Andy Carpenter

Book Review: One Dog Night

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One Dog Night
Andy Carpenter #9
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When a man who once broke into Andy Carpenter’s home is arrested for murder, nothing could make Andy care or want to defend the man. Nothing except finding out that Andy’s beloved dog Tara was previously owned by the accused, Noah Galloway. That connection is enough to get Andy digging, and before long, Andy is doing what he does best—unearthing a conspiracy.

Conspiracies are definitely the norm in this series, but this one seemed a bit more bloated and unnecessary than usual. Maybe it just seemed that way because it took so much 3rd-person storytelling to keep the reader on track with what was going on that Andy wasn’t privy to at the time. It seemed like every other scene was 3rd-person, an addition to the normally all-1st-person format that just started in the book previous to this. I still enjoyed the story overall, but since Andy’s personality is a lot of what drew me to this series in the first place and there’s much less of that when Andy isn’t in the scene it does tend to diminish my enjoyment. But not a ton.

I especially liked some of the side characters in this book, the people who make up Andy’s investigative and legal team. Willie Miller shines, and even Hike gets a good moment or two. Despite my complaint above, I still had fun listening to the book. These books have become comfort reads for me; even my least favorite can never be lower than 4 stars. 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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Book Review: Dog Tags

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Dog Tags
Andy Carpenter #8
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

After taking part in a crime, former police dog Milo is freed from custody by reluctant defense attorney Andy Carpenter. Though at first Andy wants nothing to do with the dog’s owner who masterminded the crime and is in jail for murder, eventually Andy comes to see that there’s a lot more to the story than is being told. Getting to the bottom of a conspiracy is Andy’s specialty.

Grand conspiracies have become the bread and butter for this series, and this installment has plenty of that. Andy’s team is still a large part of what makes the book so good. Marcus makes an appearance, but I don’t recall him getting to come out and play much. Kevin is “replaced” by a pessimist (who calls himself a realist). And I noticed a distinct lack of song-talking in this book.

One major note is that this book has a largely different format. Normally, these books are 1st-person all the way through—Andy tells us the story. This time, we get a lot of 3rd-person sections to show us things that happen when Andy isn’t around. Listening to the audiobook makes it difficult to estimate accurately, but it seemed like somewhere in the 40-50% range was 3rd person. It would probably have been very jarring if I were reading the series normally, but since I’ve been reading the new installments as they come out (the last 3 so far), I’ve had a chance to start getting used to it. I can only guess that writing this way makes it easier for Rosenfelt to show the depth of the conspiracy without dumping it all on the reader at once at the end. I suppose it also might add some suspense. Normally I’m not a huge fan of this kind of meshing of perspectives, but I like these books enough that it doesn’t bother me.

There isn’t a lot of surprise in the ending of this book, and it wasn’t my favorite in the series, but I still completely enjoyed the journey. 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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Book Review: New Tricks

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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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Book Review: The More the Terrier

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The More the Terrier
Andy Carpenter #30
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When reluctant defense attorney Andy Carpenter is presented with a stray dog, he (or, more accurately, his son) recognizes it as a terrier his family once fostered. Upon returning the dog to his home, Andy discovers that its owner has been arrested for murder. The young man’s attorney doesn’t inspire confidence in Andy, so he decides to take over the case.

This installment in the series (which, like others with a Christmas-related name or cover, takes place near Christmastime, but isn’t really Christmas-y in nature) has all of the intrigue, drama, and wit that I’ve come to love from these books. The pressure that Andy feels when someone’s life is in his hands is high in this book, and I appreciate his sense of justice. His defense case felt a lot weaker and more muddled than normal, though it’s understandable, given what he had to work with. In the end, I was a little surprised by the way the case and investigations went, based on what I’m used to from this series, which tends to be formulaic (in a good way). Rosenfelt has a way of changing up the formula enough to keep the books from becoming mundane, but this was a little less clean in the end. I might even say that it’s been my least favorite in the series so far, but I still enjoyed it and am rating it 4 stars, so that should tell you how much I’ve loved the rest of the series (I’ve only read 1/3 of the series so far).

