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Robert Tarza #1
Death on a High Floor
When much-despised Marbury Marfan senior partner Simon Rafer turns up in a cold pool of blood with an ornate dagger in his back, it comes as a surprise to no one—least of all to Robert Tarza, who is first on the scene. A long-time partner at Marbury, Tarza knows dozens of attorneys in the firm who had good motive to want Rafer in the ground. But despite his own decades of conflict with Rafer—and a recent heated quarrel over a rare ancient coin Simon bought from him—Robert never imagined that homicide Detective Spritz would zero in on him as prime suspect.
As Spritz’s case builds with uncanny speed, Robert quickly falls from his respected position at Marbury to a criminal being dragged through the tabloids. Along with his kick-butt defense attorney, Jenna James, he is forced to play detective in a race to find the real killer—and uncovers a web of fraud amongst his closest colleagues in the process. In the end, only Jenna’s untested trial skills can keep him out of prison.
562 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 30, 2011
360 people are currently reading
1085 people want to read
About the author
Charles Rosenberg
6 books49 followersCharles (“Chuck”) Rosenberg’s latest novel (his fifth) is the alternate history thriller The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington. It imagines what might have happened if the British, in the midst of the Revolution, had kidnapped George Washington and taken him back to England to be tried for high treason.
Chuck’s interest in the American Revolution was first piqued when his 5th grade teacher made him memorize Longfellow’s The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. To this day, he can still recite it if you ask him to (his wife, however, requests that you not ask). His interest continued in college, where he majored in history, with a particular penchant for studying the Revolution.
Now that his American Revolution novel is done and soon to be released, Chuck is at work on a new alternative history, set six months before the start of the Civil War, a period of extreme political stress, but one that has not figured as much in fiction as the Civil War itself.
The first novel Rosenberg ever wrote (we will skip talking about the one he never finished because that was truly a long time ago) was the legal thriller Death on a High Floor, which became an Amazon best-seller in 2014. It’s about the murder of the managing partner of a large international law firm. Rosenberg is quick to point out that the large firms in which he was a partner were really quite nice places; unlike the firm in the novel. That novel was followed by two sequels and the start of a new series in Write to Die, which is set in a glitzy entertainment law firm in Hollywood.
Prior to turning to writing fiction (and in addition to practicing law), Chuck was the credited legal script consultant to three prime time television shows: L.A. Law, The Practice and Boston Legal, as well as the TV show The Paper Chase (Showtime). During the O .J. Simpson criminal trial, he was one of two on-air legal analysts for E! Entertainment Television's live coverage of the trial. He also provided commentary for E!'s coverage of the Simpson civil trial.
Rosenberg has also taught extensively as an adjunct law professor, including at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles (where he currently teaches the course "Law and Popular Culture"), the Loyola Law School International LLM Program in Bologna, Italy, the UCLA School of Law, the Pepperdine School of Law, and the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.
A graduate of Antioch College and the Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Chuck currently practices in the Los Angeles area where he lives with his wife, who is the very effective “in-house” initial editor of everything he writes.
Chuck’s interest in the American Revolution was first piqued when his 5th grade teacher made him memorize Longfellow’s The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. To this day, he can still recite it if you ask him to (his wife, however, requests that you not ask). His interest continued in college, where he majored in history, with a particular penchant for studying the Revolution.
Now that his American Revolution novel is done and soon to be released, Chuck is at work on a new alternative history, set six months before the start of the Civil War, a period of extreme political stress, but one that has not figured as much in fiction as the Civil War itself.
The first novel Rosenberg ever wrote (we will skip talking about the one he never finished because that was truly a long time ago) was the legal thriller Death on a High Floor, which became an Amazon best-seller in 2014. It’s about the murder of the managing partner of a large international law firm. Rosenberg is quick to point out that the large firms in which he was a partner were really quite nice places; unlike the firm in the novel. That novel was followed by two sequels and the start of a new series in Write to Die, which is set in a glitzy entertainment law firm in Hollywood.
Prior to turning to writing fiction (and in addition to practicing law), Chuck was the credited legal script consultant to three prime time television shows: L.A. Law, The Practice and Boston Legal, as well as the TV show The Paper Chase (Showtime). During the O .J. Simpson criminal trial, he was one of two on-air legal analysts for E! Entertainment Television's live coverage of the trial. He also provided commentary for E!'s coverage of the Simpson civil trial.
Rosenberg has also taught extensively as an adjunct law professor, including at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles (where he currently teaches the course "Law and Popular Culture"), the Loyola Law School International LLM Program in Bologna, Italy, the UCLA School of Law, the Pepperdine School of Law, and the Anderson Graduate School of Management at UCLA.
A graduate of Antioch College and the Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, Chuck currently practices in the Los Angeles area where he lives with his wife, who is the very effective “in-house” initial editor of everything he writes.
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February 6, 2012
This is flat-out the best book I've read in a long time. The plot revolves around an "older" lawyer who is framed for murdering one of the partners in his law firm. The murdered partner was a classic SOB who richly deserved his fate, and the there is a long list of people who don't mourn his passing. It's worth reading the book just for the background characters, and there are a lot of them. They are well written and hold the reader's interest.
