Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt

Open and Shut by David Rosenfelt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Open and Shut is a fun, legal thriller featuring Andy Carpenter, a defense lawyer working in Northern Jersey. Andy's techniques are questionable at best but he seems to win a lot of cases. I liked the writing. I listened to the audio version and often found myself sitting in my car after reaching my destination, waiting for a break in the action before stepping out. I also liked the setting. NJ is where I was raised, so I enjoyed the references to places like Passaic, Paterson, Bergen County, and Franklin Lakes.

One of the things that makes this novel unique is Andy's relationship with his dog, a golden retriever named Tara. He finds more comfort in time spent with Tara than anywhere else. Andy's also an avid sports fan and has some superstitions quirks. All these aspects of his character bring color to the story.

Andy's father was a well respected District Attorney who died suddenly while watching a Yankees game with his son. A short time prior to his death, Andy's father had made an unusual request. He wanted Andy to represent Willie Miller, a man Andy's father had sent to prison seven years earlier. Willie Miller had been convicted of murder, but claimed he was innocent. He was receiving a new trial due to a technicality. Since no new evidence was involved, the case was supposed to be Open and Shut, hence the novel's title.

I had mixed feelings about the way Andy's personal life and his professional life are intertwined. It was interesting, but there were a few too many coincidences for my taste. This begins with defending a man his father convicted, but it doesn't stop there.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and plan to read other David Rosenfelt novels.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross





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In Another Time by Jillian Cantor

In Another Time by Jillian Cantor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In Another Time is both Historical Fiction and Sci Fi. The odd thing about the story is how long it takes to reveal it isn't exclusively Historical Fiction. It's the story of a romance between a German man, Max, of Christian descent, who doesn't care much about religion and a German woman, Hannah, who is Jewish and does. The book starts in Germany, during the years leading up to World War II. It speaks to the politics existing during that period of Germany's history and how so many of the German people reacted to the calls for hatred. At first Max isn't affected by the bigotry of the time and place, but his bookshop is near a bakery owned by a Jew. The baker is affected, especially during kristallnacht. This is important for Max, not only because of his sympathy for his neighbor, but also because it teaches him about the hatred Hannah will experience.

As I mentioned, it takes a while before the book's narrative makes it clear this is also a Sci Fi story. I think it helps to know there is something unexpected coming, but not to know what it is, so I won't get into the details.

Another aspect of In Another Time I enjoyed is that Max is not Hannah's first love. She is in love with her violin and was for years before she met Max. Fortunately, Max also love's Hannah's music. They would make a perfect pair, if it wasn't for government sponsored intolerance.

In Another Time is a page turner and very hard to put down.

Steve Lindahl – author of Motherless Soul, White Horse Regressions, Hopatcong Vision Quest, and Under a Warped Cross.


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