Rating: 
Summary: Fresh Character in the legal world
Review: A strong outing for a debut novel. Is a case ever open and shut or is there always migrating circumstances? Andy Carpenter is a...sports nut . He is not sarcastic with his humor but tells it like is and he is a fanatical sports fan. This only makes him more likable and he doesn't run off doing stupid things like recent characters I have read. He shows us the side of the prosecution take on a case and even though they are suppose to get convictions he makes sure the evidence will support the claim. So when his father asks him to work on appeal on a case from his past Andy has many questions that his Pop can't answer as he is dead of a heat attack. As a last request to his father, he looks into the case and finds that a proper investigation was either blotched or roadblock at each turn. Also while going through his father's estate he learns some disturbing things about his father. Andy must continue to work the case while he deals with the aftermath of his father's death. He is also working on saving his marriage or walking away from it all.
Rosenfelt gives the reader a fresh new character who tells it like it is, gives us a chance to laugh at the justice system and the mystery is well supported by the evidence woven into a well written plot. Due to a stunt pulled in court that cost him an acquaintance trust I can't rank this book a 10.
Rating:
Summary: Quick Thrills
Review: Andy Carpenter is a defense lawyer in Patterson, New Jersey. Andy's father, retired DA Nelson Carpenter, asks Andy to consider the retrial of a death-row inmate Willie Miller. Andy considers this a strange request, since Miller's was an open-and-shut case: incontrovertible physical evidence, a credible eyewitness. Why would his father - who personally prosecuted the case seven years ago - be so interested in having his son represent Miller on a on a retrial initiated not by new evidence, but by a technicality? But shortly after this request, Nelson drops dead while watching a ball game with Andy at Yankee Stadium, eventually leading Andy to the discovery of a 35-year-old mystery involving Andy's father and his powerful friends.David Rosenfelt's first novel, "Open and Shut", is engaging and lively fiction; a well crafted legal thriller. As Andy goes about the business of settling his dad's affairs, he learns that he is suddenly a multi-millionaire, the heir of a secret fortune his father had hidden away. As he delves into Willie's murder retrial, a pattern of conspiracy unfolds, and the connection between Andy's father's past and the conviction of Miller starts to crystallize. Protagonist Andy Carpenter is an easy character to like - a self-depreciating wise-cracker whose courtroom stunts add a unique twist to more standard legal fare. The dialogue is peppy and, if a bit over-the-top in credibility, it is nonetheless entertaining. The supporting cast of characters lacks the depth and interest of those of contemporary authors Dennis Lehane, Robert Crais, or James Lee Burke, but the imaginative plot, quick pace, and sense of humor more than compensate for this shortcoming. Bottom line: a well-executed and impressive first effort - the perfect read for a coast-to-coast flight. I'll look forward to Rosenfelt's second novel, "First Degree".
Rating:
Summary: Quick Thrills
Review: Andy Carpenter is a defense lawyer in Patterson, New Jersey. Andy's father, retired DA Nelson Carpenter, asks Andy to consider the retrial of a death-row inmate Willie Miller. Andy considers this a strange request, since Miller's was an open-and-shut case: incontrovertible physical evidence, a credible eyewitness. Why would his father - who personally prosecuted the case seven years ago - be so interested in having his son represent Miller on a on a retrial initiated not by new evidence, but by a technicality? But shortly after this request, Nelson drops dead while watching a ball game with Andy at Yankee Stadium, eventually leading Andy to the discovery of a 35-year-old mystery involving Andy's father and his powerful friends. David Rosenfelt's first novel, "Open and Shut", is engaging and lively fiction; a well crafted legal thriller. As Andy goes about the business of settling his dad's affairs, he learns that he is suddenly a multi-millionaire, the heir of a secret fortune his father had hidden away. As he delves into Willie's murder retrial, a pattern of conspiracy unfolds, and the connection between Andy's father's past and the conviction of Miller starts to crystallize. Protagonist Andy Carpenter is an easy character to like - a self-depreciating wise-cracker whose courtroom stunts add a unique twist to more standard legal fare. The dialogue is peppy and, if a bit over-the-top in credibility, it is nonetheless entertaining. The supporting cast of characters lacks the depth and interest of those of contemporary authors Dennis Lehane, Robert Crais, or James Lee Burke, but the imaginative plot, quick pace, and sense of humor more than compensate for this shortcoming. Bottom line: a well-executed and impressive first effort - the perfect read for a coast-to-coast flight. I'll look forward to Rosenfelt's second novel, "First Degree".
