Santa's Little Yelpers is the 26th book in the Andy Carpenter series. I have dipped in and out of this series over the last few years and have no problems enjoying the stories I have read. In this book, Lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara are surrounded by Christmas cheer. Andy and his wife founded and support The Tara Foundation, a dog rescue and they have a new litter of pups. They have been dubbed, Santa's Little Yelpers. When volunteer Chris Myers agrees to foster them, Andy is relieved. Chris was convicted of a crime he didn't commit and he recently finds out that the key witness lied. He asks Andy what he should do. Before anything can be done, the witness is killed and once again, Chris is suspected of murder. Can Andy find the real killer and keep his new friend and volunteer out of prison again.

I enjoyed this mystery and seeing how Andy was able to follow the clues and uncover evidence that no one else seemed to find. He has a great team that works with him doing research, technical hunts and a bit of illegal gathering, to help him get what he needs to help his clients. The thing is, Andy won the lottery, and doesn't need to work, so he only takes on cases involving friends etc. This book kept me reading to see how the previous crime contributed to this one, and how legal work that Chris' firm was doing also had ties to the crimes. There are some dodgy characters they come up against and a town that seems to be run by a group of people at a church, so lots that had me trying to figure out what was really going on. This is a legal mystery that is well written and plotted. My biggest issue is that the dogs really didn't have much to do with the story, so I was disappointed in that.

I have quickly become a fan of David Rosenfelts books and have picked up almost each one since the first one I read or listened to.

I enjoyed Santas Little Yelpers especially about the small town conspiracy and the wrongly convicted lawyer.

Santas Little Yelpers is based around Christmas and does briefly include some dogs. I wish it had more dog action in the story.

Santa's Little Yelpers is the 26th (!!!) Andy Carpenter legal procedural mystery by David Rosenfelt. Released 11th Oct 2022 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out from the same publisher in 4th quarter 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

This is a holiday themed, dog filled, legal procedural murder mystery and very much in the vein of the other books in the series. It's an ensemble cast and it's always a lot of fun to see how much work office manager Edna can avoid, how long it'll take Andy to figure out exactly what's going on, and how many burgers, beers, and fries his friends Vince and Pete can get him to buy at their regular sports bar, Charlie's (on his tab, naturally).

I can't think of many series which continue to be genuinely funny, genuinely warm, not derivative, and so cleverly plotted as the Carpenter mysteries. The author is on my must-read list and I really enjoyed this installment very much. It's exciting and tightly plotted but not too graphic. There is no sexual content (excepting the occasional sweetly goofy double entendres between Andy and his wife, Laurie). The language is mostly clean (PG rated). The characters are very well delineated at this point and it feels like they live and breathe. Although it's the 26th book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone, they all do, and would make a good entry into the series as a whole.

The audiobook has a run time of 6 hours and 41 minutes and is expertly narrated by Grover Gardner who manages to juggle the various local accents and characters of all ages and both sexes without problems. I found myself grinning and laughing along several places with the wonderful narration. The read was definitely enhanced by the narrator. I especially loved his interpretation of Vince and Pete (Andy's best buddies). The sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Five stars for both the text and audiobook versions. All around fun read. With so many books and stories in the series at this point, it would be a superlative choice for a long buddy or binge read. Highly, HIGHLY recommended for public library acquisition. Even the backlist books are wildly, perennially, popular. I love a happy denouement and they all have that, and more.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

David Rosenfelt's Christmas book is one of my favorite holiday traditions! Some years are better than others, but I always enjoy the ride.

Albert Einstein: The Definition Of Insanity Is Doing The Same Thing Over And Over And Expecting Different Results. -- which fits me completely. I keep reading David Rosenfelt's books -- wanting to love them like I did the first five or so. But they all seem the same. I don't know if it was because of the failing in love with author syndrome but in my memory the earlier books had a lot more dogs, and a lot more characterization.

Now everything is so superficial. There is no conflict between Andy and his wife, Lori. There is no heartfelt conversations between Andy and his child. The relationship aspect of the books is stagnant. The dogs show up in the beginning. They might have sleep-overs at Andy's but they rarely add anything to the story.

