“The perfect holiday gift for animal lovers.” – Publisher’s Weekly This Christmas mystery, featuring criminal defense lawyer Andy Carpenter and his faithful golden retriever, Tara, showcases Rosenfelt’s trademark humor and larger-than-life characters. Reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter doesn’t usually stop to help others, but seeing a dog next to a homeless man inspires him to give the pair some … inspires him to give the pair some money to help. It’s just Andy’s luck that things don’t end there. Soon after Andy’s encounter with them, man and dog are attacked in the middle of the night on the street. The dog defends its new owner, and the erstwhile attacker is bitten but escapes. But the dog is quarantined and the man, Don Carrigan, is heartbroken.
Andy’s wife Laurie can’t resist helping the duo after learning Andy has met them before… it’s the Christmas season after all. In a matter of days Don and his dog Zoey are living above Andy’s garage and become two new additions to the family. It’s not until Andy accidentally gives away his guest’s name during an interview that things go awry; turns out Don is wanted for a murder that happened two years ago. Don not only claims he’s innocent, but that he had no idea that he was wanted for a crime he has no knowledge of in the first place. It’s up to Andy to exonerate his new friend, if he doesn’t get pulled into the quagmire first.
David Rosenfelt’s signature wit, charm, and cleverness are back again in this most exciting installment yet.
more
“Deck the Hounds” by David Rosenfelt is not a sappy holiday story with Andy Carpenter listening to carolers and chasing fake Santas; neither are the dogs dressed up in Santa outfits. The book just happens to start out in November. It is Thanksgiving in Patterson New Jersey, and it is not a time to be out on the street and certainly not with a dog.
Regular readers just love Andy carpenter for all the things he is and does. New readers can jump right because Rosenfelt seamlessly incorporates any needed background information into the current the tale or tail depending on whether or not you are one of Andy’s dogs.
Every time Andy runs into a destitute person looking for money, he gives him or her twenty dollars. The current situation is even more heartbreaking for Andy because this homeless person has a dog and needs legal help. Andy is not just reluctant to take on a homeless person as a client, he never wants any clients. He has been trying to retire for years, but he just cannot seem to pull it off. However, because it’s Christmas, Andy takes the case. The whole team is there to assist including Hike, Lynch, Sam, Willie, Edna, Marcus, Vince, Pete, and of course Laurie and Ricky.
Andy Carpenter, doer of good deeds, tells most of the story in his signature first-person style that conveys positions, scenarios, and observations as only he can. Rosenfelt expertly uses alternating points of view to intertwine other storylines and to present information that Andy does not yet know. The chapters are structured so that the story flows easily from one chapter to the next with the first sentence pulling readers into the chapter and the last sentence dangling a little tidbit for later. The pace is consistent, alternating between crime and dog walks, sports and criminals, and conversations and eating. As the body count increases, so do the unanswered questions; it is New Jersey after all. “Too bad the list of things we don’t know is longer.”
There is also a lot of Andy humor intermingled along the way.
“I’m going to have a cup of coffee while she makes herself some kind of healthy shake, composed of every revolting green vegetable known to humanity. She also adds some kind of powder, which I have to assume is a crushed and dried version of a revolting vegetable.”
Rosenfelt excels at storytelling, and each of the plot lines goes to unanticipated places with deviations that keep readers turning the pages. Ultimately, good triumphs evil, not a surprise there, but the details are complicated and unexpected. As always, at the celebration party assorted secrets come out as Andy fills in gaps that participants (and readers) missed.
I received a copy of “Deck the Hounds” from David Rosenfelt, St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley. I love Andy Carpenter books, as do readers everywhere, because in the end, everyone lives happily ever after with their dogs.
“Deck the Hounds” an Andy Carpenter Mystery book 18 by David Rosenfelt
I read a downloaded copy of the audiobook from my state library.
a fun cozy mystery worthy of the read.
