David Rosenfelt’s signature, self- deprecating humor abounds in this novel. Don’t let the cover fool you- there isn’t a Christmas component to this book but it’s a great read.

Fantastic legal/pet mystery
It technically could be called a cozy mystery because of the humor and romance, but it really is a legal mystery. Animal lover and advocate Andy Carpenter shines in his and his crew's investigation of a murder. He is sure the man arrested is innocent and is pulling out all the stops. I could rave on rapturously about this tale, but I'm afraid I'd ruin it by giving away too much. I will say Mr. Rosenfelt is extremely talented and I am checking my book list to see if I missed any in this series. Suitable for anyone. I am buying it for someone close to me, I know this book will make him a reader.
I requested and received a NetGalley arc gratis, much to my delight and am offering my opinion in the same.

The More the Terrier is a mystery thriller in the long-running series featuring dog-loving attorney Andy Carpenter, written by David Rosenfelt. This entry is everything you could want in a courtroom mystery. The plot moves at an excellent pace, pulling the reader into the adventure from the first page.

In this case, Andy Carpenter comes to the aid of a college student and fellow dog lover who is accused of murdering his professor. The story quickly expands beyond the academic world, involving hired killers, Russian mobsters, and even a deep dive into the AI realm of Virtual Reality. All these elements are seamlessly woven together, making the novel a true page-turner.

This was my first Rosenfelt novel, but it certainly won’t be my last. Despite this being part of a series, I didn’t feel lost, even though there are many returning characters. That said, the heavy presence of recurring characters might be a bit overwhelming for first-time readers. One thing that may surprise newcomers is that the “Christmas” theme in the series titles doesn’t reflect a cozy holiday atmosphere; in this novel, the season is just a superficial element of the setting.

Additionally, I initially expected the story to feature a dog as a major protagonist, but the dogs (yes, there are a few) are more background figures than central characters.

Overall, The More the Terrier excels at delivering exactly what a reader seeks in a courtroom mystery thriller: a compelling main character and an exciting, fast-paced plot.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book through NetGalley and was invited to leave an honest review, which I have endeavored to do here.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The More The Terrier. Andy is back with a new case and the regular cast of characters that, if you are a fan, you love as much as Andy.
The case of a young college student accused of murder is Andy’s newest legal battle.
Rosenfeldt brings another twisted and turned novel that you just never know what’s going to happen till the last page.
This book is one of his best.
Fans will not be disappointed. Recommend 5 stars

The More the Terrier is complex and intriguing, involving a case that initially seems very cut and dried, but which actually has many layers and details to uncover. What started with a runaway rescue dog ended up getting Andy involved in finding the truth to clear his young friend of a murder Andy was sure he hadn’t committed. Told in Andy Carpenter’s often sarcastic and humorous voice, the book is fast paced, entertaining, and hard to put down. There are plenty of twists and surprises, right up to the very end. I highly recommend this book!

THE MORE THE TERRIER, Number 30 in the Andy Carpenter series, will be released just in time for Christmas. I have read relatively few novels in this series, having discovered them only a year ago, but thus far, it is my favourite. It balances humour with an intricate plot, and intersperses courtroom scenes with Andy’s doubts about the fairness of the judicial system.

Because this is considered a “cozy” mystery series, I didn’t discover it until last year, as I tend to avoid cozies. I do like comedy thrillers with bite, and Andy’s dry, sarcastic sense of humour has that bite. He seems able to say, with wit, a lot of things I agree with but cannot say without sounding harsh. Early in the novel, Andy made comments about cold weather, skiing, and incessant Christmas music really hit the spot as far as I’m concerned.

I don’t like “cute” except where it involves animals and, in this novel, the cuteness was restricted to Tara, a golden retriever, Hunter, a pug, Sebastian, a basset hound, and Murphy, a terrier. The first three are part of the Carpenter household. Murphy was an interloper—a rescue dog who had temporarily lived at the house until placed in another home with a “terrific” mother and her son but somehow ended up back at the Carpenter’s two years later.

It is Murphy who leads Andy and his team into a complex case that includes murder, computer viruses, the metaverse, university professors, gangsters, Russian spies, drug traffickers, and a shady lawyer. Andy’s team consists of himself, his wife Laurie (an ex-cop), Sam (a computer genius), Eddie (a lawyer in Andy’s firm), Corey (another ex-cop who retired with his partner, Simon Garfunkel, a trained German Shepherd), and Marcus (an invincible).

Andy’s sarcastic quips are spread throughout the story, turning what would otherwise be an average action narrative into one that hits home on many fronts. I did think the plot was more complex (and thus more satisfying) that the plots of the few Andy Carpenter novels I’ve read. As those were solid four-star reads for me, this one was definitely a 4.5.

