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Andy Carpenter #13
Who Let the Dog Out?
A lawyer by day-and then only when he's forced to take on new cases-Andy Carpenter's true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. So it's frightening when Willie calls him to say the alarm has gone off at the foundation building, and there's clearly been a break-in. It turns out that a recently rescued dog, nicknamed Cheyenne since her arrival at the foundation, has been stolen. Andy and Willie track the missing dog to a house in downtown Paterson, New Jersey and sure enough, they find the dog...standing right next to a dead body. The man had been gruesomely murdered mere minutes before Andy and Willie arrived. Could it be a coincidence? Or could the dog theft somehow be connected to the killing?
Andy takes Cheyenne safely back to the foundation building, and that should be the end of his involvement, but Andy's curiosity-and his desire to keep the dog from further harm-won't let him stop there. The cops have just arrested a man named Tommy Infante for the murder, but as Andy looks into the circumstances surrounding the break-in and the dog theft, he starts to wonder if Infante might actually be innocent. And when Andy takes Infante on as a client and starts searching in earnest for evidence that will exonerate him, what Andy starts to discover terrifies him. The murder might be just one small cog in a plot with far-reaching implications, and unless Andy can uncover the truth in time, thousands of lives could be in imminent danger.
Andy takes Cheyenne safely back to the foundation building, and that should be the end of his involvement, but Andy's curiosity-and his desire to keep the dog from further harm-won't let him stop there. The cops have just arrested a man named Tommy Infante for the murder, but as Andy looks into the circumstances surrounding the break-in and the dog theft, he starts to wonder if Infante might actually be innocent. And when Andy takes Infante on as a client and starts searching in earnest for evidence that will exonerate him, what Andy starts to discover terrifies him. The murder might be just one small cog in a plot with far-reaching implications, and unless Andy can uncover the truth in time, thousands of lives could be in imminent danger.
324 pages, Hardcover
First published July 21, 2015
855 people are currently reading
2051 people want to read
About the author
David Rosenfelt
74 books2,928 followersI am a novelist with 27 dogs.
I have gotten to this dubious position with absolutely no planning, and at no stage in my life could I have predicted it. But here I am.
My childhood was relentlessly normal. The middle of three brothers, loving parents, a middle-class home in Paterson, New Jersey. We played sports, studied sporadically. laughed around the dinner table, and generally had a good time. By comparison, "Ozzie and Harriet's" clan seemed bizarre.
I graduated NYU, then decided to go into the movie business. I was stunningly brilliant at a job interview with my uncle, who was President of United Artists, and was immediately hired. It set me off on a climb up the executive ladder, culminating in my becoming President of Marketing for Tri-Star Pictures. The movie landscape is filled with the movies I buried; for every "Rambo", "The Natural" and "Rocky", there are countless disasters.
I did manage to find the time to marry and have two children, both of whom are doing very well, and fortunately neither have inherited my eccentricities.
A number of years ago, I left the movie marketing business, to the sustained applause of hundreds of disgruntled producers and directors. I decided to try my hand at writing. I wrote and sold a bunch of feature films, none of which ever came close to being actually filmed, and then a bunch of TV movies, some of which actually made it to the small screen. It's safe to say that their impact on the American cultural scene has been minimal.
About fourteen years ago, my wife and I started the Tara Foundation, named in honor of the greatest Golden Retriever the world has ever known. We rescued almost 4,000 dogs, many of them Goldens, and found them loving homes. Our own home quickly became a sanctuary for those dogs that we rescued that were too old or sickly to be wanted by others. They surround me as I write this. It's total lunacy, but it works, and they are a happy, safe group.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidr...
I have gotten to this dubious position with absolutely no planning, and at no stage in my life could I have predicted it. But here I am.
My childhood was relentlessly normal. The middle of three brothers, loving parents, a middle-class home in Paterson, New Jersey. We played sports, studied sporadically. laughed around the dinner table, and generally had a good time. By comparison, "Ozzie and Harriet's" clan seemed bizarre.
I graduated NYU, then decided to go into the movie business. I was stunningly brilliant at a job interview with my uncle, who was President of United Artists, and was immediately hired. It set me off on a climb up the executive ladder, culminating in my becoming President of Marketing for Tri-Star Pictures. The movie landscape is filled with the movies I buried; for every "Rambo", "The Natural" and "Rocky", there are countless disasters.
I did manage to find the time to marry and have two children, both of whom are doing very well, and fortunately neither have inherited my eccentricities.
A number of years ago, I left the movie marketing business, to the sustained applause of hundreds of disgruntled producers and directors. I decided to try my hand at writing. I wrote and sold a bunch of feature films, none of which ever came close to being actually filmed, and then a bunch of TV movies, some of which actually made it to the small screen. It's safe to say that their impact on the American cultural scene has been minimal.
About fourteen years ago, my wife and I started the Tara Foundation, named in honor of the greatest Golden Retriever the world has ever known. We rescued almost 4,000 dogs, many of them Goldens, and found them loving homes. Our own home quickly became a sanctuary for those dogs that we rescued that were too old or sickly to be wanted by others. They surround me as I write this. It's total lunacy, but it works, and they are a happy, safe group.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/davidr...
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August 1, 2018
Andy has a secret weapon, which is a good thing since he hasn’t a clue how to use any weapons himself. He also has a very small staff, although each one (even his secretary Edna, the crossword puzzle champion who promoted herself to office assistant) are highly skilled in their specialties. One of these is Marcus, the secret weapon. No-one ever understands what he says (except for Laurie, Andy’s wife and chief investigator) and everyone is so terrified of him that they sit as far away from him as possible in meetings (except for Laurie).
A Shepherd mix named Cheyanne is a female dog that Andy and Willie recently brought into their foundation for adoption. She is stolen – and that makes no sense whatsoever since their foundation is all about finding homes for these rescued dogs. Why didn’t the thief make an effort to adopt her?
Luckily, Andy and Willie put new collars on all the dogs when they come into protection and each one has a GPS with an assigned number that they can trace via computer. The team is on it!
Marcus runs to the front door of the house, and all of a sudden there is no door there. Because I’m behind him I can’t tell if he kicked it down, or if maybe the door saw him coming and fainted in fright.
All for nothing as it turns out, because while Cheyanne is standing by a chair unharmed, the thief is decidedly deceased. Andy’s friend Lt. Pete Stanton and Andy discuss the history of this thief they’ve found.
Andy: “What did he steal?”
Pete: “Let’s put it this way: I think until tonight dogs were the only thing he hadn’t stolen. Probably had it on his bucket list before he kicked it.”
This 13th outing with Andy Carpenter and his team is exciting, funny, ominous, and afloat with bodies, even though we don’t have to witness all the gore. It’s hard to talk about this novel without giving the plot away. However, I think I can safely say that I learned quite a bit about diamonds, that heavy arms are involved, and so is a small island in Maine, attached to the mainland by one small, vulnerable bridge.
In other words, in defending his client, Andy is once again caught up in a whole world of grief – with money and madness at the core of it all.
Oh – and the FBI and ICE are involved, too, but they don’t even pretend to be part of Andy’s team.
This is a series I love revisiting because of its perfect blend of humour and tension. Just when I’m so far on the edge of my seat I’m in danger of falling off, something funny and/or witty pops in to save me. Great fun – and great exercise!
A Shepherd mix named Cheyanne is a female dog that Andy and Willie recently brought into their foundation for adoption. She is stolen – and that makes no sense whatsoever since their foundation is all about finding homes for these rescued dogs. Why didn’t the thief make an effort to adopt her?
Luckily, Andy and Willie put new collars on all the dogs when they come into protection and each one has a GPS with an assigned number that they can trace via computer. The team is on it!
Marcus runs to the front door of the house, and all of a sudden there is no door there. Because I’m behind him I can’t tell if he kicked it down, or if maybe the door saw him coming and fainted in fright.
All for nothing as it turns out, because while Cheyanne is standing by a chair unharmed, the thief is decidedly deceased. Andy’s friend Lt. Pete Stanton and Andy discuss the history of this thief they’ve found.
Andy: “What did he steal?”
Pete: “Let’s put it this way: I think until tonight dogs were the only thing he hadn’t stolen. Probably had it on his bucket list before he kicked it.”
This 13th outing with Andy Carpenter and his team is exciting, funny, ominous, and afloat with bodies, even though we don’t have to witness all the gore. It’s hard to talk about this novel without giving the plot away. However, I think I can safely say that I learned quite a bit about diamonds, that heavy arms are involved, and so is a small island in Maine, attached to the mainland by one small, vulnerable bridge.
In other words, in defending his client, Andy is once again caught up in a whole world of grief – with money and madness at the core of it all.
