I love Andy Carpenter and his quirky sense of humor. I love Mr. Rosenfelt's style of writing. The characters have developed over time until they are like old friends. Grover Gardner narrates the audiobook to perfection. He IS Andy Carpenter. This is another murder mystery involving a dog, with Andy defending the accused. What follows is detective work by Andy and his crew getting into trouble as usual, and the usual courtroom drama leads to a satisfying conclusion. Marcus throws in a little surprise this time that amazes Andy as much as it did me. Besides enjoying the characters, the style of writing, and the mystery/legal drama, I admire the author for his love of dogs and the good he does for them. He actually runs the Tara Foundation as seen in his books and has rescued over 4000 dogs. I was thrilled to receive a copy of this audiobook from netGalley so I could listen to the latest book in this series. This is my honest review as a huge fan of the Andy Carpenter series.

Cute

This is pretty much exactly like every other book in the series. That's not a complaint. The plots are simple (and a little far-fetched) and the jokes keep coming. They are perfect as audio books when I am working in on projects that occasionally take some brain power. Quite frankly, you can skip parts and not be lost.

This one involved a woman who was murdered and her step-son was accused of killing her. The title chow was a dog she got from Andy. the protagonist who is a sometimes criminal defense lawyer and runs an animal shelter. The chow had very little to do with the plot and pretty much spent his entire time in foster care.

The plots are pretty forgettable, but I still really enjoy the series. This episode did not have Andy did not going on and on about how perfect his dog, Tara is. There was no extended angst about his relationship with his wife or son. All in all, I think it is the best of the last few books. It is a great, light read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio version of this book. It was fun quick listen to! I enjoyed getting to learn about Rachel who was a widow and adopted an older dog- a retired lawyer who is assiciated with the dog rescue. Rachel forms a business relationship with Andy the retired lawyer. Rachel learns that her deceased husband had some bad business dealings going on. Rachel is murdered along with a slew of other people and her stepson is framed for murder. Andy sets to work to try to crack the case and along the way more get murdered. It takes some good detective work but in the end Andy figues it all out and the step son is not the murderer.

I am quickly falling in love with Andy Carpenter Mysteries by David Rosenfelt. Andy’s quick wit, dry and sarcastic humor had me laughing out loud on multiple occasions. I do enjoy revisiting with some of his old friends along the way, but the story itself is a fresh mystery that left me guessing. I love how Andy works with his team and pretends to be retired. His reputation precedes him and creates for some interesting interactions with other lawyers and law enforcement professionals. In this story, I fell in love with Lion and how he is portrayed as a big teddy bear. Andy may be a tough guy, but I love his heart for the Tara Foundation, his willingness to help those in need, and his ever-present snarky comebacks! Grover Gardner absolutely and brilliantly brings Andy to life and captures all his humor and snark to perfection.
I received a complimentary audiobook from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own, freely given.

Andy is back and when he gets a call from Rachel who asks him to take her dog if anything happens to her he says sure. Little does he realize she is going to die in the next few days. When he is called to attend the reading of the will, the police arrive and arrest Rachel's stepson, Tony. Of course, Tony asks Andy to represent him. In the ever fascinating fashion of Andy and his gang, they set out to find out who really killed Rachel and what is behind her murder. I was a late comer to this series but I am still held enraptured by the telling of the story (I listen to the audio version) and picture this telling as if it is an hour-long police procedural. Kudos to Andy for another great win!

David Rosenfelt has done it again. I love this series, the dogs involved and the mystery to be solved. I love the narrator. He really brings out Andy and I can just picture him as he goes about the business of interviewing people and avoiding being killed. I liked the surprise with Marcus. Waiting not so patiently for another book in this series and wondering .if Andy will ever get to really "retire" ( I hope not)

Holy Chow is David Rosentfelt's twenty fifth book in his Andy Carpenter series. I discovered this series a little over a year ago when I stumbled across one of the Christmas themed books in the series. I was immediately hooked on the series and have been highly entertained by every book. This book was also amazing and the series shows no sign of growing stale. In the series, Andy Carpenter is a lovable attorney who reluctantly takes on new cases. He solves these cases and mounts successful legal defenses for his wrongly accused clients. Along the way he gets help from a variety of people including his wife Laurie who is a retired police officer, Pete Stanton an active police officer, reporter Vince Sanders, and a crew of investigators many of whom are senior citizens. One of the highlights in this book is that you get to see a whole new side of Andy's off and on bodyguard Marcus. I also love that a different shelter dog is featured in each book.

