Mystery

The Missing Piece

The Missing Piece

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  • Create Date：2022-03-31 21:21:51
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：John Lescroart
  • ISBN：B08VKLGQ71
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Summary

The beloved New York Times bestselling Dismas Hardy series returns with this relentlessly twisty murder thriller。

No one mourned when San Francisco DA Wes Farrell put Paul Riley in prison eleven years ago for the rape and murder of his girlfriend。 And no one is particularly happy to see him again when he’s released after The Exoneration Initiative uncovered evidence that pinned the crime on someone else。 In fact， Riley soon turns up murdered， surrounded by the loot from his latest scam。 But if Riley was really innocent all along， who would want him dead？

To the cops， it’s straightforward: the still-grieving father of Riley’s dead girlfriend killed the former prisoner。 Farrell， now out of politics and practicing law with master attorney Dismas Hardy， agrees to represent the defendant， Doug Rush—and is left in the dust when Rush suddenly vanishes。 At a loss， Farrell and Hardy ask PI Abe Glitsky to track down the potentially lethal defendant。 The search takes Glitsky through an investigative hall of mirrors populated by wounded parents， crooked cops， cheating spouses， and single-minded vigilantes。 As Glitsky embraces and then discards one enticing theory of the crime after another， the truth seems to recede ever farther。 So far that he begins to question his own moral compass， allowing author John Lescroart to explore what The Washington Post calls “the genuine humanism that [is] central to his writing。”

Masterful misdirection， Lescroart’s signature “enthralling…sharp dialogue” （Publishers Weekly） and a shockingly satisfying climax make The Missing Piece a first-rate thriller you’ll savor to the last word。

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Reviews

Sue ，

Missing Pieces is my first time reading one of the Dismas Hardy series from John Lescroart and I found it successful on many levels。 First， there are characters that are interesting， that I want to know more about whether I like them or not。 Then there is the opening situation…a two-fold issue setting: Wes Farrell， one of the attorneys in Dismas Hardy’s firm， is having an existential battle within himself over being a defense attorney at all， since， in his opinion， they all are guilty。 Secondly， Missing Pieces is my first time reading one of the Dismas Hardy series from John Lescroart and I found it successful on many levels。 First， there are characters that are interesting， that I want to know more about whether I like them or not。 Then there is the opening situation…a two-fold issue setting: Wes Farrell， one of the attorneys in Dismas Hardy’s firm， is having an existential battle within himself over being a defense attorney at all， since， in his opinion， they all are guilty。 Secondly， the Exoneration Initiative has been at work locally and won release for a man Farrell convicted years before of rape and murder。 Ultimately， Paul Riley， the exonerated former client， is murdered and Farrell becomes involved in this new case。 The words “innocent until proven guilty” become key to so many actions。 This leads to such an interesting and exciting series of events as Abe Glitsky， private investigator for the firm， takes over front and center of the action。 I have to say that I became very involved， to the point of positing my own theory of the crime—wrong， of course。 This is the first book I’ve read for a while that I just had to get back to， then had to finish。 Guess I will have to read some of the other books in the series。A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review。 。。。more

Shannon ，

This is book 19 in the Dismas Hardy series。 I haven't read the first 18 books in the series and it wasn't an issue for me at all。 The author did a fantastic job at bringing in the character back stories and relationships， so much so that I felt like this could have been a stand alone book。 There are several main characters in this book， but it is Abe Glitsky who shines。 I like the way his mind works， and that he wasn't able to settle on not knowing who killed Paul Riley。 He was willing to stick This is book 19 in the Dismas Hardy series。 I haven't read the first 18 books in the series and it wasn't an issue for me at all。 The author did a fantastic job at bringing in the character back stories and relationships， so much so that I felt like this could have been a stand alone book。 There are several main characters in this book， but it is Abe Glitsky who shines。 I like the way his mind works， and that he wasn't able to settle on not knowing who killed Paul Riley。 He was willing to stick with it， investigating even the tiniest leads in his search for the true killer。 While I had the killer figured out very early on， I still enjoyed watching Abe put all the pieces together。Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more

Mike ，

The latest instalment of the long running Dismas Hardy series， is John Lescroart’s The Missing Piece。 With over twenty books spanning more than three decades， most readers will be familiar with these characters。 When an exonerated convicted murderer is assassinated shortly after his release， his victim’s father is a slam dunk case for the murder。 Yet Dismas is on the case as things get complicated when his client disappears and a vigilante may be targeting the Exoneration Initiative。 For fans of The latest instalment of the long running Dismas Hardy series， is John Lescroart’s The Missing Piece。 With over twenty books spanning more than three decades， most readers will be familiar with these characters。 When an exonerated convicted murderer is assassinated shortly after his release， his victim’s father is a slam dunk case for the murder。 Yet Dismas is on the case as things get complicated when his client disappears and a vigilante may be targeting the Exoneration Initiative。 For fans of John Lescroart， another Dismas Hardy mystery adventure will be most welcomed。 As a standalone read it was an enjoyable enough tale with a three-and-a-half-star read rating。 With thanks to Atria Books and the author， for an uncorrected advanced copy for review purposes。 As always， the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given。 。。。more

Marsha Valance ，

When a convicted rapist， released by the efforts of the Exoneration Initiative， is killed， Dismas Hardy's law firm goes all out to defend the murdered rape victim's father， who is accused of being the shooter。 When a convicted rapist， released by the efforts of the Exoneration Initiative， is killed， Dismas Hardy's law firm goes all out to defend the murdered rape victim's father， who is accused of being the shooter。 。。。more

