Review by Booklist Review
Andy Carpenter, the Paterson, New Jersey, defense lawyer, returns for his fourth outing. His client: a football player accused of murdering a fellow player (the case being complicated by the fact that the accused killer was holed up in his own house, with a gun and the murdered man's body). But Andy soon discovers that this murder is similar to several earlier killings. Carpenter is a strong series lead, one of those wisecracking-but-don't-underestimate-him kinds of characters. He's also independently wealthy (his father left him $22 million), which means he can pick and choose his cases. The author handles the material deftly, mixing humor and whodunit but never letting the comedy overwhelm the mystery. The novels are written in the present tense, a much overused gimmick in the genre; but here it somehow works, helping to sustain tension by establishing that neither Andy nor the reader knows what's about to happen. A cracking good yarn. --David Pitt Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Abridging a mystery is always a tricky task-cut too much and the reader is either in the dark or wondering about dangling plot threads. But this abridgement is superbly done, reducing the length while maintaining the novel's essence and without sacrificing clarity. Lawyer Andy Carpenter finds himself roped into defending a New York Giants star running back who police find holed up in his house with a gun, and the dead body of a New York Jets receiver. Getting his unwanted client off won't be easy, especially when drug lords become involved, putting Andy's life-and the lives of those he cares about-on the line. Gardner's voice isn't what one would call resonant or even particularly pleasant, but he's undeniably compelling, and here he portrays the wisecracking and insecure Carpenter exactly right-a mix of neo-noirish gumshoe and hot-shot city lawyer. Gardner is one of the stars of audiobook narration-he's recorded more than 450 audiobooks and AudioFile magazine named him one of the "best voices of the century"-and he reinforces that reputation here. Gardner takes this otherwise mildly entertaining potboiler and turns it into a must-hear murder mystery. Simultaneous release with the Mysterious Press hardcover (Reviews, Mar. 7). (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Did football rivalry lead to murder? Big sports, big money, and a media trial spectacular awaits attorney Andy Carpenter in his latest. Edgar Award-winning Rosenfelt lives in Silverado Canyon, CA. 4-city author tour. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A high-profile Giants running back accused of killing a wide receiver for the Jets. When the police come to the door, most people don't hold them off for three hours with a loaded gun, but then most people haven't just found a corpse in the closet. At least that's the explanation football player Kenny Schilling gives Andy Carptenter (Bury the Lead, 2004, etc.) for his imprudent reaction to the cops who came asking about the missing Troy Preston. Paterson (N.J.) prosecutor Dylan Campbell, who's crossed swords with Andy before, is convinced that Kenny shot Preston, and the evidence certainly looks strong. But Andy's not so sure. Nor is his team of investigators, headed by his ex-cop lover Laurie Collins, who's now talking about leaving Andy to move back to the sticks, and this time including screenwriter Adam Strickland, sent from Hollywood to start converting Andy's first case (Open and Shut, 2002) into a movie. It turns out that Troy Preston wasn't the first of Kenny's old football acquaintances to die; seven others, all healthy young men under 25, have predeceased him, and an eighth, paralyzed Jets coach Bobby Pollard, narrowly escaped death. The only trouble with Andy's serial-killer theory is that all the evidence points to his client as the serial killer. All Rosenfelt's usual pleasures: a twisty plot, crackling courtroom scenes and a thousand wisecracks, some pretty doggoned funny. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
