Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Dismas Hardy, an ex-policeman and lawyer who has withdrawn from his former life as a result of a personal tragedy, tends an Irish bar in San Francisco. When his boss asks him to investigate the apparent suicide of Eddie Cochran, Hardy agrees. Cochran was a friend and proving his death was not suicide will free the insurance money to his pregnant widow. As he becomes close to Eddie's parents, his emotionally distraught younger brother and family friend, Father Jim Cavanaugh, Hardy finds his life complicated by an encounter and renewed relationship with his ex-wife. Uncovering a botched drug deal arranged by Cochran's employer, Hardy believes he can show that Eddie was indeed murdered. But from that point his investigations come to a dead end. The killer, identified about two-thirds of the way through the story, proves to be as fascinating a personality as Hardy himself. Lescroart ( Rasputin's Revenge ) provides a surprise twist at the end. (Jan.)
Library Journal
Possessed of a singular writer's instinct, Lescroart drapes a bare-bones plot in psychological window dressing and produces a full-bodied, substantive, and stylistic effort of the first order. San Francisco ex-cop and current bartender Dismas ``Diz'' Hardy cannot believe his friend Eddie would commit suicide, so he decides to investigate. The progress of his search into Eddie's last days coincides with changes in his own emotional make-up, as he faces the reasons for his divorce and his feelings of guilt over the death of his infant son. Full attention to character, then, a sympathetic protagonist, and a satisfying conclusion.
From the Publisher
Praise for Dead Irish
“Full of the things I like....Lescroart’s a pro.”—Jonathan Kellerman
“Unusual and powerful.”—Booklist
“Possessed of a singular writer’s instinct, Lescroart...produces a full-bodied, substantive, and stylistic effort of the first order.”—Library Journal
“A beautifully written San Francisco murder story with perfect-pitch dialogue.”—Playboy
“The killer proves to be as fascinating a personality as Hardy himself.”—Publishers Weekly
“With John Lescroart’s polished writing, Dead Irish becomes more than a mystery novel with a bartender as detective. With razored precision, characters stand out, flawed and human....Chilling in its intensity, this is an ingenious tale of many different kinds of people.”—Pasadena Star-News
AUG/SEP 07 - AudioFile
David Colacci’s effortless-sounding narration complements Lescroart’s easy-going writing style overall. While Colacci tends to drop his voice at the end of sentences, which makes listening in traffic difficult at times, he professionally dramatizes a diverse group of characters, including brooding Irishman Dismas (Diz) Hardy, a San Francisco ex-cop, now a bartender, who is investigating the murder of his friend Eddie Cochran. Other well-depicted characters include Father Jim Cavanaugh, a friend of the Cochran family; Frannie, Eddie’s widow; and Jane, Diz’s ex-wife. Diz is an engaging hero, and this outstanding whodunit has an unexpected ending that will surprise listeners as much as it does Colacci. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine
