Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Open and Shut  By  cover art

Open and Shut

By: David Rosenfelt
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $23.36

Buy for $23.36

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Whether dueling with new forensics or the local old boys' network, irreverent defense attorney Andy Carpenter always leaves them awed with his biting wit and winning fourth-quarter game plan.

But the fun stops the day Andy's dad, Paterson, New Jersey's legendary ex-DA, drops dead in front of him at a game in Yankee Stadium. The shocks pile on as he discovers his dad left him with two unexpected legacies: a fortune of $22 million that Andy never knew existed...and a murder case with enough racial tinder to burn down City Hall.

Struggling to serve justice and bring honor to his father, Andy must dig up some explosive political skeletons - and an astonishing family secret that can close his case (and his mouth) for good.

Crack another case with Andy Carpenter.
©2002 David Rosenfelt (P)2008 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"As soon as readers finish this remarkable first novel, they will begin clamoring for a second Andy Carpenter adventure." ( Booklist)
"Brisk dialogue, careful plotting, and solid spadework." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Featured Article: The Best Cozy Mysteries to Keep You Warm This Holiday Season


We’ve rounded up a list of some of the best cozy mystery audiobooks to help brighten up your winter listening. Here you'll find contemporary and historical cozies, classic whodunits and ingenious heist stories. While varying in tone, plot, and setting, these picks all share an irresistible holiday atmosphere. You'll find snowstorms galore, bakeries full of tasty holiday treats, glittering get-togethers, and picturesque English villages decked out in their holiday finest.

What listeners say about Open and Shut

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,016
  • 4 Stars
    1,281
  • 3 Stars
    379
  • 2 Stars
    62
  • 1 Stars
    52
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,763
  • 4 Stars
    727
  • 3 Stars
    187
  • 2 Stars
    54
  • 1 Stars
    27
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,539
  • 4 Stars
    887
  • 3 Stars
    255
  • 2 Stars
    44
  • 1 Stars
    21

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Does Anyone Else Notice the Missing Content?

I am asking other customers who listened to this book the same question I asked Customer Support. Did you notice the missing content at around 3 hours 40 minutes, 40 seconds? At this point the characters are in a deposition ten days before the trial, then the story abruptly jumps to the trial with no transition or explanation.

Specifically, the audio matches the Kindle version from page 127 where the chapter ends with (audio 03:40:43): "I return the smile. 'Then we'll just have to talk to him on the stand.'”

The audion version immediately jumps in time to the trial, with, "Wallace finishes just before lunch, and Laurie, Kevin, and I have two hours to decide whether I should give my opening statement now or wait until after the prosecution's case is finished and it's time to present ours."

Unlike the audio book, the Kindle print version takes a couple of more pages to explain the transition from deposition to trial: "TEN DAYS FLY BY AS IF THEY ARE TEN MINUTES, AND THE next thing I know the bailiff is intoning, 'In the matter of the people versus William Miller, the Honorable Justice Walter Henderson presiding …'” These pages are in the Kindle version but not in the audio book.

I pointed out to Customer support on Dec 10, 2012 that the story seemed to skip in chapter 4. Steven Lloyd in Customer Support finally got back to me on January 22 (yes, over 6 weeks later!) and informed me that the audio file was complete. He even said the publisher verified that it was complete. Since it still made no sense, I purchased the Kindle version and compared for myself, finding the above discrepancy.

On January 22, 2013 I again emailed Steven Lloyd and also to Customer Support with the specifics I found, including times and page numbers. I have heard nothing further from Audible on this matter, so I am asking other listeners to point this out to Audible Customer Support. They do not seem to hear me.

Thanks!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

281 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

This book is missing content

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I couldn't get over the missing content. The file is missing content in at least one place for certain, and perhaps more.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

75 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The book is missing content.

Any additional comments?

As another reviewer said the book is missing part. I would also like to point out that this unabridged version is 20 minutes shorter than the copy of the book that is available on overdrive. (That version is also read by Grover Gardner.) While there is often 2-3 minutes difference in book lengths 20 minutes is a lot.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

47 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The beginning of Andy Carpenter

This is the book that starts it all. Grover is a great reader, and David's book just needs an audience. That is exactly what we've done. The whole family is gathered to listen together. What a treat!

This is the first book. Try not to listen out of order. It will help the characters develop if you listen in order.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

44 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining

This is well worth the credit to listen to. Although not the deepest of fiction (what do you expect, really?), it certainly is a valuable choice.

The characters are real people, people that could live next door. There is certainly enough humor and sass to keep the story light. But there is also mystery and intrigue, how is it all going to come together in the end? I found it very entertaining.

The narrator is wonderful. I find that narrators who make a huge effort to have huge changes in their voice fail. Grove Gardner does not do that. There are subtle distinctions, but not enough to sound fake.

So this book is slightly more than beach fare, but not heavy enough to bore you. I also appreciate that this Andy Carpenter, although irreverent at times, is not loose-moraled. He shows respect for his parents, loyalty to loved ones (he doesn't take advantage of either an estranged wife or the new girlfriend), and is a good frend (even if only because of superstitions).

Enjoy this book. I look forward to reading others in the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

34 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great way to get your children reading - listening

David Rosenfelt comes up with a very enjoyable wise cracking lawyer named Andy Carpenter. Grover Gardner does such a good job telling the story I actually believe he is Andy Carpenter. I wanted to get my daughter hooked on audible books and this was the series that did it for her. She is actually two books ahead of me now. I am holding off on the last two books because - then the series would be over. My daughter being younger doesn't have that same self control. But - writing this review now has convinced me my next listen should be an Andy Carpenter book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Super!

I can't say enough good about this Andy Carpenter series. I could listen to them over and over. Good humor, light mystery, great narrator and kept me very interested. The only thing negative I can say is they aren't long enough and there isn't enough of them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Good to read 1st book in series

I am glad the first works of this series has been added. I have really enjoyed all the Andy Carpenter stories and it is great to get the 1st one to fill in some background. The narrator has just the right voice for this story, just enough deadpan for the smart a-- Andy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

25 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Content missing with 3 hrs 10 min to go

What disappointed you about Open and Shut?

There is missing content in the recording. About 12 minutes into Chapter 4, the story jumps ahead by a couple of weeks, going straight from a pre-trial deposition to the trial itself.

What did you like best about this story?

The story starts off a bit slow but picks up after the first chapter or so. Then it's fairly entertaining!

Any additional comments?

There are no narrative pauses between paragraphs, scene changes, etc. Sometimes there is a scene change and the narrator continues as if it were the same sentence. This can be a bit confusing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great stormy night mystery!

I liked this who-done-it mystery. The main character Andy Carpenter has a bit of a Woody Allen sense of humor. Plus his best friend is a dog he rescued from the pound, which made him more likable even though he was a defense attorney. It had a nice flow and didn't get too bogged down at any point in aging introspection. Just right. I recommend it and I will be looking for this author again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

20 people found this helpful