The Vig (Dismas Hardy Series #2)

by John Lescroart

Overview

Former San Francisco lawyer Dismas Hardy is being hunted by one of the thugs he once put away in this thriller from New York Times bestselling author John Lescroart.

Soldier. Cop. Lawyer. Dismas Hardy’s done the tough jobs, and had some tough luck. Now he’s kicking back and tending bar at the Shamrock in San Francisco. But the past returns in the form of Rusty Ingraham—a former fellow prosecutor who drops by for a drink, warning Hardy that a perp they put away nearly ten years ago just got released...and might still be looking for revenge.

Next thing Hardy knows, Ingraham’s houseboat becomes a murder scene, with a dead woman on board and Ingraham, presumably, at the bottom of the bay. To save himself, Hardy’s got to solve the case. But there’s more than one kind of payback, and it’s not just the ex-con who might have wanted it. Now, as he tangles with a mob enforcer, a rejected lover, and a renegade cop, Hardy is haunted by the knowledge that the later you pay, the steeper the price...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451219152
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/01/2006
Series:	Dismas Hardy Series , #2
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	150,976
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.75(h) x 1.02(d)
Age Range:	18 - 17 Years

About the Author

John Lescroart is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels including the Dismas Hardy series. He lives in Northern California.

Hometown:

El Macero, California

Date of Birth:

January 14, 1948

Place of Birth:

Houston, Texas

Education:

B.A. in English with Honors, UC Berkeley, 1970

Read an Excerpt

At 2:15 on a Wednesday afternoon in late September, Dismas Hardy sat on the customer side of the bar at the Little Shamrock and worked the corners of his dart flights with a very fine emery board.  A pint of Guinness, pulled a quarter of an hour ago, had lost its head and rested untouched in the bar's gutter.  Hardy whistled tonelessly, as happy as he'd been in ten years.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Vig"
by .
Copyright © 2006 John Lescroart.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“THE PLOT TWISTS AND TURNS...Hardy is one of the more real and engaging characters in...crime solving.”—Los Angeles Times

“A LARGE CAST, SWIFT PACING, AND GOOD LOCAL COLOR...A GRIPPING YARN.”
—Publishers Weekly

“[Lescroart has a] sensitive touch with psychologically complex characters...a tense, tough, page-turning plot.”—Playboy

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Vig

“The plot twists and turns...Hardy is one of the more real and engaging characters in...crime solving.”—Los Angeles Times

“A large cast, swift pacing, and good local color...a gripping yarn.”—Publishers Weekly

“[Lescroart has a] sensitive touch with psychologically complex characters...a tense, tough, page-turning plot.”—Playboy

“Tense, satisfyingly complex.”—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Ex-San Francisco prosecutor Dismas Hardy (seen in Dead Irish ) seems to be mending his life as bartender and part-owner of a saloon, even spending more time with his ex-wife. Then prosecutor Rusty Ingraham appears with news that Louis Baker, whom he and Dis had sent away years ago, has been released from jail and is out to kill Rusty and Hardy. Within two days, a woman is murdered on Rusty's houseboat and Rusty is missing. Dis has a tough time convincing detective Abe Glitsky that Rusty has been killed by Baker. There are other suspects: the dead woman's husband; a cop driven from the force by Rusty; and a Mob loan shark. Hardy starts his own investigation--and an affair with a pregnant young widow. With a murder of a young drug-dealer, a Mob-like hit, a suicide and other felonies, the case turns in different directions before Dis nails the villain. A large cast, swift pacing and good local color--the bleak look at life in a housing project is riveting--fuel a gripping yarn. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Former San Francisco prosecutor Dismas Hardy now tends bar. Dismas and fellow prosecutor Rusty Ingraham sent Louis Baker to prison years ago, and Louis swore to kill the two men. On the day of Louis's parole, someone kills a woman on Rusty's houseboat and Rusty himself has vanished. Dismas initially suspects Louis, but the evidence points toward Rusty's involvement with a powerful local loan shark. Lescroart's (The Second Chair) elaborate tale includes police corruption, organized crime, a former criminal's attempt to build a new life, and a love affair for Dismas. Reader David Colacci does an excellent job, as the author provides enough twists and turns to hold the listener's interest. Recommended for all audio collections.
—Stephen L. Hupp

Library Journal

Dismas Hardy, onetime San Francisco prosecutor, is currently co-owner of the Little Shamrock, a Bay Area bar. One night former coworker Rusty Ingraham drops in and tells Hardy that a criminal the two of them sent to jail years back is out of prison and gunning for them. After the body of a young woman is discovered on Ingraham’s houseboat and Ingraham goes missing, Hardy knows he has to find some answers. David Colacci doesn’t disappoint as he creates a variety of original characters. With deft timing and singular character voices, Colacci’s performance switches from laid-back to ominous as John Lescroart’s gritty sequel to Dead Irish careens to its gripping conclusion. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

DEC 06/JAN 07 - AudioFile