In this literary world, the name Dismas Hardy is not something hitherto unheard of. Created by John Lescroart, the eponymous fictional protagonist has spanned over 19 novels from 1990 to 2019.
Recently a new book was published in the year 2022, and it is being seen that the fictional defense attorney shows no sign of stopping so soon, creating a canvas of thriller and suspense-driven action with every murder mystery he investigates.
The following article gives a detailed list of the order of the 19 novels, arranged in the dates of their publications.
Dismas Hardy Books In Order
The Dismas Hardy series of books have been listed by the year of origin and publication as follows:
1. Dead Irish (1990)
It was published in the year 1990. It boasted of the case when Dismas Hardy left his police and law life behind due to a tragic memory of a personal loss. Still, it is forced to come out of retirement to untangle the web of secrets regarding a certain Eddie Cochran’s death. It consists of 432 pages and has an average rating of 3.8 on the Goodreads reading platform.
2. The Vig (1991)
It was published in the year 1991. In this book, the protagonist has to find out the whereabouts of his friend Rusty Ingraham after he went missing leaving behind a corpse and a blood-splattered houseboat while avoiding the risk of getting murdered by a paroled killer who seeks vengeance from him and his missing friend. It consists of 384 pages and has an average rating of 3.81 on Goodreads.
3. Hard Evidence (1993)
It was published in the year 1993. Considered to be one of the best in the series, it pushes Hardy right into the murder of a Silicon Valley billionaire while saving himself from the bloodlust and vengeful clutches of a Japanese call girl acting as a defendant, as well as the judge working on the murder mystery. It consists of 688 pages and achieved a rating of 4.01 on Goodreads.
4. The 13th Juror (1994)
It was published in 1994. Here, Hardy takes up the case of Jennifer Witt, who is acquitted of the murder of her husband and son, as well as her first husband nine years ago, who is believed to have died from a drug overdose. Mysteries of physical abuse will unravel as Hardy tries to prove the truth about Jennifer’s innocence in this engaging thriller. It has 544 pages and is rated 4.14 on Goodreads.
5. The Mercy Rule (1998)
This was published in 1998. It dives deeper into Hardy’s law career when he takes up the case of Graham Russo, a former baseball star accused of murdering his father.
In this book, Hardy tries to prove Russo’s innocence, despite not trusting him until the truth unravels itself into something terrifying. It has 640 pages and is rated 4.06 on Goodreads.
6. Nothing but the Truth (2000)
This book was published in 2000. Hardy takes up the case of incarceration of his wife, Frannie, after she refuses to share vital information on her friend Ron, who is accused of murdering his wife. Only time will tell who’s the main culprit as Hardy races to save his wife and find the truth about why his wife would go to jail to protect some other man. The book has 656 pages and is rated 3.95 on Goodreads.
7. The Hearing (2000)
This book was published in the same year as the previous one. Hardy’s best friend, Lieutenant Abe Glitsky, has kept the existence of his daughter a secret from everyone until she is shot dead by a heroin addict.
Now, Glitsky and Hardy must tie up to uncover the truth and foil the plans of people working to incapacitate them. This book also consists of 656 pages and has an average rating of 4.12 on Goodreads.
8. The Oath (2002)
This book was released in 2002. When the head of San Francisco’s largest HMO dies in a suspected accident, but the post-mortem says otherwise, Hardy and Glitsky face each other for the first time in the most dangerous and devious case in their professional careers. This book comprises 468 pages and has an average rating of 4.04 on Goodreads.
9. The First Law (2003)
This book was released in 2003. Hardy and Glitsky face their darkest fears and must prove their innocence when they are entangled in a case regarding Hardy’s friend John Holiday, a proprietor of a run-down local bar turned fugitive to avoid arrest, and is therefore accused of being a serial killer by the San Francisco Police Department. The book consists of 640 pages and is rated 4.01 on Goodreads.