This series has become something of a comfort read for me. Or more accurately, a comfort listen, since, though I’ve enjoyed the books from the first one I read, once I started at the beginning with the audiobooks, it amplified my enjoyment a lot. Therefore, receiving an ARC of the audiobook was a real honor. I highly recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, and though there are some over-arcing storylines throughout the series, you don’t really need to start at the beginning (though I’d still recommend it).

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: October 15, 2024

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Book Review: Play Dead

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Play Dead
Andy Carpenter #6
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

After getting Yogi, a golden retriever, off death row, defense attorney Andy Carpenter sets out to prove the innocence of Yogi’s owner, Richard Evans, who has been convicted of murder. Since Richard supposedly killed Yogi at the same time as the human victim, Yogi’s very existence puts casts uncertainty on Richard’s guilt, and Andy is just the person to pursue that thread.

At one point, I thought the titles of these books were just random references to murder and/or dogs, and maybe some of them are. I’m starting to see connections between the title and the story in some of the books, though, which in this case led me to make some assumptions that the characters had less reason to make. Fortunately, it doesn’t bother me to correctly guess what’s going on in a book in this series, because the journey is still enjoyable, largely due to Andy’s interactions with both friend and foe alike. The series may be a bit formulaic, but this series is one of those cases when it’s done right. That’s partly due to Rosenfelt’s writing and partly due to the way he often circumvents the formula in some way, big or small. This time, it’s big.

I highly recommend this book for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, and though there are some over-arcing storylines throughout the series, you don’t really need to start at the beginning (though I’d still recommend it). Grover Gardner is the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter, bringing Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life, so if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d suggest trying that out for this series. 

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Book Review: Dead Center

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Dead Center
Andy Carpenter #5
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When defense attorney Andy Carpenter’s ex-girlfriend asks him to come to Wisconsin and defend a young man that she, as chief of police, had no choice but to arrest, he does so even more reluctantly than usual. And finds himself at odds with an entire town of cultist fanatics.

Another solid addition to the series, this book takes a unique turn when the mystery isn’t about proving the innocence of Andy’s client anymore. It’s maybe a minor spoiler, but still early enough in the book—when Andy’s client is released, he has to decide whether to pursue the truth or return home. The weird cult that lets a carnival wheel decide the members’ every actions isn’t just ridiculed and passed off as mindless zealots by the MC/author, but instead there are real discussions about why people choose to follow something that to the rest of us is clearly ridiculous. The body count is high in this book (though I haven’t been keeping track, so it may be normal for the series), but the deaths aren’t just glossed over as a means to an end. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book.

I highly recommend this book for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, and though there are some over-arcing storylines throughout the series, you don’t really need to start at the beginning (though I’d still recommend it). Grover Gardner is the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter, bringing Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life, so if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d suggest trying that out for this series. 

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Book Review: Dog Day Afternoon

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Dog Day Afternoon
Andy Carpenter #29
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When defense attorney Andy Carpenter is asked by his mysterious and stoic associate Marcus to defend a man who is accused of a mass murder at a law office, Andy agrees, perhaps less reluctantly than normal. Though the accused man’s alibi is a bit sketchy, Andy begins to uncover a complex conspiracy that could possibly prove his client’s innocence…if only he could understand it enough to use it.

I have not read all of the books up to this point, but I’ve read enough to know that Marcus has been a background kind of guy for most of the series. For him to be more involved is an interesting change for this book, which is important this far into a series. One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about these books is the variety of characters Andy uses in his investigations, which grows a little here and there. Marcus was always the comforting protective presence who had little personality, which I never felt detracted from the books. Here, though, we see a little bit of character development, yet not so much that Marcus doesn’t remain a bit of a mystery.

These books are normally in 1st-person perspective, but there are bits here and there from 3rd-person to show the reader things that Andy doesn’t directly see. I don’t know when this started in the series (or if it was new to this book), but it threw me off at first. I think that’s just because I have recently been going through the series from the beginning and have not encountered this yet. The only complaint I really had was that the conspiracy started to get a little convoluted and difficult to follow, with a lot of names that I struggled to remember. It all came together well in the end though. And Carpenter’s trademark wit and sarcasm are in full force in this book.

