Damage

By: John Lescroart

Narrated by: David Colacci

The Curtlees are a powerful force in San Francisco, unscrupulous billionaires who’ve lined every important pocket in the Bay Area in pursuit of their own ascent. So when the family’s heir, Ro Curtlee, was convicted of rape and murder a decade ago, the fallout for those who helped to bring him to justice was swift and uncompromising. The jury foreman was fired from his job and blacklisted in his industry. The lead prosecutor was pushed off the fast track, her dreams of becoming district attorney dashed. And head homicide detective Abe Glitsky was reassigned to the police department’s payroll office. Eventually, all three were able to rebuild their lives.

And then Ro Curtlee’s lawyers won him a retrial, and he was released from jail.

Within twenty-four hours, a fire destroys the home of the original trial’s star witness, her abused remains discovered in the ruins. When a second fire claims a participant in the case, Abe is convinced: Ro is out for revenge. But with no hard evidence and an on-the-take media eager to vilify anyone who challenges Ro, can Abe stop the violence before he finds himself in its crosshairs? How much more can he sacrifice to put Ro back behind bars?

©2010 John Lescroart (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Snoozer

I gave this book so many chances to actually hold my attention, but it is filled with trivial conversations and time wasting words. Following this with a Harry Bosch novel really punctuates this point. The words need to be important; to the plot, to inform the reader--not just blather. Waste of time.

If you like the author and characters it's ok

Ok, Bad John T is better than good by most other authors. If you like his stuff you won't be angry. that said, he gets a bit more liberal-preachy than usual. Usually, it's the characters. Now he's bleeding a bit on the page. And David Colacci is a fine reader except for one thing I believe I have mentioned in past reviews. And I hope this is not in the other Colacci book I just bought. I get taken COMPLETELY out of the story EVERY time he says EYEther instead of EEEither. 80 to 90% of English speaking humans and even parrots say EEEither in most situations. He says EYEther almost all the time. It's driving me nuts and I guess the producers should be blamed. Otherwise a good reader. RE the other review...there's not that much kid-talk.

Good story - unsatisfying ending

This is another Lescroart with his trademark descriptions of San Francisco. This story centers around detective Abe Glitsky. Dismiss Hardy makes a few cameo appearances but doesn't really have much to do with the plot. There are also few courtroom scenes that have been the highlights of previous works.

Ro Curtless was previously convicted of rape and murder but was released on appeal due to facgtors not related to whether or not he did it. However, on his release, murders start to occur to people associated with Ro's first trial. Glitsky is charged with solving these murders and getting Ro back in jail.

The unsatisfying part of the story was that although there were 3 murders, only one of the murders was actually solved by the use of evidence and the catching of the criminal. The other 2 murders were never truly solved - although they were blamed on Ro. You can read the story to see if this assumption was right or not.

If you like Lescroart, you will certainly not want to miss it, but I miss Hardy and the court room scenes and the solutions to the murders was not completely satisfying - but maybe they never are...

Quite enjoyable, actually

Any additional comments?

I was a little surprised to read so many negative comments about the book. I must say I quite liked it.
The pace is fine. The suspense is fine. The plot is not brillliant, but, then, so few plots are. I thought the reader was good. The detective work was adequate. And I certainly am not sorry I paid to hear the story. I will probably listen to the story once again sometime.
It's not a Dismas Hardy book. I wonder if this could be the cause of disappointment.

Excellent addition to top-rate series

What did you love best about Damage?

I've read nearly all the Dismiss Hardy series. Lescroart starts out strong and gets better. There is always an ironic edge, interesting political takes on San Francisco and an authentic portrait of the city by the bay. As his novels advance, the politics get more interesting and engaged. Abe Glitsky stars here and is always a favorite

Who was your favorite character and why?

In this novel, Abe Glitsky. The strength of the Dismiss Hardy series is the reperatory theater -- the recurrence of all the characters in their evolving relationships.

What does David Colacci bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

I've listened to three readers of Lescroart and Colacci is far and away the best. Robert Lawrence is acceptable, though he often puts the accent on the wrong word or syllable. Eric Dawe wrecked a good novel (The Hunter).