One of mystery fiction's most enduring and affecting male buddy teams--San Francisco defense attorney Dismas Hardy and police lieutenant Abe Glitsky--are back in Lescroart's newest thriller. Glitsky's been kicked upstairs (or sideways) to a desk job and warned off his usual homicide beat even though it's his father's best friend who's been murdered in a robbery-slaying, and it's Hardy's pal and client, John Holiday, who's been targeted as the killer. When two more killings follow, no one in the department believes that Hardy's client was set up. They don't believe Abe, either--the harder he tries to get at the truth, the more his ex-colleagues are convinced that he's a rogue cop who wants his old job back and will stoop to anything to get it. They got that idea from the well-bribed police brass who are protecting the real killers from prosecution and putting Abe and Dismas's nearest and dearest in their cross-hairs, too. But that's not quite enough to call our heroes off the case, even though the talented author manages to maintain the tension and ratchet up the suspense long enough to make the reader wonder. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
Abe Glitsky, the gruff, hard-nosed homicide cop from San Francisco who typically plays a supporting role in Lescroart's line of legal thrillers (Hard Evidence; The Hearing; etc.), takes center stage in the series's 11th entry. After convalescing for 13 months from a gunshot wound suffered in last year's The Oath, Glitsky finally returns to the force, only to discover that his beloved homicide detail is now under the command of someone else. Glitsky is assigned to head the payroll department. Embittered about his new job and itching to return to real police work, Glitsky starts poking around when one of his father's friends, a pawnshop owner, is shot to death. His superiors warn him to stop trying to horn his way back into homicide, but it soon becomes apparent to Glitsky-and the series's usual star, defense attorney Dismas Hardy-that the case is far more significant than a simple robbery gone bad; it's part of a string of murders that appear to be connected to a private security company that provides protection for much of the city's business community. Worse, somebody on the police force is trying to cover up the murder spree and frame one of Hardy's clients for it. With his latest, Lescroart again lands in the top tier of crime fiction. On display are his usual strengths-a grasp of current social and legal issues, an insider's knowledge of San Francisco and an ability to draw characters with sensitive, nuanced strokes. Even when his plots grow a little far-fetched-as this one does toward the end-Lescroart's storytelling skills conceal the blemishes.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
When his father's best friend is murdered, Lt. Abe Glitsky starts investigating, even though he is on desk duty after sustaining a near-fatal injury. Soon, he's joined by Lescroart stalwart Dismas Hardy, whose pal John Holiday is a prime-and most unlikely-suspect. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
Internal corruption in the SFPD and the covert actions of the contractors who provide security in downtown San Francisco are the topics of this police procedural. Dismas Hardy and Lt. Abe Glitsky are in the thick of the action yet again as they investigate a string of seemingly unconnected murders. Robert Lawrence's narration brings tension to a high-energy plot. He deftly switches gears and accents as the action moves from place to place. A surprising ending is worth the wait. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
The popular lawyer-cop team of Dismas "Diz" Hardy (lawyer) and Abe Glitzky (cop) returns for another episode of legal maneuvering on the streets of San Francisco. The bullet wound sustained by Abe in Lescroart's last adventure (The Oath, 2002) confines him to a desk job, so he's no help to Diz when he goes up against the Patrol Special, a private-enterprise neighborhood security system supervised by the SFPD. It seems that Diz's good friend, John Holiday, a bar owner in one of the patrolled areas, is fingered as a murder suspect; however, John contends the corrupt beat "cops" framed him. But no one buys into the conspiracy theory, and with an ambitious D.A. on his tail, John has no choice but to become a fugitive, dragging Diz and Abe into hiding with him. So Diz, who up to now has had a pretty clean slate (his relationship to the less straight-and-narrow John notwithstanding), is seen as corrupt, and Abe, who has no business doing anything coplike on the street, is thought to be on the wrong side of the law. Lescroart's expert crafting turns this legal thriller into quite a wild ride. As always, expect demand. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
They date back to the wilder days of San Francisco's vigilante past, a private police force that keeps watch for paying clients. Unfortunately, Sam Silverman-an elderly pawnshop owner and a friend of Lt. Abe Glitsky's father-could no longer afford Patrol Special protection, and he may have paid with his life. Dismas Hardy, putting together a high-stakes lawsuit against the security firm, suddenly finds himself defending a local bar owner accused in Silverman's death. He's convinced of John Holiday's innocence-until he goes on the lam. Now, blocked at every turn, Hardy and Glitsky may be forced to protect not only themselves, but their nearest and dearest, as they step cautiously into a world where the only law is survival...

FROM OUR EDITORS

Defense attorney Dismas Hardy and Lieutenant Abe Glitsky rejoin forces to help John Holiday, an old friend and client of Hardy's. Unfortunately, a band of rogue cops has already targeted Holiday as a cold-blooded killer worthy of vigilante execution. Instead of merely tracking culprits, Dismas and Abe must now fight hard just to stay alive. The author of The Oath delivers another gripping novel.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"After recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound, Lieutenant Abe Glitsky is back at work with the San Francisco Police Department. But instead of returning to his old job as chief of homicide detail, he's assigned a desk job in payroll. Keeping tabs on overtime and paychecks, Glitsky has no business investigating murders - until his father's closest friend is shot dead in a downtown pawnshop." "Prodded by his father, Glitsky asks the new homicide lieutenant about the case, but the brass tells him in no uncertain terms to stay out of it. Guided by the Patrol Special - a private police force supervised by the SFPD that is a holdover from San Francisco's vigilante past - the police have already targeted their prime suspect: John Holiday, proprieter of a run-down local bar, and a friend and client of Dismas Hardy." "While Dismas Hardy has built a solid legal practice and a happy family, John Holiday has not followed the same path. Despite this, Hardy has remained Holiday's attorney and confidant, and, with Glitsky's help, Hardy finds ample reason to question Holiday's guilt. Hardy's case falls on hostile ears, however, and to avoid arrest, Holiday turns fugitive. The police now believe three things: that Hardy is a liar protecting Holiday, that Holiday is a cold-blooded killer, and that Glitsky is a bad cop on the wrong side of the law." As the suspense reaches fever pitch, Hardy, Glitsky, and even their families are caught in the crossfire and directly threatened. The police won't protect them. Shunned within the corridors of power, and increasingly isolated at every turn, Hardy and Glitsky face their darkest hour. For when the law forsakes them, they must look to another, more primal law in order to survive.

