A Plague of Secrets: A Novel (Dismas Hardy, Book 13) Hardcover - 2009

by John Lescroart

Dismas Hardy, Abe Glitsky, and Wyatt Hunt return in a compelling and timely legal thriller filled with blackmail, political intrigue, and multiple murder.

The first victim is Dylan Vogler, a charming ex-convict who managesthe Bay Beans West coffee shop in San Francisco's Haight-Ashburydistrict. When his body is found, inspectors discover that his knapsackis filled with high-grade marijuana. It soon becomes clear that SanFrancisco's A-list flocked to Bay Beans West not only for their caffeinefix.

But how much did Maya Townshend-the beautiful socialite niece ofthe city's mayor, and the absentee owner of the shop-know aboutwhat was going on inside her business? And how intimate had shereally been with Dylan, her old college friend?

As another of Maya's acquaintances falls victim to murder, and as thenames of the dead men's celebrity, political, and even law-enforcementcustomers come to light, tabloid-fueled controversy takes the investigationinto the realms of conspiracy and cover-up. Prosecutors closein on Maya, who has a deep secret of her own-a secret she needsto protect at all costs during her very public trial, where not only herfuture but the entire political landscape of San Francisco hangs in thebalance, hostage to an explosive secret that Dismas Hardy is privilege-boundto protect.