Part of my problem is I don't really care about the mystery part. I started reading the books for the dogs, the humor, and the hint of relationship between Lori and Andy. With the mystery, I know that some type of mob boss will be involved. The FBI or someother Federal agency will get involved. Marcus will rough up someone and Andy will almost get killed.

And as far as the humor -- repeating the same thing over and over looses it appeal. Edna doesn't like to work -- we get it. Nobody can understand Marcus except Lori (and a few other people). Message received.
Add something new! Bring back more in depth look at the characters. Like in Bury the Lead. .The individual in prison had a sister who was very involved in the story. Or we had the attorney who assisted Andy do an-about-face, hooking up with rural friends, no longer being a hypochondriac while with them.

Chris Meyers used to be a lawyer. They don’t let you do that anymore after you’ve been convicted of a felony, even if you swear you’re innocent. After all, the jury didn’t believe you, so why should the Bar Association?

Chris approaches Andy Carpenter, who is also a lawyer and would love to be retired, although he does draw the line at manslaughter, just to get out of taking cases. Chris says the only witness against him in the manslaughter case is willing to recant his testimony and explain he was paid to lie.

Unfortunately, the witness changes his mind and is ready to skip town. Chris goes to his house to discuss (well, in loud terms) the sudden change of heart and while the two are talking, a shot is fired, killing Chris’s only way out of the conviction. The police, being suspicious sorts, pin the murder on Chris.

Since Chris works at the Tara Foundation, a rescue organization named after Andy’s super smart golden retriever, Tara, Andy takes the case. After all, Chris was willing to care for a new mama and her eight puppies over the holidays. It’s a puzzler. The bartender says he saw the pair go outside. The witness says he saw the fatal blow. There doesn’t seem to be a connection anywhere. Chris was drinking heavily and often at the time so he’s not a lot of help.

Andy thinks the whole mess might be tied to Chris’s cases as a lawyer, but on the face of it, it’s a slim chance. How do you unravel a fight that leads to death, eminent domain (city seizes your property for the good of the city), a man, twenty years on the job, is suddenly fired, an embezzler, a jeweler, and four thugs to come up with a picture of what really happened? Not to mention, the eight golden retriever puppies at Christmastime.

This is book twenty-six in the popular series. Rosenfelt also writes the K-Team series, three so far, featuring the featuring the ex-cop, the hacker, the beauty, the brains, and the muscle, who investigate when Andy can’t get out of taking a case.

For twists and turns, a story you can’t put down, and dogs, Rosenfelt’s books fill the bill, especially Santa’s Little Yelpers. Once again, look for Rosenfelt on my Best of 2022 List.

Another fabulous Andy Carpenter novel! I love Andy; I wish he was a real person. The fact that there are this many novels and his character has stayed consistent is very impressive. I am always wrapped up in how Andy will solve the problem, and this addition to the series doesn’t disappoint!!

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Princess Fuzzypants here: There are dogs in this book but not much more than being the link that puts lawyer Andy with defendant and former lawyer Chris together. So if you are looking for a book that has the canine contingent solving the mysteries, this is not your book. If you are looking for a solid, entertaining and tight mystery with a lovely touch of self deprecating humour, read away. You will enjoy this immensely..

Andy is quirky. Andy would tell you he is quirky. He does not like to talk especially on phones but the man is magic in the courtroom. He knows just how to relate to juries and get under the skin of the prosecution and he has an eager and very professional team to do his investigation both legally and sometimes not so legally. He does get results.

He believes Chris did not murder the guy who identified him three years earlier for a crime he did not commit. The evidence is stacked against him but Andy digs deeper and what he finds is a connection to the previous crime for which he has done time and a couple of other evil events that have taken place. The conspiracy and rot goes deep. And those involved are ruthless and powerful enough to do anything to stop their secrets being revealed. But revealed, they are. And justice triumphs in the end.

The dogs are a nice touch but I would recommend this book with or without them. Five purrs and two paws up.

Another Andy Carpenter book, just in time for the holiday season! As the story usually goes, Andy connects with someone and the next thing you know, he’s taken them on as a client. This time, his client swears, as they usually do, he didn’t do it and has a witness who will recant everything they said. There’s one little problem: his client and the witness get themselves tangled up in quite a mess just as the trial’s about to start.

