Silent Bite: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (An Andy Carpenter Novel Book 22)
by David Rosenfelt
File Size : 2556 KB
Print Length : 299 pages
Publisher : Minotaur Books (October 13, 2020)
ASIN : B084M1ZNNJ
Genre: Crime, Detective, Mystery, Fav Series
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.
Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, are finding that all is not calm or bright in Silent Bite, the latest Christmas mystery in this heartwarming series from bestselling author David Rosenfelt.
Lawyer Andy Carpenter can finally take a breath; he’s back on dry land after a family Caribbean cruise forced on him by his wife, Laurie, to get into the Christmas spirit. Of course the family’s first stop is to the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization that has always been Andy’s true passion.
But when Andy arrives, his partner, Willie Miller, needs his help. Willie’s old cellmate, Tony Birch, has been arrested for murder. Andy doesn’t necessarily believe in Tony, but Willie does. And Andy believes in Willie, which is why Andy decides to take the case.
Once again David Rosenfelt puts readers in the Christmas spirit in a tale that is equal parts mystery and holiday cheer.
Review:
As an independently wealthy criminal attorney, Andy Carpenter still considers himself as a semiretired lawyer and he isn’t seeking new clients. Andy doesn’t rouse himself much unless it has to do with dogs. And Christmas is no exception as he leaves all the decorations and shopping to his wife, Laurie. Shortly before the holiday, Andy’s friend, Willie, a former client and his partner in their dog rescue foundation, asks Andy to do him a favor – represent Tony Birch, a former cellmate, recently accused of revenge murder.
Tony has a rough past, having served time after being wrongly accused of murder as a young man and leader in a gang. Another gang member who testified against Tony has turned up dead and the police were quick to charge Tony. Andy isn’t positive that Tony is innocent, and he isn’t sure Tony is telling him everything which is a major problem. Still, Andy doesn’t want to disappoint Willie and Tony has the unwavering support of his dog, Zoey.
Andy begins to pull together his usual team when he learns that his second attorney is off in South Carolina getting married! The recommended replacement, Eddie, a big guy and retired football player who speaks in sports terms, is introduced to the team. Laurie and another retired cop, Corey (with wonder dog Simon) are the investigative team, Sam is the computer information hacker and Marcus, as always is the big, scary muscle.
When a second member of the gang is found dead the case gets stronger against Tony. But Andy is always ready to search out alternative suspects to create reasonable doubt. This time his search takes him to local crime gang boss, Luther, who was also the head of the group that oversaw Tony’s ‘boyz’ gang. Andy exercises his usual snark and twists in court, stepping on the edge of propriety and finding more clues than expected.
As normal, I enjoyed the characters and the mystery. The story is told by Andy in first person with his usual self-deprecation and dry wit. I often listen to this series on audio and I could hear Andy’s voice in Grover Gardner’s deep narration. My only disappointment with this episode was that, even with the dog on the cover, the dogs didn’t play that much of a role. This might be read as a standalone as each story has its own mystery to be solved. Still, I recommend reading at least the first couple stories of the series to get the character history. And they are fun reading too.
Source: 8/25/2020 Received from Publisher and NetGalley. This qualifies for my 2020NetGalley goal.
