Finding himself heir to a mysterious fortune and a troubling photograph, Andy plods ahead with his new client's appeal. Before Andy can ask his father what's going on, Nelson dies.

He lives with a Golden Retriever named Tara in a house he likes a lot, and life is pretty darn good.And then Andy's father, Nelson, a retired prosecutor, asks him to take on the appeal of Willie Miller, on death row for a murder Nelson himself prosecuted. He's good in court, wins most of his cases, and is popular with judges and prosecutors alike. New Jersey attorney Andy Carpenter's biggest problems are fretting over whether to work things out with his estranged wife or move forward with pretty PI Laurie Collins. It's hard to believe this is David Rosenfelt's first novel, but that's what the book jacket says. And than I will look forward to more books by David Rosenfelt either in this series or as stand alone titles. I can hardly wait to begin the second book, First Degree and only hope its as good as Open and Shut. And the author certainly knew that readers would look forward to more books about Andy Carpenter since there are now two more titles in this series. I found this book exciting, entertaining and well written. And as improbable as it may seem, I couldn't help but think that the plot of this novel could very well have happened. It is a roller coaster of a read which although convoluted is easy enough for readers to follow and enjoy.

This is one terrific book which I couldn't put down. His home is broken into, he's assaulted in his office by a man wearing a ski mask and then a bullet meant for him mistakenly wounds somebody else, Andy begins to wonder if somehow all of these events aren't connected. Unfortunately for Andy though as he gets deeper and deeper into his investigation along with some colleagues, some disturbing events occur. Now confused by the size of his inheritance and the surprising photograph while seeking a new trial for Willie Martin, Andy decides to investigate not only where the money came from but who else is in the picture. The photograph which was taken in 1965 shows one man who looks vaguely familiar but the other two are unknown to him. Then while Andy is going through his father's things, Andy finds a photograph which was hidden behind another photo which shows his father with three men. Neither did he expect to be seeking a new trial for a man on death row who is there after Andy's father successfully prosecuted him. When Andy's father, a former District Attorney, suddenly dies, Andy never expected to inherit 22 million dollars. And be prepared because once you begin this book you won't be able to put it down. In the tradition of Harlan Coben and Nelson DeMille's characters, David Rosenfelt introduces us to Andy Carpenter, a lawyer based in New Jersey. The author also masters the courtroom dialogue so that the reader actually feels they are there. Andy is not sure if it has to do with the death row murder case he is trying to overturn or not. When Andy starts to investigate who the other men are, threats to his life start to happen. To add to that there is a mysterious photograph of Andy's father with a four other men. So many wierd things happen especially after Andy's father suddenly dies and leaves him a hidden fortune that he could not possibly have earned in his career as a prosecutor. His father convinces him to take the appeal of an inmate on death row that his father had put there when he was a prosecuter. Andy Carpenter is a wise cracking defense attorney who is separated from his wife and likes to spend most of his free time with his golden retriever. It is told in first person which I usually have trouble with but this book is definately an exception.

This book draws you in immediately with the excellent writing style of the author.

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