The Mercy Rule (Dismas Hardy, Book 5)

I did not want to read this book. I read in a review that it was about Alzheimer's, among other things. I know that death with dignity is an important concept, perhaps more of a goal than an actual fact. But I have seen what Alzheimer's does to people and their families and did not want to read a book with this theme. While it is a worthy social issue, I wanted entertainment. I forgot that it was a Dismas Hardy book by John Lescroart. And thus by definition it was going to be a good book. A young athlete is arrested for murdering his father. Graham Russo stubbornly sticks to pleading "not guilty," although he could get much sympathy for his role in a compassionate assisted suicide. But he is also a lawyer and knows that if he is found guilty he will be disbarred. He starts off badly by telling the police, and then his lawyer, Hardy, a passel of lies. Another thing about the Dismas Hardy books is that they take place in San Francisco and the Bay area. This is very appealing geography. The characters are mainly appealing too, but not cloyingly so. In fact it is their faults, or their rough edges, that makes them interesting. This story has its signposts, if you will, like the black frying pan Dismas has owned for a long time and still occasionally prepares meals with, and the elephant figurines on the mantle that he rearranges like pawns as he is faced with nagging guilt on the home front or a conundrum. There is humour, some of it low-level but always engaging, such as a knock-knock joke. Some of the humour, like Russo's clever likening of lawyer David Freeman to the Star Wars character, Yoda, is a little edgy, since it is done to his face. But Freeman has a healthy--nay, colossal--ego and is not perturbed. Some story lines are far-fetched, but not impossible although there will be dues to be paid later by some characters--such as homicide inspector Sarah Evans. Mostly the story is a satisfying one. Sometimes it is disturbing, like when potentially interesting characters are dispensed with peremptorily--case in point, the wife of Hardy's former beat partner Abe Glitsky. While she is not a central character or an evil one like Professor Moriarity, what if Lescroart wanted to pursue that vein later? Door closed. Never mind, we know Lescroart can open others in future if he likes, and will not let us down. Overall these Hardy stories which I am reading (and sometimes re-reading) in order, are improving with each novel. In this context, The Mercy Rule is my favourite so far.

This is the second Dismas Hardy novel I've read and I will be reading the rest of the series. The characters are wonderful - flawed and human. I read too many books where all of the characters are almost superhuman - the men were at the top of their classes and the women aren't real. Dismas Hardy is real - loves his family but seems to love his career more. He has deep friendships, and sometimes he pushes them to the limits. The book touches on assisted suicide, hence the title, but in the end stays noncommital, as it should. The book, at its heart, is a legal thriller, and one that was hard to put down.

This review has more to do with the series than specifically with The Mercy Rule. Working my way through the Dismas Hardy novels. Unlike many current detective writers, Lescroart eschews the charismatic psychotic serial killer and his/her elaborate, shocking crimes - burned, hanged, flayed, dismembered, et al. - and offers rather average folks - cops, secretaries, lawyers, etc. - caught up in difficult and unusual circumstances but trying to deal with the challenges of everyday life - work, family, friends. His characters' reflections on these challenges are simple, poignant, thoughtful evocations of the issues that we all face, and Lescroart does a superb job of coalescing the vapors, giving voice to our ruminations and fears. His work reminds me of the writing of James Gould Cozzens who won a Pulitzer Prize and was considered for the Nobel Prize. Writing during the middle decades of the 20th century, Cozzens was attacked by critics for being hopelessly out of date. His heroes are quite ordinary men, living quite ordinary lives and find themselves in the midst of a crisis that tests their moral and ethical beliefs. Like Cozzens' characters, Lescroart's heroes stand near us, offering the opportunity to reflect on our own lives. The plots have the requisite twists and turns and tensions to keep them moving briskly, but it is the thoughts and feelings of the characters that lift these books well above the general run of detective/thriller/mystery novels. The layers build as the series progresses so stay the course and enjoy the books - it's definitely worth it.

Lescroat has that ability to make his primary characters believeable and earthy. In the "Dismas" books one feels like they are returning to old friends who have encountered some problems along the way. The only problem is that Dismas always seems to get involved in MURDER! And when that happens you can rest assured that Dismas looks under every stone until he finds the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth."The Mercy Rule" was a great 'who dunnit' with quite a few possibilities on the list of suspects but the author holds us in suspense until the enth degree - as we rule out each suspect and turn the pages faster and faster to learn the identity of the true killer.Even with murder, mystery and mayhem, Lescroat instills a sense of duty, family loyalty and love in his novels and he shows no exception with The Mercy Rule. A great read.

This book is ten times better than any recent John Grisham book. And twenty times better than any David Baldacci. For one thing, it has a well-thought-out plot. It has some characters with some depth. The relationship between Dismas Hardy and his wife still lacks any depth, however; she ends up being mainly an irritant as opposed to a positive element in the narrative. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone as a superior effort.