From Publishers Weekly
Lescroart starts slowly and takes too much time building reader interest in this latest addition to his acclaimed San Francisco legal suspense series featuring lawyer Dismas Hardy and cop pal Abe Glitsky (The First Law, The Oath, The Hearing). Dismas is firmly ensconced at the top of his flourishing law firm, and Abe has been made deputy chief of investigations, but neither man really enjoys his exalted executive status. Dismas, who seldom finds himself in a real courtroom these days, has become a high-priced legal fixer who takes meetings, goes to lunch and drinks too much, while Abe yearns for the intellectual challenge and physical thrills of a good murder investigation. Dismas's up-and-coming associate, Amy Wu, lands a case defending Andrew North, a troubled 17-year-old who's been arrested for murdering his girlfriend and high school drama coach. In an attempt to have him tried as a juvenile rather than an adult, Amy commits the inexplicable error of admitting her client's guilt to the district attorney before even speaking to the accused teenager. After this egregious blunder, Dismas joins his normally stellar associate as "second chair" in the trial and manages to rescue the case and shake his own disillusionment with the legal system. While readers new to the series might feel a bit left behind (Lescroart spends too much time referring to events in past books, particularly The First Law), old fans and those who persevere will be rewarded with a compassionate look at life's vicissitudes and a thorny multiple murder case. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
This latest Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky legal thriller presents a lot of change in the series. After the death of his mentor, Hardy, formerly a dedicated sole practitioner, has become a managing partner of a larger law firm. Glitsky is having problems of his own in his new elevated role as deputy chief of investigations. Even the reader, formerly David Laurence, is new. Though for the first few minutes you miss Laurence's scratchy voice, you quickly come to appreciate David Colacci's deep tones and crisp narration. While Hardy second chairs a murder trial for troubled associate Amy Wu, also a new character, Glitsky hunts for a serial killer who apparently executes his victims at random. There are both familiar and new twists here, which Colacchi handles equally well. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Lescroart regulars Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky may have survived a deadly shootout in The First Law (2003), but their psyches are on life support. Hardy drinks too much and cuts deals instead of practicing law. Glitsky's still a hardworking "procedure freak," but his guts are killing him, and he struggles in his new hands-off role as San Francisco's deputy chief of investigations. Amy Wu, an up-and-comer in Hardy's law firm, isn't doing well, either; grieving her father's death, she's looking for love in singles bars and spinning out of control. When Wu is retained to represent a high-school student accused of shooting his girlfriend and drama coach, the evidence is so damning, she arranges a plea bargain without consulting her client. He refuses to plead guilty, and Wu's miscalculation alienates her from judge, prosecutor, client, and boss. When Hardy steps in to sit "second chair" and assist on the case--and uncovers evidence that suggests their client may actually be innocent--he rediscovers his love of lawyering. An embattled Glitsky, meanwhile, searches for a serial killer who appears to be executing victims at random. This has some familiar ingredients, including a wealthy, difficult client seemingly caught dead to rights, and some twists are somewhat predictable. But that's no matter. Under Lescroart's assured hand, this perfectly paced tale of legal procedure and big-city politics keeps us turning pages even when it's time to turn in at night. Keir Graff
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Orlando Sentinel
Lescroart plays out clues with the patience and cunning of a master fly fistherman.

Chicago Tribune
Great characters and wonderful sense of place.

Library Journal
Lescroart gives his ever-growing readership another spellbinder to savor.

Book Description
In the latest of his acclaimed novels featuring Dismas Hardy, John Lescroart skillfully and subtly weaves together a story of a privileged youth on trial for murder, and an entire city on the brink of panic, taking this popular series to new heights of stylish suspense.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
John Lescroart combines astute social commentary with authentic courtroom drama for another suspenseful legal thriller that stands alongside the first-rate works of Scott Turow and Robert K. Tanenbaum. After the brutal events of The First Law, San Francisco attorney Dismas Hardy has recovered physically from his wounds but suffers a crisis of faith as his confidence in the law is shattered.

Hardy's young associate, Amy Wu, is still struggling with her father's death when she takes on the case of a teenage boy accused of a double shooting. Her judgment clouded, Wu enters into a plea bargain without consulting her young client, who adamantly refuses to play ball. Hardy, who is forced to sit second chair, soon uncovers evidence that the boy may indeed be innocent. As Hardy begins a journey of rediscovery, his newly promoted friend, Abe Glitsky, faces problems of his own, as the police become consumed by the hunt for a serial killer called The Executioner who is terrorizing the city by targeting random victims.

