I needed this book! I’ve had a bad run of several mediocre books. I needed fun! And Andy Carpenter always delivers. These books just possess a sardonic wit that I really enjoy.

What should be a simple case of self defense goes awry when a key piece of evidence is missing. Of course nothing is ever simple in an Andy Carpenter book and this one is no exception. There are all sorts of theories as to what might have taken place, but is any of what they find going to be considered admissible?

I have to give major kudos to David Rosenfelt. He has a wild imagination in addition to his own unique voice. I love when there are twists I don’t see coming and that’s the case here.

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books) for an advance copy of this book.

Andy and his crew are back to solve another case & with his usual and contagious humor Rosenfelt scores again!

This was a fun book. I love David Rosenfelt's dry sense of humor. Something here for everyone. Several killings, some wonderful dogs, and a group of older people, the Bubalah Brigade, who help blow the case wide open. What more would you need? The main character, Carpenter, has a wonderful sense of humor and I can relate to the Brigade, they sound like my kind of people. I was very interested in the references to the different forms of investments. I used to work for a stock brokerage and found that Rosenfelt's information was accurate.

Another doggoned good Andy Carpenter mystery!
It is upsetting enough when New Jersey lawyer and dog-lover extraordinaire Andy Carpenter responds to an urgent call from the director of his local animal shelter and finds a truck full of seventy rescued stray dogs and a murder victim. It is worse when the man arrested for the murder turns out to be his wife Laurie’s handsome ex-Marine former lover…and Laurie wants him to defend the man. Andy is a reluctant lawyer at best and has not taken a case in six months, but, well, he could no more say “No” to Laurie than to Tara, his beloved golden retriever. Andy and his legal team find themselves in court once again.
David Rosenfelt's legal thrillers featuring wise-cracking New Jersey defense lawyer Andy Carpenter and an array of lovable canines and quirky humans are favorites of mine. They have interesting plots, likable characters, and a quiet but sassy humor that provokes more smiles than guffaws. A special feature is how Rosenfelt's love for dogs (He and his wife founded a dog rescue foundation.) shines via Andy's love for his Tara and the reliable involvement of dogs, even if they are in the background . These are not cozies, but they do NOT have the level of gore and grittiness that is very common in urban mysteries today. The opening scene is suspenseful and lets the reader know that some real nastiness has gone down, but when narrator Andy takes the floor, the tone lightens. Andy (and Rosenfelt) is still at the top of his game, both at solving crimes and at his characteristic commentary on people and life. For example, as he and his wife Laurie prepare for a meeting that could be dangerous, Andy says, “As a former cop, and an investigator licensed to carry a firearm, she can easily handle the situation. As a lawyer licensed to carry a briefcase, we both know I would be less effective.” This short passage displays so much of what I love about this series: Andy’s wry, often self-deprecating humor, his admiration and love for his wife, and his admirable modesty. Passages like this, which never fail to make me smile, abound in the book.
Andy’s cases are always interesting, and in this one there was so much going on that a reader would be excused for wondering if the author will tie everything into one neat package. Rosenfelt does it in this book with an outrageous scheme that fell barely into the “credible” category but that left some clues along the way and made me smile at its daring, if not its amorality.
If you are new to the series, you can enjoy this book very much without reading any of the others, but I would suggest you read the first book, Open and Shut, to get the background for Andy’s team and their circumstances, after which you can enjoy them in any order. There’s not a stinker in the bunch.
Andy may be a self-described “reluctant lawyer”, but he can’t resist a puzzle or ignore injustice, so I have every hope and expectation that he and his team will soon be at work again solving cases, entertaining his many readers, and taking care of man’s best friend.

Rescued is the seventeenth book in David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter Mystery series. Sufficient background information is provided to allow this great book to be read as a standalone. This is a cozy, with a humorous hero, who has a happy home life with his human and canine family. There is some adult language in this book, but no graphic violence or adult situations. I enjoy this author’s writing style and witty dialog. Mr. Rosenfelt has written a fast paced, well thought out, interesting and complex mystery, with a good story line, excellent character development, fun and quirky characters, and twists and turns that keeps the reader engaged. I highly recommend this book to all cozy mystery fans.