Diane Saul ，

Wes Ferrell， former DA， is now working at a law firm that defends people accused of crimes。 Wes is burned out and assumes if you are arrested you are guilty。 Is it time for him to move on？ When he gets a case of a man who is beat up by the police during his arrest for murder he assumes the man is guilty and is only going thru the motions。 When the defendant disappears Wes soon finds out he might be wrong about his guilt。 Abe Glitsky starts an investigation and the more he learns the more he feel Wes Ferrell， former DA， is now working at a law firm that defends people accused of crimes。 Wes is burned out and assumes if you are arrested you are guilty。 Is it time for him to move on？ When he gets a case of a man who is beat up by the police during his arrest for murder he assumes the man is guilty and is only going thru the motions。 When the defendant disappears Wes soon finds out he might be wrong about his guilt。 Abe Glitsky starts an investigation and the more he learns the more he feels something isnt right。 There were a lot of twists and turns in this book， I had no idea where it was going。 This is part of a series but could easily be read as a stand alone， definitely a page turner。 Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy。 。。。more

Vicki ，

“The Missing Piece，” by John Lescroart， Atria Books， 304 pages， March 29， 2022。Eleven years ago， Paul Riley was convicted of the rape and murder of his girlfriend， Dana Rush。 San Francisco District Attorney Wes Farrell was the prosecutor。 Farrell is now in a private law firm of Freeman， Farrell， Hardy & Roake， where Dismas Hardy is the managing partner。Riley is released from prison because the Exoneration Initiative uncovered evidence that exonerated him。 Deacon Moore， who is mentally challenged “The Missing Piece，” by John Lescroart， Atria Books， 304 pages， March 29， 2022。Eleven years ago， Paul Riley was convicted of the rape and murder of his girlfriend， Dana Rush。 San Francisco District Attorney Wes Farrell was the prosecutor。 Farrell is now in a private law firm of Freeman， Farrell， Hardy & Roake， where Dismas Hardy is the managing partner。Riley is released from prison because the Exoneration Initiative uncovered evidence that exonerated him。 Deacon Moore， who is mentally challenged， committed a similar crime and is now the suspect。 Riley is having financial trouble because he can’t get a good paying job。 He starts committing burglaries。 Riley has just returned home from a burglary when he is fatally shot。 Homicide Detectives Ken Yamashiro and Eric Waverly go to the scene。 James Riley， his father， says he saw the shooter; it was Doug Rush， Dana’s father。 When Yamashiro and Waverly arrest Rush， he assaults them and the detectives fight back。 But Waverly continues to hit and to kick Rush after he is handcuffed。Rush asks Farrell to represent him。 When he is released on bail， Rush doesn’t show up for his preliminary hearing。 At a loss， Farrell and Hardy ask Abraham Glitsky， who retired from homicide and is a private investigator， to track down Rush。 This leads Glitsky down several paths， including Rush’s two girlfriends， his motorcycle buddies and members of the Exoneration Initiative。This is the 19th in a very good legal and police procedural series with engaging characters。 The novel starts off featuring Farrell， then switches seamlessly to Glitsky。 Lescroart focuses on complex themes; in this case the moral issue of what if someone released on a technicality after being convicted of murder was， in fact， guilty。The plotting is good with some misdirection， although it was easy to figure out who the killer is。 “The Missing Piece” can be read without reading the others in the series。In accordance with FTC guidelines， the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review。 。。。more

Cathy Mckee ，

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC digital copy of THE MISSING PIECE by John Lescroart。 This is billed as a Dismas Hardy novel and though he appeared throughout the book， the main character was Abe Glitsky who appeared in most， if not all of the Dismas Hardy books。 The focus of the book is the endeavors to find who killed a man， Paul Riley， who'd recently been released from prison because of efforts made by The Exoneration Initiative。 They then have to find the person who was thought to have kille Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC digital copy of THE MISSING PIECE by John Lescroart。 This is billed as a Dismas Hardy novel and though he appeared throughout the book， the main character was Abe Glitsky who appeared in most， if not all of the Dismas Hardy books。 The focus of the book is the endeavors to find who killed a man， Paul Riley， who'd recently been released from prison because of efforts made by The Exoneration Initiative。 They then have to find the person who was thought to have killed Riley。 The whole book had me wondering who did， were these murders related or just coincidence。 All in all， this was an excellent read and I do recommend it。 。。。more

Jazzie077 ，

The Missing Piece by John Lescroart。 Pub Date: March 29， 2022。 Rating: 🌟🌟🌟。 Even though this is the 19th installment in the Dismas Hardy series， this book can totally be read as a stand alone。 I’ve read a few others in this series， so I was familiar with some of the characters。 This is a legal thriller that circles around the Exoneration Initiative， which focuses on exonerating wrongfully convicted people。 A story that involves two mysteries that are somehow interwoven leaves the reader turning The Missing Piece by John Lescroart。 Pub Date: March 29， 2022。 Rating: 🌟🌟🌟。 Even though this is the 19th installment in the Dismas Hardy series， this book can totally be read as a stand alone。 I’ve read a few others in this series， so I was familiar with some of the characters。 This is a legal thriller that circles around the Exoneration Initiative， which focuses on exonerating wrongfully convicted people。 A story that involves two mysteries that are somehow interwoven leaves the reader turning the pages to figure out how and why。 Murder， deceit， secrets and the reader is left with wondering what actually happens when the actual killer is let out of prison？ Thanks to Atria books and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review。 #netgalley #bookstagram #bibliophile #atriabooks #igreads #bookworm 。。。more

