The Mercy Rule is a brilliant and moving human drama set against a backdrop of relentless suspense, legal complexity and moral ambiguity. Dismas Hardy, the former bartender, loving husband and father, and reluctant defense attorney of The 13th Juror, returns here in his most challenging case. Vowing to spend more time with his family, Dismas is hesitant to represent Graham Russo, a could-have-been-great baseball player-turned-lawyer who is indicted for the murder of his father, Sal. Everyone close to the Russos knew that ...
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The Mercy Rule is a brilliant and moving human drama set against a backdrop of relentless suspense, legal complexity and moral ambiguity. Dismas Hardy, the former bartender, loving husband and father, and reluctant defense attorney of The 13th Juror, returns here in his most challenging case. Vowing to spend more time with his family, Dismas is hesitant to represent Graham Russo, a could-have-been-great baseball player-turned-lawyer who is indicted for the murder of his father, Sal. Everyone close to the Russos knew that Sal was dying and that he needed morphine injections to ease his suffering. Graham admits to administering these injections, but insists he wasn't there the night of Sal's overdose. Was it suicide, mercy, or murder?
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Add this copy of The Mercy Rule (Dismas Hardy Series) to cart. $58.02, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2009 by Brilliance Audio.
Another great book ? it seems to have been ripped from the front page of a newspaper. In the 1990?s, there was lots of talk about mercy killing (or assisted suicide or euthanasia) and Dr. Kevorkian (aka ?Dr. Death?). It was a hotly debated topic for several years.
Dr. Kevorkian?s interview on ?60 Minutes? and his self-made video of him assisting a man to die created a firestorm. In 1999, Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to a 10-to-25 year prison sentence. He was released in 2007 and died of natural causes in 2011.
This book was released in the midst of all the uproar and I think John Lescroart handled the issue well. This story is about an elderly man, Sal, who is experiencing Alzheimer?s. However, Sal has started to worry about his headaches ? which turn out to be inoperable brain cancer. He is in incredible pain.
After disappearing from his children?s lives for 15 years -- Sal and Graham (the eldest of the 3 kids) reconnect. Because of the nearly constant pain, Graham has given morphine injections to his father. When Sal dies, Graham is arrested for his father?s death.
Be sure you pay attention to the ?Twinkie defense? ? I fell out of my chair laughing while reading about that! Lescroart has a wonderful sense of humor and the dialog between Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky is often priceless. 4.5 stars
Dismas Hardy
1. Dead Irish (1989)
2. The Vig (1990)
3. Hard Evidence (1993)
4. The 13th Juror (1994)
5. The Mercy Rule (1998)
WGMjr
Sep 22, 2011
The Mercy Rule
John Lescroart's books are very good. The plots leave one staying up late to find out what happens next. Anyone even a little familiar with San Francisco will enjoy Lescroart's books as he takes you around the city. I recommend and have purchased his whole Dismas Hardy series.
dejulie
Jul 1, 2011
have mercy
haven't finished it yet. First half very slow-going. Getting much better by the end. Lescroart is one of my favorites, and his early books (like this) are better than his newest. Love Hardy and Glitsky and Frannie, too! Unfortunately, book had come from a heavy smoker and, even with airing it out for a week, was sickened by smoke.