Oh – and the FBI and ICE are involved, too, but they don’t even pretend to be part of Andy’s team.
This is a series I love revisiting because of its perfect blend of humour and tension. Just when I’m so far on the edge of my seat I’m in danger of falling off, something funny and/or witty pops in to save me. Great fun – and great exercise!
November 11, 2017
Slightly over a year ago, I started to have to do a lot of driving. It didn’t take me long to become bored with the radio and turn to audio books. And thus began the Goldilocks search for the perfect style of audiobook. Too heavy, and I couldn't concentrate on it or the road. Too lightweight and I would lose interest. The middle ground? The Andy Carpenter series. I had read a good number of these and always enjoyed them. And they make the perfect book for the car. Fun and humorous, with a decent mystery thrown in.
Here, a recently rescued dog is stolen from the Tara Foundation and when Andy and Willie track her down, she’s standing by a dead body. Before he knows it, Andy has taken on the man accused of the murder as his client. And off we go.
Grover Gardner is a wonderful narrator. He totally captures Andy’s voice.
I’ll be searching out the remaining ones in the series to listen to as well.
October 6, 2021
In this 13th book in the 'Andy Carpenter' series, the defense lawyer's client may have been framed by mobsters. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Ever since he inherited a large fortune, New Jersey defense attorney Andy Carpenter takes very few cases. Instead, Andy devotes a lot of time to 'The Tara Foundation', a dog rescue facility he opened with his friend Willie Miller. You'd think an animal rescue site would be immune from robbery, so it's a surprise when burglar Gerry Downey breaks in and kidnaps a shepherd mix called Cheyenne.
The theft bodes ill for Downey, however, because he's soon found murdered - with Cheyenne sitting beside him.
One of Downey's robber cohorts, Tommy Infante - who had a loud fight with the dead man in a bar - is arrested for the crime, and the cops call it case closed.
Since the crime involves a canine, Andy takes an interest. He learns that Gerry Downey had been paid to kidnap the hound by the dog's owner Eric Brantley. Brantley - a brilliant, groundbreaking chemist - is suspected of killing his research partner. The scientist is on the run and wants his dog for company.
All this convinces Andy that Downey's murder is connected to SOMETHING BIG, and that Tommy Infante is innocent. So Andy takes Infante's case and - determined to prove his client innocent - sets out to investigate the dognaper's murder. As usual, Andy is assisted by his associates, including his private investigator Laurie (who's now his wife); his accountant Sam; his scary muscle Marcus; his secretary Edna; and his crew of Jewish senior citizen computer whizzes.
Things get very complicated after this, with Russian thugs; rival gangs; smuggled diamonds; arms dealers; would-be terrorists; and a lot of people trying to kill each other. There are additional murders, and Andy himself is a target.....so he's lucky that Marcus could single-handedly take out an army.
Andy does manage to get his client to trial, where the lawyer exhibits his usual flip attitude and a plethora of wisecracks and jokes....mostly at the expense of the smug prosecutor.
In his personal life Andy is now married to his long-time girlfriend Laurie, and their household includes their golden retriever Tara; their adopted nine-year-old son Ricky; and Ricky's basset hound Sebastian.
There's a running joke through the book about Andy trying to get Ricky to love baseball. Young Ricky plays on a Little League team but he's not very good (to put it mildly) and would rather play soccer.
Nevertheless, Andy has a pie in the sky idea about Ricky playing on a major league baseball team one day. Thus Andy is determined to keep Ricky in the Little League AND have him moved from right field to shortstop. There's a hilarious push and pull about all this throughout the story.
Other amusing scenes include Marcus eating seven quarter pounders so quickly that Andy speculated, 'if the car windows weren't closed, I'd have thought he just threw them out.' And of course everyone loves the rugelach baked by one of the Jewish ladies.
Andy Carpenter mysteries are always entertaining, but this book has too many characters and a confusing plot. Still, it's always fun to visit with Andy and his cohorts, and I'd recommend the book to fans of the series.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
January 14, 2025
This is a Legal Mystery, and this is the 13th book in the Andy Carpenter series. This series as worked dogs into a lot which I have been really enjoying. The mystery in this book starts off by someone taking a dog from Andy's Tara Foundation which of course pulls him into. I loved the mystery and action in this book. I also love how much Andy as changed since the first book. Great read.
