Dead Center

Andy is trying to move on after Laurie, his investigator and girlfriend, moved four months ago to become a police officer in a small town in Wisconsin she grew up in. Then he gets a call from her ... a young local has been arrested for murdering his ex-girlfriend and her friend and Laurie wants him to be his lawyer. Andy and his dog, Tara, head to Findlay to see what he can do.

The two women who had been murdered were from a religious neighbouring town that likes to keep their affairs private. Needless to say, Andy gets no help from the residents as he is investigating the murders. With the help of a local lawyer, Laurie (as acting police chief) and Andy's team from New Jersey, they must prove that their client is innocent.

This is the fifth book I've read by this author and I thought it was just okay. I found the plot a bit boring. Perhaps I didn't like it as much as the others in the series because Andy was acting more like an investigator rather than doing his usual lawyer thing. I found the whole religious cult kind of dumb ... the head is called a "Keeper" and he makes the town's decisions (marriages, occupations, etc.) by spinning a wheel. I thought the ending wrapped up really quickly. Andy suddenly figured it out and the bad person(s) caught ... done! I would have liked a bit more explanation as to why things had happened to wrap it up. During the book, Andy did some dumb things like meeting people but forgetting his cell phone. And since he was out of town, there was no interaction with his friends, Pete or Vince, which is comical ... Andy and Sam barely song-talked.

The writing style was funny, sarcastic and amusing. It was written in first person perspective in Andy's voice. It is the fifth in the Andy Carpenter series (and the fifth I've read) and it works as a stand alone (so you don't need to have read the first one to know what is going on).

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2015/11/book-dead-center-2007-david-rosenfelt.html

Andy and Laurie have broken apart and are living in two different parts of the country. What should bring them back together but a gruesome double murder. In Dead Center, Andy travels out to Laurie's home town where she is currently heading up the local police department. When evidence compels her to arrest a local young man that she doesn't believe is guilty, Laurie asks Andy to come and defend him. The reader gets to see what Laurie's life is like back in quaint and friendly Findlay. We also get to see the stunning contrast with Findlay's neighboring town, which is the epicenter of a crazy cult religion that runs the life of everyone in it. As always, Andy's charming and slightly pushy New Jersey self investigates and uncovers many mysteries. Like all Andy Carpenter books, the banter is fun and there are enough surprises to make for a very satisfying read.

This is one of my favorite series. I listened to it on CD and I like the reader as well. In this book the main character has agreed to consider taking a case in Wisconsin where his lover moved in order to be close to family, breaking up with him. She recommends he take this case of a young man who is accused of murder. He does and ends up spending longer in Wis.than he had planned. He also finds that the murder opens up another area of criminal activity and a religious sect seems to be in the middle of it. His ex is promoted to Chief of Police and that complicates things in more ways than one. Then of course there's the dog. I love Rosenfelt's writing. His stories are entertaining and easy reading/listening.

This Andy Carpenter novel has it all: A mystery, loads of humor and eccentric secondary characters. Plainly stated: Andy Carpenter is a hoot! By turns, he’s sarcastic and very funny. OK, he’s a bit lazy; since inheriting millions, he avoids lawyering if he can.

A happy inhabitant of Paterson, New Jersey, Andy is rousted out of his comfort zone by his one true love Laurie Collins. In a previous story, she moved back to her hometown Findlay, Wisconsin, and accepted a promotion to acting chief of police. However, a young man she knows well (Jeremy Davidson) has been charged with a heinous crime – slashing two young women (one of whom had just broken up with him). She asks Andy to look the case over.

The case revolves around a religious cult in an adjoining town; everyone in the town belongs to it, including the two dead women. The question is: Are members of the cult responsible for the deaths? This closed society doesn't make it easy for Andy to investigate.

Folks expecting Andy to perform his attorney magic may be disappointed that he does little in the court room. However, it is a great opportunity for regular readers to see the latest with Laurie and Marcus.

Andy Carpenter Series
1. Open and Shut (2002)
2. First Degree (2003)
3. Bury the Lead (2004)
4. Sudden Death (2005)
5. Dead Center (2006)

laugh-out-loud, law-enforcement, snark-fest, snow, lawyers, culture-shock, cults

The mystery tale is creative, and there's the issues between Andy and his ladylove, but that's not the best of it all for this Wisconsinite! It's all the frozen tundra snarks and the foodie fun! No way does Wisconsin or its people come off badly. Unless, of course you object to our winters, potluck suppers, or basic kindness. I loved it!
Grover Gardner really shines as narrator.

