Unleashed

Try as he might to avoid it, criminal defense lawyer Andy Carpenter has reluctantly acquired another client in David Rosenfeldt's Unleashed (#353).  As usual, it takes his friend, forensic accountant and computer whiz Sam Willis to persuade Andy to take on the case of an old high school friend and billionaire financial manager who has requested Andy's services.  When Barry Price is killed in a plane crash before he can meet with Andy, it isn't long before Andy finds himself representing Barry's wife on murder charges instead. 

The only reason Sam wasn't on that plane with Barry is that on his way to the airfield that night he accidentally hit a dog.  What kind of dog?  Since this is an Andy Carpenter story, you know it has to be a golden retriever.  Crash is Sam's new good luck charm, and his devotion to the injured dog makes Andy seem neglectful of his own beloved dog Tara.

It isn't long before this murder case goes south for Andy and he finds himself defending Sam Willis for the murder instead.  It's clear that Sam has gotten himself mixed up with something much, much bigger and scarier than a single murder.  Will Andy be able to put the random pieces of this puzzle together in time to stop the sinister players pulling the strings behind Sam's trial?  Even Andy isn't sure this time...

In David Rosenfeldt's latest, he's blurred the line between murder mystery/court proceedings narrative and conspiracy thriller, laced with his trademark humor. A number of unpleasant surprises are in store in this cleverly-plotted tale.  With the introduction of Crash he's also managed to introduce a new canine character to this series.  Even Andy doesn't bake Tara healthful and nutritious dog biscuits, so there's the potential for some doggy one-upsmanship with Sam in future books.  You won't want to put this one down.