The Ophelia Cut (Dismas Hardy) Mass Market Paperback – Box set, March 18, 2014

As with each Dismas Hardy novel I have read this far, the suspense is thick. In this case, with his brother-in-law in the hot seat, it’s even more intense! Always sitting on the edge of your seat until the final chapter, Lescroart is an author who can hold his audience. Love these novels!

I have read Dismiss Hardy, and Abe Glitzy novels for years. This was different, but totally encapulating! A great read.

I am a fan of John Lescroart's novels. While it may be heresy to compare books to TV shows, in my mind there are similarities, given that this is part of a series. Let me explain:With many authors, a series is a way to give the reader a set of similar characters, each with back stories and personality traits. The books may stand on their own or be interconnected, but, either way, the reader picks up the book with points of familiarity. In the case of Mr. Lescroart's books, the stories stand alone; each book is a story, start to finish, and The Ophelia Cut would be a good book to read even if you had never read another novel by this author.I don't like going over the plot of a book in a review; plenty of other reviewers provide that information, and there's a book description you can read as well. What I liked about this book was the depth of the story - like real life, there are nuances that are based on characters and circumstances, many of which don't hit you over the head. This isn't a book that you can't put down - pacing is part of the fun. You won't be skimming past descriptive text to get to the next "event". But you will look forward to picking it back up once you've set it down.My TV series comparison? There is an overriding story arc throughout this series. One book may feature a different leading character from the ensemble. People get married, characters die, and others are introduced throughout the series. So the Dismas Hardy of today is an evolution of the Dismas Hardy of several books ago, as are his compatriots. If this is your first book of the series, you'll enjoy it; you can tackle the books in any order. But, if you do read them in order, you'll benefit from this wonderful back story as well. Kind of like a "bonus round".Thank you, Mr. Lescroart. Me, I'm already halfway through Book 15 of this series. And I'm catching up on #13 (the only one I've missed) after that.

John Lescroart is up to book 14 now with this installment of his Dismas Hardy stories (and the 15th,  The Keeper , is now available as well).Actually, I think it's insufficient to refer to them as only 'Dismas Hardy' stories, since the other leading characters are almost as important, and all have become major characters in the continuing saga, particularly Abe Glitsky but also including Wes Farrell, their respective spouses and most especially Frannie Hardy, and their close friends, and for this book we have to especially include Susan Weiss and Moses McGuire since they figure prominently here.I'm not going to try to evaluate this book as either better or worse than any of the other Dismas Hardy novels, because for me they have all been enjoyable and 'must-reads', and I have not been disappointed with any of them. These are primarily courtroom dramas, with the accompanying tensions that go with a jury trial and the uncertainty of the final jury decision.This story does have a very good storyline, where Moses McGuire is to all appearances guilty of a killing that he may not in fact be responsible for. And (minor spoiler alert) unlike most stories of this type, there is no clear identification of the real killer at the end, and there are a couple of very big surprises as well. The ending, or more correctly I should say the epilogue, also suggests what I assume is the story that develops in his next book (or perhaps not, looking at the story as described here on Amazon), with a very tantalizing and barely threatening conclusion.It is all extremely well done, and that it does not leave all loose ends nicely tied up, this is a good thing.John Lescroart is one of the few current writers who I know I can always turn to for an enjoyable read, and this book was no exception. I'm fully satisfied, and I'll continue to be a fan of his Dismas Hardy books for as long as he wants to continue to write them.

I am an admirer of Lescroart Dismas Hardy series and this book involves all the main characters in the series but this one ended differently. Lescroart admits he wound up writing a very different story than what was his initial intent; it shows.The book is well written and fast paced, with a very good story lines, covers a lot of ground and a host of issues; For those of us following the series, it's pretty obvious where he was originally going, and so while the conclusion gets his client off the hook, it is very disappointing. Isn’t it a crime for an attorney to subhorn perjury? It looks like that is what Hardy did. In any case, I do agree killing Moses may be the most expedient thing to solve the elephant in the room.I would have given 5 stars but for the way the trial ended.

this is a good read

you couldn't better than to read all of his books

It's four years since the last book featuring Dismas Hardy in the main role. Well worth waiting for, "The Ophelia Cut" is a brilliant legal thriller in true Lescroart style and quality. It may be a bit different from the other books in this series inasmuch as it includes most of Hardy's closest friends and family also in the very thick of it. And doesn't all life's occurences, not at least when it touches the law, strike very much differently when it happens close to home...I shall not go into the synopsis, only emphasize that the book has got it all. Crime, suspense, politics, Federal protection program as well as the whole register of human feelings; love, friendship, family, faith, doubt, anger, frustration.... "The Ophelia Cut" has got it all.There are lots of details which might easily have become tedious had not the author had this blessed gift for story telling and making people come alive. For me, and I suppose everybody who have read all his books, Dismas Hardy and his family, friends and colleagues in San Francisco are by now like old and dear friends. This book gives enough information to make it stand alone for new readers, however, I would recommend to at least read "The First Law" before this one. It contains important background information for "The Ophelia Cut".John Lescroart does not only write about the law, the police, lawyers and politics. All the stories in his books contain real people, beautifully characterized and so easy to feel close to. To those who are new to this author, I recommend all his work warmly. Lots of wonderful reading hours await you!

One of the great benefits of owning a Kindle is the ability to graze and try lots of titles that you would otherwise miss out on. I have been able to read lots of thrillers by writers I had not previously heard of, some good others not so. Then comes a new book by one of the masters of the genre. John Lescroart has returned to his roots and the characters he and we know best and the Ophelia Cut is a beautifully written, multilayered mystery whose secrets are gradually unveiled as the plot develops.I was totally engrossed and this is one of the most engaging and satisfying books I have read this year. Wonderful stuff!

Characters are 👍,twist and turns....I think he did it being a father.The original crime of the the book got lost somewhere not enough detail regarding the shoot out. It was never revisited in detail.Still a great read.