The Suspect by John Lescroart

Series regular Dismas Hardy takes a break as his associate, Gina Roake takes center stage in a high-profile legal case. Outdoor writer, Stuart Gorman is accused of murdering his wife, the successful and wealthy surgeon, Dr. Caryn Dryden. Caryn had just asked Stuart for a divorce right before a wilderness getaway he had planned on taking. On his return, he finds Caryn floating dead and naked in the the hot tub. Stuart seemingly with an solid alibi becomes the prime suspect. Gina is left to unravel Caryn's professional and personal life for clues to what actually happened.

I'm a big fan of John Lescroart's work, but was let down by this novel. Gina Roarke is a very interesting secondary character, but I don't feel she is strong enough to carry a whole story. The book did start with the promise of a suspenseful plot, but about a third into the book it started to drag. I know it is a bad sign when I can put a book down for three days without wishing I could get back to it. The story just plodded along for me because none of the characters were very interesting or sympathetic. I just really didn't care what happened to them. Even when the resolution was reached, it seemed like it was the most obvious person and outcome. There was nothing particulary new or exciting in this book. I'd recommend this to die-hard Lescroart fans just for the sake of completion, but for new fans, there are much better books in Lescroart's backlist. I hope Dismas is brought back next time around.

Related Tags: The Suspect, Lescroart, crime fiction, review, Gina Roake