Unleashed

May 6, 2013
The threat of a major terrorist attack on the U.S. doesn’t dispel the charm of Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt’s 11th mystery featuring Paterson, N.J., criminal defense attorney Andy Carpenter (after 2012’s Leader of the Pack). Andy, who’s independently wealthy and averse to taking on new clients, reluctantly agrees to help his accountant, Sam Willis, with a personal matter. Hedge fund owner Barry Price, an old friend of Sam’s who married the accountant’s high school sweetheart, Denise, wants to hire Andy for some unspecified purpose. Before Andy and Barry can meet, Barry dies in a crash while piloting his private plane. When the police arrest Denise for her husband’s murder, Sam begs Andy to defend her, only to end up needing Andy’s services himself. Meanwhile, key players involved in Barry’s financial dealings start turning up dead. Those who relish Andy’s refreshingly candid and often hilarious courtroom style will particularly enjoy his performance on the witness stand. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House.

July 15, 2013
Not content with taking on the New Jersey mob (Leader of the Pack, 2012), Andy Carpenter, Paterson's laziest attorney, goes up against a mob of international terrorists. The case starts small. Wealthy investment counselor Barry Price wants to hire Andy and his accountant, Sam Willis, on some unspecified matter that involves Barry flying Sam to some undisclosed location aboard his private plane. Sam, delayed by hitting a dog with his car, misses the flight and is spending the evening with Barry's wife, Denise, who just happens to be Sam's former high school sweetheart, when Lt. Chuck Jennings, of the Morristown PD, arrives with the news that Barry is dead. It turns out, not only has his plane crashed, but Barry was fed a lethal dose of botulism before taking the pilot's seat. Jennings promptly arrests Denise for his murder, and Andy is stuck with the worst kind of client: the kind whose plight demands that he actually bestir himself to work. What makes the case even tougher is that every lead Andy and his PI girlfriend, Laurie Collins, uncover is instantly cauterized by another murder. Andy can't know what Rosenfelt has warned readers in the opening pages: that Barry's death is only a minor detail in a diabolical terrorist plot that calls for assassinations across America. Even though he doesn't know about it, the terrorist angle seems to cast a pall over normally wisecracking Andy, and it's a lot less convincing than the courtroom intrigue that brings out his best--even after a mortal accusation against Sam himself arises from an unexpected quarter. The assassination targets escape their fate, and the dog Sam's car struck, newly christened Crash, is nursed back to health. So this overscaled yet minor addition to Andy's string of successes ends with three cheers for the red, white and blue.

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June 1, 2013
Unlike Rosenfelt's supercharged stand-alones, books in the Andy Carpenter series are more leisurely, character-driven pleasures. With more than 10 in circulation, Rosenfelt has had plenty of time to hone his protagonist's wiseass humor and refine his oddball cast, which, alongside millionaire defense attorney Carpenter, includes four octogenarian computer whizzes, a taciturn bodyguard, and a brainiac accountant. Despite Andy's intention to abandon law (he regularly disses his profession) and devote himself full time to his three lovesPI Laurie Collins, his golden retriever, and the Tara Foundation, a dog-rescue center (a real-life project the author founded)he can't get away from the system. Once again, the action involves a dog. When Sam Willis, Carpenter's accountant and friend, hits a stray dog on the road, he misses a plane trip with a high-profile investment counselor. The accident was fortunate for Sam (who adopts the dog) because the plane crashes. Later, Sam's would-be companion is found to have been poisoned, Sam is jailed for the murder, and Andy has no choice but to step in. Suggest this entertaining caper to fans of David Handler's Hoagy and Lulu books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 25, 2013
Barry Price calls on accountant Sam Wills and lawyer Andy Carpenter for help with a matter he can’t discuss over the phone. But while driving to meet Barry, Sam and Andy almost hit an injured dog with their car. They stop to help the dog, miss their meeting with Barry, and learn that his plane—which they might otherwise have been on—has crashed. Seasoned narrator Grover Gardner delivers yet another complex performance that offers plenty of intrigue and realistic character interpretations. Gardner’s tone and style are aggressively honest, and he transitions deftly between the book’s characters. A Minotaur hardcover.