The Ophelia Cut

In bestseller Lescroart’s engrossing 17th legal thriller featuring San Francisco DA Dismas Hardy (after 2010’s Damage), Hardy’s niece, Brittany McGuire, a recent college grad, has the misfortune to date paralegal Rick Jessup. The despicable Jessup rapes her one night after she breaks off their relationship. When Jessup is found bludgeoned to death in his apartment the next day, all the evidence points to Brittany’s alcoholic father, Moses McGuire. The prosecution appears to have the case handed to them on a platter after McGuire drunkenly admits that Jessup deserved his fate, and Hardy must suppress his own doubts as he assumes McGuire’s defense. Hardy races against the clock to find out whether Jessup’s shady dealings with San Francisco politicians may lead to another vigilante with a secret of his own. Some necessary backstory weighs down the momentum at first, but the pace picks up after several 11th-hour revelations. Author tour. Agent: Barney Karpfinger, Karpfinger Agency. (May)