Flop Dead Gorgeous by David Rosenfelt

 

Flop Dead Gorgeous by David Rosenfelt-265 pages

Andy Carpenter Series #27

"Wanna be" retired lawyer Andy Carpenter remembers every dog that’s come through the Tara Foundation’s doors, but the most well-known alum of the dog rescue organization that Andy founded in Paterson, New Jersey, may be Mamie. Adopted by famous actress Jenny Nichols―Andy’s high school girlfriend―the miniature French poodle is now practically a starlet in her own right.

Andy doesn’t hold it against his friend. In fact, he and his wife, Laurie, have dinner with Jenny while she’s in town filming her next big hit. But after an eventful meal, there’s a plot twist the next morning that none of them see coming.  Jenny’s costar is found dead, a knife in his back. It’s not long before Jenny is arrested for the murder and finds herself in need of Andy’s legal services.

While Mamie becomes reacquainted with Tara, Andy’s golden retriever, Andy digs into the lives of the rich and famous.

LOVE this series.  I find myself laughing out loud...especially when Marcus is being described.  I highly recommend.

Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt

 

Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt-278 pages

The K Team Series #4

The K Team enjoys investigating cold cases for the Paterson Police Department. Corey Douglas, his K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel, Laurie Collins, and Marcus Clark even get to choose which cases they’d like to pursue. When Corey sees the latest list of possibilities, there’s no question which one to look into next.

Corey’s former mentor, Jimmy Dietrich, had his whole identity wrapped up in being a cop. When Jimmy retired three years ago, his marriage quickly deteriorated and he tried–and failed―to get back on the force. Jimmy was left to try to adjust to life as a civilian.

Not long after, two bodies were pulled from the Passaic River. A local woman, Susan Avery, and Jimmy Dietrich. With no true evidence available, the deaths went unsolved and the case declared cold. This didn’t stop the affair gone wrong... a murder-suicide committed by Jimmy.

Corey never believed it. With this case, the K Team has the opportunity to find the real murderer, and clear Jimmy’s name. Bestselling author David Rosenfelt returns in Good Dog, Bad Cop, where there’s little to go on, but that won’t stop Paterson, New Jersey’s favorite private investigators from sniffing out the truth.

I don't care for this series as much as his Andy Carpenter series.  They always have some humor throughout and that is what I enjoy the most about anything that Mr. Rosenfelt writes.

Outfoxed by David Rosenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #14)

326 pages / 7 hrs, 30 mins

"Defense lawyer Andy Carpenter spends as much time as he can working on his true passion, the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs. Lately, Andy has been especially involved in a county prison program where inmates help train dogs the Tara Foundation has rescued to make them more adoptable, benefiting both the dogs and the prisoners. One of the prisoners Andy has been working with is Brian Atkins, who has 18 months left on a 5-year term for fraud. Brian has been helping to train Boomer, an adorable fox terrier the Tara Foundation rescued from a neglectful owner. Brian and Boomer are clearly a terrific match. In fact, Andy hopes that Brian will adopt Boomer himself, once his sentence is up. But one day, Andy arrives at the prison to discover that Brian has used Boomer to make an ingenious escape, and man and dog are both in the wind. The next day, the man on whose testimony Brian was convicted is found murdered. Brian is caught and arrested for the crime, though he forcefully protests his innocence. Suddenly, Andy finds himself with a new client in Brian and a new dog in Boomer. And as he starts to dig deeper into the murder and the events leading up to it, Andy realizes he might be putting them all in far more danger than anyone had realized."  --from the publisher

Another entertaining installment in a solid series. Four out of five stars for me.

Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #13)

324 pages / 6 hrs, 42 mins

"A lawyer by day-and then only when he's forced to take on new cases-Andy Carpenter's true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. So it's frightening when Willie calls him to say the alarm has gone off at the foundation building, and there's clearly been a break-in. It turns out that a recently rescued dog, nicknamed Cheyenne since her arrival at the foundation, has been stolen. Andy and Willie track the missing dog to a house in downtown Paterson, New Jersey and sure enough, they find the dog...standing right next to a dead body. The man had been gruesomely murdered mere minutes before Andy and Willie arrived...

