Abridged.

Performed by David Colacci.

Booklist/,Lescroart regulars Dismas Hardy and Abe Glitsky may have survived a deadly shootout in The First Law (2003), but their psyches are on life support. Hardy drinks too much and cuts deals instead of practicing law. Glitsky's still a hardworking "procedure freak," but his guts are killing him, and he struggles in his new hands-off role as San Francisco's deputy chief of investigations. Amy Wu, an up-and-comer in Hardy's law firm, isn't doing well, either; grieving her father's death, she's looking for love in singles bars and spinning out of control. When Wu is retained to represent a high-school student accused of shooting his girlfriend and drama coach, the evidence is so damning, she arranges a plea bargain without consulting her client. He refuses to plead guilty, and Wu's miscalculation alienates her from judge, prosecutor, client, and boss. When Hardy steps in to sit "second chair" and assist on the case--and uncovers evidence that suggests their client may actually be innocent--he rediscovers his love of lawyering. An embattled Glitsky, meanwhile, searches for a serial killer who appears to be executing victims at random. This has some familiar ingredients, including a wealthy, difficult client seemingly caught dead to rights, and some twists are somewhat predictable. But that's no matter. Under Lescroart's assured hand, this perfectly paced tale of legal procedure and big-city politics keeps us turning pages even when it's time to turn in at night. Keir Graff.