The only negatives, in my opinion, were:

(1) In two places, we receive the same information twice—first when the scene takes place and then when a word-by-word tape is played. I think the information on the tape should have been summarized. We already knew what occurred when the events took place. Giving word-by-word tape playbacks was overkill.

(2) Although I agree with Andy’s reasonings that pinpointed Rayburn’s killer, no hard evidence was produced to warrant an immediate police arrest.

(3) Information was not clearly conveyed about how the university system works with regards to the difference between teaching assistants and research assistants, who were both labeled simply as “assistants”.

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My reviews for books in this series that I have read:
<a href = https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5560999829 > Dog Eat Dog (Andy Carpenter, #23) </a>
<a href = https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6454895337 > Hounded (Andy Carpenter, #12) </a>
<a href = https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5771325690 > Leader of the Pack (Andy Carpenter, #10) </a>
<a href = https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6076414494 > Dead Center (Andy Carpenter, #5) </a>
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Andy Carpenter has years of experience in his field of a lawyer. His wife Laurie also rescue dogs. When a former rescue dog a small terrier shows up on their property they recognize her and return her to their owners. They find the mother of the house is distraught, her college aged son B.J. has been arrested and accused of murder. Andy knows this young gentle man is not violent and although he had hoped to have time off at Christmas time he takes the case to prove the young man innocent. Andy feels it is a "wrong place at the wrong time" and investigates to find the true killer who bludgeoned the professor to death. There are some definite "bad guys' in this story and Andy sets out to find the true killer. I was a bit disappointed that the dogs did not play more of a part in this novel but I liked "the More the Terrier" fine. I would give this an almost four.

The More the Terrier focuses on a now-adopted terrier fortuitously bringing Andy Carpenter together with a falsely accused murderer. Murphy the terrier shows up at Andy’s house and when returning the escaped dog back to his new home, Andy realizes his problem-solving skills are needed to save a friend. Another fun, fast-moving, laugh aloud addition to the ongoing David Rosenfelt series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this engaging ARC.

“The More the Terrier” by David Rosenfelt was an absolute joy to read, as has been every one of the Andy Carpenter Mysteries by this author.
In this book a former rescue dog enlists Carpenter and his gang of interesting and lovable characters, both human and canine, to clear the murder charge against his owner. The owner of the dog is a young college student who is accused of murdering his professor. There is a huge amount of evidence pointing right to him and Carpenter who is still trying to retire and run his dog rescue foundation, finds that the student is being set up by a shady lawyer, the Russian mob, and players in the Metaverse and the suspense immediately begins and puts him right back in the courtroom.
These mysteries are always well written with imaginative and well described plots. The authors sense of humor comes through in every chapter and amazingly in every book. If you haven’t read any of this series it isn’t a problem you will become part of the family right after reading this book. Yes I am a big fan!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Andy (almost) volunteers to defend a dog-loving college student accused of murder. All the evidence points to BJ having done it, but Andy does not believe it. As always, it is a wild ride to the end.

The More the Terrier is another excellent book by David Rosenfelt in his Andy Carpenter series. The mystery is fast-paced and suspenseful with twists and turns involving murder, the Russian mob, drug dealers, Homeland Security, etc. as Andy and his team race to find the answers to exonerate their client. I love Andy’s snarky, self-deprecating sense of humor, his team’s methods for digging up information, and always, the rescue dogs involved. There is always so much going on making his books hard to put down! I highly recommend this book as well as the others in the series; definitely one of my favorites!

A lost dog showing up on Andy and Laurie’s doorstep leads to him defending a college student accused of killing one of his professors. As Andy and crew investigate, they find ties to the Russian mob as well as evil players in the metaverse.

This is the 30th in the mystery/legal thriller series featuring the irascible but somehow charming Paterson, New Jersey based attorney Andy Carpenter. Independently wealthy, he and his wife, a retired member of the police department, operate the Tara Foundation for rescue dogs. Surrounded by a support system of colorful characters to assist, Andy takes on occasional legal cases when he thinks the accused is innocent.  

This installment has a decent, well paced plot. What I really enjoy about Rosentfelt’s writing is the humor spread throughout his stories, especially Andy’s snarky wit. This is one of the few series I have ever read (and I have read many) that always has me laughing out loud. This is a book that is a mystery, legal thriller, and comedic. What more could you ask?

As an aside, for those unfamiliar with David Rosenfelt…in real life he and his wife do have a Tara Foundation for rescue dogs. They have rescued thousands of dogs. How can you not love this author?