"Andy takes Cheyenne safely back to the foundation building, and that should be the end of his involvement, but Andy's curiosity-and his desire to keep the dog from further harm-won't let him stop there. The cops have just arrested a man named Tommy Infante for the murder, but as Andy looks into the circumstances surrounding the break-in and the dog theft, he starts to wonder if Infante might actually be innocent. And when Andy takes Infante on as a client and starts searching in earnest for evidence that will exonerate him, what Andy starts to discover terrifies him..."  --from the publisher

Another good story with wry humor, with a mention of St. Louis Cardinal Ozzie Smith as the best shortstop of all time. That was a pleasant surprise to hear from an author who is from New Jersey. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Unleashed by David Rosenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #11)

308 pages / 7 hrs

"Andy Carpenter's accountant, Sam Willis, is stunned to receive a phone call out of the blue from Barry Price, a high school friend he hasn't spoken to in years, pleading for help with something too frightening to discuss on the phone.

"Barry needs Sam's financial acumen and lawyer Andy Carpenter's legal expertise and he needs them immediately. But when Sam almost runs over an injured dog lying in the road on the way to Barry's house, he can't drive off without waiting for help to arrive. By the time Sam makes it, Barry's already taken off on a private airplane headed who-knows-where. Assuming their help is no longer needed, Sam and Andy turn their full attention to helping the dog Sam found recover from his injuries.

"Then they learn that Barry's plane has crashed, and they come to the terrifying realization that Sam was also supposed to have been killed on that plane.

"Barry was in far more serious trouble than either of them knew, and for Sam and Andy, the trouble is only beginning."  --from the publisher

Another fun, witty installment in this cozy mystery series. I give it three out of five stars.

Leader of the Pack by David Rosenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #10)

360 pages / 6 hrs, 58 mins

"Over the course of his legal career, Andy Carpenter has lost a few cases. But that doesn't mean he forgets his clients. Andy has always been convinced that Joey Desimone, a man convicted of murder nine years ago, was innocent and believes that Joey's family's connections to organized crime played a pivotal role in his conviction. While there isn't much Andy can do for him while he serves out his prison sentence, Joey suggests that he check up on Joey's elderly uncle. He'd rather not, but as a favor to Joey, Andy agrees to take his dog, Tara, on a few visits.

"The old man's memory is going, but when Andy tries to explain why he's there, it jogs something in the man's mind, and his comments leave Andy wondering if Uncle Nick is confused, or if he just might hold the key to Joey's freedom after all this time.

"Andy grabs on to this thread of possibility and follows it into a world where the oath of silence is stronger than blood ties, and where people will do anything to make sure their secrets are kept."  --from the publisher

Always fun! Another good installment with a bit of a twist at the end. I give it four out of five stars.

One Dog Night by David Rossenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #9)

387 pages / 8 hrs, 10 mins

"For six years Noah Galloway has lived with a horrible secret and the fear that his rebuilt life could be shattered at any moment. Now his dread has become a certainty, and he has been arrested for the arson murder of twenty-six people.

"What he needs now is defense lawyer Andy Carpenter, who most definitely is not in the market for a new client. So Noah plays his hole card: a shared love for Andy’s golden retriever, Tara, and the knowledge of what her life was like before Andy rescued her. Because Andy wasn’t her first owner—Noah rescued Tara first, and when he wasn’t able to care for her any longer, he did everything in his power to make sure that she was placed in the right home: Andy’s.

"With that knowledge, Andy has little choice but to take Noah on, and he soon learns that the long-ago event that may destroy Noah’s life is only the beginning of an ongoing conspiracy that grows more deadly by the day."  --from the publisher

Rosenfelt is a master at weaving adventure, drama, and humor into a cohesive story with interesting characters. I thoroughly enjoy this series, and the audio reader is terrific. Another four out of five stars installment, in my opinion.

Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #8)

360 pages / 8 hrs

A veteran and his dog are unwittingly caught up in a complicated scheme of stock market manipulation, insider trading, and mass murder. Andy Carpenter's devotion to canines and justice guide his legal representation of both pet and owner.

Another great installment in the series! Funny, witty, sarcastic, entertaining, and dramatic--what more could you want? I give it four out of five stars. 

Who Let the Dog Out by David Rosenfelt

 Who Let the Dog Out by David Rosenfelt, 324 pages

All it takes is a case involving a kidnapped dog to pull Andy Carpenter out of retirement.  The usual gang are here.  The funniest part is always when Marcus and Andy are going on a stakeout.  From the description of Marcus he must be huge and is not a big talker.  Andy on the other hand is average build and likes to talk.  Andy is always courageous when he knows Marcus is in the vicinity, otherwise not so much!  The outcome is usually predictable, but is still worth reading.  This whole series is laugh out loud hilarious.  I highly recommend it.

Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt

 

Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt-320 pages

Dog loving lawyer Andy Carpenter takes on a high profile murder case in which a rogue German shepherd police dog might just be the only hope for its owner-an Iraq war vet accused of murder.

This is one of the older ones in the series that I realized I missed.  Another excellent, laugh out loud installment in the series.  If you want a good laugh I highly recommend this series.  Loved it.

Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt

 

                                                  Dog Eat Dog by David Rosenfelt-298 pages

Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his wife Laurie are once again pulled into a case simply because a man has come to the defense of a dog.  Andy has been trying to retire for several years; but as usual this is a case he just cannot turn down.  

I have followed this series since the beginning.  David Rosenfelt is even a bigger dog lover than I am.  But it is his dry wit and humor that is unrivaled.  And the supporting characters are hilarious on their own. I eagerly await each one that is released.

S

Dead Center by David Rosenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #5)

352 pages / 7 hrs, 20 mins

"After Laurie Collins left him and headed west, New Jersey defense attorney Andy Carpenter didn't expect to ever see her again. So he's shocked when his ex-girlfriend appears on TV--and then calls him pleading for his help. Two coeds in Wisconsin have been found brutally stabbed to death. As the town's acting police chief, Laurie had to arrest a young college student with a carful of bloodstains who argued with one of the victims just before her death. Yet Laurie strongly believes that the suspect, Jeremy Davidson, is innocent."  --from the publisher

If you love a snarky character, then you'll enjoy this series. I thought this story was a bit disjointed, but still good. I give it three out of five stars.

Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt (Abridged)

 (Andy Carpenter #4)

336 pages / 5 hrs, 39 mins

"First at the crime scene, Andy Carpenter wishes he had never seen the folded torso with the large red stain on its back. The victim is Tony Preston, wide receiver for the New York Jets, and the suspect is Kenny Schilling, the New York Giants' star running back who is clamoring for Andy's services. The upcoming high-profile murder case will be the bench-warming Andy's chance to get back into the legal game. It will also prove a handy distraction from the awful possibility that Laurie Collins - the private investigator and living creature Andy adores most next to Tara, his cherished golden retriever - might leave Paterson and Andy's life forever."

I love this series, but took a break in hopes that an unabridged audio version would become available. Oh well... Anyway, it was funny and witty and clever. I give it four out of five stars.

Bark of Night

Bark of Night by David Rosenfelt 291 pages

Defense lawyer and dog rescuer enthusiast, Andy Carpenter, is told by his vet that someone dropped off a perfectly healthy dog to be euthanized and then disappeared without a trace. Andy is furious and beyond willing to help the dog out. However, it is discovered that the man who dropped the dog off, was not his owner, and that the dogs real owner was murdered. It is now up to Andy to crack the case.

Rosenfelt never disappoints, he is always funny, loved this book.