August 19, 2015
I always enjoy David Rosenfelt's books. There's just something about all the familiar characters that I like. Andy makes me laugh, whether he's talking about Marcus or Willie or the prosecutor or whoever. He's now got a grounded home life in this book, and still has his rescue foundation. I liked that there was no sexual innuendo in this one. There are crimes, an investigation, and a trial. And there's a dog.
August 25, 2015
Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who takes cases on a “this sounds interesting” basis. Because of a rather large inheritance he doesn’t have to work and this allows him the time to indulge in his passion … “The Tara Foundation” … a dog rescue shelter that he runs with his good friend (one time client - Andy successfully defended him on a murder charge), Willy. When Willy calls Andy one evening to report the burglar alarm is ringing at the shelter it’s panic time. Upon investigating they notice that the only thing missing is a dog they called Cheyenne (aka Zoe in her real life), a rescue who came in recently. Tracking the dog they discover her sitting in a house – beside a dead body. The police soon arrest Tommy Infante for the murder, but Andy just cannot leave it alone and once again he is drawn (seems he cannot help himself) into defending a murderer.
I am a big fan of Mr. Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series so as difficult as it is to write the words I have to admit this was not one of his best. Yes, the regular cast of somewhat misfit characters is all present and accounted for as are the requisite dog or three. Yes, Andy's dry sarcastic wit is still spewing and in this case, possibly, saves the book. There is just too much going on in this book to allow for me to become invested in the story. Just as I was following along with the murder storyline Mr. Rosenfelt threw in a terrorist plot side story. I got that in a previous book and wasn’t really interested in rehashing the "save the world" theme again.
This is the 13th book featuring Andy Carpenter and it may well be an unlucky number for this series. I hope it was a blip in an otherwise fun and entertaining series. Yes, I’ll still pick up the next one, but with the hope that both Andy and Mr. Rosenfelt are not getting a bit “tired”.
I am a big fan of Mr. Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series so as difficult as it is to write the words I have to admit this was not one of his best. Yes, the regular cast of somewhat misfit characters is all present and accounted for as are the requisite dog or three. Yes, Andy's dry sarcastic wit is still spewing and in this case, possibly, saves the book. There is just too much going on in this book to allow for me to become invested in the story. Just as I was following along with the murder storyline Mr. Rosenfelt threw in a terrorist plot side story. I got that in a previous book and wasn’t really interested in rehashing the "save the world" theme again.
This is the 13th book featuring Andy Carpenter and it may well be an unlucky number for this series. I hope it was a blip in an otherwise fun and entertaining series. Yes, I’ll still pick up the next one, but with the hope that both Andy and Mr. Rosenfelt are not getting a bit “tired”.
December 25, 2025
4 Stars for Who Let the Dog Out: Andy Carpenter, Book 13 (audiobook) by David Rosenfelt read by Grover Gardner.
Willie called Andy to let him know that the Tara Foundation has been broken into and someone has stolen one of the dogs. Andy helps Willie track down the dog to a house in New Jersey. They end up finding the dog and it’s sitting next to a dead body. Can this day get any stranger. Why would someone steal a dog that could have been adopted? And why would you shoot the guy that stole it and leave the dog? This is going to be a strange case.
Willie called Andy to let him know that the Tara Foundation has been broken into and someone has stolen one of the dogs. Andy helps Willie track down the dog to a house in New Jersey. They end up finding the dog and it’s sitting next to a dead body. Can this day get any stranger. Why would someone steal a dog that could have been adopted? And why would you shoot the guy that stole it and leave the dog? This is going to be a strange case.
March 19, 2025
**** 3/19/25 **** Finished this Andy Carpenter #13 up a few days ago. Sadly, I was not able to keep up on my planned tactic of taking notes on all introduced characters in this book, as I got distracted listening to Grover Gardner's impeccable narration. But while I did, I was up to over 30 people on my notes app on the phone. This is really the only issue I have with the Andy Carpenter series - there are just too many characters to effectively mentally file and refer to as the plot unfolds. Of course we know there will be red herring subplots on top of the usual character development of Andy's team and family. But when the reader gets into the meat of the action, usually when the case is underway in court and Andy is floating smoothly like a duck on water in front of judge and jury, while madly paddling under the water trying to figure out who really did the bad thing and for what motive, then the reader runs the risk of confusing some of these characters and not being able to enjoy the essence of the plot wrapping successfully up.