Dead Center by David Rosenfelt.

Andy Carpenter and his significant other, Laurie Collins, are separated...but that's soon to change. Laurie is currently the acting Chief of Police in a small town in Wisconsin and she needs Andy's help. There have been two brutal murders of college students. Both these girls lived in a strange cult-like community.
Andy hears Laurie's request and he and Tara are packed and ready to go. Andy is there in no time after alerting his usual back up especially Marcus Clark. The situation Andy finds himself in is not what he's been acquainted with in the past and it's all new territory to him in more ways than one.

I found this book to begin on a slow start for me but the depth and intensity of the mystery drew me into the mystery solving with Andy. Great addition to an extraordinary series.

#5 Andy Carpenter mystery. Andy is a lawyer in Paterson, New Jersey but in this installment is off to the midwest in response to a call from his ex-girlfriend Laurie who is now the acting police chief in her home town of Findlay, Wisconsin. The son of a childhood friend has been accused of murdering two young college women, one of them the girl who just broke up with him. Andy, who has finally made up his mind to start to come to terms with life sans Laurie, is reluctant to take up the case primarily for that reason, but also because he can afford to be picky about his cases and he likes to have a belief that his client truly is innocent. Although he normally trusts Laurie's judgment implicitly, he feels she may be too close to the situation.

Eventually he does drive out with his dog Tara in tow. But after meeting Jeremy (the accused) and his family and getting a feel for the locals from Calvin, the local attorney he'll be working with, he comes to believe that Laurie is right. There is something bigger going on, probably involving the Centurions, a cultish, isolationist religion that is the sole cornerstone of the neighboring town of Center City, where Elizabeth and Sheryl, the two murdered girls, were from. It takes another murder or two to convince the judge that Jeremy is innocent and that charges should be dropped, but Andy is disinclined to just go home and let things hang in the air. Plus, he and Laurie have started their relationship up again and he really doesn't want that to end, either. I did spot the bad guy very early on, but had no basis for it, just a gut feeling. This was a great entry in the series, one of the very few "lawyer/courtroom drama" mysteries I will even go anywhere near.

Many attorneys battling the stress and anxiety of their daily travails often contemplate what life might be like if only they were granted the unique luxury of a lawyer such as Andy Carpenter, David Rosenfelt's fictional courtroom warrior making his fifth appearance in DEAD CENTER. When first introduced to readers in OPEN AND SHUT, Carpenter found himself to be the beneficiary of two fortuitous events that changed his life and legal career. He inherited $22 million from his father and then parlayed that event with a large civil recovery for a wrongfully convicted client. Carpenter now has a double whammy that allows him to lead a life that most lawyers would envy. Unlimited financial resources, coupled with egalitarian financial needs, give Andy Carpenter the luxury of picking and choosing only those cases where the client and the crime make Carpenter committed to righting a legal wrong.

While life is good for Andy, it is not perfect. DEAD CENTER opens with Andy in the throes of a romantic calamity. The love of his life, Laurie Collins, who served as his investigator in previous cases, has returned to her home in Wisconsin to become acting Chief of Police. The distance between the Badger State and Andy's home in New Jersey has all but snuffed out the fire of their romance. Events in Laurie's hometown allow Andy and Laurie to reestablish their relationship while Andy continues in his neverending battle against injustice.

Laurie has arrested Jeremy Davidson for a multiple homicide. The victims of the brutal murder are Davidson's girlfriend and another young woman. The evidence appears substantial against Davidson, but Laurie has doubts. She calls Andy and requests that he consider taking Davidson's case. Perhaps it is the nature of the case or maybe the young defendant that finally lures Andy to travel to Wisconsin. One factor that cannot be denied is the opportunity for Andy to reconnect with Laurie. He heads to Wisconsin with his faithful dog Tara and his cast of supporting investigators and attorneys to represent a man he firmly believes to be innocent of wrongdoing.

While Findlay, Wisconsin, may be Laurie's hometown and place of work, the real action for DEAD CENTER occurs in nearby Center City, a closely knit religious community that zealously guards its community and the lives of its residents. Andy must pierce that shell of privacy and in his desire to accomplish that task he acquires many enemies. In Andy's previous legal adventures only his spirit and legal ability were tested. In Center City he finds his life in serious physical danger.