Robert Tarza, the "hero", is something of an enigma. We know that he's a good lawyer, he collects ancient coins, and he likes to read and watch old movies. He has a daughter and an ex-wife who play no part in the story, and his closest relationship appears to be with Jenna, his young protege in the firm who becomes part of his defense team. Fortunately for us, Robert has enough sense of decorum that he isn't lusting after Jenna (or anyone else). He is one of those rare people who is happy with his own company. In a lot of ways he reminded me of some of the characters in Louis Auchincloss' novels. I wish I could have him over for dinner with my friends. I'll bet he would add a lot to the conversation.
The plot flows well and the writing is solid. This was a really good read. I look forward to Mr. Rosenberg's next book. I hope it comes soon.
Robert Tarza, the "hero", is something of an enigma. We know that he's a good lawyer, he collects ancient coins, and he likes to read and watch old movies. He has a daughter and an ex-wife who play no part in the story, and his closest relationship appears to be with Jenna, his young protege in the firm who becomes part of his defense team. Fortunately for us, Robert has enough sense of decorum that he isn't lusting after Jenna (or anyone else). He is one of those rare people who is happy with his own company. In a lot of ways he reminded me of some of the characters in Louis Auchincloss' novels. I wish I could have him over for dinner with my friends. I'll bet he would add a lot to the conversation.
The plot flows well and the writing is solid. This was a really good read. I look forward to Mr. Rosenberg's next book. I hope it comes soon.
September 26, 2022
Ahoy there mateys! Though the First Mate and I have very different reading tastes, occasionally we do recommend books to each other. Books the First Mate introduced to me included
xom-b
,
holes
, and
the perks of being a wallflower
. He and I both read the following:
death on a high floor (Charles Rosenburg)
We read and talked about the book and I enjoyed his viewpoint so Iordered asked him to write a review. So you get one from me and a bonus additional review from me crew. Please note that I write like I talk and the First Mate writes like he thinks. Hope you enjoy!
From the Captain:
Robert Tarza is a partner in a large law firm who arrives at work one morning to discover his managing partner dead on the floor with a knife in his back. And, of course, he becomes the main suspect. I listened to this one on audio book read by Christopher Lane. It was a ton of fun. To be fair, ye have to take the trial and legal elements with several grains of salt. Also the ending is not the best. The characters and zany plot are the highlights.
Robert is in his 60s and ends up getting in the way of his own investigation by not following his own rules despite his decades of a successful legal career. He knows he is innocent and has a lot of trouble fathoming the true mess that he finds himself in. He makes for an excellent and funny narrator of his own story. I loved the majority of the other characters through Robert's assistant Jenna was a bit much most of the time. "Top Quark" was one of my favorite characters.
I also surprisingly liked the side plots involving coin collecting. This book is silly but I am very glad I read it. Arrrrr!
Side Note: Apparently this book was the first in a series. The First Mate has not read those but has read the author's "Write to Die" which he enjoyed and owns on audio book. I will give that a shot at some point.
From the First Mate:
Not being a huge fan of legal procedurals, I found Death On a High Floor to be a surprisingly fun adventure through the twisting corridors of a high-power Los Angeles law firm, the fascinating weirdness of historical coin collecting, elements of the pacific drug trade, and eccentric characters who populate all of those worlds. Witty, fun, often absurd but always compelling, the book kept a smile on my face for almost the entirety of my reading.
Our protagonist, Robert Tarza, is a sixty-year-old partner at a law firm and he’s just stumbled into a significant problem. He’s come to work one morning to discover the managing partner dead and Robert is the prime suspect. It takes Robert a surprisingly long time to start taking the situation seriously; after all, he didn’t do it, so what does he have to fear? And though he’s a skilled attorney with decades of experience, Robert can’t stop himself from continuously making his situation worse. Much of the hilarity of the book comes from our protagonist knowing he shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing, having his legal counsel question him why he did what he did, and him having no good answer other than it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Robert is a bit of an arrogant snob, but he’s also quirky and very loyal to his people. We get the impression that he’s more or less been coasting on past success for a while. He’s comfortable in his life and the chaos that a very public murder trial adds is amusingly disruptive. Robert doesn’t take the disruptions without a fight.
In addition to the weirdly fascinating protagonist, Death On a High Floor is populated with a bizarre collection of characters that range from Robert’s almost impossibly brilliant and effective protégé, Jenna, to a unique gentleman who once went by the name “Top Quark” but no longer does so. We meet an ancient antique coin dealer who may have key knowledge about the motive for murder, but who also wants to talk about fifty-year-old baseball games. Robert hires the defense attorney who does calisthenics to prevent himself from physically assaulting his clients. And there’s also one of the most enjoyably affable private investigators I’ve encountered in fiction in quite some time.
Prior to writing fiction, Rosenberg was a legal consultant on Boston Legal and, if you’re familiar with that show, the absurdist legal elements of this novel won’t surprise you. While I wouldn’t say there’s anything here that’s legally absurd, it would be polite to describe some of what happens in the novel to be a little far-fetched. Although, I have to admit that I am not too familiar with the Los Angeles legal system, so it could also be right on the money. I just know that I found it all highly entertaining.