In this book, perhaps because it is older and the diamond business has evolved since it was written, I had a feel for what was going to happen very early on. And that's ok. But I do enjoy seeing how writers stitch together every piece of loose ends in legal mysteries, and that is a little tough to do in the Carpenter series due to cast size.
With that said, I love Andy's character, his sarcastic veneer that is smart and generally kind. I love the core group in Andy's world, and I love how good he is to dogs. 4-stars.
*** 3/1/25 *** Co-reading this book on audio and kindle so I can keep enjoying it on my goal of doing a 2-mile walk daily (got to get the steps in). The narrator for Rosenfelt's books is fantastic as always!
I'm trying something new on #13 of this series: I am making notes on every character name introduced, so that I don't end up 2/3 in and question when a name is thrown back into the narrative as I have been in the past. OK guys, Rosenfelt uses a LOT of characters. There are the normal people Andy surrounds himself with in all his books. There is always a client and a dead guy. There are secondary characters trying to solve the crime or work legal angles. There are bad guys - mafia, gun runners, eastern Europeans, you get the picture. And there are red herrings. Sooo, I'm at 30 characters at 25% into the book. That's a LOT to keep track of. I'm not complaining, but rather hoping I will have an even better enjoyment of the book if I keep track of all these people and their relevance via notes this time around. Review coming soon.
In this book, perhaps because it is older and the diamond business has evolved since it was written, I had a feel for what was going to happen very early on. And that's ok. But I do enjoy seeing how writers stitch together every piece of loose ends in legal mysteries, and that is a little tough to do in the Carpenter series due to cast size.
With that said, I love Andy's character, his sarcastic veneer that is smart and generally kind. I love the core group in Andy's world, and I love how good he is to dogs. 4-stars.
*** 3/1/25 *** Co-reading this book on audio and kindle so I can keep enjoying it on my goal of doing a 2-mile walk daily (got to get the steps in). The narrator for Rosenfelt's books is fantastic as always!
I'm trying something new on #13 of this series: I am making notes on every character name introduced, so that I don't end up 2/3 in and question when a name is thrown back into the narrative as I have been in the past. OK guys, Rosenfelt uses a LOT of characters. There are the normal people Andy surrounds himself with in all his books. There is always a client and a dead guy. There are secondary characters trying to solve the crime or work legal angles. There are bad guys - mafia, gun runners, eastern Europeans, you get the picture. And there are red herrings. Sooo, I'm at 30 characters at 25% into the book. That's a LOT to keep track of. I'm not complaining, but rather hoping I will have an even better enjoyment of the book if I keep track of all these people and their relevance via notes this time around. Review coming soon.
November 4, 2016
I really do love the Andy Carpenter Series, but the plots seem to become one and the same, making it feel like a comfortable couch with familiar lumps in it. I don't expect every book to be a 5 star but I do hope that David Rosenfelt picks it up a couple notches in the next few books. The suspense is dwindling to almost an ordinary trickle of anticipation and nothing more. I think the main reason I keep reading his books is because there are dogs involved, and Andy is still the ever witty wise-ass, making me laugh where a laugh is needed.
October 6, 2022
Somebody steals a dog from Andy Carpenter's shelter. They quickly find the dog with GPS, but the thief is dead. When the police arrest a man for the murder, Andy gets involved, and finds another vast conspiracy.
July 17, 2016
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
WHO LET THE DOG OUT by David Rosenfelt (Andy Carpenter #13), is a mix of legal thriller, murder mystery, a dog lovers world, humor, and baseball; for a fun-filled suspense engaging read.
Attorney Andy Carpenter is an unabashed animal lover, and he has a reputation for saving both dogs and humans from Death Row. With the help of his beloved golden retriever Tara, Andy solves cases and wins courtroom battles in this acclaimed series of legal thrillers.
The Tara Foundation, is a dog rescue organization, in New Jersey and attorney Andy Carpenter operates with his friend Willie (a former client). They are all about saving dogs, similar to Andy saving humans from death row in his legal practice.
As the book opens a break-in occurs at the Tara Foundation. A recue dog, Cheyenne, a German shepherd mix has been stolen. The dog fortunately has a GPS chip, leading them to take off and investigate the dog whereabouts. What they find is shocking….the dog is standing to a dead man—brutally murdered. What gives?