Andy Carpenter is an independently wealthy defense attorney who runs the Tara Foundation, an animal rescue organization, with his friends, Willie and Sondra Miller. Andy lives in Paterson, New Jersey with his wife, Laurie, their adopted son, Ricky, and two dogs, Tara and Sebastian. Andy gets a frantic call from Ralph Brandenberger, the director of the Passaic County Animal Shelter, and since Laurie isn’t available, he calls Willie. When they arrive, Andy talks to his friend, Pete Stanton, the captain of the Paterson Police Department’s homicide division and they learn that there’s a truckload of dogs and one human murder victim. Ralph tells him the dogs, over sixty of them, are rescues.

The next call Andy receives is from his wife … get home now! When Andy arrives, Dave Kramer, Laurie’s ex-boyfriend, is waiting for him. Dave wants to hire Andy to represent him for the murder of the truck driver, Kenny Zimmer, and admits he killed him, but claims it was self-defense. Andy doesn’t want to represent him, but Laurie wants him to, so he ultimately agrees and Laurie rounds up their team. The team consists of Andy, Laurie, former cop and investigator licensed to carry a gun, Edna, the self-proclaimed office manager who does as little work as possible, Hike Lynch, a fellow lawyer and doomsayer, Sam Willis, an accountant and computer genius, and Marcus Clark, a scary guy who protects Andy when necessary. The Bubalah Brigade, a group of octogenarians, Sam has trained in the art of computer hacking aren’t called in yet.

Dave, a former cop and private investigator, says Kenny, who he has a violent history with, attacked him with a knife and he shot him. The main problem for the defense team to overcome is that when the police arrived, there was no knife at the scene. As Andy and his team conduct their investigation and trial prep, a pattern of conspiracy, murders, and terrifying actions come to light.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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At an early age, Andy Carpenter discovered that he couldn't hit a curve-ball and therefore had to give up on his dreams of playing in the majors and fall back to following in his father's footsteps and becoming a lawyer. His father, a lifelong prosecuting attorney, probably wished for something else, but for the many people that he's defended in court, they wouldn't have it another way.

This is the seventeenth novel in this series -- I've talked here about nine of the previous sixteen. There's part of me wondering just what I could possibly have to say about this one that I haven't said at least once before.

Andy Carpenter is called to a nearby rest area -- a truck containing sixty-one dogs was discovered with the driver shot. Andy and Willie were called out to help the police retrieve the dogs and care for them. The police are really not happy to see him there -- Andy Carpenter at a crime scene? Not a welcome sight. But then he's called away, there's a prospective new client waiting for him at home.

Not that surprisingly, the potential client was also at that rest area earlier in the day. He actually tells Andy that he shot the driver -- in self-defense, mind you. Sure, there's a history between the two -- Kramer (the client) had assaulted the victim and threatened to kill him, in fact. But that was years ago, and he had no current reason to. He just needs some help with the inevitable arrest. Andy believes him -- he has to. Kramer is Laurie's ex and she vouches for him -- so much so that Andy pretty much has to take the case for her sake.

Honestly, Andy really isn't that interested in helping tall, hunky and dangerous Kramer -- ex-Military, ex-police, ex-licensed investigator. But it's not long before he starts to believe that there's something more afoot. And what was the deal with all the dogs?

All the regulars are along for this ride -- Pete Stanton brings the law and order, we get a little more about the fun side of Hike that was introduced in the last book, Sam and his hacking crew dig up plenty of information, Marcus is his typical imposing self, Tara is as loyal as ever -- and Andy gets a lot of courtroom time in. There's a new prosecuting attorney for him to face off against -- I liked her, and would like to see her against Andy again.

I don't think it's much of a spoiler here, because it's pretty much the default in this series, but there's a conspiracy behind the murder and they men behind it have decided to frame Kramer. This is one of the better -- or at least one of the more grounded -- conspiracies featured in these books. Up to a point, some of it was pretty hard to swallow -- it just went a little over the top for my taste (but many of them do in this series). Also, this one features the best code names this side of Reservoir Dogs. Still, it was one of the more clever solutions that we've been treated to lately.

A thought about the series as a whole at this point: I would appreciate it if Rosenfelt would shake things up a little bit -- I'm not talking about killing Hike or splitting up with Laurie or anything -- just dial down the super-criminals a bit, maybe spend some more time with the client again. But there's little reason for him to do that -- the series moves like clockwork and is reliably entertaining. I only say this because I'm a fan -- Rosenfelt is in danger of becoming a parody of himself (at worst) or just putting out cookie-cutter books (at best), I don't want Andy Carpenter to become a Stephanie Plum.

This is not to say that I didn't enjoy the book -- because I did. Andy, Sam, Pete, Vince, Laurie, Tara and the rest are old friends that I enjoy getting together with every few months. Rosenfelt's latest demonstrates what's been true for years -- this series is at the point where you can reliably count on each book for an entertaining read, a puzzling mystery, some good comic moments, a nice dog or two and maybe even a tug on the heart strings. They're still charming enough to win over a new reader (and any of the books serve just fine as entry points) as well as satisfying the long-term reader. Rescued delivered just what I expected and left me satisfied -- satisfied and ready to read number 18.


Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post -- thanks to both for this, it was a real pleasure.

Every book in the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt is a prize. Rescued is the latest book in this series. You can read the book by itself (rather than as part of the series), and I guarantee it will make you want to grab all the other books in the series as well!

Andy Carpenter is a sarcastic, witty, dog-loving defense attorney, who only takes on clients he knows are innocent … until now! Dave Kramer is accused of murdering a man who had been driving a semi truck filled with rescue dogs, and Andy Carpenter and his team are going to need to gather a lot more information to figure out what really happened and why.

Reading David Rosenfelt’s books, I always feel like a good friend is telling me the story. The writing style is open and friendly; the characters are quirky and real. I know you will get drawn into and enjoy this latest Andy Carpenter tale.

Thank you to author David Rosenfelt, publisher St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading an Advance Reader Copy of Rescued in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Prior to reading "Rescued" I had no previous experience reading any books written by Mr. Rosenfelt. How had I missed 16 previous books in this awesome series? Now I'm excited that I get to go back and follow Andy and Laurie in more adventures in books 1 -16!

I really enjoyed Mr. Rosenfelt's concise writing style and humor. For me this made the story and kept the pages turning. No drug out, useless dialog , he makes his points and moves on. When I read the synopsis, I thought the story was more about the rescue dogs and less about a crime suspense thriller, so I was pleasantly surprised.

Andy is a criminal attorney who is hired to defend his wife's ex boyfriend for a crime he says he committed in self defense. Andy is not sure he believes him and sets out to discover the truth. As Andy is doing his criminal investigation, there is a lot of plot that rolls out with several different characters entering the scene, there are murders, and motive. Will Andy be able to prove his case in time before the prosecution makes their case?

Whether you're a veteran in reading books by this author or just want a good place to begin, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of this book.

Lawyer Andy Carpenter is guilted into taking a case by his wife, Laurie—her old boyfriend Dave is accused of murder. Dave claims self-defense, but the police find no other weapons. Is someone really trying to frame him, as he says, or is he perhaps less than truthful? David Rosenfelt has done it again—written a mystery with humor, great characters (enigmatic Marcus, wisecracking lawyer Andy, hypochondriac Hike, super –hacker Sam, Willie and Sondra, who keep the Tara Foundation running, the elderly researchers fondly referred to as the Bubalah Brigade, and of course the canine contingent, Tara and Sebastian) and a plot that kept me guessing. Highly recommended.