Rating: 
Summary: Junior from Jersey
Review: Andy Carpenter is a nice young hotshot lawyer with some problems. His beloved Dad who was stuck with a fatal heart attack at a Yankee game has directed him to defend a man on death row who is going to get a new trial on a technicality. Dad was the District Attorney who prosecuted the case. Andy learns he has inherited 22 million mysterious dollars from his father, and has no idea where the money came from. Also, he is growing apart from his perfectly nice wife who also happens to be the daughter of an all-powerful U.S. Senator who was his father's best friend. The case against the alleged killer is interesting, but the evidence seems to be a slam-dunk for the prosecution. The more Andy investigates the less certain it seems to be. The courtroom scenes are stellar, quite a few notches above the average legal thriller. However, Andy efforts to wrench the evidence around to show his father was untainted by the chicanery all around the case diffuses the tension. (But there is that 22 mill, isn't there) Andy is a bit naïve about prosecutors safeguarding the rights of the accused. It shows him as a nicer guy even if you wonder where he went to law school. He is a bit of Robert Parker's "Spencer" without being as confident or nearly so witty, and a lot of Harlan Coben's fellow-Jerseyite, sports loving Myron Bolitar but not nearly so lovable.
Edgar nominated (Best First Novel) "Open and Shut" has promise. A less complicated story line would be a big improvement. 3-1/2 stars.
-sweetmolly-Amazon.com Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: a swift moving legal thriller
Review: Andy Carpenter is an attorney practicing in Paterson, New Jersey. He is assigned a case defending a man on death row, Willie Miller. Willie was convicted of violently killing a young woman several years before. The problem is Willie can't remember anything about that night because he was too drunk. What is truly puzzling is that Willie gave up drinking for several months prior to the murder. Why would he start drinking that night? Andy is afraid of a cover-up. After receiving several threats against his life, he becomes much more convinced of Willie's ultimate innocence and must now try to save his life via an appeals trial. David Rosenfelt has written a swift moving legal thriller of a slight enough length that it can be consumed in one sitting. It certainly is compelling enough to keep one reading well into the night. However, characters are a bit stilted and one never quite shakes the feeling that the novel lacks any true originality. The wisecracking PI was all the rage in the mid to late 1990s. Resurrecting this character through Andy Carpenter almost seems redundant. Nonetheless, the novel remains entertaining and worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Introduction to Andy Carpenter
Review: Andy Carpenter, a defense attorney with a rapier wit and sarcastic repartee, represents a death row inmate appealing his murder conviction. While investigating, Carpenter uncovers a photo that implicates four powerful men, including his father, in a diabolical plot with potentially painful personal consequences. After reading FIRST DEGREE, I was so impressed I decided to read David Rosenfelt's first book. OPEN AND SHUT is just as good and is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. It appears David Rosenfelt is on his way to a successful writing career; his name is one to keep an eye out for.
Rating:
Summary: Better than Grisham's Summons
Review: David Rosenfelt's debut work is a marvelous legal thriller with a strong & likeable protagonist - the maverick lawyer - Andy Carpenter. Open and Shut is a mystery & a suspense thriller, & is as good as any Grisham work. Andy Carpenter is a talented & successful attorney with a great reputation as a trial lawyer. His father, Nelson Carpenter, a former District Attorney, asks Andy to take an appeal case of a young black man, Willie Miller, accused of the murder of a lady journalist. Nelson himself had prosecuted Miller a couple of years back, & before Andy could get any information on the case or the reason why his father wants to defend Miller, Nelson dies - leaving behind lot of unanswered questions. Suddenly Andy is the inheritor of a huge fortune that he never knew his father possessed. He also finds an old photo of his father & a few friends who he feels has a close connection with the Willie Miller case. With few clues & little knowledge of the background, Carpenter takes a seemingly airtight case & what follows is courtroom drama at its best with Andy finding out chilling truths & opening closed secrets - that were best left undisturbed. Open and Shut is an impressive legal thriller. However, the theme of the work (lawyer finding a dark secret of his dead father) is one that has been dealt with in two other legal thrillers published this year, John Grisham's The Summons & Stephen L. Carter's The Emperor of Ocean Park. For so long authors have been after the 'alcoholic/disillusioned lawyers' (eg.- David Cray's Bad Lawyer, Barry Reed's The Verdict, J. F. Freedman's Disappearance, etc.) Now I see a shift in focus toward the theme of 'a past secret discovery.' with Michael Salinas' White Lies being another notable example in recent years. Rosenfelt delivers a taut thriller, & it is impossible to believe that this is a debut work. Carpenter has all the makings of a series protagonist, & I wouldn't be surprised to find a 'Carpenter Thriller' occupying the bestseller racks in a couple of years.