What’s not to love about this series? You have great characters, a good mystery, and of course dogs. But the piece de resistance is Andy Carpenter, and his irreverent sense of humor. Although the series is somewhat formulaic, the wit and thoughts of Andy Carpenter help each book feel different, and right now due to the pearls of wisdom that come out of his mouth make this my favorite of them all.
Andy and family arrive home from a skiing vacation to find a 4th dog living with them. One they recognize as having already been placed with a loving family. Learning the dogs owner has been arrested for murder, Andy who hates to lawyer, must defend Bj along with his regular crew and find out who is the real killer.

A former foster dog shows up at Andy’s house and when he returns him to his new home, he find the mother in tears and her son, BJ, in jail. After an argument in class with his professor over a grade, he is arrested for the prof’s murder. Andy becomes his attorney (as much as he hates working) and the tale soon involves drugs, secret computer projects, and the metaverse.
As always, Andy is sarcastic and funny and the love of dogs sines through. The series continues to be fresh and entertaining.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Frosty the Snowman. Andy Carpenter. Nothing says "Happy Holidays" quite like those three. You know the Christmas season is right around the corner when David Rosenfelt gifts us another holiday classic. The More the Terrier takes our favorite defense attorney to a county where they don't know he's a bona fide superhero. They quickly find out there's more to Andy Carpenter than just his charm and wit. Andy and his now classic team take on forces from beyond New Jersey and their journey even takes them to the metaverse in the pursuit of justice. Can they triumph against forces who will let no one get in their way? Can Andy Carpenter win a case when all the physical evidence is in the hands of the prosecution? The More the Terrier will answer those questions for you. Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, & NetGalley for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

If you love dogs, whodunits, and laughing out loud, you will probably enjoy David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter mysteries. Unlike some fiction with a dog on the cover and minimal appearances within the pages, Rosenfelt makes his doggos central characters. Tara, the golden retriever, is an avid listener when Andy (a famous defense attorney) needs to work out details of his cases. Sebastian the basset hound would surely be more helpful if he could just stay awake, while Hunter the pug probably provides a sounding board for Tara when they (no doubt) have after-walk discussions.

In "The More the Terrier," a college professor is murdered and one of his students is arrested for the crime. Fortunately the student's dog runs away from home and shows up at Andy's house. This is not as unlikely as it may sound: Murphy had been fostered in Andy's home while waiting for an adopter. Andy returns Murphy to his home and finds only the mother of the young man who adopted him. Brian, the college student, has been arrested for murdering his professor and is in jail.

Well! This cannot be possible. Andy gets himself on the case.

If you like Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton, I recommend giving the Andy Carpenter series a look. Definitely read them in order.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy. This is my honest review.

Hail! Hail! The gang’s all here — Andy, Laurie, Marcus, Sam, Corey, etc. as well as Tara, Hunter and Sebastian.. Once again, thanks to another dog, Murphy, Andy Carpenter finds himself involved as the attorney for a college student accused of murdering his college professor with an overwhelming preponderance of evidence pointing to his guilt. The writing is superb with an amazing amount of humor (the comments about winter and summer weather are hysterical.) As a CPA, I particularly enjoyed the comment “He’s an accountant, which tends to make everything else seem exciting.” Once started, this book cannot be put down and I read it in less than 24 hours.
This novel is highly recommended for all and I thank NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this book prior to publication.

unputdownable, unpleasant-victims, multiple-murder, local-law-enforcement, FBI, snark-fest, verbal-humor, framed, drug-trafficking, drugs-issues, investigations, investigators, friendship, family, thriller, threats, suspense, abductions, animal-rescue, teamwork, lawyers, courtroom-drama, dogs, laugh-out-loud, Russian-mob*****

This time it's a former rescue dog who enlists Carpenter's help to clear the charge of murder from his owner, the young Rutgers student accused of bashing a professor's head in thereby acquiring a murder charge.
Andy is still trying to retire from lawyering and just co-run the dog rescue and be a husband and dad. Andy, his ex-cop wife Laurie, Sam the computer genius, Marcus Clark the invincible, the K-Team of retired K-9 Simon Garfunkle with his ex-cop handler turned PI and others work hard to clear that young man framed for murder and uncover a real rat's nest of crooks. They find a shady lawyer, a drug trafficker, some unscrupulous VR players in the metaverse, the FBI, and even the Russian mob.
Don't know how Rosenfelt does it, but each book is totally unputdownable (and laugh your sox off funny). If you've never tried this series, any of the books can easily be read out of order so just drop in anywhere and have a good read while laughing your sox off! This is NOT an unbiased review! I love the Andy Carpenter and K-Team books! The stories are imaginative, somewhat plausible, totally engaging, and off-set reality despite how close to the news some of them can be.
Andy Carpenter is a wise-mouthed lawyer who can afford to take semi-retirement by only representing innocent clients while co-owning a dedicated rescue shelter for dogs. Add in that his wife is no longer law enforcement but works as his private investigator and more and you have the baseline for these convoluted mysteries. There are many other people who help Andy find out what the truth really is and make it courtroom admissible (The K-Team). The mysteries are always intriguing, and I cackled my way through the whole thing (again)!
I requested and received a temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you! Available 15 October, 2024
I have already preordered the audio narrated by the talented Grover Gardner!