With the usual crew making their appearances, Andy and his team work together to get his client off the hook despite some unfortunate circumstances. Andy’s humor can be found everywhere throughout the book along with the usual fights and detective work needed to free his client. While funny, it isn’t the funniest one that I have read and some of the characters do not appear as often. Regardless, I gave this book a 3.5 stars out of 5 and of course, I’ll be picking up the next one that comes out!

This is book twenty-six in the Andy Carpenter Series.
I love this author's books, he has a dry sense of humor, but you know what, it gets the job done.
You can't fault a man who has rescued close to 4,000 dogs, many Goldens too old or sick for others to want.
I have read any enjoyed several of his books and will look for more. I do enjoy the dogs in his books but do wish they played a bigger part in the story.

Pub Date 11 Oct 2022
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Really adorable book that I enjoyed re-reading towards the holiday season. Great plot, great characters and the cover artwork is wonderful.

I'm so happy I took a chance on this new to me author. It is a great cozy mystery with the perfect blend of holiday cheer.

I love this mystery series! It is full of humor, wit, and constant adventure. I also love reading about courtroom procedures. It reminds me of Matlock, Perry Mason, or JAG (I just aged myself.)This mystery has so much going on and has great twists in the plot. I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This time, Andy takes on a case involving a disbarred lawyer accused on his second, somewhat related crime. The case involves two deaths/murders, for which the disbarred lawyer is accused/ The first occurred a few years back, so he wants to try to get that conviction overturned and regain his law license. The star witness in that case has also agreed to confess he was paid to lie during the trial. Both he and Andy think he has a good chance, until the witness changes his mind. To further complicate matters, the lawyer is now accused of shooting him. Thus, he is Andy’s new client. Once again, Andy and his crew ferret out the pertinent clues from the myriad of false red herrings that seem to be everywhere. Though they do play an integral part in the story, I would have preferred more interaction with Tara, Sebastian and Hamlet, Andy’s three dogs. However, they do have a role in the book, be it a small one. The overall setting of the book was the Christmas holiday season, though there was not a whole lot of Christmas in the book. It focused more on the investigative work Andy and his crew did for the trial. The book was a quick read and flowed well. It fits nicely into the book series. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Another fun installment featuring everyone’s favorite, self deprecating lawyer, Andy Carpenter.

I recommend David Rosenfelt’s books to any and all friends that will listen. Those who listen are always glad they did!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

A fun addition to the Andy Carpenter series! Several laugh-out-loud moments, a few holiday references, and plenty of great dog interactions. I love spending time with these characters, especially for a twisty new case.

I generally do not read descriptions of books before reading them, so I am aware I am at fault here. This book was not what I expected at all. It was, however, a delightful Christmastime whodunnit.

It is my first time reading a book in the “cozy mystery” genre, and will probably not be my last. I used to watch the 1985 movie <i>Clue</i> close to weekly as a kid, so I found it enjoyable to read a story that follows the similar format of slowly unraveling the clues for me without much thought required on my part. There may be more Andy Carpenter books in my future.

For real though, why didn’t the golden puppies solve the crime and save Christmas? Maybe it’s time for me to write something…

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a meatier legal mystery than the title would suggest and I liked that about it. Intriguing storyline, great snarky humor, and dogs - all with a Christmas backdrop. I’ve only read the first three books in this series, but now I’m interested in spending more time with Andy and his legal team - canine and human. Great fun!!

Another great Andy carpenter story. He’s the lawyer I want if I ever need one. David Rosenfelt has a great series with these books. Hard to put down, in fact I was up until 2:30 in the morning finishing this book because I didn’t want to put it down. I’m anxiously awaiting the next one.

David Rosenfelt has given us another Andy Carpenter book that is truly entertaining. Andy, a wanna be retired lawyer is drawn out of his self imposed retirement once again when Chris Meyers, a man who is helping them at The Tara Foundation is arrested on charges of murder. Chris implores Andy to take his case and upon doing so Andy finds a web of conspiracy against Christ. I love the Andy Carpenter series and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery, with dogs and a little bit of humor thrown in.