10. The Second Chair (2004)
This book was published in 2004. Hardy takes up the case of a member of a high-profile San Francisco family, seventeen-year-old Andrew Bartlett, who is accused of the double murders of his girlfriend and his English teacher.
As Hardy prepares to take the second chair and his associate, Amy Wu, in the case, he must race against time to save his client as a vicious killer named The Executioner is on the loose. The book comprises 459 pages and has a rating of 4.12 on Goodreads.
11. The Motive (2004)
It was published in 2004, the same year as The Second Chair. In this double homicide mystery, Hardy and Glitsky come together after being approached by the mayor, but they part ways when Hardy’s former girlfriend is found to be involved in the case. The book has a total of 436 pages and has an average rating of 4.02 on Goodreads.
12. Betrayal (2008)
This book was launched in 2008, the same year “The Dark Knight” took the world by storm. Dismas Hardy takes up the appeal to overturn the murder conviction of National Guard Reservist Evan Scholler, which takes him through the webs of government conspiracy, assassinations, and betrayals. Comprising 422 pages, the book is rated 3.97 on Goodreads.
13. A Plague of Secrets (2009)
This book was published in 2009. In this triple homicide mystery, Hardy, Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt return to investigate the conviction of Maya Townshend – the mayor’s niece, as the entire political scenario of San Francisco ticks closer to imploding. The book consists of 413 pages and has an average rating of 4.14 on Goodreads.
14. The Ophelia Cut (2013)
It was published in the year 2013. Dismas Hardy comes to the aid of his dear friend Moses McGuire when he is accused of killing his daughter Brittany’s boyfriend, Rick Jesson, after the young man rapes her. The book consists of 415 pages and has an average rating of 3.81 on Goodreads.
15. The Keeper (2014)
It was published in the year 2014. Hardy calls upon his good friend and cop Abe Glitsky to investigate the whereabouts of Hal Chase’s wife Katie, who has been missing for five days when Hal went to pick up his step-brother from the airport.
The book consists of 304 pages and is one of the shortest books in the entire series. It has an average rating of 3.98 on the Goodreads platform.
16. The Fall (2015)
It was published in 2015. Hardy and his daughter Rebecca, who has grown up to be an associate of her father at the law firm, take up the defense of a young man named Greg Treadway, who is connected to the suspected suicide or murder of a teenage African American foster child named Tanya Morgan, who fell to her death from an overpass above the Stockton Tunnel.
The book comprises 305 pages and has an average rating of 4.01 on Goodreads.
17. Poison (2018)
The book was released in 2018. When Grant Carver, a fourth-generation oligarch, is murdered and his bookkeeper Abby Jarvis is accused, Hardy comes out of retirement and gunshot wounds to defend her in a mind-bending and backstabbing display of legal proceedings.
The book comprises 293 pages and is the shortest book in the entire Hardy series. But do not let the pages deceive you, as the book gets an average rating of 4.02 on Goodreads.
18. The Rule of Law (2019)
This book was published in 2019. Hardy dives in to prove the innocence of his trusted secretary Phyllis when she is arrested concerning the murder of Hector Coyote, a smuggler of women from Mexico and El Salvador.
He tries to unravel the mysteries as fast as possible while founding out that Phyllis’s brother – an ex-convict of armed robbery and attempted murder has been released on parole. The book consists of 336 pages and is rated 3.99 on Goodreads.
19. The Missing Piece (2022)
The latest addition to the Hardy franchise, this book, is set to release this year. In the book Hardy and Wes Farrell, a cop and Abe Glitsky investigate the murder of a man named Paul Riley, who was accused of raping and murdering Doug Rush’s daughter many years ago and was arrested by Farrell.
Rush is suspected of killing Riley, although the golden trio believes it to be falsely spun. The book comprises 304 pages, and already 9 editions have been published. It boasts a robust 4.15 average rating on the Goodreads platform.
These are the notable collections from the Dismas Hardy series. So if you are a fan of this series, check out the books.
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