TC ，

Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more

Judy Collins ，

Timely。 Superb。 Dazzling。 Fans of Legal/Cop Thrillers will devour this one！ Set in San Francisco， John's enthralling 19th installment of （Dismas Hardy） crime/legal thriller —THE MISSING PIECE pulls these guys into a complex twisty case， a dangerous web of deceit， murder， and much more。 PI Abe Glitsky takes center stage。 Eleven years ago， DA Wes Farrell put Paul Riley in prison for the rape and murder of Riley's girlfriend， Dana Rush。 Now Wes Farrell is in a law partnership with Dismas Hardy。 W Timely。 Superb。 Dazzling。 Fans of Legal/Cop Thrillers will devour this one！ Set in San Francisco， John's enthralling 19th installment of （Dismas Hardy） crime/legal thriller —THE MISSING PIECE pulls these guys into a complex twisty case， a dangerous web of deceit， murder， and much more。 PI Abe Glitsky takes center stage。 Eleven years ago， DA Wes Farrell put Paul Riley in prison for the rape and murder of Riley's girlfriend， Dana Rush。 Now Wes Farrell is in a law partnership with Dismas Hardy。 Wes no longer wants to defend people he believes are guilty。 They receive the news The Exoneration Initiative has uncovered evidence that points to someone else。 Paul is released。 Shortly after being released Paul winds up murdered in his apartment。 If he were innocent， who would want him dead， unless it was the real killer？ The fingers point to Dana's dad， Doug Rush， even though there are no witnesses， but Paul's dad and he is not even sure which photo is which to identify。 Not a reliable witness。 Also， there was police brutality caught on video and they are manipulating evidence。 （dirty cops） —They want to convict Doug and close the case。 Wes does not think Doug is guilty but needs to prove so。 Paul was also a member of a motorcycle gang， and they all look alike。 Who killed Paul？Doug calls Wes to represent him。 He and Dismas take on the case。 However， he is arrested and then they get him out on bail。 They are planning their strategy， and he disappears。 He would not lose his million-dollar bail by skipping his preliminary hearing？ Where is Doug？ Dismas and Wes hire PI Abe Glitsky。 Abe also has an office in their building。 Of course， Abe is not a regular PI。 A former ex–Homicide detective， he is smart and intuitive with skills！ You are not going to get anything past him。 He and Dismas take off on a hunt which leads them to a woman that was involved with Doug。 Then after their visit， the woman and her husband wind up dead。 Things get more complex， and still no Doug。 Dead？ If so who killed him？ The same person who killed Paul？Abe's wife is upset that this case is too dangerous and wants the guys to cut him off from payroll since he is supposed to be semi-retired and more laid-back cases。 Of course， if you know Abe， he is in it too deep and wants to see it through。 The cops are not doing their job or finding the real killer。THE PLOT THICKENS。 There are so many twists， red herrings， turns， and suspects but this team is unstoppable！ Non-stop action leads to the explosive finale leaving you holding your breath！ Will there be justice？ What do I love about John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky series？ First， John Lescroart is not going to be retiring anytime soon， just like Dismas Hardy， Abe Glitsky， or myself。 We must have our hand in something。 All in or out。 Seriously， besides being one of my favorite legal thriller authors， and a long-time fan of Dismas， Abe， and these compelling cases， I adore the characters and their wives。 I am in their age group， and their home and workplace seem as inviting as their warm personalities。 I feel as though I could show up at their home for a casual dinner party with flowers and wine， and they would welcome me and I would feel right at home with interesting conversation。 These are multi-faceted characters that keep me coming back。 Each installment is fresh and unique。 Lescroart puts his characters through the wringer but he knows they are strong and resilient。 I loved THE MISSING PIECE！ If you have followed my blog for years， you know legal thrillers are my favorites and John Lescroart is TOPs。 I cannot wait to see where the guys land next！ Please keep this series coming。 Highly recommend！ Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for a digital ARC to read， enjoy， and review。 Blog Review Posted @ www。JudithDCollins。com @JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooksMy Rating: 5/5 StarsTop Books of 2022 March Must-Read Books Pub Date: March 29， 2022 。。。more

Nancy Goldberg Wilks ，

The Missing Piece is the nineteenth installment in John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series。 The expected publication date for this book is March 29， 2022。 Paul Riley had been convicted of the rape and murder of Dana Rush。 After serving eleven years for the crimes， and with the help of the Exoneration Initiative， Riley was cleared of the crimes and released。 When Riley was murdered four months after his release， police arrested Dana's father， Doug Rush。 And Doug hired Wes Farrell， the former distri The Missing Piece is the nineteenth installment in John Lescroart's Dismas Hardy series。 The expected publication date for this book is March 29， 2022。 Paul Riley had been convicted of the rape and murder of Dana Rush。 After serving eleven years for the crimes， and with the help of the Exoneration Initiative， Riley was cleared of the crimes and released。 When Riley was murdered four months after his release， police arrested Dana's father， Doug Rush。 And Doug hired Wes Farrell， the former district attorney and current partner of Dismas Hardy。 Hardy's longtime friend， Abe Glitsky， had been an inspector in charge of homicide with the San Francisco Police Department; he was now retired and doing some work for Hardy's firm as a private investigator。 When Doug failed to show for a court appearance， Hardy asked Abe to locate him。 And， Abe investigates with the dogged determination that we have come to expect from him。 But， as Doug had failed to appear， there was no client and， hence， no case。 Nonetheless， this doesn't stop Abe。 We accompany Abe as he follows the convoluted twists and turns that arise in this complex plot。 There are multiple suspects， multiple motives。 Although The Missing Piece is a Dismas Hardy novel， it feels a bit more like an Abe Glitsky novel。 Hardy's role doesn't feel as "front and center" as we are accustomed to in Lescroart's previous Hardy books， and this is a refreshing change。 Regardless of how it is categorized， The Missing Piece is another great addition to the continuing Hardy/Glitsky saga。 It remains one of my favorite series。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Mia ，