Overall this is a wonderful series to pick up when you want a unique mystery series. I like that you can pick up any book of the series and easily read them as stand alone books. Also Grover Gardner always does an amazing job narrating the books in the series.

This is a pretty solid 3 star book for me. It’s a cozy mystery with a fun cast of characters.

I love that this author always has a consistent dog character as well. I thought the poly was great and the mystery itself was pretty well thought out.

I will admit there are something’s that happened that seems a little unbelievable but that didn’t bother me to much.

The two things that I did kinda struggle with is this book does not have a lot of fluff. In a lot of ways it’s very matter of fact. It’s not a huge deal but may be off putting to some. The other part I didn’t really care for was the court room scene.

I love court room dialogue in shows and movies but it was a little hard to follow in a book format because it was hard for me to picture all of the different characters that were called to testify. Some people may not struggle with this however it was a little challenging for me.

Overall I would read more from this author and I did enjoy the book as a whole. I would like to see where some of his other series go.

Name of Book: Holy Chow
Series: Andy Carpenter #25
Author: David Rosenfelt
Audiobook Narrator: Grover Gardner
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
My Rating: 5 Stars

This novel is #25 in the Andy Carpenter series and my nineteenth read! Of these nineteen most have been audiobooks as I just love narrator Grover Gardner. He performs Andy to a T.
Author David Rosenfelt has a great wit and Mr. Gardner delivers it in his ‘dead pan’ voice!
The stories are always entertaining~ true formula driven ~ in addition to dogs, there will be courtroom drama and hopefully a Victory dinner!!!

If you are new to Andy, he is semi-retired as he came into a large inheritance. He typically only takes cases if there is a dog involved.
Andy’s new client, Tony has been accused of murdering his stepmother, Rachel. Her dog “Lion”, a Chow originally adopted from Andy's rescue group, was to go to Tony but Tony is in a difficult situation such as going to jail!
Andy investigates Rachel's involvement with her late husband's business, something just isn’t right.
No surprise there is a twist!
Always an entertaining read. Book #26 [book: Santa’s Little Yelpers] is already on my TRB list!

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audio Galley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 5, 2022.

This is the 25th book in the Andy Carpenter series. Here is what is wrong with this book, there is not nearly enough Tara!! Here is what is right with this book, all the characters we have grown to love are here, well, except Edna but you would hardly miss her as she never works anyway.
It has an interesting story line and a plausible plot. Andy seems less and less retired all the time. Marcus has his secret revealed in a fun way. The book moves quickly and there are dogs. I am ready for book 26 as long as Tara gets more story line.
I listened to the audio version and Grover Gardner is the perfect narrator for Andy Carpenter! He is easy to listen to and tells the story in an enjoyable way while keeping Andy the cranky personality we love.

Poor Andy, the man just can't retire (good for the readers!). 😄 A woman who adopted a big Chow named "Lion" from Andy's dog rescue, the Tara Foundation is dead. Not long ago she reached out to Andy to let him know that if she dies and her stepson doesn't want the dog, she would like Andy to take the dog back. Andy shows up at the will reading after her lawyer contacts him. Tony, her stepson loves Lion and is happy to take the dog. The problem? NJ police arrived to arrest Tony for her death.

"Holy Chow" is a great escape kind of book. Very easy and quick to read. It's a crossover between a cozy and legal mystery thriller. Book #25, can be read as a standalone so don't hesitate to give it try! I love Andy's self-deprecating humor and witty banter. The usual cast and his legal team are like old friends. The books follow a successful formula. A client with a dog needs Andy to represent them in a criminal case. Court scenes are not long, and are more mystery oriented. You can tell from the books that David Rosenfelt is a dog lover and a baseball fan!🐶⚾

I always pick up the audiobook version for this series and really enjoy Grover Gardner's narration. To me Grover Gardner IS Andy. He's that good! ❤️🎧

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this DRC.

