Bury the Lead

When defense attorney Andy Carpenter reluctantly agrees to a simple favor for a friend, he expects an easy job protecting a reporter who's been receiving exclusive tips from a serial killer. What he gets instead is a full-blown murder case after that same reporter turns up unconscious beside a fresh victim. Andy must now defend a man the entire city has already convicted in the press — a case built on circumstantial evidence, public outrage, and the uncomfortable possibility that his client might not be entirely innocent.

Rosenfelt's particular gift is making legal thrillers feel genuinely fun without sacrificing the tension that keeps pages turning. The Andy Carpenter series hits its stride here — the courtroom strategy is sharp, the mystery has real teeth, and Andy's sardonic voice keeps the narrative moving at a pace that makes 300-plus pages feel effortless. Rosenfelt balances wit and suspense with a precision that few genre writers manage, delivering a story that's as satisfying to think about as it is to read straight through in a single sitting.