Review of "Sudden Death: An Andy Carpenter Mystery" by David Rosenfelt

In this 4th book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, the Paterson, New Jersey criminal defense lawyer represents a professional football player.

*****

Since Andy Carpenter inherited twenty-two million dollars from his father, he doesn't NEED to work. But Andy hasn't had a case in three months, and is itching to get back in the courtroom.



A possible case comes up when Paterson, New Jersey Homicide Captain Pete Stanton summons Andy to the home of Kenny Schilling - a star running back for the New York Giants.



Kenny is holding off the police with a gun, INSISTING on speaking to Andy. Kenny says he found the bloody corpse of Tony Preston - a wide receiver for the New York Jets - in his bedroom closet, but Kenny contends he didn't kill the man, and has no idea how the body got into his house.



Kenny says he panicked when the cops showed up, and he needs a good lawyer. Andy is skeptical at first, but comes to believe Kenny was framed, and agrees to defend the running back.



Andy's team includes his investigator and girlfriend - former cop Laurie Collins;



law associate Kevin Randall;



Marcus Clark - the toughest guy on the planet, who watches Andy's back and squeezes information out of bad guys when needed;



Sam Willis - an accountant and computer hacker extraordinaire.



Andy's secretary Edna - a crossword puzzle aficionado, who goofs off more than she works;



and Adam Strickland - a Hollywood screenwriter who's helping with this case for a screenplay he's writing.



Laurie discovers that the victim, Tony Preston, was using AND dealing drugs, and Andy decides to work up a SODDI (some other dude did it) defense - the idea being that a drug kingpin called Cesar Quintana had Tony killed. The drug lord doesn't appreciate the attention Andy's stirring up, and sends goons to Andy's house, so it's a good thing Marcus is on the job.



Things get even more complicated when Andy's team learns that young football players across the country have been dying unexpectedly, from sudden heart attacks and road accidents. Can this be related to the murder of Tony Preston?



Andy is well-known for throwing everything plus the kitchen sink into his defense maneuvers, and prosecutor Dylan Campbell - who's no slouch himself - resists and objects with all his might.



Among the highlights of the Andy Carpenter series are Andy's quips, jokes, and sarcastic comments.



For example, when prosecutor Dylan Campbell drags his feet providing discovery, Andy tells the judge: "There is the matter of discovery your honor. We've discovered that the prosecutor does not seem to believe in it. They have not turned over a single document to us." Campbell explains the weekend got in the way of turning over the material, and Andy jibes, "Since I had no evidence to examine your honor, I spent some time over the weekend looking at the rules of discovery, and it quite clearly states that the prosecution must turn over documents as they receive them, even if God forbid, it interferes with their weekend. I might add that they were able to find the time during that same weekend to provide information to the media. Perhaps if I had a press pass I would have a better chance of getting the information the discovery statute requires." Of course, Andy prevails, infuriating Campbell in the process.

Another fun anecdote revolves around Detective Pete Stanton, who's a close friend of Andy's. Pete offers to pass on some information about the case over dinner, and Andy observes: "Since I've inherited my fortune, Pete's goal is to make me poor again. He does this by selecting the most overpriced restaurants he can find and then stuffing himself to the point where he has to be lifted out of his chair with a crane while I pick up the tab.....it would be cheaper to bribe the jury."



As always in this series, there are plenty of courtroom scenes, with Andy demonstrating his knack for cross-examining witnesses and throwing the prosecutor off his game. 😊



In the midst of all this, Andy is dealing with a personal issue. His girlfriend Laurie is thinking of moving back to her hometown in Wisconsin, where she has a good chance of becoming police chief. This puts Andy on the horns of a dilemma. Does he go to Wisconsin with Laurie? Does he convince Laurie to stay in New Jersey? Only time will tell.



The tale has plenty of twists and surprises, and armchair detectives will be challenged to identify the killer. For me, the book has too much chitchat about Andy and Laurie's love life, but this is an entertaining addition to the series, recommended to fans of Andy Carpenter and humorous mysteries.

 Rating: 3 stars