Open and Shut

This is book one of the Andy Carpenter lawyer series that read like part crime novels and part standup comedy routines.

Andy is defending a death row inmate, Willie Miller, on appeal, at his father’s request. His father, a retired State District Attorney, prosecuted Miller initially, which makes his request rather odd, but his father died suddenly before Andy could query him further. To add to the mystery, Andy is shocked to discover his father has left him 22 million dollars! This is the same father who claimed he could hardly afford to send Andy to camp.

Andy has relationship problems too. There are other females in his life besides his beloved seven year old golden retriever Tara. He has an estranged wife Nicole, from whom he has show more been separated for six months, and a new girlfriend, Laurie, who is an ex-cop and also his research assistant. After his father’s funeral, Nicole indicates she wants to give the marriage another try, and Andy feels obliged to reciprocate.

Meanwhile, the Miller case - supposedly an “open and shut” case - is starting to look like a frame-up. Worse yet, Andy is convinced his father and all the money are somehow connected.

Evaluation: This is not only a really good crime novel, but a very, very funny book. I read this because I stumbled into the series at the end with the book Dog Tags, and knew at once this series was worth going back to the beginning, in spite of my obsessive/compulsive horror at going backwards in a series. But I love this guy! I can’t wait to read more! show less

A clever courtroom drama that pulses with a constant, often witty, self-deprecating humour.


In my head, 'Open And Shut' will always carry the subtitle 'The Case Of The Missing Golden Retriever'.

I bought the book thinking that it was the first in a series about Andy Carpenter, Defence Attorney and Tara, his Golden Retriever side-kick. for all I know, the rest of the series may live up to that description but the first book 'Open And Shut' gives a more prominent role to baseball than it does to Tara the Golden Retriever.

Nevertheless, I read 'Open And Shut' with sustained low-key pleasure in a single day. Although it is disappointingly low of canine contributions it's still a very entertaining book and I will be back for more in the show more series.

The main appeal of the book for me is the self-deprecating humour and witty one-liners that Andy Carpenter uses to tell the story of his life, his loves, his mistakes and his unconventional courtroom performances. The Andy Carpenter that we meet at the beginning of the story is going through some changes in his life: recently separated from his wife, recently orphaned by the death of his father and recently the recipient of substantial and unexpected inherited wealth. In the midst of all this, Andy is trying to win an unwinnable re-trial of a capital case that his father prosecuted successfully the first time around.

Andy plays the charming raconteur, casting the reader in the role of trusted confidante, and delivers a narrative that kept me smiling and occasionally made me laugh. Andy is not the kind of driven or angst-ridden lawyer that you find in John Grisham's novels. He has a pragmatic understanding of the law and his role in it and rejects sentimental or sanctimonious views of his work. He is a man who uses humour to distance himself from his emotions and from the stresses of a criminal trial but who never lies to himself about what is really going on.

I was also impressed by the plot of the book, which manages to entwine a my-client-didn't-do-it-so who-did? mystery, with uncovering secrets in his recently-deceased father's past. The courtroom ploys are clever and entertaining and the plot twists are well-managed and kept me guessing.

My enjoyment of the book was greatly enhanced by Grover Gardner's wonderful narration. show less

Wow. A wise-acre defense attorney in Paterson, N.J. with wife trouble is asked by his father to take on an appeal for a man on death row, a man the father himself prosecuted seven years before. The son reluctantly agrees, and discovers a lot more about his father, his inheritance, and the rich people of his area than he had known before. Lively, driving, full of wit, silliness, seriousness, and a great noir feel even though it feels pretty sunny in New Jersey.

This is a first novel - actually, I think a first book - but I only know that because I looked it up. You sure can't tell by reading it. It has a tight, interesting plot, wonderful rich characters and a voice that is really fun to read. It's not a comic novel but there are some great one liners in it. Andy Carpenter is a lawyer with an unwinable case and a messy life. But you root for him from page 1. Rosenfelt's next book featuring this same lawyer is already out. I'm on my way to get me a copy!

There is definitely something in the water of New Jersey because authors with an abundance of wit seem to spring from its soil in gratifying numbers. Brad Parks, Chris Grabenstein, Jeffrey Cohen, Janet Evanovich, and David Rosenfelt... to name a few.

Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter is a first-rate smart mouth with quick wits and a soft heart (just like I like all my heroes). His ex-wife is a spoiled little rich girl who's never found a need to abandon Daddy, and the woman investigator in his law practice wants more commitment from him than Andy's ready to give. No wonder Tara represents his best relationship.

There are two main plot lines in Open and Shut: where Andy's father got that $22 million, and the retrial of Willie Miller, a man who show more was convicted of a murder he didn't commit. Both are interesting, and how Rosenfelt connects the two is very good. However, the pace is like a yo-yo. Fast. Slow. Fast. Slow. It needed some tightening to keep the book's momentum running smoothly. But this is the first of a long-running series, and since I have a penchant for canines and New Jersey writers, I know I'm going to be back for more. show less

The first in a long-running series of mystery/legal procedurals about a lawyer and his dog. I enjoyed this well enough but kept wishing the main character was more nuanced under his smart-aleckiness. (Has Dean Winchester ruined me for smart aleck dudes who aren't hiding a whole mess of nuance under their sarcastic exterior? Yeah, very probably.) I enjoyed this well enough but am not dying to read any more. Also: not enough dog.

I'm backing up to read all the of early Andy Carpenter books, in order. I had to laugh....I wanted MARCUS in this wonderful perfect start to the series! Andy is Andy right from the beginning or maybe it's the joy in knowing that he just doesn't change as the years go by. David Rosenfelt knew his character right from the beginning. The books are just plain fun to read and I'm SO happy there are so many of them....a huge thank you to the author for continuing them amid his real life of dogs, dogs, DOGS!!!!!