Death On a High Flood feels in some ways like the synthesis of decades of anecdotes from working in a multinational law firm. The stories of backstabbing, the affairs, the quirky hobbies, the strained relationships with lawyers who attempted to join the firm but were denied, the uneasy relationship between the police and defense counsel, and the endless politics inherent to any loci of power and money. I just found it surprising that the author had been law t.v. adjacent since being a commentator on the O.J. Simpson trial. Just not what I was expecting from the feel of the book.
If the book has a major flaw, though, it’s the ending. Really good build up that doesn’t quite pay off. I don’t feel that the soft ending overly hurts the book, as the rest of the book is so much fun.
Recommended for fans of legal procedurals or anyone who enjoyed the tone of Boston Legal. Avoid if a soft ending ruins a book for you or dubious reality in legal matters annoys.
death on a high floor (Charles Rosenburg)
We read and talked about the book and I enjoyed his viewpoint so I
From the Captain:
Robert Tarza is a partner in a large law firm who arrives at work one morning to discover his managing partner dead on the floor with a knife in his back. And, of course, he becomes the main suspect. I listened to this one on audio book read by Christopher Lane. It was a ton of fun. To be fair, ye have to take the trial and legal elements with several grains of salt. Also the ending is not the best. The characters and zany plot are the highlights.
Robert is in his 60s and ends up getting in the way of his own investigation by not following his own rules despite his decades of a successful legal career. He knows he is innocent and has a lot of trouble fathoming the true mess that he finds himself in. He makes for an excellent and funny narrator of his own story. I loved the majority of the other characters through Robert's assistant Jenna was a bit much most of the time. "Top Quark" was one of my favorite characters.
I also surprisingly liked the side plots involving coin collecting. This book is silly but I am very glad I read it. Arrrrr!
Side Note: Apparently this book was the first in a series. The First Mate has not read those but has read the author's "Write to Die" which he enjoyed and owns on audio book. I will give that a shot at some point.
From the First Mate:
Not being a huge fan of legal procedurals, I found Death On a High Floor to be a surprisingly fun adventure through the twisting corridors of a high-power Los Angeles law firm, the fascinating weirdness of historical coin collecting, elements of the pacific drug trade, and eccentric characters who populate all of those worlds. Witty, fun, often absurd but always compelling, the book kept a smile on my face for almost the entirety of my reading.
Our protagonist, Robert Tarza, is a sixty-year-old partner at a law firm and he’s just stumbled into a significant problem. He’s come to work one morning to discover the managing partner dead and Robert is the prime suspect. It takes Robert a surprisingly long time to start taking the situation seriously; after all, he didn’t do it, so what does he have to fear? And though he’s a skilled attorney with decades of experience, Robert can’t stop himself from continuously making his situation worse. Much of the hilarity of the book comes from our protagonist knowing he shouldn’t be doing what he’s doing, having his legal counsel question him why he did what he did, and him having no good answer other than it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Robert is a bit of an arrogant snob, but he’s also quirky and very loyal to his people. We get the impression that he’s more or less been coasting on past success for a while. He’s comfortable in his life and the chaos that a very public murder trial adds is amusingly disruptive. Robert doesn’t take the disruptions without a fight.
In addition to the weirdly fascinating protagonist, Death On a High Floor is populated with a bizarre collection of characters that range from Robert’s almost impossibly brilliant and effective protégé, Jenna, to a unique gentleman who once went by the name “Top Quark” but no longer does so. We meet an ancient antique coin dealer who may have key knowledge about the motive for murder, but who also wants to talk about fifty-year-old baseball games. Robert hires the defense attorney who does calisthenics to prevent himself from physically assaulting his clients. And there’s also one of the most enjoyably affable private investigators I’ve encountered in fiction in quite some time.
Prior to writing fiction, Rosenberg was a legal consultant on Boston Legal and, if you’re familiar with that show, the absurdist legal elements of this novel won’t surprise you. While I wouldn’t say there’s anything here that’s legally absurd, it would be polite to describe some of what happens in the novel to be a little far-fetched. Although, I have to admit that I am not too familiar with the Los Angeles legal system, so it could also be right on the money. I just know that I found it all highly entertaining.
Death On a High Flood feels in some ways like the synthesis of decades of anecdotes from working in a multinational law firm. The stories of backstabbing, the affairs, the quirky hobbies, the strained relationships with lawyers who attempted to join the firm but were denied, the uneasy relationship between the police and defense counsel, and the endless politics inherent to any loci of power and money. I just found it surprising that the author had been law t.v. adjacent since being a commentator on the O.J. Simpson trial. Just not what I was expecting from the feel of the book.
If the book has a major flaw, though, it’s the ending. Really good build up that doesn’t quite pay off. I don’t feel that the soft ending overly hurts the book, as the rest of the book is so much fun.
Recommended for fans of legal procedurals or anyone who enjoyed the tone of Boston Legal. Avoid if a soft ending ruins a book for you or dubious reality in legal matters annoys.
November 4, 2012
Throughout the book, I kept thinking, "How could a couple of lawyers be so stupid?" I realize they were supposed to fall into the typical client roles - making it appear that even over-educated yahoos can't relinquish control when they know it's what is best. But for heaven's sake, I wanted to lock them up just to keep them from screwing up the investigation. And then the climax and denouement of the story were over in a flash. 400 pages of wandering around in the dark, and then someone slams on a light switch and it's over in 10 more pages. It was like whiplash. And I never really liked anyone or cared that much. So... overall... not gonna recommend it.
August 24, 2011
Superior legal thriller. Each of the characters has hidden motives. The author clearly knows whereof he speaks as hidden intrigues and conflict within the law firm begin to unfold.
The story is told from the point of view of Robert Tarza, an established and respected (if a bit behind the others in billings) partner in a large law firm. He alsways arrives early in the office and one day discovers the body of another partner, Simon, who had just accused Robert of selling to him a fake two-thousand-year-old coin (Brutus Ides of March Denarius) worth hundreds of thousands, if genuine. The police claim to have evidence that Robert is the killer. Jenna, Robert’s protege, jumps in to provide legal counsel to Robert, but Jenna, we soon learn, had been having an affair with Simon.
The other partners want Tarza to quietly go away, take a leave of absence, whatever. He refuses, so they ingeniously move him into an associate’s empty office several floors down. He arrived one morning to find his office completely empty and his secretary tearfully reporting “they” had determined he had a window loose in his office and it would be “dangerous” for him to stay. He has been moved to “eighty-two” otherwise known as First Year Ghetto. Hint, hint.
Tarza’s house has a study that I can only describe as magnificent and something I wish I could emulate: “All my books are there--almost a thousand of them--on ceiling high shelves covering two adjoining walls. The other two walls are dark mahogany. The floor of the room is wide-plank dark wood, covered by an old oriental rug. . . In one of the corners the is a big chair, its red leather cracked from age and use, with a battered ottoman in front of it. Next to the chair, there is a small, marble-topped table, n which I leave my coin [train, airplane, political, history, sociology] magazines until I get around to reading them.” Add a couple of computers within reach and you have nirvana.
I will also ignore the blatant commercial approval for In-N-Out burgers. Even the reference to the secret menu that I just had to verify on the web.
Rosenberg has an interesting background. He was an editor of the Harvard Law Review and has been a partner in several law firms. He’s also been the script consultant to Boston Legal, L.A. Law, and The Practice.
The story is told from the point of view of Robert Tarza, an established and respected (if a bit behind the others in billings) partner in a large law firm. He alsways arrives early in the office and one day discovers the body of another partner, Simon, who had just accused Robert of selling to him a fake two-thousand-year-old coin (Brutus Ides of March Denarius) worth hundreds of thousands, if genuine. The police claim to have evidence that Robert is the killer. Jenna, Robert’s protege, jumps in to provide legal counsel to Robert, but Jenna, we soon learn, had been having an affair with Simon.
The other partners want Tarza to quietly go away, take a leave of absence, whatever. He refuses, so they ingeniously move him into an associate’s empty office several floors down. He arrived one morning to find his office completely empty and his secretary tearfully reporting “they” had determined he had a window loose in his office and it would be “dangerous” for him to stay. He has been moved to “eighty-two” otherwise known as First Year Ghetto. Hint, hint.
Tarza’s house has a study that I can only describe as magnificent and something I wish I could emulate: “All my books are there--almost a thousand of them--on ceiling high shelves covering two adjoining walls. The other two walls are dark mahogany. The floor of the room is wide-plank dark wood, covered by an old oriental rug. . . In one of the corners the is a big chair, its red leather cracked from age and use, with a battered ottoman in front of it. Next to the chair, there is a small, marble-topped table, n which I leave my coin [train, airplane, political, history, sociology] magazines until I get around to reading them.” Add a couple of computers within reach and you have nirvana.
I will also ignore the blatant commercial approval for In-N-Out burgers. Even the reference to the secret menu that I just had to verify on the web.
Rosenberg has an interesting background. He was an editor of the Harvard Law Review and has been a partner in several law firms. He’s also been the script consultant to Boston Legal, L.A. Law, and The Practice.
August 10, 2012
This is an intelligent, witty mystery about back-stabbing lawyers. Gee, are there any other kind? Okay, it's a review, not my personal diatribe on lawyers, and generally I hate lawyers.
Where was I? Oh yeah, one back-stabbing lawyer is found dead with a knife in his back (how appropriate is that?) and the somewhat tired, sixty-year old "lifer," as he calls himself, senior partner, Robert Tarza, who finds the body as he comes to work... on the 85th floor of the international law firm he's worked from his entire career.
So, if you get the picture, the author sets for the reader, here's a guy who's career is coasting. Lots of people hated Simon and wanted him dead, so why does the sharp, if self-serving,lead detective so certain that Robert is the obvious suspect? Well,there's the ancient coin Robert sold the victim, who then threatened to expose Robert of artifact forgery.
And speaking of suspects, there's Robert's protegee, Jenna, who is not only smart as a whip, she's also certain that Robert is innocent...but she's also the victim's recent lover.
Though suspects abound, Robert soon realizes that he must investigate to prove himself innocent, and so he back-tracks through options and possible suspects with the help of Jenna and various contacts as he whittle them down until at last, in the courtroom, all is revealed.
Clever, very very clever writing and highly recommended.
Where was I? Oh yeah, one back-stabbing lawyer is found dead with a knife in his back (how appropriate is that?) and the somewhat tired, sixty-year old "lifer," as he calls himself, senior partner, Robert Tarza, who finds the body as he comes to work... on the 85th floor of the international law firm he's worked from his entire career.
So, if you get the picture, the author sets for the reader, here's a guy who's career is coasting. Lots of people hated Simon and wanted him dead, so why does the sharp, if self-serving,lead detective so certain that Robert is the obvious suspect? Well,there's the ancient coin Robert sold the victim, who then threatened to expose Robert of artifact forgery.
And speaking of suspects, there's Robert's protegee, Jenna, who is not only smart as a whip, she's also certain that Robert is innocent...but she's also the victim's recent lover.
Though suspects abound, Robert soon realizes that he must investigate to prove himself innocent, and so he back-tracks through options and possible suspects with the help of Jenna and various contacts as he whittle them down until at last, in the courtroom, all is revealed.
Clever, very very clever writing and highly recommended.
April 2, 2014
I read this book after reading the author's Long Knives, which features some of the characters of this earlier book. I liked it, but I liked Death on a High Floor even more and I wish I had read them in order.
I think the reason I preferred Death on a High Floor is mainly because of the voice of Robert Tarza, the main character. He is just a lot of fun when he's describing, with irony and acerbic wit, the life of a lawyer in a white-shoe firm. I particularly liked his description of the five crucial steps in Stomping Out of a Room, but his mordant wit came through even as he was getting himself deeper into hot water. He was fun to read and fun to follow, and I would definitely read more books featuring this guy. Jenna plays a big role in this book and she's also interestingly quirky, and the other supporting characters are also good in their own way, but Tarza is my hero.
I think the reason I preferred Death on a High Floor is mainly because of the voice of Robert Tarza, the main character. He is just a lot of fun when he's describing, with irony and acerbic wit, the life of a lawyer in a white-shoe firm. I particularly liked his description of the five crucial steps in Stomping Out of a Room, but his mordant wit came through even as he was getting himself deeper into hot water. He was fun to read and fun to follow, and I would definitely read more books featuring this guy. Jenna plays a big role in this book and she's also interestingly quirky, and the other supporting characters are also good in their own way, but Tarza is my hero.
September 19, 2015
3.5 stars rounded to 4. This story took a while for me to get invested into the plot. Plus the main character, Robert Tarza, was an idiot at times. Even I, who has nowhere near the knowledge of a defense attorney, wanted to smack him upside the head and shout, "You're an idiot! Stop it!" However, I ended up getting wrapped in the plot as it was nearing the end and I loved the resolution. It was wacky and off-base, but it was highly entertaining. In the end, I'm so glad I read it.
July 2, 2012
Interesting read, but the actions of the main characters very unrealistic. You do not investigate your own case when charged with murder. You do not over night become a criminal lawyer. You do not walk up and wipe makeup off a witnesses face in court. These actions took away from the otherwise good storyline
May 6, 2017
Charles Rosenberg writes thick, detailed, meticulous legal thrillers. He is less dramatic than John Grisham - neither of the two books I've read would make for a blockbuster movie - but I have really enjoyed both books. If you are looking for lots of action scenes and sensational cases, this is probably not your kind of book. Rosenberg is a lawyer and he writes like a lawyer. His characters are lawyers and they talk like lawyers. The plot winds its way through legal minutiae - keeping it plain enough for a layman, but not just skipping ahead to the "good parts" of the trial.
The first-person narrator of Death On a High Floor is Robert Tarza, a 60-year-old partner in a big-name LA law firm who arrives at work one morning and finds one of his fellow partners lying dead in his office, with a dagger in his back. After calling the police, more details emerge, and Tarza winds up being the prime suspect. After a lot of dialogue with fellow lawyers, a somewhat unbelievable decision to let a junior associate in his firm, the pretty, perky, whip-smart, but, um, completely inexperienced in criminal law Jenna James, represent him in what becomes a first degree murder trial, and some intrigue about a rare Roman coin that may or may not have been a fake, the detective work and ground-laying of the first half turns into courtroom drama in the second, as Tarza actually stands trial.
This book will be enjoyable to fans of Law and Order. Indeed, it read like an extended episode of L&O. The ending even came with a rather cliched dramatic twist, the sort of confessional breakdown that is popular in legal dramas but almost never happens in real life.
This book was not exciting, but it wasn't boring either. Rosenberg is comfort reading for a certain kind of nerdy reader who once upon a time fancied he might like to become a lawyer. The writing is plain and the characters not always sympathetic (aside from facing trial, they're all rich, smarmy lawyers), but it was a page-turner and I'll read another book by Rosenberg any time I am in the mood for a book like this.
The first-person narrator of Death On a High Floor is Robert Tarza, a 60-year-old partner in a big-name LA law firm who arrives at work one morning and finds one of his fellow partners lying dead in his office, with a dagger in his back. After calling the police, more details emerge, and Tarza winds up being the prime suspect. After a lot of dialogue with fellow lawyers, a somewhat unbelievable decision to let a junior associate in his firm, the pretty, perky, whip-smart, but, um, completely inexperienced in criminal law Jenna James, represent him in what becomes a first degree murder trial, and some intrigue about a rare Roman coin that may or may not have been a fake, the detective work and ground-laying of the first half turns into courtroom drama in the second, as Tarza actually stands trial.