Andy, with his investigative attorney mind, seems to think there is more to the story, even though the cops arrested someone for the murder (Tommy Infante). However, have the cops arrested the correct man, or could he be innocent? Andy decides to take on Tommy as a client, and uncovers a bigger mystery which leads them to danger.
While they are trying to track down Cheyenne’s former owner—leading them to a fugitive suspected of murdering his business partner, an international diamond smuggling, and domestic terrorism, plus more. Who was the real owner of the dog and how is this connected to the murder?
With an array of suspects, Andy is full of wit and humor with wise cracks, lovable dogs, and some good crime thrilling suspense mystery. With some personal fun with Andy --his wife Laurie, baseball, and their adopted eight-year old son, Ricky.
This was my first book by Rosenfelt and was attracted to the series, as a lover of legal thrillers and golden retrievers (Wow, do I miss my special and unique golden –Golden Duke for fifteen wonderful years—great memories). This one is for you! Goldens are special dogs and lovers of Donna Ball’s Raine Stockton Dog Mysteries (Golden-Cisco) will find the series intriguing. Rosenfelt’s passion shines through each page. A strong delivery and some great legal and investigative work.
Check out Andy Carpenter #14 Outfoxed Coming July 19, 2016! An awesome legal thriller.
Also Andy Carpenter Mystery Holiday Christmas Book Twelve Dogs of Christmas Coming Oct 18, 2016.
JDCMustReadBooks
WHO LET THE DOG OUT by David Rosenfelt (Andy Carpenter #13), is a mix of legal thriller, murder mystery, a dog lovers world, humor, and baseball; for a fun-filled suspense engaging read.
Attorney Andy Carpenter is an unabashed animal lover, and he has a reputation for saving both dogs and humans from Death Row. With the help of his beloved golden retriever Tara, Andy solves cases and wins courtroom battles in this acclaimed series of legal thrillers.
The Tara Foundation, is a dog rescue organization, in New Jersey and attorney Andy Carpenter operates with his friend Willie (a former client). They are all about saving dogs, similar to Andy saving humans from death row in his legal practice.
As the book opens a break-in occurs at the Tara Foundation. A recue dog, Cheyenne, a German shepherd mix has been stolen. The dog fortunately has a GPS chip, leading them to take off and investigate the dog whereabouts. What they find is shocking….the dog is standing to a dead man—brutally murdered. What gives?
Andy, with his investigative attorney mind, seems to think there is more to the story, even though the cops arrested someone for the murder (Tommy Infante). However, have the cops arrested the correct man, or could he be innocent? Andy decides to take on Tommy as a client, and uncovers a bigger mystery which leads them to danger.
While they are trying to track down Cheyenne’s former owner—leading them to a fugitive suspected of murdering his business partner, an international diamond smuggling, and domestic terrorism, plus more. Who was the real owner of the dog and how is this connected to the murder?
With an array of suspects, Andy is full of wit and humor with wise cracks, lovable dogs, and some good crime thrilling suspense mystery. With some personal fun with Andy --his wife Laurie, baseball, and their adopted eight-year old son, Ricky.
This was my first book by Rosenfelt and was attracted to the series, as a lover of legal thrillers and golden retrievers (Wow, do I miss my special and unique golden –Golden Duke for fifteen wonderful years—great memories). This one is for you! Goldens are special dogs and lovers of Donna Ball’s Raine Stockton Dog Mysteries (Golden-Cisco) will find the series intriguing. Rosenfelt’s passion shines through each page. A strong delivery and some great legal and investigative work.
Check out Andy Carpenter #14 Outfoxed Coming July 19, 2016! An awesome legal thriller.
Also Andy Carpenter Mystery Holiday Christmas Book Twelve Dogs of Christmas Coming Oct 18, 2016.
JDCMustReadBooks
August 10, 2015
Not the best Andy Carpenter story, not the worst. But still an enjoyable enough read, and a welcome respite from my real life. I devoured this book while traveling to and while in and while traveling home from London, where I was for business this week. There was another terror sub-plot in this book, which I thought would make it yet another shark-jump in my eyes, but thankfully the terror wasn't the main crime in the book. One thing I did like about this book was that I wasn't sure if the defendant really did the crime. Usually, it's pretty cut-and-dry, but this time, there was intrigue. It was something I haven't seen from the books before and was refreshing.
Still, I wish Rosenfelt would return to his early form with these books, instead of having more and more outlandish crimes/criminals. Guess we'll see in a year or so what the next one holds...