thanks to the publisher/NetGalleyI rate it 4。5/5 rounded up， because revisiting the characters in this series is like meeting old friendsKindle Edition， 304 pagesExpected publication: March 29th 2022 by Atria BooksI feel like many people who would like to read this author are a bit put off by his 30-ish titles already out there， but in this series he's only up to #19 of the Dismas Hardy character， who over the years was a cop， then an Irish Pub owner （he still has his fingers in this throughout thanks to the publisher/NetGalleyI rate it 4。5/5 rounded up， because revisiting the characters in this series is like meeting old friendsKindle Edition， 304 pagesExpected publication: March 29th 2022 by Atria BooksI feel like many people who would like to read this author are a bit put off by his 30-ish titles already out there， but in this series he's only up to #19 of the Dismas Hardy character， who over the years was a cop， then an Irish Pub owner （he still has his fingers in this throughout the series）， a Prosecutor， and now a Defense attorney。 The series grows as it goes along， dealing with his family members， his partners， his friends， his cases， his politics。 These books are short on atmosphere and long on character development。 There is much dialogue， but it can be sarcastic， friendly， humorous along the way， and the chatter between the legal community makes for an absorbing series。 He reminds me of a similar folksy character like Cork O'Connor from the William Kent Krueger series， another fave author of mine。 The reason for 30 titles is because he wrote a handful of stand-alones and has two of the main characters （Wyatt Hunt and Abe Glitsky） split off into their own mini-series of about 3-4 books each but also entwine with the Diz Hardy one。 There is talk of crimes such as kidnapping， assault， drug use， or murder， but it's rather cut and dried， & does not linger on the actual event and there are no garish details， nor explicit sex scenes at all。 Truthfully I don't favor his stand-alones as much， and I'm guilty of reading much of the series out of order （his first book is from 1990 and I started reading him just a few years later！！）， but Lescroart does drop in crumbs of information from previous books if you want to start here。 This is a really interesting one， and a very current plot idea from the headlines。 These books are legal mysteries/legal thrillers but don't let that stop you unless you just can't get pulled into anything about the law: cops， detectives， politicians， private investigators， defense attorneys， prosecutors， legal aid， rape crisis network， prisoners， victims， innocence project， and so forth。 His wide web of characters takes place in San Francisco。 From what I can tell， he mentions real streets and points of interest in that city。 Last year I reread the first couple and they seem dated， but then again so is the very early Bosch series。 So while I always recommend trying to get a very character-driven series from book one， you can jump in further on and see if you like the style， then backtrack。 I hope I have piqued someone's interest！ 。。。more

Kathleen Gray ，

Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in this long running series- this latest complex mystery will be fine as a standalone because Lescroat has both given you enough back story and crafted a tale that works well as a singleton。 Know that it's not a legal thriller but more of a procedural。 The Exoneration Initiative worked to get Paul Riley released from prison and when he's murdered shortly after， Doug Rush， the father of the woman he raped and murdered， is the prime suspect。 But Ru Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books in this long running series- this latest complex mystery will be fine as a standalone because Lescroat has both given you enough back story and crafted a tale that works well as a singleton。 Know that it's not a legal thriller but more of a procedural。 The Exoneration Initiative worked to get Paul Riley released from prison and when he's murdered shortly after， Doug Rush， the father of the woman he raped and murdered， is the prime suspect。 But Rush maintains he didn't do it and then Rush himself is killed。 Wes Farrell， who as DA put Riley in prison， represents Rush until his death and he's put former Chief of Homicide Abe Glitsky on the case to investigate- and Glitsky is intrigued enough by the circumstances that he keeps going to find out what happened to Rush。 This goes in multiple directions as Glitsky works through several theories- and the questions get bigger。 Lescroat has a way with characters- they stand out on the page （even if some of his attitudes especially about women could use an update- wearing Birkenstocks for example does not make one a hippie）。 The mystery is quite twisty （I didn't guess the answer）。 Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC。 A very good read。 。。。more

Fran Lewis ，

The Missing Piece by John LescroartDismas Hardy series returns with this relentlessly twisty murder thriller。Reading this was like visiting an old group of friends。 Wonderful cosy mystery。Thank you to @netgalley，

Meredith ，

3。5 stars The Missing Piece is a multilayered mystery/legal thriller/procedural about a convicted murderer and rapist who， when evidence demonstrates his innocence， is released from prison only to be murdered months later。The mystery centers around a defense attorney， his boss， and a PI investigating multiple crimes all linked to the death of the accused murdered。 What seems like a cut and dry case is much more complicated than it initially appears， resulting in a moral quandary。 I haven’t read 3。5 stars The Missing Piece is a multilayered mystery/legal thriller/procedural about a convicted murderer and rapist who， when evidence demonstrates his innocence， is released from prison only to be murdered months later。The mystery centers around a defense attorney， his boss， and a PI investigating multiple crimes all linked to the death of the accused murdered。 What seems like a cut and dry case is much more complicated than it initially appears， resulting in a moral quandary。 I haven’t read this series before， and I think I made a mistake starting with book #19。 There were many characters to keep track of and multiple points of view to wade through。 I struggled to keep track of who was who， but Abe Glitsky stood out from the others。 I liked most of the characters， but I need to get to know them better to truly care。 Since I had no attachment to the characters， I didn’t find myself invested in their personal lives， but I was intrigued by the case。 The plot goes in many directions， takes some surprising twists and turns， and often misdirects with red herrings to unravel the events surrounding the mysterious murders。 At the same time， the plot is tightly wound， and all angles eventually tie together。 I found The Missing Piece to be fast-paced and easy to read。 Although there are many characters and pieces to keep track of， they all flow together。 This was an enjoyable read， but not one I loved， but I feel like if I read the earlier books in the series that my love will grow！ I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Susanne ，