Everyone’s favourite lawyer/smartass Andy Carpenter is happily avoiding his career when he gets 2 phone calls. First, it seems there’s a truck containing 70 dogs & 1 dead driver parked at a rest stop. Second, get home now.

Andy arrives home to find his wife chatting with Dave Kramer. Or as Andy thinks of him, “Laurie’s-tall-dark-and-handsome-ex-fiance” Dave Kramer. And he has quite a story to tell. Yes, he was in the truck & yes, he killed the driver. But he swears it was self defence & wants Andy to represent him. And to Andy’s chagrin, he believes him. Damn.

Ok, it seems pretty straight forward. But then we meet Rodgers & Brady. And suddenly there’s nothing clear about what happened, who did it or why.

Aaaand…they’re off. Much to “Office Manager” Edna’s disgust, it’s time to get the team back together. Hike, Sam, Willie & of course, Marcus…the scariest dude in New Jersey. As always, there’s a smart mystery with plenty of twists in the pages ahead as the case takes off in directions no one saw coming. And you’ll finally get an answer to that age old question: what do a robotics CEO & a donut king have in common?

It’s a wild ride as Andy tries to figure out what the hell is going on while setting aside time to annoy cop/buddy Pete Stanton. In this outing, we catch a rare glimpse of the deep bond between these 2 men :

Pete: It’s the third time I helped you on this case.
Andy: *nods* I know.
Pete: If you tell anyone that I did, I will chop you up into little pieces & feed you to rabid coyotes.
Andy: That’s beautiful, Pete. I’ve never felt closer to you than I feel right now.

And that’s what what makes these books a guaranteed great read. It’s the winning combination of smart & funny that this author rolls out each time. The laughs help you catch your breath as the tension rises in the final pages. The conspiracy that unrolls here costs lives but what’s really alarming is how deceptively simple & conceivable it is. It’s an entertaining & fast paced read that’s sure to be a hit with fans of this series.

I don't need Andy Carpenter to buy me burgers and beer to know the books featuring him are "as good as advertised." The latest novel in the series by David Rosenfelt is another extremely entertaining read. RESCUED features the wit and charm we've come to expect. Carpenter's colorful cohorts from the previous books are along for this newest adventure and that's always a plus. Thank you to @StMartinsPress & @MinotaurBooks & @NetGalley for the privilege of reading an advance copy of this book. #Rescued #NetGalley

Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series is one of my favorites. A good mystery, great legal hijinks, action, comedy, varied and distinctive characters, a few dogs here and there, Andy's wise-a** mouth, and Tara, "the best dog in the universe." All the elements are there in Rescued, in which Andy and the Tara Foundation are called out to apparently abandoned truck full of rescue dogs from the South. Then a dead man is found inside, and the lead suspect is Laurie's ex-boyfriend. Lots of fun as always, and Rosenfelt still manages to throw in some surprises. Highly recommended.

I totally enjoy legal mysteries but I felt the main character in this book was weak, whiny, and not fully developed into someone the reader would be excited to support. Now that I’m thinking about it, even characters like his secretary (Edna) and child (Ricky) didn’t feel developed. The reader hears about them through Andy, the main character, but we don’t pick up on anything through clothing, dialog, actions, etc.

Humor, which I usually love felt forced in many cases, especially the first of this book where Andy Carpenter is whining about his wife’s old boyfriend being at his house when he gets home.

On a positive note, the last half of the book has less forced humor and the story moves along at a better pace than the first half. I can see myself loving this series, since I do lean toward legal mysteries, and you usually can’t miss with some humor. But this book was a bit over-the-top for me, however, the plot was well thought-out and very good.

I appreciate #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for letting me read an advanced copy.

A big thanks to Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. David Rosenfelt quickly became one of my favorite authors back when I came across his third book, Bury the Lead, and I haven’t missed one since! They chemistry between Andy, Laurie and the whole gang is what keeps me coming back for more. That and to see how in the world they will get their client out of the mess he/she is in! This case is no different! Andy doesn’t normally like to take on new clients but this client he REALLY doesn’t want...his wife Laurie’s, ex-beau, who ends up on their doorstep in Patterson, New Jersey looking for representation because he says he’s just killed someone in self-defense. Is he telling the truth or is there something more sinister going on? You’ll have to read it to find out!