David Rosenfelt has a wonderful ability to create characters, action and plots that are faced-paced, witty and just plain enjoyable. DEAD CENTER follows the pattern established by Rosenfelt in the series's four previous mysteries. The author has a substantial resume for television and movie script-writing. That expertise shows in the interesting plots and characters that occupy the pages of these novels.

DEAD CENTER is only missing one aspect of the Rosenfelt touch. In earlier novels Andy spent much more time in court. His acerbic humor and envelope-pushing repartee with judges and opposing attorneys were Rosenfelt's best writing. Aficionados of courtroom thrillers always found Andy's antics to be humorous but realistic as he often engaged in biting commentary and tactics that would drive his opponents to distraction. DEAD CENTER finds Andy spending substantially more time as an investigator rather than as a litigator, and there is not much time spent in Wisconsin courtrooms. In some respects that makes this fifth mystery in the series a stimulating change of pace for both author and reader.

This slight difference in what remains a quality mystery series does not detract from another page-turning work that should find its way to the top of your summer reading list.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman

New Jersey Attorney Andy Carpenter misses his former girlfriend, Laurie Collins. Laurie has moved back to her home town of Findlay, Wisconsin and is acting police chief. Laurie calls and asks Andy to come and defend a college student accused of murdering two girls and burying their bodies behind his house. Andy agrees but finds investigating the case complicated because the girls are from a nearby town. The town is a closed community where all residents are members of a secretive faith, lead by "The Keeper."

This series is starting to wear a bit thin with me. I love animals but Andy's relationship with his dog Tara, gets to be a bit much. Andy is supposed to be a brilliant lawyer but often has the street sense and personal self confidence of a doorknob. My other biggest complaint is Rosenfelt's device of killing off a critical secondary character in each book. It became a cliché of his writing with the last book; now I find myself identifying the "dead" character almost from the beginning. For all that, I'm not ready to give up on the series. I enjoy Rosenfelt's balance of humor and suspense, his dialogue and very strong sense of place. I just want Mr. Rosenfelt to grow in his writing and be better than he is. In the meantime, I'll accept the books for what they are--a light, entertaining read.

In David Rosenfelt's "Dead Center," Andy Carpenter and his beloved dog, Tara, leave their comfort zone in Paterson, New Jersey to spend time in Findlay, Wisconsin. Andy has been licking his wounds after the love of his life, Laurie Collins, dumped him to return to her hometown of Findlay, where she has become Acting Chief of Police. For the last few months, Andy has been hanging out with Tara, appearing on cable television as a legal expert, and spending time at a dog rescue operation that he runs with his partner, Willie. He also loves to socialize with his immature friends at a sports bar, sit on his couch and watch any game that happens to be on, and place the occasional bet with his bookie. In short, he has a rather pathetic and predictable life.

Laurie changes all that when she asks Andy to come to Wisconsin to defend Jeremy Davidson, a young man accused of brutally slaying two coeds. Although Laurie is technically on the side of the prosecution, she is convinced that Jeremy is innocent. After much soul-searching, Andy agrees to take the case.

David Rosenfelt has a reputation for seamlessly combining hilarious and sarcastic humor with engrossing mysteries. Andy is an appealing protagonist and narrator, a self-deprecating nebbish, and a compassionate and quick-witted criminal defense attorney. He is New Jersey's answer to William Bernhardt's Tulsa-based Ben Kincaid. Since Andy and Laurie make such a perfect couple, the reader roots for them to rekindle their romance.

The plot revolves around a town that is inhabited by a religious cult whose leader discourages dissent. Is it possible that the members of this cult would resort to violence to protect their secrets? After Andy's arrival in Wisconsin, there are additional unexplained deaths and a suicide that may have been staged. Andy uses his considerable legal expertise to try to exonerate Jeremy, and he also plays amateur sleuth. Along with his inarticulate but effective bodyguard, the formidable Marcus Clark, our hero lays his life on the line to solve the puzzle before any more corpses pile up. "Dead Center" is a mildly entertaining book with the usual red herrings and surprises, but it has a forced, "been there, done that" feel; it lacks the flavor, bite, and originality that made Rosenfelt's earlier novels such a delight.

I think that this might be the first Rosenfelt book that I have read. I say I think, because it seems so much like so many other books I have finished and because I dont think I will be able to remember it half a year from now. That aside, it was still enjoyable to read if only because of the lead protagonist, a witty lawyer named Andy and his banter with his friends.

