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When a mystery writer creates an engaging character with ample opportunity for enticing cases, a series is born and readers await with anticipation each new installment of crime solving. SUDDEN DEATH, by David Rosenfelt, is the fourth mystery that features Andy Carpenter as a crime-solving criminal defense attorney. Both Carpenter and Rosenfelt appear on the way to long and successful careers in the mystery business.
Andy Carpenter has a luxury that most lawyers would love to possess. He inherited $22 million from his father, and that bankroll allows him the opportunity to pick not only his clients but his cases as well. In one of his earlier novels he successfully represented Willie Miller, wrongfully convicted of murder. Miller's release and subsequent civil suit continue to make everyone around Andy financially secure. That group includes Miller, Andy's secretary Edna, his associate Kevin Randall, and Laurie Collins, who serves as Carpenter's private investigator and love interest.
As the novel opens, Carpenter and Miller are on their way to California to meet with movie producers to discuss a possible film surrounding Willie and his vindication. Prior to becoming an author, Rosenfelt had a career in Hollywood, and the opening scenes of SUDDEN DEATH are an entertaining and humorous look at the West Coast lifestyle. Soon after arrival the wining and dining commences, and within a day Andy and Willie are on a flight back to New Jersey speculating in their minds as to who will portray them in the movie that will chronicle their achievements.
But before the casting call can begin, a new client needs Andy's services. Kenny Schilling is a star running back for the New York Giants. Andy meets his new client while he is barricaded in his home surrounded by police officers. Also inside the home is the corpse of Tony Preston, wide receiver for the New York Jets. The evidence appears overwhelming, but Carpenter finds other facts indicating that Schilling was framed. Of course the reader knows that Andy will establish his client's innocence, but how he accomplishes that task makes SUDDEN DEATH great mystery reading.
Rosenfelt has two wonderful writing talents that serve him well in the mystery milieu. In addition to Andy Carpenter, a cast of quirky and interesting characters --- some previously introduced in the series, and some who make appearances only in this saga --- are portrayed. All of them are interesting individuals who add to the story and plot development. In SUDDEN DEATH Andy's girlfriend Laurie must decide whether she should return to her hometown to resume her law enforcement career. As both Andy and Laurie wrestle with that dilemma, so does the reader. Caring about characters is what distinguishes good mysteries from mediocre efforts. This series creates characters who readers genuinely care about.
Rosenfelt's other ability comes in his creation of courtroom scenes. Many legal-related novels fall apart when they enter the courtroom. For a non-lawyer, Rosenfelt has a wonderful ability to capture what transpires before a judge and jury. Sometimes Andy does get away with a few strategies that real-life attorneys would not attempt, but after all this is fiction, not real life, and plot sometimes trumps life. A future Andy Carpenter novel may find him toiling for even longer periods of time in the courtroom. It would not make Rosenfelt's effort any less readable or enjoyable.
What is the best recommendation that one can give a mystery such as SUDDEN DEATH? Perhaps there are two. The first is to observe that each new episode of the series continues to maintain the quality of previous installments. The characters and style are by now comfortable to readers. You can enjoy this book, go back to previous Carpenter adventures and get up to speed without a problem. The second recommendation is perhaps even stronger. This reader anxiously awaits Andy Carpenter's next case. There is no doubt that it will be another enticing courtroom adventure.
--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman
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