Rating:
Summary: A new author to be reconed with
Review: Hey, where has D. R. been hiding....he's every bit as good as and reminisient of Steve Martini who has been the (my) standard for legal thrillers for a long time.
His characters are ones you care about and his dialog is laugh out loud funny as told in a great first person style.A good combination of L. Block , C. Hiaasen ,N. DeMille and the aforementioned S. Martini in serious/entertaining fiction.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVED IT!
Review: I could not put this book down. The characters are flawed and real and likeable. The premise is intriguing and keeps you guessing. And the Golden Retriever is like delicious icing on the cake! I liked the book so much, I have recommended it to all of my friends and relatives, each of whom liked it as much as I did. I e-mailed David Rosenfelt to tell him I loved his book and he e-mailed me back. It turns out this is the first of three books with the same characters. I absolutely cannot wait for book 2! Read the book -- you won't be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Story and a Fun Read
Review: I enjoyed this book tremendously. Seldom does a writer's first novel strike the perfect chord with me, but David Rosenfelt succeeds with OPEN AND SHUT. This is neither a novel of lasting historical significance or a truly overwhelming literary achievement. Rather it is a story that it fun to read because of the enjoyable protagonist that the author has created to be the narrator. The story is related in the first person by attorney Andy Carpenter, who lives and practices law in Passaic County, New Jersey. He is a sports fan who believes that "the most beautiful sight in the world [is] the Yankee Stadium infield", and who spends his spare time with the best thing on the planet, Tara his golden retriever. In addition, his feelings concerning the Lincoln Tunnel as a means of getting from New York City to New Jersey are undoubtedly mirrored by thousands of commuters every day. That is, Andy is a delightful character whose personality is skillfully developed by the author. (The fact that I am a yankee fan who owns a golden retreiver and for years traversed the Lincoln Tunnel twice a day five days a week may admittedly have something to do with my empathy with his character.) However, his life is far from perfect. His marriage to his wife Nicole is on the rocks, a fact which disturbs his powerful father-in-law considerably. This difficulty is compounded by his attraction to private investigator Laurie Collins, who is such a "beautiful, sexy woman ... [that she] ... would look great if she were wearing a Winnebago".
Andy's reputation is that of an excellent criminal defense attorney who is occasionally willing to engage in whatever courtroom theatrics and bizarre behavior are necessary to gain a verdict of innocent for his clients. This methodology of course endears him to most defendants but frequently tries the patience of the opposing district attorney and more ominously on occasion puts him in risk of being held in contempt by the presiding judge. He is often compared, not always favorably, with his father, the retired legendary and respected ex-district attorney Nelson Carpenter.
Soon after the story begins, Nelson asks Andy to represent Willie Miller, a death row inmate who Nelson believes has sufficient grounds to demand a new trial. Andy is stunned, since his father was not only the prosecutor who won the case was also successful in having the death sentence imposed. As Nelson presented the basis of the expected appeal, it appears to be merely based on a technicality and Andy initially refuses the request. However, with a single sentence from Nelson causes Andy to change his mind and agree to take the case, despite its seemingly hopeless nature. Soon thereafter, a tragedy occurs which deeply impacts Andy's life and forever alters his commitment to the defense of Willie Miller. (Don't read the book jacket blurb, there is a mild spoiler regarding this aspect of the story.) Thus begins what is essentially straightforward standard combination courtroom/detective story which leads Andy and Laurie to becoming increasingly convinced that their "obviously guilty" client might in fact be innocent. The case also posssibly seems to involve Nicole's father, Philip Gant, which of course significantly strains the complex personal relationships among Andy, Nicole and Laurie.
This book is a compellingly fast read, I was actually torn at times betwen just proceeding as fast as possible (I finished it in two evenings) and taking the time to leisurely enjoy much of the author's phraseology and the mood which he evoked. One interesting technique is that there are frequent section breaks (usually between every five to ten pages) but no chapter notations to stop the flow of the story. I found this technique quite effective and would recommend that it be adopted by other authors in similar circumstances. A final suggestion, the characters and their relationship became quite complex as the historical backdrop unfolded; I found it very helpful to simply jot down all the names and the relationships as the story unfolded to avoid having to refer to previous scenes.
In summary, this is a well thought out plot, although certainly not on a par with the either the best detective stories or legal thrillers . However, the flow of the story is handled exceptionally well, the character development is uniformly good and Andy's wonderful pesonality makes the story sing and the reader smile. It is strongly recommended when you are in search of a fast paced light reading experience. I now plan to read the sequel FIRST DEGREE in the hope that Andy Carpenter once again will bring me such enjoyment.
Tucker Andersen
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