REVIEW: Rescued by David Rosenfeld

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


When a body is found in a truck full of over 60 dogs, Andy Carpenter is called in. Andy’s foundation rescues dogs in danger of being euthanized and finds them forever homes. The Tara Foundation will take in the dogs, care for them, and get them adopted. The body in the truck is not Andy’s problem.

Except it is. The man who killed Kenny Zimmer is at Andy’s house. Dave Kramer is Andy’s wife, Laurie’s, ex. They’ve stayed in touch, and she says Andy is the best defense attorney. And Dave needs the best. He admits to killing Zimmer, but says it was self-defense. Zimmer tried to take him out with a knife so Kramer shot him.

Kramer and Zimmer have a history which doesn’t look good for Kramer. Even worse, there’s no sign of a knife on the truck. It’s hard to prove self-defense without a weapon.

Review


This is the 17th book in the awesome Andy Carpenter mystery series. I have finally worked through all of the books in this terrific series, so now I get to enjoy the new ones as they are released (Deck the Hounds will be out in October!). I’ve even gotten my inlaws sold on this series thanks to the tightly written mysteries and the dogs present in every book.

As always, Andy and his team are great. No huge developments with the team this time – they all play their usual parts. I love Andy’s sarcasm and self-awareness and his interplay with the other members of his team.

The mystery in this one is quite intricate. Andy has the barest hint of a clue, and he and his team are able to pick away at the lies and alibis until they can ferret out the truth. And I was just along for the ride; I couldn’t figure this one out on my own.

I highly recommend this whole series to mystery fans. This is a little darker than a “cozy” series – more swearing and sometimes more violence. It’s mostly a court room series – the investigation is done outside but justice is often sorted out in the trial or shortly thereafter. The twisty mysteries keep me guessing and the terrific characters keep me chuckling and coming back for more. This is a keeper series for me!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Collared by David Rosenfelt

Summary


Three years ago, Dylan Hickman was kidnapped along with the family dog, Cody. The baby’s nanny named her boss’ ex-fiancé as the culprit. While he wore a mask, she said she recognized his voice and eyes. Keith was arrested. Jill Hickman grieved the loss of her adopted son, desperate for a clue to his whereabouts, but Dylan and the dog had disappeared without a trace.

When Cody the dog is left at the Tara Foundation, lawyer Andy Carpenter is drawn into the case once again. Andy had no official role the first time, but he was familiar with the case. Since Jill Hickman and Andy’s wife, Laurie, were high school friends, the Carpenters offer to look into things for Jill to see if they can find Dylan.

Andy agrees to be Keith’s lawyer in name only in order to access the details from the case as the original lawyer has passed away. Before long, though, he’s Keith’s lawyer for real as the nanny’s testimony seems to be a complete fabrication. While Andy and his team take the case back for retrial and continue their investigation, the path to the truth becomes littered with dead bodies.

Review


This was an excellent mystery! This is the third Andy Carpenter mystery I’ve read, and I have thoroughly enjoyed each one. The plotting is fantastic, the characters feel real, and the humor is delightfully dry. The sarcasm prompts me to read sections out loud to my family because I have to explain what is so funny.  I love that this is a series I can drop into anywhere and feel completely engrossed without have to read every book in order

Andy is a fascinating character. He has an interesting code of conduct from how he approaches his law practice (the fewer clients the better) to how he views money (he inherited a bunch of it but uses it to further his agenda both with his practice and with the foundation). He wrestles with a moral dilemma in this story which was another layer of how real the character feels. It made me like Andy even more than I already did.

The mystery was fantastic. Every roadblock to the case led to an interesting new wrinkle to explore. I had NO idea where things where going, and I enjoyed every twist and turn. I’ll be tracking down more of the books in this terrific series! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

I received an electronic copy of this for review purposes. Many thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur books for the opportunity to read an early copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. It was a joy to read!