In this 30th book in the Andy Carpenter series, the Paterson, New Jersey attorney defends a college student accused of murdering his professor.

*****

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, 15-year-old 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.

As the story opens, Andy, Laurie, and Ricky are enjoying a Christmas vacation in the Adirondacks. Andy is winter-averse, but he and the family have gone ice-skating, snowmobiling, and sledding. Andy hasn't gone skiiing because, as he notes: "As best as I can tell, a good day on the slopes is not suffering broken bones, frostbite, or worse, which is why I have spent many good days in front of the television or reading a book. You never hear about a medevac helicopter picking someone up from their den and flying them to a trauma center."

On the way back from the Adirondocks, Andy is looking forward to seeing his three dogs, who've been in the care of dog-sitter Jenny Bedell. However, when the Carpenters arrive home, there aren't three dogs....there are four! Jenny explains that the new pooch showed up on the front porch, and she hasn't been able to locate his owner. It turns out the visiting canine is a terrier-mix called Murphy, who was cared for by the Carpenters before being adopted by Doris Bremer and her son BJ. Andy promptly returns Murphy to Doris Bremer, who's distraught because her son BJ has been arrested for killing his college teacher.

Andy offers to speak to BJ, and hears the following story: BJ argued with his computer science teacher, Professor Stephen Rayburn, about a grade. Afterwards, BJ got a phone call telling him to go to Rayburn's house, to discuss the matter. When BJ arrived at the professor's home, Rayburn was dead, and BJ became an immediate suspect. Later, when the cops found Rayburn's $642 in cash and Rolex watch in BJ's dorm room, the young man was arrested for murder. BJ goes on to explain that his lawyer, James Howarth - who showed up out of the blue - is pushing him to take a deal. This whole business sounds VERY DICEY to Andy, who learns that attorney Howarth is being paid by two gang bosses, Gregori Borodin and Thomas Nucci, to 'defend' BJ.

It's clear that BJ is being framed, and Andy makes short shrift of Howarth and takes over BJ's defense himself. Andy assembles his usual team, which 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: Andy's wife Laurie Collins - an ex-cop; Corey Douglas, also an ex-cop, and Corey's police dog, Simon Garfunkel; and Marcus Clark - the toughest man on the planet, whose job includes getting information out of suspects and protecting Andy.

Andy needs Marcus watching his back because the mobsters, Nucci and Borodin aren't about to sit back and do nothing. As Andy proceeds to unravel a complicated conspiracy, and prepare a SODDI (some other dude did it) defense, the thugs make witnesses disappear, and even contemplate killing Andy.

As always in this series, Andy does well at BJ's trial, making points when he cross-examines witnesses, and presenting a strong defense. This time, though, the prosecution case seems airtight.....so what's Andy to do?

The Andy Carpenter mysteries are formulaic, but entertaining, with Andy constantly making funny quips and sarcastic remarks. In that respect, this book was disappointing, because Andy wasn't as hilarious as usual. I'll admit it was fun to read that Andy's wife Laurie likes the David Rosenfelt mysteries, while Andy himself isn't a fan. I also liked that the pooch Murphy, who must be a genius dog, showed up at Andy's house to get a good lawyer for BJ.

I hope author David Rosenfelt rejuvenates Andy's jokey character in the next book.

I had the Kindle book and the audiobook, narrated by Grover Gardner, who does a great job.

Thanks to Netgalley, David Rosenfelt, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.

Andy Carpenter is on his way home from a Christmas vacation and is looking forward to relaxing back at home with his family. When he arrives he finds a dog, Murphy, waiting for him. Andy takes the dog home only to discover that the mother of the young man who owns the dog is completely unhinged. Her son was arrested for murder and thus the dog ran back to Andy.

Although an off again on again lawyer, Andy can't pass up the chance to solve this mystery. Based on the son's great respect and love for Murphy Andy is sure that he is innocent.

I love this series and the characters within. This includes the dogs that are an integral part of the stories,

I will re-read this book at Christmas because it is just that good.