Review: The Ophelia Cut by John Lescroart

Title: The Ophelia Cut (Dismas Hardy Mystery #14)
Author: John Lescroart
Genre: Legal Thriller
Source: FirstReads
Reviewed by: Jasmyn
*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

Brittany is 23, the pretty, popular daughter of Moses Mcguire - and niece of defense attorney Dismas Hardy.  Her most recent of many ex-boyfriends, Rick Jessup, can't get over her.  His abuse escalates, culminating in a terrible night when Brittany is raped.  Within 24 hours, Rick is dead, Moses is the prime suspect, and Hardy must defend his old friend.  The case threatens to uncover old secrets that could destroy the careers of Hardy and police lieutenant Abe Glitsky.

While most of this story is potentially a stand alone that can be read outside of the series, there were repeated referenced to some incident that they had all been sworn to secrecy that lost me.  The characters were also a little hard to keep straight without more background on them, but once the trial started it became much easier.

I really didn't like Brittany.  She used men and then casually tossed them aside - but after several horrible encounters with Rick Jessup, ending with her being raped, she really became a different person.  Her growth was one of the highlights of the story.  Dismas Hardy would be a fantastic defense attorney if he were real.  The story wrapped up the trial and the book with quite a twist - I'm still trying to decide what I think of it all.

Most of this story moves very quickly with very few slow points.  The conspiracy theories from sides of the case were classic and fit right in with the story - enhancing it in the perfect way.  This would have been a home run book if I had a little more background and could have kept the characters straight easier.  I would recommend reading at least some of the previous books to help.

Barnes & Noble: The Ophelia Cut (Dismas Hardy Series #14)
Book Depository: The Ophelia Cut (Dismas Hardy Series #14)