DEAD IRISH - John Lescroart

Dismas Hardy is a former cop/former attorney-turned bartender. And he's quite content in this role as bartender at the Little Shamrock; it leaves him time to compete at darts. But, when Eddie Cochran, his boss's brother-in-law, apparently commits suicide and leaves his pregnant wife with no insurance money, Diz is pulled into the investigation.

I am a reader with a compulsive need to read series books IN ORDER. However, I was out of audiobooks from the library and my new requests hadn't come in yet, so I searched the shelves at my branch (which does not have a huge selection of audiobooks) and came up with Dead Irish. This was my very first John Lescroart read, and how I was lucky enough to be able to get the first Dismas Hardy book is beyond me, but I did.

For the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As far as character names go...Dismas is pretty darn cool. Right up there with Elvis! And the character of Dismas is definitely layered with all kinds of complexity. I took an immediate liking to him.

The plot was an intriguing one, and I think Lescroart did an excellent job on the build-up. A lot of mysterious events, possible culprits...I liked how Lescroart weaved in cultural aspects. The conclusion was a little more of a let-down. I didn't really "buy it." I'll try to say this without any spoilers here (for those who like me have not read Lescroart yet). There's a point where the police say to Hardy, "but where's the motive?" I found myself saying, "this character committed this heinous crime for THAT reason? Really?" Maybe my own preconceived notions influenced my reaction; I'm not sure. I just know the ending was a bit of a let down for me.

There were also a couple of occasions where Lescroart choice of dialogue was a bit offensive to me as a reader. I think it could have remained realistic without going to the degree that Lescroart did. It wasn't often; maybe twice, but they did stick out in my mind.

I'm definitely going to check into more Dismas Hardy books. Overall it was very good and well worth the time!

Again, I listened to this on audiobook. The reader was David Colacci. I thought he did an excellent job. I love the richness of his voice. Not having read a Hardy book before, I didn't have an idea in my mind what he should sound like, but I do think Colacci did a great job of bringing Hardy to life.