Thank you to the author， Atria Books and NetGalley， for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Apparently this is the 19th book in Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy series， and I am astonished that it's the first of them I've read。 Of course the characters will be well-known to fans， but I found it also worked well as a stand-alone police/PI procedural。 The characters are well-drawn and distinctive， and the author draws the reader into the moral quandry of guilt and innocence， and situations that resul Thank you to the author， Atria Books and NetGalley， for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 Apparently this is the 19th book in Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy series， and I am astonished that it's the first of them I've read。 Of course the characters will be well-known to fans， but I found it also worked well as a stand-alone police/PI procedural。 The characters are well-drawn and distinctive， and the author draws the reader into the moral quandry of guilt and innocence， and situations that result in the （most probably） guilty being let off on a technicality。 I look forward to catching up on the 18 earlier books in the series！ 。。。more

Katie Matwiejow ，

I’ve read a lot of detective/mystery books。 I liked many of the characters in this book but especially Abe， who was persistent in finding the truth at all costs。 I also like that this book shows the fatal flaws in the justice system such as how sometimes people are wrongly convicted and how sometimes they are rightfully convicted and get off on technicalities。 I also like how this book addressed police brutality and the consequences of such。 I was however shocked with the ending and who the kill I’ve read a lot of detective/mystery books。 I liked many of the characters in this book but especially Abe， who was persistent in finding the truth at all costs。 I also like that this book shows the fatal flaws in the justice system such as how sometimes people are wrongly convicted and how sometimes they are rightfully convicted and get off on technicalities。 I also like how this book addressed police brutality and the consequences of such。 I was however shocked with the ending and who the killer turned out to be when this storyline took so many twists and turns。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

Eleven years ago San Francisco DA Wes Farrell successfully sent Paul Riley to prison for life after he was tried for the rape and murder of his girlfriend， Dana Rush。 Now he has been released under the Exoneration Initiative which reviews old cases， looking for holes in the evidence， and in Riley’s case found evidence that someone else could have raped and killed Dana。 However， her father Doug Rush remained convinced that Riley was to blame and swore he would kill him。 A few months after Riley’s Eleven years ago San Francisco DA Wes Farrell successfully sent Paul Riley to prison for life after he was tried for the rape and murder of his girlfriend， Dana Rush。 Now he has been released under the Exoneration Initiative which reviews old cases， looking for holes in the evidence， and in Riley’s case found evidence that someone else could have raped and killed Dana。 However， her father Doug Rush remained convinced that Riley was to blame and swore he would kill him。 A few months after Riley’s release， he is living in the apartment above his father’s garage， working at a restaurant and doing a little burglary on the side to pay the rent。 After his father hears a single gunshot coming from the garage after work one day he sees a man he identifies as Doug Rush racing down the stairs。 Although Rush loudly proclaims his innocence heis arrested for Riley’s murder and hires Wes Farrell， now a defence lawyer。 However after Farrell gets Rush bailed he disappears the night before he’s due in court， leaving a puzzled Farrell to look into his case with the aid of PI Abe Glitsky。As this is the 19th book in Lescroart’s Dismas Hardy series， all the characters will be well known to his fans。 Although it is the first book in the series that I’ve read， I felt it also worked well as a stand-alone novel as the characters were easy to get to know， especially through their casual， and often witty， dialogue with one another。 The plot， although complex， was well paced with plenty of false turns as Glitsky delves deeper into Doug Rush’ life and friends。 Farrell is struggling with his misgivings about being a defense lawyer。 After so many years as a prosecutor， he can’t help believing that most of his clients are guilty of the crimes they are accused of and he is having difficulty justifying the morality of his decision to defend them。 Glistsky is a very able and smart investigator who turns up a number of intriguing directions in the case， eventually sending the investigation in a totally different direction。 This is a well put together murder mystery with a touch of legal thriller and has convinced me I should add this series to my reading list。With thanks to Atria Books via Netgalley for a copy to read 。。。more

Lynne Seaver ，

Net galley and Atria Books offered me this book to read and it sounded awesome。 I went into it thinking it was a stand alone come to find out it’s book 19 in a series。 I was terribly confused and I think if you choose you could read it as a stand alone。 It’s well written and the mystery is awesome。 I loved the characters and it was fast paced。 I think I’m going to have to read the rest of the series。

Shannon Jump ，

I enjoyed this one！ The story itself was quite interesting and kept me guessing， but coming into a series at book 19 wasn't ideal。 I didn't realize this was a series when I took the ARC， so shame on me there， but this was a well-done procedural， albeit a bit dialogue-heavy， that kept me invested despite not being as familiar with the characters。 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted eARC！ I enjoyed this one！ The story itself was quite interesting and kept me guessing， but coming into a series at book 19 wasn't ideal。 I didn't realize this was a series when I took the ARC， so shame on me there， but this was a well-done procedural， albeit a bit dialogue-heavy， that kept me invested despite not being as familiar with the characters。 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the gifted eARC！ 。。。more

