Jane Smythe, a math professor specializing in fractal geometry, is shocked to learn that three professors with the same speciality have died amid mysterious circumstances. That's where Pepper Keane, an ex-Marine turned PI with an encyclopedic knowledge of rock 'n' roll, comes in. He finds himself attracted to Professor Smythe and is determined to discover the root of these incidents. At first, he can't find any evidence that the three dead mathematicians even knew each other. But Keane, with the help of his hacker best friend and exercise guru brother, continues to dig. Suspects begin to appear and then multiply as they race through the rocky terrain of Colorado to Mexico, Boston, and Nebraska - with the main suspect an FBI agent who is also Keane's worst enemy.

Channel Six television reporter Maxi Poole is on assignment to cover the murder of Gillian Rose, co-owner of one of the largest vitamin and herb retailers in the world. Arriving at the crime scene, Maxi studies Gillian's body, trying to piece together what happened. Days later, someone breaks into the home of Carter Rose, Gillian's husband, in a failed attempt to murder him. A shaken Carter asks Maxi for help in finding Gillian's killer. Maxi can't help being intrigued by the magnetic Carter Rose. His earnestness, surprising shyness, playful wit, and boyish good looks all add up to one deadly attractive package. As Maxi gets sucked into Carter's world, she has to confront his indiscriminate philandering and shadowy friends, that is if she isn't dumped from prime time by someone who intends to delete her from existence and consign her to every reporter's worst nightmare: the dead file.

With his debut novel Open and Shut, David Rosenfelt earned wide and enthusiastic critical acclaim for his unique protagonist, Andy Carpenter. Now both creator and character are back in a new work that combines street-smart wit and nail-biting suspense.

"I sit at my desk for a while, moving the papers from the right side to the left. That makes the desk look left-heavy, so I move half the papers back to the right. The problem is, with papers now on each side, there's no place for me to put my feet up. So with my feet resting uncomfortably on the floor, I pick up the newspaper and read about the discovery of Alex Dorsey's headless body."
An unabashed animal lover, Paterson, New Jersey, lawyer Andy Carpenter has grown a fast reputation as that rare defender who saves both dogs and humans from Death Row. Thanks to the high-profile success of his last case, he's at the top of every local felon's wish list of attorneys. But despite his newfound fame and fortune, he's suffering from a painful attack of lawyer's block, rejecting every potential client who comes his way. His office is eerily quiet, except for the pen of his secretary, Edna, scratching nimbly across and down the New York Times crossword puzzle, while his soul hungers for a case to sink its legal teeth into.
He's about to get his wish. And it'll be a first-degree kick in the head.
It begins in the asphalt heart of Paterson, with the discovery of a once dirty, now decapitated cop. Then not one but several prime suspects emerge. Drawn into this affair, Andy has things under control…until the last suspect turns out to be none other than Laurie Collins, Andy's lead investigator and the love of his life. Now to clear Laurie, Andy must spring a brilliant yet desperate courtroom trap-before it engulfs them both.

With First Degree, David Rosenfelt will rivet you with his storytelling, charm you with his characters, and show you why he's the freshest new voice among today's mystery writers.

Northern New Jersey has a new local hero on its cultural crime turf. He's Andy Carpenter, the Paterson defense attorney who can sling a quip as fast as he can outmaneuver a snarling prosecutor. Acclaimed author David Rosenfelt's first novel, Open and Shut, was nominated for an Edgar Award, and his second First Degree, was selected as one of the best mysteries of the year by Publishers Weekly. Now in this new novel, the intrepid lawyer is thrust into the spotlight where he risks becoming a media victim...of the most fatal kind.
His streak of murder case acquittals made him a regular on cable talk shows. His recent $22 million inheritance bought him a dog rescue operation named the Tara Foundation after his own beloved golden retriever. Yet after turning down cases left and right, Andy Carpenter thinks he's facing a midlife crisis. He knows he needs to get back to some real work as fast as a felonious world will allow.
When a friend, a newspaper owner, calls in a favor and asks him to protect his star reporter, Andy is less than thrilled. His new client is Daniel Cummings, a journalist who is being used as a mouthpiece by a brutal serial killer. Things only get worse when Daniel is discovered near the body of the murderer's latest victim. And after Andy himself starts collecting anonymous death threats, he hears the news every defense lawyer dreads...and moves to within a dangerous keystroke of becoming tomorrow's obituary.

Thirteen years ago in Russia, Alexandra Jane Baker's father jumped out of a window after being accused of embezzlement. But Alex knows the truth - her father was murdered, and she will do anything to avenge his death. Now she is a world-renowned businesswoman, working on a very public oil deal in small Sokanan, New York. In private, she is pursuing her vendetta against Miki Petrov, the man she blames for her father's death. But the murder of Luka Kole, the man who spirited her away from both Russia and her father's enemies all those years ago, brings Detective Hank Bonner to her doorstep. Alex acts cold and controlled around Hank, but he knows there is more to her than meets the eye. As he gets closer and closer to Alex's secret, their shared personal sorrow turns to attraction and then love. Soon they are evading Russian strongmen, hatching plans with the CIA, and setting a life-threatening trap to ensnare Petrov with Alex as bait...