Holy Chow is the 25th (!!!) Andy Carpenter legal procedural mystery by David Rosenfelt. Due out 5th July 2022 from Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. 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.

For current fans of the series, this is a good one. It's full of the same sarcastic, warm humor and the same ensemble cast as previous entries in the series (with the absence of Edna, who's currently in the Caribbean planning her wedding). Andy Carpenter is, of course, central to the story and still trying to figure out how to stay retired and avoid working. This is such a long running and consistently well written series that saying it's "more of the same, worked around a different mystery" should be enough of a recommendation by itself. Although it's the 25th book in the series, the mystery is self contained and the necessary back-story is written in without major spoilers for previous books. I heartily recommend the whole series, but this particular entry is especially strong.

This is pure comfort reading. It's got a likable protagonist, an engaging mystery, humorous dialogue, and a solid climax, denouement, and resolution. (This one is *particularly* exciting and I was honestly a bit afraid of how it would play out - I sometimes think that the Mr. Rosenfelt puts the characters in impossible situations and then tries to figure out how they'll manage to get out of them). I adore Andy's supporting team, especially the Bubeleh Brigade, and I really like how they're warmly and respectfully written. My family's half Jewish and I can honestly *hear* their voices in my head during reading the dialogue

The audiobook has a run time of 6 hours and 27 minutes and is expertly narrated by Grover Gardner who manages to juggle the various 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. The sound and production quality are high throughout the recording. My only tiny complaint about the narration was a couple places in the text which referred to potassium chloride (KCl) which the narrator, Mr. Gardner, reads as "K C I (since the script lower case "L" is easily mistaken for "I"). The formula is only read out in a couple places and probably not at all noticeable for anyone who isn't a chemistry nerd.

Five stars for both the text and audiobook versions. All around fun read.

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

David Rosenfelt brings back Andy Carpenter for a wonderful 25th adventure! Andy and his team have to try and prove the innocence of a man accused of killing his step-mother. All I really have to say is that classic Andy Carpenter is back! The humor, excitement, and thrills that have become a staple in each Andy Carpenter book are included here. If you've never read any of the Andy Carpenter series, you can read this (or any) of the books as a standalone since there is enough explanation of who the characters are and their relationships. But after you've finished this one, you'll want to go back and start from the beginning to experience all the laughs and action along the way.

Since I listened to the audiobook, I have to say that Grover Gardner IS Andy Carpenter. He is a wonderful voice actor for this series and does a great job with all of the characters. After Andy, my favorite has to be Marcus. No spoilers, but I like how this book advanced a Marcus story arc that was introduced in another recent David Rosenfelt book, Citizen K-9, featuring Marcus, Andy's wife Laurie, and Corey Douglas (and Simon Garfunkel). You'll know it when you hear it!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the 25th installment in this series and as always I found it to be an enjoyable read.

I have only read 5 books in this series so far and I think after you read a few of these books you know what to expect going in. You know that certain things are going to happen, but at the same time there is still the mystery of who committed the crime. That mystery is enough for me because I have certain things I expect from an Andy Carpenter story and Rosenfelt never fails to meet those expectations.

The first thing I expect and the best part of these stories in my opinion is the humor. I find that there is just the right amount of witty banter and snark to entertain me and I have found myself laughing out loud on several occasions.

The second is that there will be a mystery solved. We know Andy will take the case and have to investigate to save his client. Part of the fun is trying to figure out who the guilty party is. It is always interesting to see how Andy and his team put it all together.

There are also always the dogs and interesting characters and relationships that I enjoy. Plus, for audio fans, these books are expertly narrated by Grover Garner who just embodies Andy Carpenter. I find them to be quick and fun reads and I personally enjoy the comfort of knowing what to expect when I pick one up. I plan to continue to work my way through this series from the beginning and am also looking forward to the next book which releases later this year.