Barbara ，

3。5 starsIn this 19th book in the Dismas Hardy series， the attorney gets involved when a released prisoner is murdered。 The book can be read as a standalone but familiarity with the characters is a bonus。*****Eleven years ago， Paul Riley was convicted of the rape and murder of a young woman named Dana Rush。 Riley's case was subsequently taken up by the Exoneration Initiative （EI）， which helps people who were wrongly convicted。 The EI got a confession from another convict， and Riley was released 3。5 starsIn this 19th book in the Dismas Hardy series， the attorney gets involved when a released prisoner is murdered。 The book can be read as a standalone but familiarity with the characters is a bonus。*****Eleven years ago， Paul Riley was convicted of the rape and murder of a young woman named Dana Rush。 Riley's case was subsequently taken up by the Exoneration Initiative （EI）， which helps people who were wrongly convicted。 The EI got a confession from another convict， and Riley was released from prison。Since then Riley has moved into a garage apartment on his father's property， got a job in a restaurant， and taken up his old vocation - burglary。 One evening， Riley comes home with a good haul of jewelry and money and gets shot in the head。 Riley's dad tells the police he heard the shot and saw Doug Rush， the father of the raped girl Dana Rush， leaving the property。 The police take the ID seriously because Doug - who STILL believed Riley was guilty - railed against his release and threatened to kill him。 The police arrest Doug Rush and botch the job by kicking and beating him while he's helpless on the ground。 A video of the assault is uploaded to the internet and the police are vilified for brutality。 This being the case the police want a quick conviction， so they look a tad less bad。Meanwhile Doug hires Wes Farrell - a former District Attorney who's now a defense lawyer in Dismas Hardy's law firm - to represent him。 Being on the prosecution side has infiltrated Wes's psyche and he believes all defendants are guilty， including Doug。 As things play out， Doug forfeits his million-dollar bail by not showing up for his preliminary hearing， and Wes feels somewhat vindicated in his opinion。Then Doug is found murdered and the police， who are embarrassed by the whole business， drag their feet on the investigation。 Wes Farrell and Dismas Hardy - whose law firm got a $100，000 retainer from Doug - feel they owe him a debt。 So the lawyers enlist the help of private detective Abe Glitzky， who was once Head of Homicide for the San Francisco Police Department。 Abe sets out to discover who killed Doug， believing it's the same man who shot Paul Riley。 So two birds with one stone。 During Abe's investigation he speaks to various people， including Doug's neighbor， Doug's lady friend， the members of Doug's motorcycle club， and people associated with Paul Riley。 Additional deaths blur the picture， and at one point Abe， a happily married man， gets the come-on from an interviewee， which made me laugh。 😄 Abe also contacts a lawyer at the EI， who admits the EI doesn't always get it right and some guilty convicts have been sprung from prison。Though this is a Dismas Hardy book， the novel is mostly a police procedural focused on Abe Glitzky。 I like police procedurals and Abe is an appealing character， so that's fine with me。 Thanks to Netgalley， John Lescroart， and Atria Books for a copy of the book。 You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer。blogspot。com 。。。more

Rick ，

After a 3 year hiatus/sabbatical from the Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky series， John Lescroart has returned to form with book #19。 The Missing Piece has almost all the characters from earlier books including， Gina， Wes， Wyatt， etc。 and centers around the murders of a newly exonerated prisoner and the father of the woman who the prisoner had allegedly murdered 11 years prior。While there is no courtroom drama， Abe， as a private investigator， decides to track down all the loose ends and to make sense of After a 3 year hiatus/sabbatical from the Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky series， John Lescroart has returned to form with book #19。 The Missing Piece has almost all the characters from earlier books including， Gina， Wes， Wyatt， etc。 and centers around the murders of a newly exonerated prisoner and the father of the woman who the prisoner had allegedly murdered 11 years prior。While there is no courtroom drama， Abe， as a private investigator， decides to track down all the loose ends and to make sense of the murders。Another clear winner for Author Lescroart; here's hoping he doesn't take another 3 years before the next installment。 Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read the pre-publication Kindle version in exchange for this review。 。。。more

Kaceey ，

Book 19 of the Dismas Hardy series。Wes Farrell has crossed over from being a prosecutor to a criminal defense attorney。 Only problem is he is majorly burnt out。 He no longer believes anything his clients tell him。 And truly doesn’t care about the outcome。 But that attitude may cost him…。 Or his client！When Paul Riley convicted rapist and murderer is released from prison by The Exoneration Initiative， it’s not long before he is gunned down outside his apartment。 The only eye witness is Paul’s dad Book 19 of the Dismas Hardy series。Wes Farrell has crossed over from being a prosecutor to a criminal defense attorney。 Only problem is he is majorly burnt out。 He no longer believes anything his clients tell him。 And truly doesn’t care about the outcome。 But that attitude may cost him…。 Or his client！When Paul Riley convicted rapist and murderer is released from prison by The Exoneration Initiative， it’s not long before he is gunned down outside his apartment。 The only eye witness is Paul’s dad。 Only how reliable a witness is he？ And the police can’t seem to get out of their own way。There is so much going on with a plethora of characters， but being a long time fan of this series I was able to follow along easily。 Abe Glitsky， former homicide detective， now private investigator takes a large role in this book！ Which made me very happy as he is one of my favorite characters from this series。I have a lot of long standing series that I have slowly stepped away from。 I love the characters but the storylines just failed to hold me， and the characters alone can only hold it together for so long。 I’m happy to say this series is going as strong as ever。 Of course I love all the characters！ I feel like I’ve grown up with them。 And each storyline is as intricate and thrilling as ever。If you are a fan of this series and want to walk down memory lane while enjoying a thrilling storyline then make sure this book is on your list！ Can this be read as a stand-alone？ Sure。 But I highly suggest starting at the beginning！ It’s worth it！Posted to: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend。。。Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books 。。。more

Annarella ，

The first book I read in this series， it won't be the last as it's a gripping and highly entertaining story。Fast paced and twisty， good storytelling and character development。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine The first book I read in this series， it won't be the last as it's a gripping and highly entertaining story。Fast paced and twisty， good storytelling and character development。Recommended。Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more

