Attorney Dismas Hardy is at it again. This time a major mover and shaker has been killed and the characters involved are varied and rich. Lescroart never fails to provide a meaty read and this is no exception. ( )

My problem often with legal thrillers is I know too much about the law--and yes, it matters. Part of the pleasure of a good book is feeling immersed in another world--whether it's Mars or Ancient Greece or a nuclear submarine--or, in this case, the San Francisco District Attorney's office. Our hero in Hard Evidence, Dismas Hardy, is an ex-cop returning to the DA's office at 40 after a stint as a bartender. He's investigating a possible murder after a severed hand wearing a jade ring is found in the belly of a shark.

That's my first problem. Assistant District Attorneys don't investigate crimes--that's what police officers and their own investigators are for--and for good reason. They're supposed to try the case--they're not supposed to be participants who can themselves be called to the witness stand. Lescroat also has Hardy take part in an ex parte communication with a judge--a private conversation regarding a case without opposing counsel present. Not done. Then he has someone say that just because something is a homicide doesn't mean it can't be a suicide, accident or natural death. Er...no. By definition, a homicide--which legally is broader than muder--is the "deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another." The last straw was when towards the end of Part One, before we were on even page 100, Hardy was conducting a warrantless search. Just stupid--this is all first year law school stuff. And OK, Lescroat doesn't have a law degree, but in his Acknowledgements he credits several San Francisco District Attorney lawyers as helping him--he should have had at least one of them read through his manuscript. And if he did, he should have listened to them. Because Lescroat quickly lost credibility with me.

And while I might not care about that much if he had wit or style or could make me laugh or cry, it's a fatal flaw in what is popular thriller boilerplate. ( )

Dismas Hardy returns in the third book from John Lescroart's series. The opening finds Dismas and Frannie married with baby Rebecca and another baby on the way. Dismas has left bartending behind and is now working for the San Francisco Prosecutor's office as an assistant D.A.

Dismas is the low man on the totem pole in the D.A.'s office so he's dealing with the crap cases. That is until he discovers a hand in the belly of a dead shark. When the rest of the body washes ashore with bullet holes, Dismas is assigned to work with Elizabeth Poolios (sp?) to prosecute the victims call-girl girlfriend. At least that's the side of the court room Dismas starts out on. By the end of the novel, he's working from the defense table.

I listened to this Hardy novel on audio book, which was read by David Colacci. He did a fair job but his range of voices isn't quite sufficient for the number of characters in this novel. Some of the characters begin to sound alike. But otherwise he does a decent job. He narrated both novels prior to this one as well, and I've come to associate his voice with Hardy.

There isn't a great change in characters for this novel. Dismas' ex Jane and her father Andy are back. Elizabeth Poolios becomes a major player in this novel and she falls into a stereotypical female with power role. For the most part I really enjoy Dismas as a character, but as a female reader his brush with infidelity rubbed me a little the wrong way. I wonder if that differs for male readers? I guess deep down somewhere I'm just an old romantic at heart!

The plot takes on a number of twists, but I was able to figure out the end quite early. It was still an enjoyable book to listen to and I'm interested to see where Lescroart takes Hardy from here. ( )