FROM THE CRITICS

The Washington Post

Lescroart has been at this game long enough that he has all the necessary tricks in his bag. The requisite double-crosses, threatened families and old friends turned suspicious nonbelievers are all in place. Even if the book does have a certain paint-by-numbers feel, it is still entertaining to see the picture come together. Lescroart may not win many new fans with this one, but his regular audience will find much here to enjoy. —David Montgomery

Publishers Weekly

Abe Glitsky, the gruff, hard-nosed homicide cop from San Francisco who typically plays a supporting role in Lescroart's line of legal thrillers (Hard Evidence; The Hearing; etc.), takes center stage in the series's 11th entry. After convalescing for 13 months from a gunshot wound suffered in last year's The Oath, Glitsky finally returns to the force, only to discover that his beloved homicide detail is now under the command of someone else. Glitsky is assigned to head the payroll department. Embittered about his new job and itching to return to real police work, Glitsky starts poking around when one of his father's friends, a pawnshop owner, is shot to death. His superiors warn him to stop trying to horn his way back into homicide, but it soon becomes apparent to Glitsky-and the series's usual star, defense attorney Dismas Hardy-that the case is far more significant than a simple robbery gone bad; it's part of a string of murders that appear to be connected to a private security company that provides protection for much of the city's business community. Worse, somebody on the police force is trying to cover up the murder spree and frame one of Hardy's clients for it. With his latest, Lescroart again lands in the top tier of crime fiction. On display are his usual strengths-a grasp of current social and legal issues, an insider's knowledge of San Francisco and an ability to draw characters with sensitive, nuanced strokes. Even when his plots grow a little far-fetched-as this one does toward the end-Lescroart's storytelling skills conceal the blemishes. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

The First Law is Lescroart's latest installment in the popular Dismas Hardy (lawyer)/Abe Glitsky (homicide detective) series. An apparent holdover from San Francisco's vigilante past, the "Patrol Special," licensed private security employees only nebulously accountable to the SFPD, police certain parts of the city. Wade Panos is the licensee for several of these territories; he manages, however, despite the complaints and lawsuits lodged against him, to mislead and derail an SFPD homicide investigation, frame an innocent man whose business he hoped to acquire cheaply, and completely discredit Abe and Dismas's solid reputation with local law enforcement. Our heroes' attempts to fight back lead to threats against their families and loved ones. The titular "first law," i.e., protect your life and the people you love, foreshadows their ultimate choice to seek justice outside the law. Seen cumulatively, the plot is disturbingly implausible, though the internal logic of the book can't be faulted. Lescroart, in fact, excels at plotting and characterization, but this work is not well served by Robert Lawrence, whose occasionally cartoonish characterizations are distracting and frustrating. Not an outstanding production; buy as demand warrants.-Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

AudioFile

Internal corruption in the SFPD and the covert actions of the contractors who provide security in downtown San Francisco are the topics of this police procedural. Dismas Hardy and Lt. Abe Glitsky are in the thick of the action yet again as they investigate a string of seemingly unconnected murders. Robert Lawrence's narration brings tension to a high-energy plot. He deftly switches gears and accents as the action moves from place to place. A surprising ending is worth the wait. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

It's lawyers vs. cops, rent-a-cops vs. cops, cops vs. cops in Lescroart's latest big bite of Bay City malfeasance (The Oath).

Ever since its vigilante days, the San Francisco Police Department hasn't been able to guarantee every single downtown business the level of security they'd all like. So the slack's been taken up by private-security firms like WGP, Inc., a corporation Dismas Hardy and David Freeman have named in a $30 million suit for systematic criminal harassment of undesirables and former clients balking at skyrocketing rates-even without knowing that the firm's businessman/philanthropist head Wade Panos, who also walks one of his own beats, is secretly helping the Russian National Treasury launder money and dump diamonds on the world market. When Sam Silverman, the pawnbroker friend of Lt. Abe Glitsky's father, is killed in a botched robbery, Glitsky, the former Homicide chief banished to Payroll by a bullet wound, and Hardy, attorney for prime suspect John Holiday, take a lively interest in the case, especially when three follow-up murders seem to put Holiday even more firmly in the frame. Before Glitsky can press his connections in the D.A.'s office or Hardy put out the word about his client's alibi for two of the crimes, however, the case is sewn up by WGP's employees, who supply crucial evidence that Holiday and Dis insist can't be authentic. Now that Lescroart has unlimbered his big guns-and it takes forever for him to get them ready to fire-the stage is set for a no-holds-barred confrontation between Dis and Co. (minus Freeman, lying in a coma after a savage beating) and Panos and his far-reaching tentacles. The resulting body count should put aserious dent in traffic jams on the Golden Gate Bridge.

The sturdy but simple conflict between Establishment villains and a heroic band of merry men is stretched to the breaking point by male-bonding badinage and felonies obbligato.