Gulshan B。 ，

This is my first book in the Dismas Hardy series from John Lescroart， and it was a pleasant surprise， for the most part。The story originates from the Exoneration Initiative， that provides legal assistance to convicts who claim to have been wrongfully convicted of crimes they didn't commit。 In any other iteration this may have been a legal thriller， but this book takes the reader deeper into what the tags of guilty and innocent imply， and what it means and takes to be exonerated。 Often， the exone This is my first book in the Dismas Hardy series from John Lescroart， and it was a pleasant surprise， for the most part。The story originates from the Exoneration Initiative， that provides legal assistance to convicts who claim to have been wrongfully convicted of crimes they didn't commit。 In any other iteration this may have been a legal thriller， but this book takes the reader deeper into what the tags of guilty and innocent imply， and what it means and takes to be exonerated。 Often， the exoneration is attempted to be carried out as a heroic gesture， but really is merely based on technicalities and loopholes in the law， and in fact blatantly ends up abusing the same law they they saw has wronged their clients in the first place。The book makes no claims or judgements on the Initiative itself， but gives the reader enough material to begin pondering over what the system really looks like， and why many believe it is broken。The only gripe I have with the story is that in may places the writing is very mediocre and generic。 A lot of the book is just conversations， which by itself is not really a problem - but both the narrative and the conversations themselves often don't come across as grounded， and rather give the impression of shallow and almost as if written in a hurry。 There are numerous instances where the same phrase is used repeatedly in a handful of pages， even when different characters are shown using the exact same phrase， in the exact same way。 It's as if the author was too busy or lazy to create separately identifiable personas for his different characters。 That definitely took away from the overall effect of the narrative。There is real potential in some of these characters to be developed better and independently， but sadly are not given the opportunity。Also， after reading this I'm at a loss as to why this is described as a Dismas Hardy story。 Read it and you'll know。 It is by no means unreadable - far from it。 In fact， the overall thriller and suspense elements in the book are quite good， and reminded me of some of the early Reacher stories - though not nearly as tight or fast as those books were （！）。 Quite good， nevertheless。Thanks to NetGalley， Atria Books， John Lescroart for an eARC。 。。。more

Heather ，

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle， Atria Books and by #NetGalley。 Opinions expressed are completely my own。 Fast-paced， well done， captivating story。 The characters are developed and honed。 The evolution is solid。

Patrice Hoffman ，

Just finished the 19th installment in the Dismas Hardy Series by John Lescroart and I'm torn。 I'm a fan of Lescroart's work and I've enjoyed all the works produced in this series， yet， I'm not as impressed or thrilled with The Missing Piece。Wes Farrell is hired to represent Doug Rush who's been arrested for murdering the man who'd been convicted and exonerated of the rape and murder of his daughter。 Farrell is convinced his client， Rush， is guilty of the crime and is conflicted with representing Just finished the 19th installment in the Dismas Hardy Series by John Lescroart and I'm torn。 I'm a fan of Lescroart's work and I've enjoyed all the works produced in this series， yet， I'm not as impressed or thrilled with The Missing Piece。Wes Farrell is hired to represent Doug Rush who's been arrested for murdering the man who'd been convicted and exonerated of the rape and murder of his daughter。 Farrell is convinced his client， Rush， is guilty of the crime and is conflicted with representing him。 In a past life， his work as a prosecutor has convinced him that everyone's guilty。 As he struggles with his own personal ethics， his client is murdered。 Insert Abe Glitsky， the resident investigator that can't seem to let this case go as he finds connections that other investigating police ignored。 Against the odds， he presses on to find out who is actually guilty of killing Doug Rush and the man convicted of murdering his daughter。 The danger that's instore investigating this case could not be greater。That danger is palpable and a driving force in this fast paced mystery/thriller。 Generally， the Hardy series is a simple， easy read， and that doesn't change here。 The first chapter sets the stage followed by the layering of more mystery and intrigue that it's hard to walk away without needing to know whodunnit。 I HAD to know whodunnit。My only issue is that after awhile， I didn't care whodunnit。 There's too many periphery characters and "persons of interest" that I no longer was able to keep it all straight。 This could totally be my fault because I don't have the privilege of reading books how I used to， within a couple days or so。 I admit， I may be the problem。 Yet， I can't help but be disappointed with The Missing Piece。 I don't know what it was but something was missing for me with this title。 The ending was a little too wrapped up similarly to the summation's from my favorite TV show， Monk。 The OCD detective perfectly sums up what the bad guy did in the last few minutes of the show。 That's kinda what happened here。 One of the （too） many characters happens to be the murderer with too few nuggets of information provided on how， where， or why he was even a suspect。Regardless， although The Missing Piece was a quick read and entertaining enough， I don't think it's a great installment to the Hardy series。 Sure I'm under impressed with the title， but Lescroart is a great writer。 I look forward to the next installment in this series。 Copy provided by Atria Books via Netgalley 。。。more

Kim Fox ，

Recently I received a copy of The Missing Piece by John Lescroart。 The blurb sounded good， so I looked him up and realized that this was book 19 in the Dismas Hardy series。 As embarrassed as I am that I am just now discovering this author， I am so excited that there are EIGHTEEN books in the backlist that I get to read！！ That's not even counting the 9 other books that he has published！！ I love finding new authors！！ In， The Missing Piece， Paul Riley was just released from prison。 He had been in f Recently I received a copy of The Missing Piece by John Lescroart。 The blurb sounded good， so I looked him up and realized that this was book 19 in the Dismas Hardy series。 As embarrassed as I am that I am just now discovering this author， I am so excited that there are EIGHTEEN books in the backlist that I get to read！！ That's not even counting the 9 other books that he has published！！ I love finding new authors！！ In， The Missing Piece， Paul Riley was just released from prison。 He had been in for the rape and murder of Dana， his girlfriend。 The Exoneration Initiative （think: Innocence Project） gets Paul released when evidence shows another man did the crime。 Paul is trying to live his life and trying to make enough money to survive when he is killed。 What follows is a roller coaster of who did it， and more murder。 I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and I look forward to reading more of John Lescroart's books！ 4⭐Thank you to Netgalley， Atria Books and John Lescroart for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion。 。。。more

