Another charmer from David Rosenfelt.

The titles and covers are still ridiculous, but the plots, dialogue, and characters are all tight.

My favourite moments generally involve Marcus and/or the pub scenes with his friends, and, while there’s defintely a formulaic feel to these mysteries, I’ll keep adding to my collection, for as long as he keeps cranking them out.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio for this droll ARC.

A dog whose owner is being framed for murder…must be another Andy Carpenter book. That said, you don’t read this series expecting anything less. You read Andy Carpenter books for the witty repartee, figuring out the real murderer before the end, and cheering all of our heroes on along the way. I realize that everyone can’t be front and center each time, but I needed more interactions with Vince and Pete. The story, itself, was interesting and relevant to today’s digital crimes. The defendant, a young college student, is accused of murdering his college professor following a public argument. As usual, things are not always as they seem and Andy must provide an alternative in order to free his client. With the bad guys dropping like flies, time is running out of time to provide reasonable doubt. Keep them coming Mr. Rosenfelt and if you want to throw in a client who isn’t being framed, feel free to do so. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced read. Four stars instead of five as I figured out the real killer way too early.

As always, a fun entertaining step into Andy Carpenter's world! A fast read with amazing characters! I love these books and can't wait for the next one!

An Andy Carpenter Novel volume 30

Lawyer Andy Carpenter defends Brian Bremer, a Rutgers student, accused of killing his professor, Prof Steven Rayburn, over the grade on one of his assignments. Apart from the flimsy motive, the evidence is dismayingly strong but despite all the claims against his client Andy will not be deterred in anyways and will not take long for him to unmask the true killer.

Don’t fool yourself with the Christmas book cover this latest can be read at any time and doesn’t need to follow its predecessor to enjoy. So go for it.

I simply love the humoristic tone all through; not funny out loud but the happy grin never left my face. Andy has a dry, sarcastic sense of humour and says anything with wit. His comments really hit the spot in my books. The plot is intriguing as it slowly develops the action gets exciting and we see Andy at his best. Since this is not my first experience with Mr. Rosenfelft style, I can say he has adopted a formula that suits him just fine and he is sticking to it but never forgets to give us a fresh and captivating story to enjoy. We have recurring actors that never stop pleasing the readers: Tara, a golden retriever, Hunter, a pug, Sebastian. A basset hound and the star, Murphy the terrier, Andy’s wife...Laurie also the regular cast have parts to help things move along. Oh yes we have courtroom scenes ... imaginative and entertaining.

This is a fun series. I am looking forward to Andy’s next drama.

David Rosenfeldt writes a great mystery. This is the second title and will not be my last of his I read. Thanks to #NETGALLEY for the free arc to read. Engaging characters except for the bad guy or guys. I liked the computer crime part also.

Andy Carpenter arrives home to find a small terrier mix on his doorstep. He recognizes the dog as one that he and his family had fostered before he was adopted by a local family, so he takes the dog home to his owners. When he arrives, he discovers the son of the woman who owns the house is in jail after being arrested for murder. Andy knows the young man is incapable of murdering anyone, so he agrees to take that case, although he is known as the world's most reluctant defense attorney. Andy may be reluctant, but he is really, really good at his job, backed up by a team of friends and investigators. As the investigation unfolds, lots of dirty laundry comes out: Russians, computer hacking, murder and mayhem. Always an entertaining read, with lots of laughs and intrigue.

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”.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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.