Following the tradition of his long-running Hardy and Glitsky series (The Oath, The Hearing), Lescroart weaves intense situations and corrupt politics into an intriguing tale of social conscience. The narrative grows emotionally resonant, as the protagonists must brave their own worst fears and doubts. The Second Chair is a fast-paced ride through the inner workings of courtrooms, police departments, and the justice system as a whole. In Lescroart's convincing, powerful voice, the novel unwinds into a gritty tale of moral outrage, tempered by heartbreaking human drama.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

John Lescroart, the ￯﾿ﾽmaster￯﾿ﾽ (People) of the legal thriller, delivers a brilliantly suspenseful novel of deadly secrets, privileged youth, and uncertain justice. . .

To the outside world, it looks like Dismas Hardy is finally on top. A managing partner at his thriving, newly reorganized law firm, he￯﾿ﾽs a rainmaker and fix-it guy for clients leery of taking their chances in a courtroom. But what the world sees is a mirage. For beneath the surface bravado and the lucrative deal-making, Hardy has lost his faith in the law.

Now Hardy￯﾿ﾽs young associate Amy Wu, suddenly rootless and grieving over the recent death of her father, brings the firm a high-profile and challenging case: Andrew Bartlett, the seventeen-year-old son of a prominent San Francisco family, has been arrested for the double slaying of his girlfriend and his English teacher. The D.A. wants to try him as an adult, but Wu cuts a deal to keep him in juvenile court -- a deal that she￯﾿ﾽs forced to break.

Overwhelmed by the mounting evidence against their client, and hoping to salvage his firm￯﾿ﾽs reputation in the face of the D.A.￯﾿ﾽs righteous wrath, Hardy sits second chair with Wu in Bartlett￯﾿ﾽs defense.

As the Bartlett case moves swiftly to trial, Hardy is unable to turn to his old friend Abe Glitsky for help. Newly promoted to Deputy Chief of the Investigations Bureau, Glitsky has problems of his own when San Francisco is seized by a wave of violence. With fear and anxiety building, all eyes in the panicked city fix on an embattled Glitsky, who must somehow stop the criminal upsurge while being second-guessed and hounded by a hostile media.

The city around them on the verge of panic, Hardy￯﾿ﾽs search for the truth takes him and Amy Wu down a path that becomes more perilous with each step. With very little belief in his young client￯﾿ﾽs innocence, and even less in the legal system, Hardy has to first conquer his own demons if he is to clear his client . . . and save himself.

Emotionally powerful and exquisitely suspenseful, The Second Chair showcases John Lescroart as an author of ￯﾿ﾽbrilliant courtroom drama￯﾿ﾽ (The Washington Post), writing at the height of his powers.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Lescroart starts slowly and takes too much time building reader interest in this latest addition to his acclaimed San Francisco legal suspense series featuring lawyer Dismas Hardy and cop pal Abe Glitsky (The First Law, The Oath, The Hearing). Dismas is firmly ensconced at the top of his flourishing law firm, and Abe has been made deputy chief of investigations, but neither man really enjoys his exalted executive status. Dismas, who seldom finds himself in a real courtroom these days, has become a high-priced legal fixer who takes meetings, goes to lunch and drinks too much, while Abe yearns for the intellectual challenge and physical thrills of a good murder investigation. Dismas's up-and-coming associate, Amy Wu, lands a case defending Andrew North, a troubled 17-year-old who's been arrested for murdering his girlfriend and high school drama coach. In an attempt to have him tried as a juvenile rather than an adult, Amy commits the inexplicable error of admitting her client's guilt to the district attorney-before even speaking to the accused teenager. After this egregious blunder, Dismas joins his normally stellar associate as "second chair" in the trial and manages to rescue the case and shake his own disillusionment with the legal system. While readers new to the series might feel a bit left behind (Lescroart spends too much time referring to events in past books, particularly The First Law), old fans and those who persevere will be rewarded with a compassionate look at life's vicissitudes and a thorny multiple murder case. (Jan. 26) Forecast: Lescroart has a loyal fan base and The First Law debuted at number four on the New York Times's list. Strong publisher marketing would suggest that this new one will do well. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The Second Chair is the newest in the long-established San Francisco legal/detective series featuring lawyer Dismas Hardy and police detective Abe Glitzky. Amy Wu, a young attorney in the law firm now headed by Dismas, has a high-profile client in Andrew Bartlett, a high school student accused of shooting his girlfriend and drama coach. The evidence against Andrew is extremely damning, and Amy arranges a plea-bargain whereby Andrew would agree to admit guilt in exchange for the case remaining in the juvenile justice system. She's forced to antagonize the court and the district attorney, however, by reneging on the deal when Andrew continues to claim his innocence. Dismas appoints himself to the case as "second chair" to salvage the reputation of his firm, just as it seems that Andrew might not be guilty after all. This is a solid addition to a favorite series, with strong characters and a nice puzzle. David Colacci reads with skill, portraying people and action with all the requisite drama, humor, and sympathy. Highly recommended for fiction/mystery collections.-Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews