An Andy Carpenter Mystery
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter is at the Tara Foundation’s annual Christmas party. The dog rescue organization has always been his true calling, and this is one holiday tradition he can get behind because every dog that’s come through the rescue―and their families―are invited to celebrate.
This year’s party is no exception. But before the stockings can be hung by the chimney with care, homicide detectives ruin the evening. Derek Moore, one of the foundation’s best foster volunteers, is arrested for murder.
Andy discovers Derek―whose real name is Bobby―is in the witness protection program after giving evidence against his former gang. The police believe Bobby murdered a member. But Bobby swears to Andy he didn’t do this. He’s built a new life, a new business, has two new dogs after being a double foster-failure.
There isn’t much Andy likes about this case, but he likes Bobby. If he’s innocent, Andy wants to help. Before Andy can settle down for his long winter’s nap, he has a client’s name to clear, a murderer to catch, and two new dogs to look after: a golden and a Dalmatian. Andy’s golden retriever, Tara, will have to adjust to not being the only golden at the house while Andy gets to the bottom of this one…
- Publisher : Minotaur Books
- Pub Date : October 10, 2023
- Hardcover : 304 pages
My Thoughts
Rosenfelt is back with another Andy Carpenter mystery that entertained me with a legal battle and a mystery, both things that I love. Ever since defense attorney Andy Carpenter inherited millions of dollars from his father, he’s been very selective about the cases he takes. His newest client owns two rescue dogs, and if you’ve read any previous books in the series, you know Andy can’t turn away anyone with a soft spot for dogs. While the case looks really bad for the client, Andy is assured that the man is innocent. So he and his team set out to discover the truth. Unfortunately, their discovery work uncovers some scary characters.
My Concerns
*While I loved the first books with this lawyer, his sarcastic, at times arrogant, yet wimpy attitude isn’t working for me anymore.
*Parts of the story were pretty unbelievable.
* Carpenter’s wife and son have always felt more like names than people with emotions.
*And lastly, for those expecting something Christmasy, this book will possibly be a letdown.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a fan of Andy Carpenter, this is a mystery that will keep you reading and shouldn’t disappoint. Andy, of course, is clever and can work through mysteries rather quickly, even if they involve the mafia. Though that, for sure, can add a little suspense to the story.
But for me, I’m realizing that Andy’s personality is getting old, and the stories and characters are feeling somewhat stagnant. (I apologize to all who love the series. I’m sure these thoughts only indicate a flaw in my personality.🙃😂)
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review.
It wasn’t Bad
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT DAVID ROSENFELTI am a novelist with 27 dogs.
I have gotten to this dubious position with absolutely no planning, and at no stage in my life could I have predicted it. But here I am.
My childhood was relentlessly normal. The middle of three brothers, loving parents, a middle-class home in Paterson, New Jersey. We played sports, studied sporadically. laughed around the dinner table, and generally had a good time. By comparison, “Ozzie and Harriet’s” clan seemed bizarre.
I graduated NYU, then decided to go into the movie business. I was stunningly brilliant at a job interview with my uncle, who was President of United Artists, and was immediately hired. It set me off on a climb up the executive ladder, culminating in my becoming President of Marketing for Tri-Star Pictures. The movie landscape is filled with the movies I buried; for every “Rambo”, “The Natural” and “Rocky”, there are countless disasters.
I did manage to find the time to marry and have two children, both of whom are doing very well, and fortunately neither have inherited my eccentricities.
A number of years ago, I left the movie marketing business, to the sustained applause of hundreds of disgruntled producers and directors. I decided to try my hand at writing. I wrote and sold a bunch of feature films, none of which ever came close to being actually filmed, and then a bunch of TV movies, some of which actually made it to the small screen. It’s safe to say that their impact on the American cultural scene has been minimal.
About fourteen years ago, my wife and I started the Tara Foundation, named in honor of the greatest Golden Retriever the world has ever known. We rescued almost 4,000 dogs, many of them Goldens, and found them loving homes. Our own home quickly became a sanctuary for those dogs that we rescued that were too old or sickly to be wanted by others. They surround me as I write this. It’s total lunacy, but it works, and they are a happy, safe group.
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