Review of "Deck the Hounds: An Andy Carpenter Mystery" by David Rosenfelt

In this 18th book in the "Andy Carpenter" series, the defense attorney takes on the case of a homeless man accused of murder. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

On the day before Thanksgiving Andy Carpenter is feeling especially appreciative. He's a rich defense attorney with a great wife and son, and tomorrow he'll be "gorging on great food and football." So when Andy sees a homeless man bundled in blankets, with a cute golden retriever mix beside him, the lawyer gives the man twenty bucks and a PetSmart gift card. The man, who's very articulate, thanks Andy on behalf of himself and his dog Zooey.




The next day, after Andy's family finish their Thanksgiving feast - turkey, candied yams, mashed potatoes, veggies, a spectacular corn crème brûlée, and dessert - Andy sees a news report about the homeless man.




Delicious corn crème brûlée

The unfortunate homeless man was attacked on the street the night before, but managed to fight off his assailant with the help of Zooey, who bit the offender. Now the intended victim is on television asking for his dog, who was taken to an animal shelter for ten days to check for rabies.

Encouraged by his wife Laurie and son Ricky, who are already celebrating Christmas - which lasts from Thanksgiving to February in Laurie's eyes - Andy decides to help the bereft man. Andy - who has connections -retrieves Zooey, collects her owner, and installs them both in a garage apartment at his New Jersey home. Zooey immediately makes friends with Andy's golden retriever Tara, and the new residents settle in.



The next day a newspaper publishes a human interest story about Andy's good deed and mentions the homeless man's name, Dan Carrigan. Almost immediately, the cops swarm Andy's house and arrest his guest. It seems Carrigan is wanted for the murder of wealthy businessman Steven McMaster, who was killed in his suburban home nine months ago, after which the house was ransacked. The cause of death was a broken neck, which points to a perpetrator trained in hand-to-hand combat.

Carrigan is suspected because he's a former Green Beret and Iraq war veteran; his DNA was found in an old hat at the crime scene; the victim's ring was found in his locker at a homeless shelter; and an informant claims he bragged about the crime.

Andy is prodded by his sympathetic wife Laurie - a former cop who's now a private investigator - and takes Carrigan's case.....along with temporary custody of the pooch Zooey, who's about to have puppies! 😃

Carrigan wants a very fast trial because he has PTSD and claustrophobia, and can't abide being locked up. So Andy quickly lines up his 'team', which consists of:

- Edna: Andy's self-appointed office manager who's allergic to work of any kind; when Andy asks her to xerox a stack of documents, he "hopes to get the copies before the judge sentences Carrigan."



- Sam: Andy's accountant, who's a computer genius that can hack into anything and everything. Almost before you finish asking for something, Sam replies,"I'm on it."



- Hike: Andy's gloomy law partner who "is not just glass half empty guy; he thinks the glass can never hope to be filled again."



- Marcus: a security expert who hardly speaks and is so big and tough even Andy is scared of him.



Meanwhile, other criminals are making waves in the region. A low-level mobster goes on the run after Carrigan is arrested, for reasons that aren't clear. And a skilled sniper is shooting people, one at a time. This makes residents in the area very nervous.

As Andy prepares for the Carrigan case, he does background investigations; obtains discovery; questions people; puts together theories of the crime (such as the wife did it); etc. When Andy finally goes to court to represent Carrigan, his questioning of witnesses - and witty repartee with the judge and prosecutor - lend a Perry Masonish vibe to the story (IF Mason was a stand-up comedian).




As the story races along, we learn more about the fleeing mobster, the relentless sniper, and McMaster's murder - and it becomes clear that a clever puppetmaster is pulling strings for nefarious purposes.

It's fun to see Andy schmooze with his wife; hang out with his son; walk Tara and Zooey; join his friends (a cop and a newspaperman) at a local pub; collaborate with his colleagues; get ready for Christmas; and so on. This is a fun and entertaining cozy mystery, perfect for the holiday season. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, David Rosenfelt, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3.5 stars