In this 29th book in the Andy Carpenter series, the Paterson, New Jersey attorney represents a man accused of mass murder.
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Ever since he inherited a large fortune, defense lawyer Andy Carpenter takes very few cases.
Instead, Andy prefers to hang out with his wife Laurie, son Ricky, and dogs Tara (a golden retriever), Hunter (a pug), and Sebastian (a basset hound). Andy also likes to watch sports; help run a canine rescue operation called 'The Tara Foundation'; schmooze with his friends at Charlie's Sports Bar; and so on.
On the rare occasions Andy takes a case, he assembles his team, one of whom is private investigator Marcus Clark. Marcus is known for two traits: he's the toughest guy on the planet; and he doesn't talk much, usually just grunting and nodding.
Marcus has had Andy's back on innumerable occasions, so when Marcus speaks up and asks Andy to take a case, Andy agrees. It seems Marcus mentors young men who've gotten into trouble, and one of his 'wards', Nick Williams, is being accused of mass murder.
Nick, a handyman/cleaner, has been employed at a personal injury law firm called Moore Law. One day, when Nick is absent from work, a masked man walks into Moore Law and shoots six people.
Two survivors, a lawyer called Sally Montrose and a paralegal named Laura Schauble, say the killer resembled Nick, with a hook tattoo on his arm and distinctive striped sneakers.
When the murder weapon is found in a dumpster near Nick's home, with Nick's print on the gun, the police figure 'case closed.'
Nick's story is that he was abducted on the morning of the murder, and held in a room somewhere. Later, when the kidnappers released him, Nick was told to turn himself in to the police.
Andy knows the district attorney has a very strong case, and he'll have to hustle to prepare a compelling defense. So Andy assembles his squad. This consists of lawyer Eddie Dowd - who's great with paperwork and filings;
accountant Sam Willis - a computer hacker extraordinaire;
office manager Edna - who goofs off more than she works;
and The K-Team, a private detective firm consisting of Marcus Clark as well as other PIs, including:
Andy's wife Laurie, an ex-cop;
Corey Douglas, also an ex-cop, and Corey's police dog, Simon Garfunkel.
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This time, Sam Willis also recruits reinforcements for computer searches, an elderly couple called Eli and Hilda Mandelbaum. This is a real bonus because Hilda makes unbelievably great rugelach.
As Andy prepares Nick's case for court, he interviews the survivors at Moore Law; relatives of the victims; clients who got big personal injury settlements; and more.
Andy comes to suspect that Moore Law was a party to fraudulent claims, and it seems he might be right, because people start trying to kill him. Of course Andy eventually figures out what's going on.....but is it soon enough to save Nick?
The Andy Carpenter books are formulaic, but fun. Andy is a sarcastic quipster whose frequent wisecracks make him unpopular with cops, prosecutors, and judges, but VERY popular with fans of the series.
In one amusing passage, Andy - who's in the habit of discussing the case with his dog Tara - records this exchange:
" 'Tara, what do you think I should do?'
She turns towards me and gives her cute head tilt; no one tilts their head as cute as Tara. But she's giving me a message, she's saying, 'What are you asking me for? I told you not to take the case.'
I can't say I'm thrilled with her attitude, but Tara doesn't beat around the bush."
I always enjoy these cozy mysteries, and I'll keep reading them as long as David Rosenfelt keeps writing them.
Thanks to Netgalley, David Rosenfelt, and Minotaur books for a copy of the manuscript.
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