Enjoyed this read especially Andy Carpenter's humor and the rescue dogs! I was looking for more interaction about the transport and the dogs; but enjoyed the storyline.

Another great book by David Rosenfelt. I love the characters and the humor in his books. And the dogs makes the books perfect

Andy Carpenter books are one of my all time favorite series. Independently wealthy, lawyer Andy Carpenter hates to work but when forced to take a case, he does it brilliantly. With his usual irreverence he has amassed a colorful diverse group of characters, including his wife, who assist his every move. Though he’d rather hang out with his family or at the Tara foundation shelter he started, taking care of homeless dogs, that’s not possible when he comes home to find his wife’s ex boyfriend in the living room, and she wants him to take his case of committing murder.
He’s rather do anything but defend her ex, but seeing no way out grits his teeth and says yes. Out come his colleagues including a whiny eoyore lawyer, a hacking accountant and his gang of 80 year old helpers, and Marcus, scariest good guy around. Together they uncover why the boyfriend was set up for murder as well as a conspiracy to commit stock fraud. Entertaining as always, I highly recommend this, and any other Andy Carpenter book.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the eARC.
Andy Carpenter reluctantly gets drawn into a murder defense
case. He would much rather spend time with The Tara Foundation (named after his loyal dog Tara) rescuing and caring for dogs and of course his beloved family. But his wife Laurie insists he helps her ex-fiance who is accused of murdering the driver of a truck carrying rescue dogs from the South to the North. It's going to be a tough case, but he'll do another stellar job ... anything to keep Laurie happy!
This is the 2nd book of the series I've read and it's a refreshing change from the usual heavy, dark mysteries out there. It's an American cozy, with a humorous hero who has a happy home life with his human and canine family. It's a twisty case with some seriously nasty villains and it kept my nose in the book most of the day and night - great entertainment. It's good to know there are quite a few in the series, which I intend to dive into sooner rather than later!

David Rosenfelt has done it again with Rescued, his latest installment in the Andy Carpenter series. Having read every book in this series, I can tell you that each story is consistently entertaining. The crimes are interesting to follow and interspersed with humor. And then there’s the dogs!

Andy Carpenter is an independently wealthy defense lawyer who does not need to work. And he prefers it that way. Despite that, he tends to get dragged into cases on occasion. This time, it was his wife Laurie who pressed him to help an ex-boyfriend, Dave Kramer. Andy’s initial instinct is to turn Dave down, but it’s important to Laurie so it becomes important to Andy. So he rounds up the crew to begin investigating what really happened in an attempt to prove that Dave was defending himself when he shot and killed nemesis Kenny Zimmer.

The crew consists of Hike, a fellow lawyer and doomsayer, Sam, an accountant and computer hack who has trained the Bubalah Brigade, a group of octogenarians, the art of computer hacking as well, and Marcus, an investigator who both awes and terrifies Andy. There’s also Willie and Sondra who run the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue organization who, in this book, helps to place the dozens of dogs that were under Kenny Zimmer’s care when he died.

Lots of twists and turns in this cozy mystery will keep you engrossed page after page. Although it’s Andy’s sarcastic sense of humor that really does it for me. Either way, the story will keep you guessing right until the end.

This book kinda surprised me, especially with all the good ratings it got! I am sorry, I did not find this book funny nor entertaining! I found the dialogue a little cheesy and the author was really pushing for the joke lines! OK, I can see a little bit of humor is needed (and wanted) throughout the book ..but it appeared in every dialogue between each character ...on every page throughout the book!. I read the first 100 pages ...slipped the middle and fast tracked to the last 50 pages to see how it played out! Sorry, this type of writing is just not "my cup of tea"!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy of this book so that I might be able to give an unbiased review