Publishers Weekly
05/23/2022
In Edgar finalist Rosenfelt’s wry 25th Andy Carpenter novel (after 2021’s Best in Show), the semiretired Paterson, N.J., defense attorney arranges for Rachel Morehouse to adopt a Chow Chow through his dog rescue organization, the Tara Foundation. When Rachel suddenly dies, Andy is surprised to learn she ran a multibillion-dollar corporation and left the Tara Foundation $2 million. He attends the reading of the will, where he meets her stepson, Tony, a high school chemistry teacher who had been staying with Rachel as they attempted to build a relationship after the death of Tony’s estranged father. When an autopsy reveals that Rachel was murdered with potassium chloride, the police arrest Tony and charge him with murder. Believing in Tony’s innocence, Andy takes on the case and employs his team of investigators to help mount Tony’s defense. Despite a large cast of recurring characters, Rosenfelt is shrewd about how he showcases each person so that readers new to the series won’t get lost. He also crafts a satisfying mystery with just the right balance of humor, fast-paced dialogue, and well-executed action pieces. This long-running series remains as fresh as ever. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July)
From the Publisher
Praise for Holy Chow
"You can read Holy Chow for the mystery, for the snappy writing, for the engaging characters. The main thing is to read it!" —New York Journal of Books
“[Rosenfelt] crafts a satisfying mystery with just the right balance of humor, fast-paced dialogue, and well-executed action pieces.” —Publishers Weekly
“I enjoy Rosenfelt's writing style; he makes me laugh out loud with startling frequency, especially for a novel about murder.” –Reviewing the Evidence
Praise for David Rosenfelt
“One of the most unforgettable authors in the genre.” —Associated Press
“Reading the “Andy Carpenter” series by David Rosenfelt is dangerous. The books should come with warnings: “Read with Caution, Extremely Addicting."" —Huffington Post
“This long-running series remains as fresh as ever.” — Publishers Weekly
AUGUST 2022 - AudioFile
Narrator Grover Gardner returns as reluctant defense attorney Andy Carpenter and his team, human and canine. The characters set out to prove the innocence of a man who is charged with the murder of his wealthy stepmother, who had adopted a dog from Andy’s foundation. Gardner’s narration is the perfect match for the trademark dry wit that Andy employs in and out of the courtroom. Gardner’s familiarity with Andy and the team is clear as he characterizes the larger-than-life characters with aplomb. His spot-on timing allows Andy’s wisecracks to shine, while his subtle changes in inflection help signal passages not told from Andy’s point of view. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable listen. K.J.P. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2022-04-13
Adopting Lion, an adorable chow, from Paterson lawyer Andy Carpenter’s Tara Foundation isn’t enough to keep an unassuming billionaire alive.
Rachel Morehouse didn’t earn all that money herself; she inherited it from her husband, private equity mogul Stanley Wasserman. But once she replaced him as the power behind Wasserman Equities, she began making forward-looking arrangements: asking Andy how he’d feel about taking Lion back if her stepson, Anthony Wasserman, didn’t want him; getting better acquainted with Tony, who’d moved to Indiana after feuding with his father years ago; and learning more about how the foundation works. When an autopsy reveals that Rachel died from an injection of potassium chloride, prosecutor Kathryn Strickland, recently arrived from Delaware, assumes the second of these activities, which brought Tony under Rachel’s capacious roof for the last three weeks of her life, was to blame. But Andy, suspecting that the third activity was responsible, arranges to have all his usual helpers, from investigator Corey Douglas to the Bubeleh Brigade of seniors, take a long, hard look under the hood of Wasserman Equities. They’re still looking when the starting gun begins Tony’s trial and Andy has to scramble to hold his own against the unexpectedly sharp and resourceful Strickland. As usual in Andy’s recent outings, the courtroom battles involving the two lawyers and the trial judge are a lot more engaging than the mystery of Rachel Morehouse’s death, the obligatory large-scale criminal conspiracy, the rapidly escalating body count, or the surprisingly muted conclusion.
Still, here’s Andy, and over there, in the distance, is yet another dog. What else could you want?