When Andy Carpenter gets a call from a prior rescuer Rachel Moore house he immediately remembers her. She rescued a chow named lion and when she asked him to take the dog back if her steps on Tony doesn’t want to care for him and he agrees. Quickly putting it out of his mind he shot to get a call a few weeks later saying that Rachel has died and he is invited to the reading of the will. It’s during the Reading of the will the police interrupt to a rough her stepson Tony for her murder. Can Andy and his wife find the real killer oh well the stepson she wanted so bad to reconnect with be sent to prison for her murder? When I finished listening to this book I wanted to read more from this Siri‘s , Imagine my great surprise and delight to learn this is the 25th book in the collection. It really was Christmas in June at my house. Having said that I guess it’s no surprise to learn all I love this book I love witty dialogue smart plots and wonderful characters in this book checks off all those boxes and more. If this is what goes for a cozy mystery signed me up. I also want to say I love the narrator I have listen to other books by him usually non-fiction and I have to say whatever he is reading his tone reflects that he is such a professional into such a great job. I highly recommend this book to cozy mystery tails and especially those who love animals I didn’t know how much animals in a book could bring such a joy but after reading this book I must say they certainly do. I was given this book by net galley and dime leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own. #NetGall,y, #The Andy Carpenter mysteries, #holy chow

It may sound odd to say that this book, essentially a legal mystery/thriller, is funny, but it is! While this is the 25th (!!) book in the Andy Carpenter series, it is the first one I’ve read and I enjoyed it immensely.

Most of the book is written in the first person, in the voice of Andy Carpenter, a New Jersey lawyer who inherited enough money that he only works when he feels like it. He’d rather do lots of other things, like follow the Mets baseball team or work with his dog adoption foundation. (His love of dogs feature heavily in this series.) He is very snarky and sarcastic in a funny way. Example: at one point, he has a whole lot to say about the “joys” of boat ownership (a friend of his owns a boat). I smiled or laughed out loud a good number of times over the course of listening to this audiobook. Grover Gardner does a terrific job with the narration and it looks like he has narrated the whole series, which is great news to me.

The story starts with a murder in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina but the action then moves to New Jersey. You don’t get a glimmer of a connection until about 35% into the audiobook. The story is fairly convoluted but it kept my interest.

There are a number of wonderful side characters sprinkled throughout the book, many of which I assume appear in at least some of the other books in the series, like the Bubbeleh Brigade, some senior citizens who help Carpenter with case research.

I will most definitely make time to check out some of the other books in this series.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Audio book, Macmillan Audio 6h, 2m, 15s
Available July 5, 2022

It's always a delight to spend time with Andy and the gang, especially the dogs. Never mind that people seem to always be trying to kill him. Thankfully Marcus and Laurie have his back because Andy's strength is walking the dogs and legal matters, not self-defense. I read the ebook earlier, that review will follow the audio review, and enjoyed the book, so wasn't surprised to equally enjoy this audio version. As always, Grover Gardner does an excellent job capturing the personality and humor of wannabe-retiree defense lawyer Andy Carpenter.

Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series tends to follow the same pattern. You begin the book with a crime, usually murder, being committed. At that point you have no clue how it will connect to the rest of the story but you know it will eventually make sense. You then move to meet Andy, often as he's walking his dogs or chatting with Laurie. In this case, we meet him at a ball game. Son Ricky is playing. Not long after, Andy gets the phone call that sets the plot into motion. A woman who adopted a dog, Lion, through his Tara Foundation,the chow of the title, calls to make sure that should something happen to her that Andy will ensure that Lion is cared for properly. She mentions a visiting step-son, one she hopes might take to Lion, but after Andy assures her that Lion will be properly cared for in case she no longer can care for him, the matter is dropped and pretty much forgotten. Then, a few weeks later, another phone call, this one from another lawyer. Rachel Morehouse, Lion's human, has passed away and Andy is invited to the reading of the will. Surprised, since he neither knew of Rachel's death nor that he'd have any connection to her will, Andy agrees. There he meets the step=son prior to the will reading. Just as they begin, the police enter and everyone except the step-son, Tony, is asked to step out. When the attendees return to the room, the only one missing is Tony. Seems the police have arrested him for the murder of his step-mother. It also turns out that Rachel was worth billions, probably the inciting reason for the arrest of a potential heir. And, thus begins the winding trail of how Andy reluctantly becomes involved in the case which, of course, turns out to be far more complicated than a simple murder. Luckily, Marcus has his back.

