Play dead

In the sixth Andy Carpenter mystery, Rosenfelt turns his love of golden retrievers into a cracking good yarn. Andy, the New Jersey attorney whose inheritance of $22 million has diluted his work ethic (I am work-ethically challenged, he tells us), tends to take a case only when it interests him. When he learns that a beautiful retriever is scheduled to be put down after biting its owner, he decides to represent the dog in court. He is successful, but soon his delight at saving the animal's life turns to amazement--or at least bemusement--when he discovers that the dog may be a key witness in a five-year-old murder. There are many ways this novel should have failed (the whole premise is iffy, for starters), but Rosenfelt skillfully avoids every trap into which he might have fallen. There is no way you can read this novel without becoming completely caught up in the story. As always, Andy's offbeat, outspoken personality shines on every page, and the balance of humor and mystery is dead-on. There is nothing else to say about this fine novel, except this: read it as soon as you can. --David Pitt Copyright 2007 Booklist

Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt's riveting sixth legal thriller (after 2006's Dead Center) brings independently wealthy Paterson, N.J., lawyer Andy Carpenter to the defense of a very special domestic violence victim, Yogi, a golden retriever alleged to have bitten its owner. Andy uses the court system to spring Yogi from an animal shelter's death row and adopt him, adding the dog to a small family that includes longtime pet golden Tara. But when the gang goes for a walk that leads to a joyful reunion between Yogi and a woman named Karen Evans, Andy learns Yogi is actually Reggie, presumed dead five years earlier after the conviction of Karen's brother, U.S. Customs Inspector Richard Evans, for the murder of his fianc?e, Stacy Harriman. Suspecting Richard's innocence, Andy tackles the case like a dog on a chew toy, undeterred by an intricate web of deception involving a possible government coverup. No shaggy dog story, this puppy's alive with reliable Rosenfelt wit and heart. (May)(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

New Jersey defense attorney Andy Carpenter reopens a five-year-old case when he discovers a witness-a golden retriever. The sixth in the series by Edgar Award finalist Rosenfelt. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Andy Carpenter rescues one client from prison and another from Death Row in his most ambitious case yet. During a torrential rainstorm five years ago, Coast Guard officers boarded a boat four miles off the New Jersey Coast to find one occupant, U.S. Customs inspector Richard Evans, comatose from an overdose of sleeping pills and the other two, Richard's fiance Stacy Harriman and his dog Reggie, missing. Long before they identified Stacy's body, washed ashore three weeks later, they'd already arrested Richard for murder, and he was tried and convicted. But a startling new piece of evidence emerges when Andy (Dead Center, 2006, etc.) tries to save Yogi, a golden retriever who bit his abusive owner, from being put down: Richard's sister Karen identifies Yogi as Reggie. She proves his identity to Andy, who in an amusing courtroom sequence proves it to a judge. Presumably Reggie got off the boat because somebody took him off. Who was that somebody, what was his or her role in Stacy's murder and Richard's near-death, why haven't the authorities found any trace of him or her, and how can Andy do better? The stakes are raised but the answers obscured by the news that both the FBI and the New Jersey mob are so interested in the case that one is bugging Andy's phone and the other shooting at him. A steadily absorbing journey through layers and layers of deception. Only the very last surprise fizzles. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

/*Starred Review*/ In the sixth Andy Carpenter mystery, Rosenfelt turns his love of golden retrievers into a cracking good yarn. Andy, the New Jersey attorney whose inheritance of $22 million has diluted his work ethic ("I am work-ethically challenged," he tells us), tends to take a case only when it interests him. When he learns that a beautiful retriever is scheduled to be put down after biting its owner, he decides to represent the dog in court. He is successful, but soon his delight at saving the animal's life turns to amazement--or at least bemusement--when he discovers that the dog may be a key witness in a five-year-old murder. There are many ways this novel should have failed (the whole premise is iffy, for starters), but Rosenfelt skillfully avoids every trap into which he might have fallen. There is no way you can read this novel without becoming completely caught up in the story. As always, Andy's offbeat, outspoken personality shines on every page, and the balance of humor and mystery is dead-on. There is nothing else to say about this fine novel, except this: read it as soon as you can. ((Reviewed April 1, 2007)) Copyright 2007 Booklist Reviews.

New Jersey defense attorney Andy Carpenter reopens a five-year-old case when he discovers a witness-a golden retriever. The sixth in the series by Edgar Award finalist Rosenfelt. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Fortunately for his fans, Rosenfelt's protagonist, New Jersey defense attorney and dog rescuer Andy Carpenter (Open and Shut ), continues to amuse and engage in the sixth title in this successful series. This time, Andy not only employs his smarts to save a dog on Death Row but proceeds to use this canine as his key witness to save an innocent man. The case involves Richard, who allegedly threw his fiance and her dog overboard after bringing them aboard his boat one night. Richard was discovered unconscious, his fiance's body was washed ashore, and the dog was never found—until now. It will be up to this golden retriever and Andy to set Richard free, if only Andy can survive the sudden attacks on his life. Andy's relationships, his wit, his love for his dog, and a plot that twists and turns make this enjoyable read essential for any public library. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 1/07.]—Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park, MD

Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt's riveting sixth legal thriller (after 2006's Dead Center ) brings independently wealthy Paterson, N.J., lawyer Andy Carpenter to the defense of a very special domestic violence victim, Yogi, a golden retriever alleged to have bitten its owner. Andy uses the court system to spring Yogi from an animal shelter's death row and adopt him, adding the dog to a small family that includes longtime pet golden Tara. But when the gang goes for a walk that leads to a joyful reunion between Yogi and a woman named Karen Evans, Andy learns Yogi is actually Reggie, presumed dead five years earlier after the conviction of Karen's brother, U.S. Customs Inspector Richard Evans, for the murder of his fiance, Stacy Harriman. Suspecting Richard's innocence, Andy tackles the case like a dog on a chew toy, undeterred by an intricate web of deception involving a possible government coverup. No shaggy dog story, this puppy's alive with reliable Rosenfelt wit and heart. (May)