When Andy saw a homeless man with a dog, he couldn’t just walk by so he gave him some money and a pet store gift card. He was later surprised to learn that the man had been attacked but he and his dog fought off the attacker. Andy’s wife, Laurie, wanted to help the man. After all, it’s Christmas (which is from Thanksgiving to the end of January for her). In short order, Don was living in the apartment over their garage. But not for long because he was arrested for murder. Lucky for him, Andy is a lawyer. Even though he had retired (not because of his age but he doesn’t need the money) he defended Don and took his dog to the Tara Foundation where she would be cared for. Since she was pregnant, it was the best place for her.
I loved this fast-paced mystery with its killers for hire, murders and many villains. I liked that the legal aspects were so easy to understand as Andy and his team worked to clear Don’s name. And the characters are so much fun. Andy Carpenter is the funniest guy. How could I be laughing when someone just got murdered? Every member of his team is likeable. Well, except for Hicks who is so negative about everything that he’s hard to like.
This story is heart-breaking, ghastly and humourous. Seriously, this was a great book and I can’t wait to try more from this author!
I have read the entire Andy Carpenter series. This one is as good as all the others. Same wonderful well drawn cast of characters . The story revolves around a homeless man & his dog that Andy helps on the street . Andy finds out soon therefter the man is wanted for an old murder. In the spirit of Christmas Andy & his wife Laurie help the homeless man & his dog & of course Andy defends him. Good mystery & all things tied up nicely. Highly recommend.
not as entertaining as previous Andy Carpenter books but worthy of your reading time.
I love Rosenfelt Andy Carpenter series. This was a great book. Good mystery and humorous. He loves dogs and so do I.
Love ALL of his books!
Love all David Rosenfelts books
Just when you decide that your family will do something special for Christmas, the homeless guy you meet on the street to take home is wanted for murder. Does Christmas continue or is it time to say “nice knowin’ ya” ? This is the story of a great family, a happy one with a wife who likes Christmas so much she extends it from Thanksgiving to the end of January. Her husband is afraid the whole neighborhood will think they are nuts or maybe find out they’re nuts. Funny, funny guy. A semi-retired lawyer and his family decide to help a homeless guy for Christmas except…the guy turns out wanted for murder.
I laughed all the way through this book and that was because of the way the author portrayed the main character, Andy. This is the 18th book in a series called “An Andy Carpenter Mystery”. I’m not sure I’m correct in calling this a series but you can find the books numbered many places online. None of that matters. What does matter is this is such a fun read. Andy Carpenter is as much a smart mouth as Harlan Coban’s Jack Reacher. What adds even more fun to the read is the sarcastic asides from Andy. I love sarcastic. There are quite a few characters involved in Rosenfelt’s story. I had no problem keeping them straight and I liked all of his main characters. I liked them because he defined them well enough to allow me to make that decision.
A well-written book with a clean flow that makes it an enjoyable read.
***This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are definitely my own.
Christmas is not one day or even one week of the year. for Andy’s wife, Laurie, “Christmas” starts as soon as the Thanksgiving turkey is eaten and can last until Cupid sights in on his target.
I read this book as a stand alone, my introduction to the Andy Carpenter mystery series. It will not be my last book by author David Rosenfelt.
Told from protagonist Andy’s view point, the verbiage is a bit dry, in a good way. The book has action, drama, humor, and a really excellent mystery to solve. From the beginning I felt that Carrigan, the homeless man, was not guilty of murder, but I was curious about the secrets he was keeping. EVERYONE in this book has secrets.
It was also refreshing to have someone who seemingly has endless funds available to him take notice and comment on high prices! The book also offers something here for dog lovers among us.
From the streets to the courtroom and into some other very shady places, this book will keep you guessing until the very end.
snark-fest, dogs, pets, rescue, ptsd, lawyers, law-enforcement, murder-investigation, private-investigators, action
Take a wisemouthed lawyer who can afford to take semi retirement by only representing innocent clients while supporting an animal shelter, add in that his wife is no longer law enforcement but works as his private investigator and more and you have the baseline for this convoluted mystery. There are many other people who help Andy find out what the truth really is and make it courtroom admissible, and then there’s the complex man who is accused of the first murder and becomes Andy’s client. Lots of twists and turns in the plot and the characters certainly are, but there’s no need for spoilers or an attempt at a summary. I found it to be a real brain grabber and was surprised to find that it is the most recent in a series! At no time does the reader feel lost or as if missing background info.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!