The Missing piece - John lescroart

 started 14/5/2022

27/5/2022 - Only a short book, and I'm enjoying it, but only 67% through so far.  But have been busy with work and .....Biscuit.

Anyway, the story

Guy gets out of prison, for rape and murder, released by the Innocence Project.  3 months later he gets murdered

The father of the rape and murder victim is identified by the first guys father.   And he gets arrested.  And then on bail for $1 million.  Then he vanishes.  Not good.  But then he gets murdered. 

And it looks like he didn't murder guy no. 1 because he has an alibi.  Some women he was having an affair with, and he was best buds with the husband.  And he was also seeing another female.  so both of those people had motive to kill him.  But that doesn't explain who killed the Innocence Project guy.

Skip down the book, and it's strongly suspected that guy number one, the rape and murder guy, was always guilty.   But who knows.  So the investigators, including the Innocence project Accountant, who also reckons he was guilty, check out the list of ALL the innocence project people who have been murdered, and it's about 5%, which is pretty high, but spread out over 10 years.  but there is a pattern. 

And this is the 67% mark. 

29/05/2022 -  90% done - I'm going to finish this today, but first, my thoughts.  I reckon I know whodunnit.

But first, what happened in the last 23%.  A lot.  First, one of the women he was having an affair with, got murdered by , what looks like her husband in a murder/suicide.  So now he's suspect number 1 in killing guy number 2 , because the wife was the alibi, but they was also best friends.  So had motive, and opportunity.  But further investigation and it looks like he was pretty drunk at the pub that night, so ...maybe not.  Also doesn't explain Guy number 1.

ok, what about the bikies club that guy number 2 hung around.  They also all think he killed guy number one, but we, the reader know he had an alibi.  So what if one of the gang, killed guy number 1, as an honour among thieves type of thing, but then when Guy number 2 found out, and was going to snitch, he had to be taken out as well.  Sounds plausible, but what about the historical innocence project murders.

Who had knowledge of all of them - the Innocence project accountant, that's who.

And I'm about to see if I'm right.  The main investigator, Abe Glitsky, is about to team up with affair female number 2 and put her in danger, and try to solve the case.  Totally stupid, but entertaining.  And it's still not known any of the details, but I'm about to find out.

 100% - and I was wrong.   the Innocence project accountant was a red herring.  And well done as well.  subtle enough to make you think it was obvious.   and it wasn't.  Turns out it was an ex-cop, Nick Halsey, who had befriended Guy number 2, and, ok this is where I'm unclear, apparently been going through the list and killing anyone who was guilty.  And I guess that's why guy number 2 was friends with him.  I think it's a bit of a coincidence.

Summary - a good read.  The dialogue was what made the book great.  The story - it was ok.   Would i read more by this author - absolutely.  The characters are well written.

oh, and why it's a Dismas Hardy book, I have no idea.  He's a featured character, not the main one.  This is more an Abe Glitsky novel