Dead Center

Andy Carpenter is navigating the baffling terrain of single life when his ex-girlfriend Laurie shows up at his office with a request: come to Wisconsin and represent her oldest friend's son, accused of murder in a crime the mother insists he did not commit. The accused is a member of an insular religious community that closes ranks against outside scrutiny, and Andy must do his best legal work in a place where he cannot even get good coffee. The fifth Andy Carpenter mystery delivers Rosenfelt's characteristic blend of courtroom strategy, canine warmth, and precisely timed comedy.

Grover Gardner narrates Andy's self-deprecating voice with the dry authority he has brought to the series throughout, making the timing of Andy's internal commentary feel completely natural. The Wisconsin setting gives the novel a slight change of atmosphere from the series' usual New Jersey habitat, and Gardner handles the supporting cast of community members with easy differentiation. At just under seven and a half hours, Dead Center is a satisfying mid-series entry.