Here we go again - another engaging cozy mystery from David Rosenfelt, featuring reluctant lawyer Andy Carpenter and his ever growing circle of friends and associates. He's typically pulled into defending what seems to be a lost cause and it's the same this time.

Andy's taciturn investigator Marcus Clark has long mentored troubled young men and helped them to turn their lives around. One of them, Nick Williams, has been named a person of interest in a mass shooting at a law firm where he worked.

He's soon charged with mass murder and the game is afoot!

I'm not a law, courtroom drama fiction fan but I do enjoy Andy Carpenter series. This is book 29 and it's a good one. I've probably read about half of them because of the wonderful side story of the dog rescue home that Andy and his wife fund.
Retired lawyer Andy Carpenter has run the Tara Foundation—the dog rescue organization named after his beloved golden retriever—for years. It's always been his calling, even as Andy's pulled into representing clients in court. His investigator, Marcus Clark, has been at Andy's side for a long time. Even though they've known each other for years, Marcus keeps his personal life a mystery.
So it’s a shock when Marcus arrives at the Tara Foundation with two strangers in tow. Turns out Marcus takes disadvantaged young men under his wing, gets them jobs, a place to live, and a chance at a different life. And they want a dog. Andy’s specialty. One of the young men, Nick Williams, instantly falls in love with one of the dogs, Daisy.
When there’s a mass shooting at Nick’s work, leaving six dead, all signs point to Nick. Marcus, who's never asked Andy for anything, asks Andy for help. Despite Nick's troubled background, Andy trusts his friend and takes the case.

I love David Rosenfelt - and his puppies! In all seriousness, his is an auto-read series/author for me, and I was not disappointed.

Thanks to Marcus, Andy is back at it defending an innocent man charged with a horrendous crime. As usual Andy’s snarkiness and his team’s idiosyncrasies keep them moving forward with humor and surprise.

David Rosenfelt involves Andy Carpenter in another difficult case in Dog Day Afternoon. A law office is shot up with six dead and a young man that Andy's investigator Marcus has taken under his care is suspected of the murders. Andy takes the defense as a favor to Marcus and they find the young man who has been held captive in a warehouse for three days. As the case heats up, the law firm is confirmed to have dealt in suspicious malpractice cases and not paid out the full settlement to the clients. Bodies start dropping. Where is the buck going to land for the murders?

Andy Carpenter has been one of my 2024 discoveries and binge reads. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read the latest installment nice and early!

Watching the character development of Marcus has been fun and for once Andy gets to do Marcus a favor!

Princess Fuzzypants here: Even though there is a lack of felines in this series, I have to admit it is one of my favourites. I love Andy Carpenter. The characters around him are terrific and I love the right amount of self deprecating snark in his first person narrative. He is one Cracker Jack of a lawyer partly because he uses techniques that might skim on the wrong side of the law and partly because he takes no prisoners in his defence of the wrongly accused.

He takes Nick”s case because Marcus, his muscle, has asked him to defend the young man. Nick is on trial for workplace mass murder but he says he did not do it. In fact, he says he was otherwise occupied in an involuntary way and is being set up. As wild and unbelievable as it may seem, the deeper Andy digs, the more he realizes the guy is telling the truth. Now if he can just convince the jury. The body count increases before the villains are revealed and brought to justice. But the reader will enjoy the ride as Nick and his team do what they do best.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Great and loving book. This was very well written. I will be reading any future books by this author

Snarky Andy Carpenter is at it again. Grudgingly he takes on the defense of a young man who declares his innocence. Andy takes on this defense at the request of his bodyguard Marcus. The case is tough, and all evidence points to Andy's client. This twisty story is a delight and will keep readers entranced until the very end. For anyone who likes legal procedural mysteries and dogs.

This book was AMAZING! I so love the characters and the mystery was well done! I highly recommend this book to everyone!

was kind of bored with the story and didn't make it far admittedly, everything was kind of slow and just didn't catch my interest right away

Andy Carpenter is back!

And, as usual, he’s not all that happy about it.