Narrator Grover Gardner perfectly captures Andy's humor, snark, and complex personality. The pacing is steady, seemingly increasing in pace as Andy finds himself in tense situations. Gardner makes no real effort to impersonate the various characters, ie changing his male voice to a more female sounding one, but it somehow works. There is never any doubt who is speaking. Gardner does this simply through slight changes of tone and speed, for lack of a better description. Chapter changes are not announced. Instead, there is a subtle pause between both chapters and changing scenes. All in all, it works well, from the initial set-up to the usually cliff-hanging conclusion....with Marcus managing to save Andy's life repeatedly at times, not to mention increasingly showing more of his own personality and background. I find myself looking forward to the next revelation about Marcus almost as much as I do seeing how Andy manages to get himself into and out of what appears a legal quagmire. "Holy Chow" is a winner, especially with the assist of narrator Grover Gardner.

Thanks #NetGalley and #MacmillanAudio for the chance to hang out with Andy and the dogs. It's always an adventure, with lots of both laughs and tension. One of my favorite, not-to-miss series.

ORIGINAL REVIEW OF EBOOK VERSION:

As usual, once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I finished. This is the 25th book in the Andy Carpenter series and I'd say that has pretty much held true for all of them. Now, true, I had to delay starting because, well, I needed to take my own dog for a walk. Andy would understand. I was drawn to the series because of the dog connection but have stayed for the self-deprecating humor, witty dialogue, and well-defined characters. Hey, we even learn a bit more about Marcus who, to be honest, I'm about half convinced is Superman in disguise.

As usual, the plot initially sounds simple. Andy's Tara Foundation adopted out Lion, a senior Chow, to Rachel Morehouse. Rachel calls him out of the blue one day to ask him to be sure Lion is cared for if something happens to her and her stepson can't take Lion. Andy thinks nothing more about it until he's notified Rachel has died and he should show up at the reading of her will. He goes, mostly thinking he's there to pick up the dog. He finds out there that Rachel was extremely rich and left $2M to the Tara Foundation. Then, her stepson, Tony, who actually adores the dog, is arrested for her murder just as the reading of the will is about to start.

That's when it gets complicated. Andy has been trying for years to retire, winds up as Tony's lawyer. Who killed Rachel Morehouse? Why? That's the big question Andy must answer to successfully defend his client. Speaking of his client, why was Tony estranged from the family? How is the family business connected? What does Sam discover while hacking his way through records? Do we really need to know exactly how late a plane lands each flight? What could that have to do with Rachel's murder? Dirty money? Drugs? How many times has Marcus saved Andy's life over the lifespan of this series? I don't know. The question just struck me. How do all these things connect? And, oh, there's more but you're going to have to read the book to find the answers to these and other questions.

Thank you #NetGalley and #SMB, #StMartinsBooks, for inviting me to drop in on Andy, Laurie, and the dogs. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment, well, aside from that really scary moment but, well, Marcus was there. He'd have saved me, too.

Another very enjoyable addition to a favorite long running series. Andy is a lovable goofy guy but apparently a brilliant attorney because he always pulls it off in the end. Often with the help of a federal agency. I like the entire cast of characters, especially the oldies who are computer experts. And in this book we see a completely different side to Marcus. As always, narration by Grover Gardner was excellent.
Thanks to Netgalley.

Typical David Rosenfelt fair. Andy claims he doesn't want to work but takes a case anyway...and picks up the tab. It was fun and an easy listen, but I'll forget the whole plot by next week. The narrator is quite good though. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.