New Tricks
Andy Carpenter #7
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When reluctant defense attorney Andy Carpenter is tasked with deciding who should take ownership of a special dog, he realizes that it won’t be simple. The dog’s original owner is dead, and one of the parties who want to be given ownership of the dog is soon accused of the murder. When other people involved with the dog seem to be in danger as well, Andy really has his work cut out for him.

Though Andy generally avoids taking on clients, he often comes across his clients in these books in a fairly basic way—they’re a neighbor, a friend of a friend, etc. This case is different, which is nice in a series that is overall formulaic. There are some other differences from the formula here as well, and a scary moment for Andy (which was less scary for me, since I’ve read several books later in the series). The case itself and the end to it felt a little weak to me, and then the final resolution seemed to come out of nowhere.

Despite the weaker endings, I still enjoyed this book as I have all of the series that I’ve read so far. I recommend the book (especially the audio—Grover Gardner makes Andy’s sarcasm and wit come to life) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas.

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