In this 24th book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, set during the holiday season, the defense attorney represents a man accused of killing the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey. 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 hangs out with his wife Laurie - who's in Christmas mode; son Ricky - who likes to play sports; and three dogs - golden retriever Tara; basset hound Sebastian; and pug Hunter.
Andy also schmoozes with his friends at a local sports bar; helps run a canine rescue operation called 'The Tara Foundation'; watches football on television; etc.
Every evening before bed, Andy takes the dogs for a walk in the park. One snowy night before Thanksgiving Tara digs a hole in the ground and unearths a hand. The hand is attached to Alex Oliva, the mayor of Paterson, New Jersey, who's been shot in the back.
Within eight hours the police arrest a disgraced reporter named Bobby Nash, who had written an article saying the mayor took bribes to steer business to a local contractor. Bobby's 'proof' didn't hold up, he was accused of libel, and he lost his job. Bobby is arrested in the hospital because he was in a car crash on the night of the murder and is seriously injured.
Newspaper editor Vince Sanders - who's Bobby's mentor and Andy's friend - prevails on Andy to represent Bobby, and Andy reluctantly agrees. When Andy interviews Bobby in the hospital, the journalist confides he can't remember much about the night of the mayor's murder. Bobby also tells Andy that the woman who gave him 'proof' of Mayor Oliva's corruption later denied everything, and he thinks she purposely set him up. This woman comes to a bad end as well.
Bobby is eventually accused of two murders.
As Andy prepares for trial, he puts all his resources to work to prove Bobby's innocence. This includes Andy's law partner Eddie Dowd - a former football player who speaks in sports clichés;
the bubbeleh brigade - a cadre of elderly Jewish computer hackers;
and the K-Team - 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.
The bubbeleh brigade always brings homemade rugelach, which is a nice treat.
Andy and his team uncover a complicated conspiracy, and the conspirators want to make Andy and his client go away.
Luckily Marcus is equivalent to Spiderman, Superman, and Batman rolled into one, and Marcus always has Andy's back.
Andy is his usual sarcastic jokey self, and the narrative provides plenty of laughs. Moreover, newspaper editor Vince - who's NOT a dog person - get's temporary custody of Bobby's golden retriever Duchess....and it's fun to see Vince warm up to the pooch.
The story is set during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, so the narrative is interspersed with delicious meals; Christmas trees; Christmas decorations; Christmas music; gift-wrapping; televised football games; and so on - all of which provides a nice holiday vibe.
The conspiracy that drives the plot is a little over-complicated, but the book is fun and entertaining. Recommended to Andy Carpenter fans and readers who enjoy light mysteries.
Thanks to Netgalley, David Rosenfelt, and Minotaur Books for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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