Without the dialog and word play, this book would be a pure mess. Andy heads to Michigan, comes onto the scene, un-earths a previously un-thought-of small religious cult town, and finds that these gentile folk are murdering citizens and outsiders left and right. Andy brings along a host of friends and they neatly save the day and right wrongs. Boring. I saw the ending coming just as the book got underway. One thing for sure is that Rosenfelt either is burned out on this character and couldn't think of anything new to talk about, or he is just really bad at creating a story.

I would skip this book. I might try one of his earlier stories in this series just to see if Rosenfelt might have at one time been a little more in tune with his work. This is an easy way to spend a few hours. Thats about it.

Dead Center, Rosenfelt's fourth novel in his series featuring Andy Carpenter and his faithful canine companion, Tara, does not come off as as close to being "dead center" as the three preceding books, but it is very enjoyable and definitely worth reading. Rosenfelt continues to be one of the freshest voices among today's mystery writers due to his ability to provide interesting plots, plenty of surprises, lots of humor and well-developed major and minor characters. Andy Carpenter, the main character who is a wise-cracking suburban New Jersey defense attorney, is one that stays in your mind even after you finish the book and is one that I'm looking forward to 'hang out' with in his future legal adventures. Plus, his dog, Tara, is one I wish I had. I think the main reason I didn't enjoy Dead Center quite as much as Rosenfelt's other books is that it didn't show off Carpenter's courtroom abilities as much. Noneteheless,I recommend Dead Center when you're in the mood for a fast-paced, easy read. However, you might want to first consider reading the other books in the series which I think will further your appreciation of Dead Center.

After picking this book in hardcover from a thrift store for my backup "stash", I had occasion to read it when I couldn't find anything new I wanted bad enough to order on my Kindle. I always prefer to read series books in order, but I was desperate so I read it. It took me awhile to "get to know" the characters, but Rosenfelt explains past history enough that I could follow the relationships easily, and soon was right in the groove of the series.

Andy Carpenter is a good character with a good moral compass, and he won me over with his beloved golden retriever Tara, and the fact that he is a devoted animal rescuer. Apparently, the next book, Play Dead, is all about Andy rescueing a goldie that is "on trial" for biting her owner, and is on doggie death row for it. I just ordered it on Kindle, and am going to start it right now!

This fifth installment to the Andy Carpenter series was pretty good, I guess, - but definitely not my favorite of the series. It was still a fun and entertaining read, but it never reached the same level as the previous novels. I liked the weird cult aspect and the ending was certainly a surprise, but there was something missing from this one... maybe because it took place in Wisconsin rather than New Jersey... or maybe because the usual, complete cast of characters wasn't present. My only other complaint is that that all of these frame-ups are adding to make a rather ridiculous series and Marcus' "character" has been reduced into nothing more than a deus ex machina. Still, I am looking forward to reading Play Dead (Andy Carpenter) since the first thirty pages that prompted me to read this series.

This is the fifth Rosenfelt novel I have read involving his lawyer "hero" Andy Carpenter. This one takes a different direction as it is more a police drama and has virtually no courtroom action. Andy is again asked to defend a client with a ton of evidence against him, no alibi, and no recollection of any crime taking place (as in all the prior books). This time he is asked by his girlfriend Laurie, who has moved back to Findlay, Wisconsin to be police officer and the father of the accused (because Laurie said he was the best lawyer for impossible cases).

At first Andy is stifled because the only way he can defend his client is to obtain information from Center City which is an isolated town controlled by a religious cult. The head of the Centralists controls everything that happens by spinning a wheel, that serves as a kind of oracle.

As always, key people around Andy and witnesses seem to be conveniently murdered and each time Andy is in danger the ubiquitous Marcus seems to come to his rescue.

This book is ok as police dramas go but not great. It moves at a pretty slow pace and there is very little tension involved. Additionally, readers not familiar with some of the characters may not get the full effect of what is going on (the relationship between Laurie and Andy is weak if you haven't read the prior books).

Andy Carpenter faces a community living under the direction of a large spinning wheel. He defends a man accused of murdering two women from that town. Lots of twists and turns. It takes an open mind to follow this plot!

Just finished my 4th Andy Carpenter. Loved them all but I find his emotional insecurity a little incongruous...

Toward the end of this read, Andy shows a little more insight and candor with Laurie. Hope that continues.

Being a smart aleck myself, I've always enjoyed mystery novels with sarcastic narrators. Rosenfelt's series of Andy Carpenter books rank right up there with the Myron Bolitar mysteries by Harlan Coben in terms of humor, pacing, and enjoyability.

