Product Description

Although New Jersey defence attorney Any Carpenter has re-entered the dating scene he still has strong feelings for his ex-girlfriend Laurie, a top-ranking cop who has moved back to her home town. Then one day Laurie calls him out of the blue. She has recently arrested a young man for murder and although there was enough evidence for an arrest, Laurie believes he's innocent. Andy agrees to go to Findlay to investigate and soon finds himself face-to-face with a mysterious religious group - one that seems to know a great deal about murder - and other secrets that are best left alone.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #604969 in Books
• Published on: 2006-05-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. If there aren't any real-life lawyers as entertaining, as witty and as willing to tilt at windmills as Andy Carpenter, Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt's engaging series hero, then there should be. In Andy's fifth outing (after 2005's Sudden Death), the Paterson, N.J., lawyer, whose wealth allows him to work as seldom as he chooses, is recovering from the loss of the love of his life, Laurie Collins, who has moved home to Findlay, Wis., to become the acting chief of police. When Laurie calls Andy for help after arresting 21-year-old Jeremy Davidson for murders that she thinks he didn't commit, Andy can't resist heading off to Findlay with his faithful dog, Tara. There's damning evidence against Jeremy, accused of killing two young women, one of whom he was romantically involved with. Andy is forced to pry into the closed society of Center City, home of the victims and a peculiar religious sect called the Centurions. Written with flair and humor, this is perfect light reading. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
New Jersey defense lawyer Andy Carpenter returns for a fifth outing. When his former lover, Laurie, a police detective who has moved home to Wisconsin, calls to tell him she may have arrested an innocent man for murder, Andy packs his bags and sets off for the Midwest to lend a hand. He quickly finds himself going up against a very shady religious group, but it's his feelings for Laurie that cause him the most distress. As usual, Rosenfelt adroitly mixes drama with humor (the latter, mostly the product of Andy's outspoken, I-don't-give-a-damn personality). With this series, it's the storytelling, more than the stories, that keeps things moving. Andy, who became independently wealthy at the beginning of the series, takes only cases that have some emotional or intellectual appeal. Rosenfelt uses this premise to good advantage. Where most legal-thriller authors explore the crime, Rosenfelt spends more time on the context and on the man investigating the crime. Those who like the added complexity of character-driven mysteries will find much to enjoy in this award-winning series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
If there aren't lawyers as entertaining, as witty and as willing to tilt at windmills as Andy Carpenter. -- Publishers Weekly

If there aren't lawyers as entertaining, as witty and as willing to tilt at windmills as Andy Carpenter. --Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews

Not quite a bull's eye.
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.

Someone's Got to Rain on This Parade
I have read all of Rosenfelt's books about Andy Carpenter. Don't ask me why. Just accept it. Perhaps it is the basic story that I like and some of the humor that is involved. However, this is not a "great courtroom" series. Not even close.

This is about a guy named Andy Carpenter who was a fairly new lawyer when his parents died and he inherited about 25 million dollars. He has had some success in the courtroom and his father was a prosecutor before him, but Perry Mason this guy isn't. However, his source of income is guaranteed for life, so he doesn't have to worry if people can pay or not for his services.

Then he has a love life problem. He is in love with Laurie. She used to be his private investigator and his main squeeze. Then she got a yen to return to her home town in Wisconsin. To be a cop. So she left Andy and his millions and went back to Cheese Country.

In this book she comes asking for his help. A young man has been charged with a double murder which she feels he didn't commit. He answers the siren call and leaves New Jersey for the wilds of Wisconsin and finds himself immersed in a situation where there is a community of people called "Centurions." They live in Center City. Kind of a cult. The murdered girls are from there. The accused lives in Findlay. So does Laurie. She is now the Acting Chief of Police.

It gets complicated and bodies keep piling up. It turns out that one of the centerpieces of the solution to the mystery of what is going on centers around a small airport in Center City. And this is where Rosenfelt gets it all wrong. He either knows nothing about how airports and airplanes work in the air space over the US or he doesn't care.

He states as a fact that all planes file flight plans with the FAA and when he discovers that no planes have ever filed such a plan out of this airport he feels he is onto something. In fact, no plane has to file a flight plan unless it is flying under IFR rules. The entire premise of solving the problem is based on a total fabrication and from there on the book lost a lot of interest for me.

I think I will be able to resist buying the next installment from this author. If not, my bad.

Great addtion to a great series!
This book is such a great read....like I said in my title, a great addtion to this wonderful series. I could not put it down. There were the ususal laughs, Mr. Rosenfelt has a great sense of humor, the regular characters are great, and the "bad guy" characters involved in the story were just creepy enough to make you wonder who did what to whom. I thought I had it all figured out, but the story took a little twist at the end that surprised me.
If you have not read any of this series, it would be okay to start with this one, not like with some series that you have to start with the first book to know what is going on. Of course, if you do start with this one, be warned, you will want to go back and read all the others, they are addictive.