This book will be enjoyable to fans of Law and Order. Indeed, it read like an extended episode of L&O. The ending even came with a rather cliched dramatic twist, the sort of confessional breakdown that is popular in legal dramas but almost never happens in real life.
This book was not exciting, but it wasn't boring either. Rosenberg is comfort reading for a certain kind of nerdy reader who once upon a time fancied he might like to become a lawyer. The writing is plain and the characters not always sympathetic (aside from facing trial, they're all rich, smarmy lawyers), but it was a page-turner and I'll read another book by Rosenberg any time I am in the mood for a book like this.
October 29, 2018
This is an entertaining book as that it kept my interest while I was reading it but it isn't really a very good book, as in well written. Now don't get me wrong unlike some books I read (JAFF) it wasn't riddled with typos or bad grammar or incoherent language, but it doesn't exactly seem like a book for clever adults.
Our main character is a lawyer named Robert Tarza who is a little past his prime in law circles and has topped out at his employer on the 85th floor and is just coasting along until retirement. He's divorced, has one estranged child and lives alone. One morning he finds a dead lawyer in the lobby of his law firm and ends up in a world of trouble.
As I was reading I kept thinking this feels more like a lengthy synopsis of Perry Mason episode than a book. It is set is the 21st century but we have a character wrongly accused, his hard working law bending attorneys,their pithy dialogue, a client who refuses to listen to his attorneys, people who talk too much and a twist that Michael Connelly would never write.
It is one of those books that is fun when you are reading it and best if you don't over think it.
Our main character is a lawyer named Robert Tarza who is a little past his prime in law circles and has topped out at his employer on the 85th floor and is just coasting along until retirement. He's divorced, has one estranged child and lives alone. One morning he finds a dead lawyer in the lobby of his law firm and ends up in a world of trouble.
As I was reading I kept thinking this feels more like a lengthy synopsis of Perry Mason episode than a book. It is set is the 21st century but we have a character wrongly accused, his hard working law bending attorneys,their pithy dialogue, a client who refuses to listen to his attorneys, people who talk too much and a twist that Michael Connelly would never write.
It is one of those books that is fun when you are reading it and best if you don't over think it.
July 19, 2012
SPOILER ALERT: SOME OF THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
This is a good novel, but suffers from believability issues. It reminded me of television police/court dramas, without the melodrama.
The problem stemmed from the narrator. We never get a legitimate explanation of why he trusts Ms. James (his defense counsel, also a suspect in the investigation of the murder). Perhaps even more serious is the constant nag in the back of my mind that this was a police set-up all along. My first clue? Early in the novel, the investigating officer insinuates that Ms. James should be a suspect but she is never investigated. That is in addition to the removal of the narrator's jacket. Then, clues of this conspiracy get dropped over and over with only a clueless shrug from the narrator: and this is told in past tense.
If a narrator tells a story in first person in the past tense and only drops HINTS of clues without some explanation makes that narrator untrustworthy. I understand that it would ruin the suspense, the reveal, but it is also cheap and dishonest. Either it needed a different narrator, a different voice, or a change of the circumstances.
Throughout the novel, we are led down the path of "Jenna might have done it....NAHH!! She would never do that!" Over and over again. The thing is, even at the end, we know she is not pristine, but we can't pinpoint what she has done wrong. She is painted as a femme fatale, a role playable by Angelina Jolie or Ali Larter. But, the author never comes full circle, never exposes her rougher side: it is always hinted at. And we never get the full picture of her uncle, either. Maybe the author is saving this for the next book, which might make sense. The reader, though, has the sense that we need to feel that she COULD have done it, but that she didn't and her motive to defend the narrator is her way of getting retribution for the murder of her lover.
In the end, the novel is good, but flawed. With the feel of a made-for-television court drama, the pacing of Grisham and Patterson with unique narrative voice, DEATH ON A HIGH FLOOR is a book I can recommend.
This is a good novel, but suffers from believability issues. It reminded me of television police/court dramas, without the melodrama.
The problem stemmed from the narrator. We never get a legitimate explanation of why he trusts Ms. James (his defense counsel, also a suspect in the investigation of the murder). Perhaps even more serious is the constant nag in the back of my mind that this was a police set-up all along. My first clue? Early in the novel, the investigating officer insinuates that Ms. James should be a suspect but she is never investigated. That is in addition to the removal of the narrator's jacket. Then, clues of this conspiracy get dropped over and over with only a clueless shrug from the narrator: and this is told in past tense.
If a narrator tells a story in first person in the past tense and only drops HINTS of clues without some explanation makes that narrator untrustworthy. I understand that it would ruin the suspense, the reveal, but it is also cheap and dishonest. Either it needed a different narrator, a different voice, or a change of the circumstances.
Throughout the novel, we are led down the path of "Jenna might have done it....NAHH!! She would never do that!" Over and over again. The thing is, even at the end, we know she is not pristine, but we can't pinpoint what she has done wrong. She is painted as a femme fatale, a role playable by Angelina Jolie or Ali Larter. But, the author never comes full circle, never exposes her rougher side: it is always hinted at. And we never get the full picture of her uncle, either. Maybe the author is saving this for the next book, which might make sense. The reader, though, has the sense that we need to feel that she COULD have done it, but that she didn't and her motive to defend the narrator is her way of getting retribution for the murder of her lover.