This series has become something of a comfort read for me. Or more accurately, a comfort listen, since, though I’ve enjoyed the books from the first one I read, once I started at the beginning with the audiobooks, it amplified my enjoyment a lot. Therefore, receiving an ARC of the audiobook was a real honor. I highly recommend this book (especially the audio) for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, and though there are some over-arcing storylines throughout the series, you don’t really need to start at the beginning (though I’d still recommend it). 

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: July 2, 2024

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Book Review: Sudden Death

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Sudden Death
Andy Carpenter #4
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Finding himself in the middle of a stand-off between the police and a man with a dead body in his closet is not the most auspicious start to defense attorney Andy Carpenter’s relationship with his new client, who happens to be a famous football player. And when his team’s digging produces several more connected deaths, Andy starts to lose faith in his client’s innocence.

This book was my favorite of the series so far. The twist of the multiple deaths that seemed unconnected and accidental, but were related to the accused, added a lot of suspense and intrigue. I really didn’t know what was going to happen for a while. Though I’m starting to get used to Rosenfelt’s pattern of adding a final twist at the end of the book, so I did guess something correctly there. Still, I enjoyed the ride throughout the entire book. 

I highly recommend this book for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, and though there are some over-arcing storylines throughout the series, you don’t really need to start at the beginning (though I’d still recommend it). Grover Gardner is the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter, bringing Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life, so if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d suggest trying that out for this series. 

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Book Review: Bury the Lead

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Bury the Lead
Andy Carpenter #3
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 4.5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Defense attorney Andy Carpenter takes on a client who has been receiving communication from a serial killer, tasked with protecting the journalist by his boss. But then the man is accused of the most recent murder, and Andy’s job has changed drastically. The only problem is that he’s not 100% certain that his client isn’t actually guilty.

This book takes some definite turns from the series so far, with Andy being brought in even more unwillingly as defense attorney for an accused murderer. The story takes a lot of turns near the end, and I’m not really sure that Andy himself does a lot to solve the various mysteries tied up in the case. Certain things are kind of handed to him or done for him, though not in a way that made me feel like he was a weak MC. The cast of side characters he’s started to draw around him add to my enjoyment of this book.

There were a couple of things that I didn’t care for in this book, like the over-the-top dog love that actually lacked logic at one point for me (it’s not okay to make a dog sleep outside, but it is okay to expect a dog to live on a boat?), but overall, I enjoyed the mystery and the characters. Fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas should consider reading this book. Grover Gardner is the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter, bringing Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life, so if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d suggest trying that out for this series. 

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Book Review: First Degree

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First Degree
Andy Carpenter #2
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

Defense attorney Andy Carpenter is reluctantly brought into a case when a man confesses to murder under the protection of attorney-client privilege. The case takes a turn when Andy’s girlfriend ends up being accused of the murder, and it’s up to him to unravel a conspiracy and prove her innocence.

Frame-ups and high-reaching conspiracies are the common ground in this series so far. I like that these stories look at both the investigation and the trial, because even when Andy knows his client isn’t guilty, he still has to be able to prove it. And that’s when discovering the real culprit(s) comes in. I’m not remotely an expert in what goes on in a courtroom, but Rosenfelt makes those scenes seem much more real that what I normally see on TV. Maybe it’s just because he includes so many details that others leave out. I also really liked the bits of the previous book that continued into this one, especially Andy helping his previous client with a lawsuit against those who caused him to be incarcerated for years. The question of whether or not Andy will win the trial is probably not as suspenseful as it could be, since solving the mystery is pretty tied up in proving his client innocent, and I suspect that will be the case throughout the series, but it doesn’t make the mystery less interesting.

Only two audiobooks in, Gardner is already the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter for me. Gardner really brings Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life. I’m definitely sticking with the audiobooks for this series as much as possible. Fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas should consider reading this book.

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