Review of "Dog Eat Dog: An Andy Carpenter Mystery" by David Rosenfelt

 

In this 23rd book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, the defense attorney represents a man accused of a double murder. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Ever since he inherited a large fortune, New Jersey defense lawyer Andy Carpenter takes very few cases.



Instead, Andy devotes his time to hanging out with his wife, son, and dogs.....





.....schmoozing with his friends; helping run a canine rescue operation called 'The Tara Foundation'; watching sports; and so on.



Still, when a fellow dog lover gets in trouble, Andy feels compelled to help. This comes about when Andy and his wife Laurie are walking their dogs Tara and Sebastian, and hear a pooch yelping in pain. They look up to see a man kicking a cute pug. Laurie runs over to stop the miscreant, but another man beats her to it. The rescuer gets into a scuffle with the dog abuser.....



.....and the police take both the creep and the hero into custody, until they can determine what's what. Meanwhile, Andy and Laurie take home the pug, called Hunter.



It turns out there's a warrant for the dog rescuer, whose name is Matt Jantzen. Two years ago, Peter Charkin and his girlfriend Tina Welker were shot to death in Maine, and Matt's DNA was found at the crime scene. Thus Matt is arrested.....



.....and Andy, who believes a dog lover can't be a murderer, agrees to be his defense attorney.

Because the trial is being held in Maine, Andy needs a Maine lawyer to sign on. So Andy hires Charlie Tilton, who does most of the paperwork while Andy prepares for trial.



Andy's New Jersey team arrives in Maine as well, including computer hacker Sam Willis.....



.....and the K-Team. The K-Team is a detective agency composed of Andy's ex-cop wife Laurie;



tough guy Marcus;



ex-cop Corey Douglas; and Corey's K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel.



Laurie books everyone a suite in the Cod Cove Inn, and Andy observes, "It's perfect for what I need. It's unlike what I picture in a small town inn; it has running water, an elevator, stairs that don't creak, comfortable large rooms, and working telephones. Most important, it televisions in the rooms! With cable! And ESPN."



Andy likes the delicious breakfast muffins at the hotel.....



.....and the lobster rolls sold in eateries across the state (which do sound yummy).



As Andy prepares for trial, he and his team interview witnesses, including friends and colleagues of the murdered couple. Andy discovers that the male victim, Peter Charkin, had ties to drug pushers and right wing militias. So Andy decides his defense strategy will be 'the other guy did it' - which seems to get someone's hackles up, because Andy is threatened by goons.



A good part of the book consists of Andy walking his dogs, cracking jokes, and making snide remarks, which is usual in this series. In one scene, Andy and Laurie are eating at their favorite Maine restaurant, King Eider's, and Andy observes: "Laurie got something of a thrill. She noticed one of her favorite novelists, a guy named David Rosenfelt, having dinner in the next booth."



"Laurie considered asking him for his autograph, but decided it would be too pushy to interrupt his meal. I don't get it anyway. I tried reading one of his books and could barely get through fifty pages." 😀

When Matt's case goes to trial Andy shows his mettle as a clever cross-examiner, and I was on tenterhooks as the jury came in to deliver it's verdict.

I always enjoy the Andy Carpenter books, which are formulaic but fun. I especially like the dog scenes. For instance Andy's basset hound Sebastian "walks with the speed and dexterity of your average refrigerator/freezer" and "getting him to reverse direction is akin to turning the Queen Mary."



This is an entertaining novel, recommended to fans of amusing mysteries.

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

Rating: 3.5 stars