Matt ，

First and foremost， a large thank you to NetGalley， John Lescroart， and Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this publication， which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review。There is something captivating about the writing of John Lescroart， perhaps because he tackles legal matters from all angles。 His series intertwine so well， using a strong core of characters， but never seem to run out of ideas along the way。 Now that Wes Farrell is no longer the District Attorney， he’s turned First and foremost， a large thank you to NetGalley， John Lescroart， and Atria Books for providing me with a copy of this publication， which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review。There is something captivating about the writing of John Lescroart， perhaps because he tackles legal matters from all angles。 His series intertwine so well， using a strong core of characters， but never seem to run out of ideas along the way。 Now that Wes Farrell is no longer the District Attorney， he’s turned to working for the defence， something that has him less than happy。 As he ponders his future， he’s contacted by the father of a victim whose killer he helped put away。 It would seem there is some concern that a murder has been committed。 As Farrell takes the case and uses all his resources， things take a definite turn， sending the lead investigator down a path with many dire warnings。 Lescroart at his best， sure to impress those who have long followed this series。After an illustrious career， Wes Farrell knew it was time to end his tenure as District Attorney and find something new to fill his time。 While it was not the best offer， Farrell chose to work for the defence， alongside his longtime friend， Dismas Hardy。 However， Farrell’s been having second thoughts about defending those he feels are guilty and thinks that it might be time to call it a career。 Hardy， having taken the plunge many years before， seeks to counsel his friend， but does not appear to be making much headway。When a call comes into the firm， asking for Farrell to attend the local jail， he’s intrigued。 It’s a man he knows well， the father of a victim whose killer was just released from jail by an energetic Exoneration Initiative。 It would seem that Doug Rush is now being accused of killing his daughter’s killer， with an eyewitness who saw the murder。 While Rush asserts his innocence， even Farrell cannot be sure of it， feeling that there was more than enough anger to fuel some retribution。As Farrell begins his defence， he realises that he will be up against a mountain of evidence。 He acquires the services of Private Investigator Abe Glitsky， former homicide detective with the San Francisco PD and best friends with Dismas Hardy。 While Glitsky is ready to take on the investigation， he’s not too sure what it will reveal， particularly with Farrell sure his client his guilty。When Rush does not turn up after being granted bail， everyone’s sure he’s on the lam。 Glitsky works to uncover what’s going on with Rush， as well as trying to nail down an alibi。 Things take a definite turn for the worse and Glitsky becomes trapped in a web of deception， double speak， and lies。 He discovers that the Exoneration Initiative has done work across the country with some interesting results， though the fallout has much to be desired。 Could all this pose significant issues for Glitsky， Farrell， and others around San Francisco。 A great piece by John Lescroart that keeps the reader in the middle of the action。Lescroart’s writing is so entertaining that varied that it owes not matter whose perspective the novel takes， the story is sure to be worth reading。 Lescroart has built-up various offshoot series， using his core characters， all of whom work well together and keep the overall story arc intact。 There is something about these stories that keeps me coming back， from the legal maneuvers to the investigative measure， as well as the dry wit that matches my own。 When Lescroart publishes， I take note， having done so for the last two decades， since I stumbled upon this series。There are a few central characters in this piece， making it difficult to choose just one。 Wes Farrell and Abe Glitsky are the apparent protagonists， offering up their own views and development throughout。 Both have had great backstories woven into their respective series in the past， but do not hesitate to always leave their mark at present again。 There is a richness to the characters and great interaction between them， leaving series fans to bask in the banter that is a special part of this large and complex set of series。As with many of his novels， I was pulled into the middle of this book in the opening chapters。 Tackling some retribution issues proved to be only the tip of the iceberg， as Wes Farrell and Abe Glitsky forged ahead to make their marks on the piece。 Strong narrative flow helped create a needed momentum， as the reader seeks to understand the complexities of the plot as it is developed。 Chapters vary in length and perspective， keeping the reader guessing about what awaits them as things progress。 As mentioned before， the web of characters and series that connect here have always impressed me， allowing some who play a major role to be but cameos at times， while others step into the limelight。 I cannot wait to see what comes of this series， which has remained strong， even with the ever-growing number of books！Kudos， Mr。 Lescroart， for another winner。 I eagerly await publication when I see you have another book in the works！Love/hate the review？ An ever-growing collection of others appears at: http://pecheyponderings。wordpress。com/A Book for All Seasons， a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www。goodreads。com/group/show/。。。 。。。more

Kristin （Kritters Ramblings） ，

Paul Riley is just out of prison after being accused of the rape and murder of his girlfriend and her father will never forget what happened to his only daughter。 So he is the first to be accused when Paul Riley is shot point blank entering his apartment one night。 And so begins the mystery in this book。 While in typical mystery series， the mystery itself is contained within the pages of each book， but with this one there was a lot of character development that with this book being the 19th in t Paul Riley is just out of prison after being accused of the rape and murder of his girlfriend and her father will never forget what happened to his only daughter。 So he is the first to be accused when Paul Riley is shot point blank entering his apartment one night。 And so begins the mystery in this book。 While in typical mystery series， the mystery itself is contained within the pages of each book， but with this one there was a lot of character development that with this book being the 19th in the series， I felt as though I was missing a lot。 There were many moments in this book where I felt like I should have known more and it hindered my reading experience。 I did enjoy the mystery itself which made me want to possibly go back to the very beginning and get to know these characters from the beginning and watch them tackle mystery after mystery！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Missing Piece

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Missing Piece&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Missing Piece&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0