In the end, the novel is good, but flawed. With the feel of a made-for-television court drama, the pacing of Grisham and Patterson with unique narrative voice, DEATH ON A HIGH FLOOR is a book I can recommend.
June 25, 2017
I bought this a while back when it was only a buck or two, and after reading an online friend's review decided to give it a try. The writing itself is easily 5 stars+. In contrast to some professional authors' writing and indeed my own which can be rather dense, Rosenberg's prose is crystal clear and easy to plow through while retaining it. This is the reason I've become such a fanboy of John Scalzi; like Rosenberg, he doubles my reading speed for me.
While I've been giving Scalzi's books five stars like a true fanboy, I can't do the same for Death on a High Floor. Overall it's a good legal thriller, but the story goes to some preposterous lengths at times and leaves suspension of disbelief difficult. We don't even get any truly shocking plot twists in exchange for this excess. The first person protagonist, Robert Tarza is kind of an anti-Rusty Sabich in that we learn only a little about his personal life.
This book is still recommendable to anyone who's enjoyed an episode of Law & Order, and I may even read the sequel (there are three Robert Tarza books at this point). 3.5 stars rounded up to four, and again five stars for writing quality.
While I've been giving Scalzi's books five stars like a true fanboy, I can't do the same for Death on a High Floor. Overall it's a good legal thriller, but the story goes to some preposterous lengths at times and leaves suspension of disbelief difficult. We don't even get any truly shocking plot twists in exchange for this excess. The first person protagonist, Robert Tarza is kind of an anti-Rusty Sabich in that we learn only a little about his personal life.
This book is still recommendable to anyone who's enjoyed an episode of Law & Order, and I may even read the sequel (there are three Robert Tarza books at this point). 3.5 stars rounded up to four, and again five stars for writing quality.
February 4, 2014
Murder mysteries are not my usual, mysteries in general are not...courtroom drama investigative...still not but this is a book that made me think hmmmm what have I been missing.
I really enjoyed this however...there were many things in this story that I knew could not be going on in the real world that are not legal in real life...but they make it work for the story so I swallowed my protests and put my pointer finger down with the but but but you can't..... And went with it. What was the point of complaining it wouldn't change anything and I've never been one to "know better" (even tho I do in some cases) but I don't like picking books apart ....usually.
Will definitely look for another book by this author.
So this kept me guessing a little, I had thought one thing and was happy to be proven wrong... so all in all if anything this book is making me dog up other mysteries and other courtroom drama books! Looking forward to getting hooked into a whole new world!
I really enjoyed this however...there were many things in this story that I knew could not be going on in the real world that are not legal in real life...but they make it work for the story so I swallowed my protests and put my pointer finger down with the but but but you can't..... And went with it. What was the point of complaining it wouldn't change anything and I've never been one to "know better" (even tho I do in some cases) but I don't like picking books apart ....usually.
Will definitely look for another book by this author.
So this kept me guessing a little, I had thought one thing and was happy to be proven wrong... so all in all if anything this book is making me dog up other mysteries and other courtroom drama books! Looking forward to getting hooked into a whole new world!
June 1, 2014
Death on a high floor is a legal thriller. The crime is introduced at the front of the book with the balance used to unfold the story line. Clues are illuminated at a good pace and my interest was held. The courtroom drama is engaging, and balanced with plenty of activity outside the courtroom. Interactions within a law firm, dealings relating to rare coins, and media behavior seem accurately described and are at times humorous. The characters are interesting but do lack depth. The audiobook rendition was excellent, with the narrator breathing personality into each of the characters. This book was a fast-read and I enjoyed it.
August 26, 2011
I enjoyed this book because the characters were a bit twisted. The plot
is improbable to the enth degree but I ended up not caring because of
the mini plots within. There are several places where the author got
too cute with the plot--clues without
any real need for them--but the courtroom scenes were very entertaining.
The one drawback for me was I didn't really like the MC, a corporate lawyer
who is really into custom made suits. I never felt I got a good physical
description for him although the rest of the characters were fleshed out.
is improbable to the enth degree but I ended up not caring because of
the mini plots within. There are several places where the author got
too cute with the plot--clues without
any real need for them--but the courtroom scenes were very entertaining.
The one drawback for me was I didn't really like the MC, a corporate lawyer
who is really into custom made suits. I never felt I got a good physical
description for him although the rest of the characters were fleshed out.
March 2, 2012
I love a good legal thriller and Death on a High Floor was a great one. The author, a lawyer himself, communicates his knowledge of the law, Los Angeles and the internal workings of a bit-time law firm with both skill and humor. But where he really shines is in his ability to create amazing characters. Charles Rosenberg writes a twenty-something female associate with the same aplomb as he does at fifty-something senior partner! I highly recommend this book for a fun, fast read and a wonderful mystery to boot!
May 6, 2022
I tried. Really I did. I love a good legal drama but the main character - allegedly a successful lawyer - is an idiot and the young female lawyer who inserts herself into everything, including his house, is a truly annoying character. I couldn't abide the main characters constant bad decision making for any longer. Who the hell allows some junior colleague to just move in with them??? I kinda want to know whodunit, but I can't trudge through it any longer. I hope it was Jenna and she just goes to jail just so she's off the streets 🤣
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2016
An entertaining thriller.
