISBN-13: ‎978-0525948445 

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.