Wes Farrell, former defense attorney and partner of Dismas
Hardy, is already second guessing the wisdom of running for
District Attorney of San Francisco, and it's only his first
week on the job. Cliff and Theresa Curtlee, wealthy owners
of the Courier, show up at his new office thinking their
support of his campaign will insure he will do what he can
to get their son, Ro, out on bail after a technicality has
released him from prison after ten-years. Though Wes may
share with Chief ADA Amanda Jenkins and Head of Homicide Abe
Glitsky the perspective that Ro is a psychotic
murderer-rapist who should not be released, he wants to do
things by the book. Before they know it, Ro is a free man
awaiting a new trial.
The people who helped convict Ro in the first placed were
crucified in the media courtesy of the Curltees and their
paper for years following the conviction. Not surprisingly,
they are worried about what Ro and his parents will do to
insure he remains free. The danger becomes clear when one
of the star witnesses is found burned to death in her
apartment, and a second fire destroys the home of another
participant in the case. Abe, Amanda, Wes, and their
colleagues are determined to see Ro back in prison even as
they worry when and how the Curtlees will strike at them and
their families.
DAMAGE features characters from previous books, including
A Plague of Secrets and Betrayal. Not having
read the earlier books in the series, I felt I was missing
some of the nuances of the characters' histories (such as
the teasing between best friends Abe and Dismas, and the
injury to Abe's young son). However, that did not dampen
my enjoyment of this book. DAMAGE is a thrilling read I
could not put down. Though it is clear from the beginning
that Ro is as evil as they think he is, there are still many
unexpected twists to keep you guessing. At one
point a character refers to a moment as his rubicon, a line
that once crossed means ultimate commitment and no turning
back. For me, this book was all about the rubicon. How far
will each character go to protect a family, find justice,
uncover the truth, exact revenge, or feel the ultimate rush?
The repercussions are far reaching when one of those lines
is crossed.
From New York Times bestseller John Lescroart comes an
explosive look at the seductive power of revenge and the
terrible costs of justice. The Curtlees are the most
powerful family in San Francisco, unscrupulous
billionaires who've lined every important pocket in the
Bay Area in pursuit of their own ascent. So when the
family's heir, Ro Curtlee, was convicted of rape and
murder a decade ago, the fallout for those who helped to
bring him to justice was swift and uncompromising.
The jury foreman was fired from his job and blacklisted in
his industry. The lead prosecutor was pushed off the fast
track, her dreams of becoming DA dashed. And head homicide
detective Abe Glitsky was reassigned to the police
department s payroll office. Eventually, all three were
able to rebuild their fragile, damaged lives. And then Ro
Curtlee's lawyers won him a retrial, and he was released
from jail.
Within twenty-four hours, a fire destroys the home of the
original trial's star witness, her abused remains
discovered in the ruins. When a second fire claims a
participant in the case, Abe is convinced: Ro is out for
revenge. But with no hard evidence and an on-the-take
media eager to vilify anyone who challenges Ro, can Abe
stop the violence before he finds himself in its
crosshairs?
How much more can he sacrifice to put Ro back behind bars?
And just how far across the line is he prepared to go in
pursuit of justice?