In this book, Carpenter is recruited by his ex-girlfriend to come to Wisconsin to help in the defense of an accused murdered. The Jerseyite Carpenter's POV narration of life in Wisconsin is dead-on rioutous, and the mystery he soon finds himself embroiled in is engrossing.

Rosenfelt's books never seem overlong, yet always end too soon. This book, and the series, is highly recommended.

Andy goes to Wisconsin at the behest of his former(?) girlfriend Lori. A young man has been arrested for a double murder, and Lori feels he didn't do it. The dialogue in this one is not as clever as usual, and the religious sect is to stupid to be believable. A wheel dictates their lives. While this is far from my favorite book in the series, I am not going to give up on it. Hopefully the next book will take place in NJ.

Not a nail biter, but unique and interesting. The main character says some funny things that made me snicker. Mild language and suggestions of sex, so maybe PG-13. I appreciate fun books that don't have in-your-face bad language and sex. This book entertained me.

David Rosenfelt, people keep telling me, is a clever, witty guy. Why, right on the back cover of this very paperback, the Kingston Observer (MA) says, "Rosenfelt is a very funny guy who's got the gift of glib." Yeah, right.

Here is a gem from the man with the gift of glib:

Since she's behind a podium, it would be hard for the viewer to know that she is five foot ten. I'm five ten too, but I always used to claim I was five ten and a quarter. That seems a little obvious, so I changed my height to five ten and a half, which I've since rounded up to five eleven. It's the first growth spurt I've had since high school. [Page 15-16, mass paperback edition]

As soon as you stop rolling on the floor with laughter, try another:

The voice on the phone says, "Hello, Andy." Since it's my phone I've picked up, this is not a particularly shocking statement. [Page 21]

Or this:

"Sandwich?" I ask, thinking he might like one of the many sandwiches I made and brought with us.
"Unhh," he says.
"I've got roast beef, turkey and turkey pastrami."
"Unhh," he says.
"I've never actually seen a turkey pastrami, have you? I mean, do they look like regular turkeys? Or regular pastramis?"
"Unhh," he says. [page 296]

Unhh, I say. Just for comparison's sake, here is a passage from a mystery writer who is not normally regarded as a barrel of laughs:

I rolled over gently and sat up and a rattling noise ended in a thump. What rattled and thumped was a knotted towel full of melting ice cubes. Somebody who loved me very much had put them on the back of my head. Somebody who loved me less had bashed in the back of my skull. It could have been the same person. People have moods. [Raymond Chandler, "Playback," 1958.]

Chandler's gag has exactly the same structure as Rosenfelt's "growth spurt" joke, but it is better crafted, better paced, organic to the action rather than an arbitrary add-on, and leads to a punch line ("People have moods") that is sharper and crisper than anything of Rosenfelt's. That Marlowe, what a wild and crazy guy!

Leaving the mirthfulness quotient of this comedy-mystery series behind, let's consider other aspects. In a review of an earlier Rosenfelt book, "Bury the Lead," I wrote this of the leading character, "Among fictional lawyers, Andy Carpenter is an unkempt, uncultivated clod whose highest ambition is to become an idle, unkempt, uncultivated clod. He is an adult by chronological convention and for no other reason. He is the Anti-Perry Mason." After reading this book, I see no reason to modify that opinion. Rosenfelt certainly does no favor for his hero by devoting the first chapter of this book to an un-needed demonstration of exactly how and why Carpenter is a self-absorbed, self-pitying, self-indulgent, snivelling whiner.

Andy's friends and acquaintances don't come off much better. The (human) love of Andy's life is a police chief. She calls for her out-of-state, ex-boyfriend to rush to her side in order undermine one of her own department's cases, an action pretty well guaranteed to raise eyebrows among her subordinates on the force and her superiors on the city council. She also demonstrates certain other failings in matters of departmental command and control. Her affair with the imported, supposedly hot-shot defense lawyer is carried out with all the adult restraint and gravitas of a pair of starry-eyed and hormonal tenth graders. (And to tell the truth, Andy doesn't seem like much of a catch, although his eight-figure bank account might have some attraction of its own.)

Andy's other friends hardly exist as such. "Enablers" would be a more appropriate term. Most enabling of the bunch is Marcus. He is a blood brother to Robert B. Parker's infamous Hawk. He is the tame bully, the walker on the dark side who props up the hero in the light, the two-legged id-monster who carries out dirty work too tedious for the author to rationalize, the hack writer's dear friend.

