Open and Shut

Yes! What a way to start the new year! At the end of December, with the holidays and everything, I was starting to find myself in a reading slump and just feeling out of it about everything, so I picked up this book because I needed something cozy and entertaining and just comforting to me. I discovered the Andy Carpenter series after I got it in a subscription box a little over a month ago and fell in love with it. It wasn't overly long but as far as courtroom thrillers are concerned, it's by far my favorite and the first book in the series did not disappoint. I will be buying and reading the rest of the books in this series because it's consistently good and I count on it to remain that way. Bravo!

The first book, Open and Shut in the Andy Carpenter series, is about Andy Carpenter, a lawyer, who takes on a case that's already been judged in court once before and it is seemingly a very open and shut case on the surface. As more things come to light, Andy realizes that this case is not as open and shut as it seems. I freaking loved the plot! David Rosenfelt obviously has found the secret formula to make fantastic courtroom thrillers and there wasn't a moment in which I found the plot boring in anyway. Things moved along perfectly and things were revealed a little at a time, just how I prefer it. I enjoy working towards the answers because when the ending is done right and it delivers, all that work was more than worth it and in this case I can say that it was more than worth it! I also loved how the most important things were concluded very well and yet the book left some other things unanswered, which makes the perfect leeway into the next books and the continuation of the stories to come, which I can't wait to read!

Secondly, the characterization is top notch, as it was in the last book I read in this series. Andy Carpenter is my spirit animal and it is a joy to see into his mind and I found myself laughing out loud many times throughout this book. He has so much charisma, wit and sarcasm that it really makes me wish I had an Andy Carpenter in my own life to keep me entertained. The other characters are great as well and even the minor ones are revealed to us in some way, even if in passing whilst reading what Andy is thinking and concluding in his own mind. I just love all of them, I can't get enough!

Finally, the writing is precise and to the point, which is my favorite because it gets the story across with the most impact, at least in my opinion. The writing style definitely fits with Andy Carpenter's personality because it is clever and simple, without taking itself too seriously all the time. The pages went by in a blur and in the future I will definitely be checking out all of David Rosenfelt's other works because the way he writes is just a joy to read.

In conclusion, I got exactly what I was hoping for with Rosenfelt's first Andy Carpenter book and I was not disappointed, not even a little bit. It was fast paced, clever and an absolute joy to read and begin my year off with a bang! I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good courtroom thriller and wants a hero who stands out and is perfectly imperfect in all his sarcastic wit and glory. I couldn't recommend these series enough, a must read!

I read this because I knew the dog lived. I've tried to focus on horror, because this is October, but the canine and feline death rate was through the roof.

Having decided to read this, though, I had a good time. Open and Shut was a quick read, and the main character was witty.

Needed more dog. ;)

I do have an audiobook in the series that I'll be enjoying at some point.

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
—
I honestly can't believe I've talked to little about Andy Carpenter and David Rosenfelt here – it works out, when you look at timelines and whatnot, I've been reading him a long time before I started blogging. Still, it's hard to believe since it's one of my favorite series, and has been going for so long. Yeah, maybe the series is getting too long in the tooth, but for something to get to book 16+, it's got to have a pretty solid foundation, right? That foundation is Open and Shut, where Rosenfelt introduces the world to Andy Carpenter, dog lover extraordinaire and pretty decent defense attorney.

Carpenter is a hard-working lawyer, taking on many cases that don't pay much, but do some good. He's obsessed with New York sports and his golden retriever. He's going through a divorce – and has started dating his investigator. He's got a great sense of humor, is known for a hijink or two in court, and seems like the kind of guy you want in your corner. His father is a big-time D. A., the kind of Prosecutor that people hope/assume theirs is – honest, hard-working, tough on crime. So it shocks Andy when his dad asks him to take on a client for a retrial on a murder case – a murderer his dad put away and his currently on Death Row.

Andy goes ahead with the case, not sure that he should. But it doesn't take long before he starts to believe in his client's innocence. About that time, things get interesting and maybe even a little dangerous.

Almost all the elements that go into a typical Andy Carpenter novel are here – even if they're just being introduced at this point. The jokes are fresh, the clichés have yet to be developed. It's a good mystery with some good non-mystery story elements. And, best of all, some really fun courtroom moments – not just antics on Andy's part, but some good depictions of legal/trial strategy and the like. I've been thinking lately that the latter Carpenter books have been giving the courtroom short shrift, and seeing what Rosenfelt does here just solidifies that thinking.

Gardner's narration didn't blow me away or anything, but it was good work. I can easily believe him as Andy's voice and can see him really growing on me (not unlike George Guidall and Walt Longmire). He'll keep you engaged in the story, and deliver a line or two in a way that will bring a smile to your face.

Give this one a whirl, folks – text or audio – you'll enjoy yourself.