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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't miss this fast & funny legal thriller, May 30, 2003
The Edgar Award nominee for his first novel, Open & Shut, has penned another winner. Andy Carpenter, loveable lawyer (no, that's not an oxymoron,) is back and suffering from a severe case of "lawyer's block." When you've inherited $$$ million dollars, it takes away your incentive to represent any old criminal who walks through the door. But things change when a cop of questionable ethics is killed. The same cop, Alex Dorsey, that Andy's lover, PI Laurie Collins, turned in when she was on the police force. Then a man strolls into Andy's office, confesses, and asks Andy to represent him. Meanwhile the police have arrested someone else, someone Laurie is sure is innocent. One suspect after another fizzles out until Laurie becomes the chief suspect. Circumstantial evidence abounds, and Andy finally has a client he can get behind. It's personal now and the stakes have never been higher as Andy has to find the real killer and exonerate Laurie. Somehow the laughs keep coming as tension mounts and the bodies pile up, no easy feat but a sure testament to Rosenfelt's skill. This fast, funny read will keep you on the edge of your seat and leave you wanting more.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and well-paced..., December 26, 2004
This review is from: First Degree (Mass Market Paperback)
I read too much and too often. I picked up this book and was not familiar with Rosenfelt's previous work. I was hooked from the first page.
There are many detective books that rely on humor that often falls flat. This is not the case. Many times, as I read into the night, I found myself laughing out loud and then quickling stifling that laughter so as not to wake up my wife.
The lead character, Andy Carpenter, is engaging and enjoyable. You find yourself wanting him to meet up with different people to see how he reacts and what he is thinking about.
The plot is smooth, interesting and entertaining. It is also enjoyable to see how Carpenter is going to handle new evidence or how he is going to figure out the answers. I enjoy Evanovich's books, but I find Rosenfelt's plot, characters and situations to be even better. When you read this book, you will get good action, great lines and a good, albeit short, read. You will not be disappointed.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Sophomore Jinx Here!, April 30, 2004
David Rosenfelt's second novel, "First Degree", pretty much picks up where his highly acclaimed and immensely enjoyable debut, "Open and Shut", left off. Back is wise-cracking defense attorney Andy Carpenter, "Law-dromat" lawyer Kevin Randall, investigator/girlfriend Laurie Collins, and of course Tara, Carpenter's golden retriever. Even Willie Miller, the death-row inmate Carpenter defends in his first book, is back starring in a mostly unnecessary sub-plot. But if you enjoyed "Open and Shut", you'll certainly find the pace, style, and settings of "First Degree" comfortable. So comfortable, in fact, that reading "Open and Shut" is almost prerequisite, at least if you want to have any clue to the source Carpenter's mysterious inheritance and the imprisonment of his Senator ex-father-in-law which are frequently referenced in the new story. "First Degree" gets off to a fast start with the gruesome discovery of the headless and charred body of Alex Dorsey, a Patterson police lieutenant with a shady history. Shortly after the murder, a mysterious visitor shows up in Andy's office, confesses to being Dorsey's killer and, in the process, drops some clues regarding the murder that only those responsible for the crime would know. This leads to a series of events that ends in the arrest of Laurie Collins for the murder of Dorsey. Laurie indeed may have a motive: as a former Patterson cop, she blew the whistle on Dorsey's unsavory activities, but was unsuccessful in making the charges stick. With Laurie now in the hot seat, Andy and Kevin team up again, defending her against what appears to be a carefully concocted frame job. What follows is some compelling courtroom drama, spiced Andy's bizarre but now-legendary defense antics, paced with a satisfying blend of humor and cynicism. It is a well crafted who-dun-nit, with enough suspense and thrills to keep the pages turning. Like "Open and Shut", this is fast reading, and the sheer adrenalin will keep many reading cover-to-cover in a single setting. My only real criticism of "First Degree" is the ending. The book could have ended very successfully on page 224. Instead, Rosenfelt adds another seven pages - I guess he felt the need for one more twist - that falls flat in a wholly unbelievable "second" climax that was not only unnecessary, but casts a pall over an otherwise terrific story. Nonetheless, Rosenfelt has avoided the sophomore jinx, and turned out another first-rate crime novel. I'll look forward to his third, "Bury the Dead", to be released in June.
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