Elsewhere you may find comments on Rosenfelt's improbable turns of plot or errors of fact. I shall concern myself only with his failure of nerve. Beginning with the title of the book, a specific entity had been identified and repeatedly characterized in a certain way. Three-quarters of the book are clearly directed toward setting up a climactic confrontation with this rigidly characterized entity. When the time comes, though, Rosenfelt, veers sharply off into a much safer tangent. When all is done, we discover--without Rosenfelt ever saying so in explicit terms--that the entity is not what Rosenfelt had repetitively told us it is, and never was.

(On a lesser but more personal point, Lawyer Andy has a confrontation with the head of a well-established nut cult. As it happens, it's a perfectly tepid affair. I once met the head of a well-established nut cult. The meeting was brief and the words we exchanged were banal. I thought he was a pompous and rather silly man, but there was something about Jim Jones that made a meeting with him anything but tepid, even years before he laced the Kool-Aid with poison.)

This is a would-be legal thriller that reads and feels like a cozy mystery. This is supposedly a glib and witty book in which the comedy is clumsy and ill-formed and the punch lines usually fall to the ground with a thud. This is a book that shies away from its own internal logic. It's not a terrible book, being good enough to read if there are absolutely no alternatives. It's just not a very good book.

Three stars ... with the benefit of a doubt.

There are wonderful characters who get under your skin and you can't read too many books about them. Such are the charcters, Patrick Gennaro from the series written by Dennis Lehane, character Myron Bolitar from the Harlan Coben series and finally Nelson DeMille's character, John Corey. And I was delighted several years ago when I chanced upon a new book, Open and Shut, by the then new to me author, David Rosenfelt. From this book and author I was able to add a new and fun character, Andy Carpenter, whom I equally enjoy and love to read about. And after reading Rosenfelt's four earlier books which featured this character, I recently read Dead Center, another good addition to this series.

Andy, an irascible lawyer from NJ travels to Michigan to solve the murder of two young women. It doesn't hurt that Andy's old girlfriend is the acting chief of police and he is able to reestablish their former relationship which he so much wants and has missed. But while Andy is snoopping around, Andy finds himself hitting a brick wall asking questions among the members of a bizarre religious community and suddenly he is dead center for trouble.

While not my favorite book in the series, thsi one was still a good and worthwhile read. I continue to enjoy the main characters and supporting cast, many of whom appeared in earlier titles. As I look forward to new books by authors Lehane, Coben and DeMille, I eagerly await David Rosenfelt's next book to see what Andy and his friens are up to.

This series is comical with mystery, love interest and love of dogs. Great! Since I'm a Jersey girl, I'm familiar with many places Andy Carpenter goes to. I'm on book 7 and can't wait to read the rest of this series!

Wealthy Patterson, New Jersey attorney Andy Carpenter picks and chooses cases that fascinate him, but lately nothing captivates his interest as he misses his beloved Laurie Collins, who moved back to Findlay, Wisconsin to become the acting chief of police in her hometown.

Laurie arrests twenty-one years old college student Jeremy Davidson for the murders of two coeds, Elizabeth Barlow and her friend Sheryl Hendricks. Though the evidence is overwhelming that he committed the homicides, her gut says otherwise. She calls Andy to come to Center City to defend Jeremy; only for Laura would Andy accompanied by his canine Tara travel to Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, the case spins from his client's love life to a religious cult, but the means, motive, and opportunity still points at Jeremy.

The fifth Carpenter legal thriller starts off as a terrific tale with the hero depressed over his beloved leaving home for the Midwest and continues solidly as he defends Jeremy in a courtroom. When the tale spins in the direction of a cult, it loses a bit of its steam. Still fans of the series will enjoy DEAD CENTER as Andy struggles with the defense including the role of the religious order, trying to reassemble his love life, and even more difficult finding a decent pizza for Tara.

Harriet Klausner

I enjoyed this book immensely. If Groucho Marx were a detective living and loving in Jersey then he would be Andy Carpenter. The one-liners had me laughing aloud. There's always nice unexpected plot twist and beloved character can go bye-bye in a heartbeat, but by the end, you enjoyed the read and the ride.

I love all of David Rosenfelts books featuring lawyer Andy Carpenter. As in the previous one the plot is great and David's sense of humor makes the books so good. All of the characters introduced in his first book continue on in this one. Its great to see how everyone progresses. This book was a fast and wonderful read. I can't wait for his next one.