Andy wants to retire, but his wife and friends always manage to find him one more person in need of his criminal defense expertise. The crime this time is a tough one to solve. Andy and his investigative team will be scrambling to put all the pieces together.

The plot is entertaining and kept me guessing.

But Andy’s constant snarkiness and childish sarcasm is beginning to grate on me. I feel like there’s been zero character growth over the course of this series. And I miss the dogs. Didn’t they play a bigger part in the earlier books?

At any rate, this is a fun, light mystery that’s easy to read in an afternoon.

*I received a free copy from Minotaur Books.*

I enjoyed this book the best so far. It feels like there’s more of an emotional connection. #DogDayAfternoon #NetGalley

Retirement has always proved elusive to Andy Carpenter. Although an attorney, he has not needed to work for a living for years. However, he finds himself as busy as ever. For one thing, his dog rescue the Tara Foundation is going quite well. But, that is not what is keeping Andy busy. Any has his wife Laurie always by his side, Andy also has his investigator, the ever-quiet Marcus is always there for Andy at the right place and right time.

This time around, in the 29th book of the series, it is Marcus who approaches Andy with a case. Let’s stop for a second and talk about Marcus. He is the silent, superhero in these series. I love Andy, no doubt about that, but Marcus is on another level entirely. In this book since it is Marcus who needs Andy’s help, readers get a deeper look at the man himself.

These addictive mysteries are available in multiple formats, including Kindle, audiobook and print. Grover Gardner has done an impressive job at narrating each and every one of these books. In fact, a dear friend recommended this series to me. I was so very happy to get nearly all of them from my library. There is also a spin-off series, his K-9 Team series, which is just as good as this Andy Carpenter series. All of these books are narrated by Gardner and his narration makes these wonderful books even more enjoyable. In fact, although I have book #30, The More the Terrier, as a Kindle ARC, I loved that I was able to listen to it as an audiobook copy for review.

Am I waxing poetic? If so, then it is more than justified. With refreshing characters, the cutest of dogs, excellent plots, ideal writing (and, oh, the snark!) and just the right amount of intrigue, Dog Day Afternoon is a perfect installment in a delightful series. Having only discovered this series less than a year and a half ago, I have inhaled each and every title.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Dog Day Afternoon is the newest installment in David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series and I love this legal mystery series and this book was no exception. The banter is exceptional and the cases are sound, the procedural side of things actually makes sense (even to somebody working in the field like me). These books are quick to read and entertaining, well constructed and fun. Dog Day Afternoon sees attorney Andy Carpenter reluctantly accepting a new client who is being wanted after a shooting at a local law firm, was it really a disgruntled employee or is there more behind the sad deed ? As Andy sets out to uncover more with the help of his loyal associates, he knows this is a high stakes case that has everyone wanting a clear and easy solution. While the case is at the center of this book, there is, of course, also a Golden Retriever puppy, Daisy, who would love to be adopted by the potential criminal.

As usual, this can be read as a standalone, but you will miss out on the background of all the characters. It has been really fun to watch them over time.

I was just drawn into this story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I was so disappointed to turn the last page and I immediately wanted more. I can’t wait to see what's next from this author.

4 stars = Great! Might re-read.

A great mystery in this long-running series. I really enjoy Andy's sarcasm and sass, and I like watching him and his team puzzle through a twisty case. I enjoyed beating Andy to the solution this time around, although there were still some surprises for me in the end.

Readers of this series could easily pick this book up out of order and have no issues following the story. I think it helps to read the first few in order so you can get a sense of Andy and of his team, but after that, the stories stand alone very well. (Language)

Andy Carpenter is once again dragged kicking and screaming into doing some actual work—this time at the request of his strong and silent buddy, Marcus. He agrees to defend a young man accused of killing a bunch of people in a law office, a job that does not endear him to his friends on the police force. The only things in the accused’s favor are his love of dogs and Marcus’s vote of confidence. As with all books in this series, this story is entertaining and told with humor. This one has more drama than usual, along with excellent courtroom scenes and a solid ending. I won’t hesitate to read the next in the series.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a digital advance review copy.

