John Lescroart The Hunt Club

The Hunt Club

John Lescroart

Dutton, Jan 2006, $26.95, 400 pp.

ISBN 0525949143

In San Francisco, someone murders U.S. Federal Judge George Palmer and his much younger mistress Staci Rosalier in his high income home in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. His wife Jeannette found the bodies and called 911. SFPD Homicide Inspector Devin Juhle immediately assumes that the spouse killed her husband and his lover for cheating on her especially in their home.

Helped by Dismas Hardy, Wyatt Hunt became a private investigator and opened up the Hunt Club four years ago. He sometimes serendipitously works with his police friend Devin as he is doing right now on the judicial homicide. Hunt uncovers some powerful enemies that Palmer made over the years; however, just after finding his girlfriend TV reporter Andrea Parisis has a connection too, she vanishes, making the investigation personal.

Much of what makes Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky so popular is found in the characteristics of the key players of this novel. THE HUNT CLUB starts a fresh series that is less legal and more investigative in nature. Devin and Wyatt make a fine team as the former brings police technology and know how to a case while the latter can go under the law to make other types of inquiries. The support cast including Devin's deceased partner (died in the line of duty) add understanding to the two sleuths as much as moving the exciting story line forward. Fans of Hardy-Glitsky will toast the beginning of a long friendship.

Harriet Klausner