Interesting writing style, he makes you laugh. Didn't like the Detective Spritz character from the beginning, but seasoned lawyer on the high floor is very likable. Jenna James is has great future, nothing will stop her to get what she wants. Interesting courtroom exchanges, overall liked reading/listening this book.
Interesting writing style, he makes you laugh. Didn't like the Detective Spritz character from the beginning, but seasoned lawyer on the high floor is very likable. Jenna James is has great future, nothing will stop her to get what she wants. Interesting courtroom exchanges, overall liked reading/listening this book.
April 5, 2014
Pretty far fetched. This author seems to specialize in having highly educated attorneys do things that are so stupid that most people would know NOT to do them after watching two episodes of Law and Order.
December 17, 2015
Damn good who-done-it/legal procedural novel. That might sound dry, and sometimes it was, but the characters are likable and overall it was like a long great episode of Law & Order. Loved the narration.
November 11, 2012
sorry, no deep, analytical treatise. just this: this is an awesome book.
September 15, 2013
I liked this but wanted to slap the characters for being so....what? Dumb? Cute story.
September 22, 2018
It was interesting having a history of ancient coins be a big part of the story.
July 12, 2017
3.5 I went into this debut (by a fellow college alumn) rooting for it, though with no great expectations. And I started off impressed by tone and a very approachable style – enthusiasm only waning due to frequent use of dialog to explain things to the reader, somewhat forgivable in that it was consistent with style. The real problem arises with the protagonist being a 60-yo attorney at a point in his career where he's already termed out as managing partner at a very large law firm, yet is naive, ignorant of just about every aspect of law outside of his specialty, and demonstrates appallingly bad judgement at every opportunity. Then there are issues of constant red herrings involving his counsel, and highly experienced lawyers who have no idea where an obvious-to-the-reader line of questioning is going and, well, then the fully-expected and unrealistic climactic courtroom scene... but they kind of pale next to the very core one of this, as it turns out, being a guy we're supposed to get behind for a new series. I dunno. Still, overall an enjoyable read, especially once we turn to the courtroom for the final third.
October 15, 2020
I did not realize, until afterward, that I had previously read "Long Knives" by this author, which is the first of the Robert Tarza novels. Although I took them out of order, "Death on a High Floor" (#2 in the series) had me thoroughly engaged from its opening to closing chapters. The plot involves a murder and a scheme by a few lawyers to frame a colleague. There is plenty of detective work, legal strategy/tactics, and courtroom drama. For its compelling intrigue and entertainment value, I rate it a full 5 stars. It is extremely well written, the characters are interesting, and the dialogue credible. I found myself looking forward each night to continuing with the story line. I intend to add #3 to my "To Read" list...
May 7, 2018
Death on a high floor
I think the rating is well deserved, death on a high floor, is unique. It keeps one in edge.
I liked the twist first am reading then I find myself trying to stop Robert Tarza from being his own detective, this is a different reading experience for me.
However the author keeps the reader in doubt, which builds further excitement, and the inability to stop reading.
I would recommend this novel to persons with the love for mysteries and want something different to read. I guarantee they will be truly satisfied.
To: Charles am of the firm belief that Jenna was more involved deeper than we know. Am going to continue reading more of your novels.😇
I think the rating is well deserved, death on a high floor, is unique. It keeps one in edge.
I liked the twist first am reading then I find myself trying to stop Robert Tarza from being his own detective, this is a different reading experience for me.
However the author keeps the reader in doubt, which builds further excitement, and the inability to stop reading.
I would recommend this novel to persons with the love for mysteries and want something different to read. I guarantee they will be truly satisfied.
To: Charles am of the firm belief that Jenna was more involved deeper than we know. Am going to continue reading more of your novels.😇
December 18, 2022
Though I don't read a lot of them I generally enjoy legal thrillers. Reading this novel I felt like a learned something about criminal law as well as enjoyed a good page-turning read. I appreciated that the story stayed centered on just a handful of characters and didn't meander off with lots of red herrings. While the actual murderer was somewhat revealed before the end of the story, getting there contained many surprises.
April 23, 2023
Though I don't read a lot of them I generally enjoy legal thrillers. Reading this novel I felt like a learned something about criminal law as well as enjoyed a good page-turning read. I appreciated that the story stayed centered on just a handful of characters and didn't meander off with lots of red herrings. While the actual murderer was somewhat revealed before the end of the story, getting there contained many surprises.
February 2, 2017
Riviting
Once started I had a hard time putting this book down. I just wanted to learn about the twists and turns along with the outcome. The storyline was convoluted yet fast paced and at times downright funny. A great cross between a serious murder and some zany antics by the central characters. Bravo!
Once started I had a hard time putting this book down. I just wanted to learn about the twists and turns along with the outcome. The storyline was convoluted yet fast paced and at times downright funny. A great cross between a serious murder and some zany antics by the central characters. Bravo!
October 26, 2017
A lawyer is accused of killing his boss. The most annoying thing about this book is the number of times the lawyer investigates his own case no matter how many times he has been told not to do anything. He should know better. Instead he gets deeper and deeper into trouble. What saves this book is the very well written court scenes.
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