Once again, despite his desire to retire his law practice, Andy Carpenter is presented with a case he can't refuse, and lucky for us! This time he really can't refuse - the request comes from Marcus, and if you know the books, you understand why. Marcus is one scary dude - but luckily he's on Andy's team and Andy owes him his life multiple times over. Marcus' friend Nick has been accused of a heinous mass shooting in a law office, where 6 men and women were killed. This has all the usual elements of this series - humor, a good mystery, the usual cast of characters (that now feel like old friends) surrounding Andy, and of course a dog to be rescued.
When I started the series I read the first one or two. Then I found the audiobooks and there was no going back - Grover Gardner narrates each one to perfection. It's one of those instances of the perfect marriage of material and narrator. I recommend this book (and this series) - and highly recommend the audio version.
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

3.5 stars

In this 29th book in the Andy Carpenter series, the Paterson, New Jersey attorney represents a man accused of mass murder.

*****

Ever since he inherited a large fortune, defense lawyer Andy Carpenter takes very few cases. Instead, Andy prefers to hang out with his wife Laurie, son Ricky, and dogs Tara (a golden retriever), Hunter (a pug), and Sebastian (a basset hound). Andy also likes to watch sports; help run a canine rescue operation called 'The Tara Foundation'; schmooze with his friends at Charlie's Sports Bar; and so on.

On the rare occasions Andy takes a case, he assembles his team, one of whom is private investigator Marcus Clark. Marcus is known for two traits: he's the toughest guy on the planet; and he doesn't talk much, usually just grunting and nodding. Marcus has had Andy's back on innumerable occasions, so when Marcus speaks up and asks Andy to take a case, Andy agrees. It seems Marcus mentors young men who've gotten into trouble, and one of his 'wards', Nick Williams, is being accused of mass murder.

Nick, a handyman/cleaner, has been employed at a personal injury law firm called Moore Law. One day, when Nick is absent from work, a masked man walks into Moore Law and shoots six people. Two survivors, a lawyer called Sally Montrose and a paralegal named Laura Schauble, say the killer resembled Nick, with a hook tattoo on his arm and distinctive striped sneakers. When the murder weapon is found in a dumpster near Nick's home, with Nick's print on the gun, the police figure 'case closed.'

Nick's story is that he was abducted on the morning of the murder, and held in a room somewhere. Later, when the kidnappers released him, Nick was told to turn himself in to the police.

Andy knows the district attorney has a very strong case, and he'll have to hustle to prepare a compelling defense. So Andy assembles his squad. This consists of lawyer Eddie Dowd - who's great with paperwork and filings; accountant Sam Willis - a computer hacker extraordinaire; office manager Edna - who goofs off more than she works; and The K-Team, a private detective firm consisting of Marcus Clark as well as other PIs, including: Andy's wife Laurie, an ex-cop; Corey Douglas, also an ex-cop, and Corey's police dog, Simon Garfunkel. This time, Sam Willis also recruits reinforcements for computer searches, an elderly couple called Eli and Hilda Mandelbaum. This is a real bonus because Hilda makes unbelievably great rugelach.

As Andy prepares Nick's case for court, he interviews the survivors at Moore Law; relatives of the victims; clients who got big personal injury settlements; and more. Andy comes to suspect that Moore Law was a party to fraudulent claims, and it seems he might be right, because people start trying to kill him. Of course Andy eventually figures out what's going on.....but is it soon enough to save Nick?

The Andy Carpenter books are formulaic, but fun. Andy is a sarcastic quipster whose frequent wisecracks make him unpopular with cops, prosecutors, and judges, but VERY popular with fans of the series.

In one amusing passage, Andy - who's in the habit of discussing the case with his dog Tara - records this exchange:

" 'Tara, what do you think I should do?'

She turns towards me and gives her cute head tilt; no one tilts their head as cute as Tara. But she's giving me a message, she's saying, 'What are you asking me for? I told you not to take the case.'

I can't say I'm thrilled with her attitude, but Tara doesn't beat around the bush."

I always enjoy these cozy mysteries, and I'll keep reading them as long as David Rosenfelt keeps writing them.

Thanks to Netgalley, David Rosenfelt, and Minotaur books for a copy of the manuscript.