Still, I wish Rosenfelt would return to his early form with these books, instead of having more and more outlandish crimes/criminals. Guess we'll see in a year or so what the next one holds...
September 9, 2015
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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As we all expect, that crime involves a dog.
The Tara Foundation, the dog rescue shelter that Andy runs with his former client, Willie, is broken into. The thief does a very professional job and takes off with one dog. Professional or not, the thief didn't take into account how devoted Andy and Willie are to these animals and how obsessive they can be about them. It doesn't take them long at all to track down the dog...and the corpse he's next to.
Andy wants to know more about the dog, and the dog's owner who turns out to be a fugitive, suspected of murder. The only way he can keep his foot in this case is to defend the man accused of the killing. He eventually does figure out who kills the thief, but it's almost accidental -- it's certainly incidental to anything else going on. Just one of the little bits of pleasure this provided was that "ah ha" moment.
During the trial -- the stage of many of this series' highlights -- Andy treats us to an amusing clinic on all the ways that a couple of lawyers (and people in other professions) can use the word "frankly," including all the shades of meaning that word can provide. Like so many of Andy's lessons, this was worth the ticket price.
Rosenfelt brings us yet another storylines that could summed up as: It looks like a simple crime, but is actually the linchpin to uncovering a major terrorist plot/international crime syndicate (minor spoiler that if you read more than a couple of chapters you'd see for yourself). I'm getting a little sick of these. The terrorist plot, by the way, makes me reconsider the plausibility of a similar plan in Robert B. Parker's Night Passage. I'd always thought that the weakest part of an otherwise compelling read, seeing it now in light of this book makes me think there was something there. Still, for crying out loud, Mr. Rosenfelt, let major criminal enterprises and terrorist organizations figure out that a trip through Patterson, NJ is asking for trouble. Local conspiracies, okay. But major international conspiracies? You've got to stop going to that well so often. Or period.
My other worry about this is Ricky. If you haven't read this far in the series, you may want to skip the rest of this paragraph. About half of the material around Ricky was cute and fun -- just like it was in Hounded. The other half (mostly involving stale sit-com like bits about kids' sports) teetered on painful. I fear that this series might be like the older comedies who felt compelled to add the cute little kid late in the run (Andy on Family Ties, Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, Olivia on The Cosby Show, Chrissy on Growing Pains, etc., etc., etc.). If that's the case, I worry about the future of the series.
Don't get me wrong -- I enjoyed this overall. I can suspend my beefs with this series as it goes on and enjoy Andy's laziness, his awe of Marcus, Marcus' awe-inducing self, the hacking seniors, and all the rest. I don't open up an Andy Carpenter novel expecting to be hanging in suspense, to be chilled, to be challenged in any way; I expect to spend a couple of hours in some pleasant company and sometimes to get a fun puzzle. In that sense Who Let the Dog Out? delivered enough.
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As Michael Corleone said in The Godfather, Part Ill, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." The fact that it was the worst movie in the history of movies does not take away from the truth of that statement, as it relates to my legal career.Poor, beleaguered Andy Carpenter. Dragged, kicking and screaming back into the courtroom to defend someone he really doesn't care about, but by doing so he gets to investigate a crime he's really concerned with.
As we all expect, that crime involves a dog.
The Tara Foundation, the dog rescue shelter that Andy runs with his former client, Willie, is broken into. The thief does a very professional job and takes off with one dog. Professional or not, the thief didn't take into account how devoted Andy and Willie are to these animals and how obsessive they can be about them. It doesn't take them long at all to track down the dog...and the corpse he's next to.
Andy wants to know more about the dog, and the dog's owner who turns out to be a fugitive, suspected of murder. The only way he can keep his foot in this case is to defend the man accused of the killing. He eventually does figure out who kills the thief, but it's almost accidental -- it's certainly incidental to anything else going on. Just one of the little bits of pleasure this provided was that "ah ha" moment.
During the trial -- the stage of many of this series' highlights -- Andy treats us to an amusing clinic on all the ways that a couple of lawyers (and people in other professions) can use the word "frankly," including all the shades of meaning that word can provide. Like so many of Andy's lessons, this was worth the ticket price.
Rosenfelt brings us yet another storylines that could summed up as: It looks like a simple crime, but is actually the linchpin to uncovering a major terrorist plot/international crime syndicate (minor spoiler that if you read more than a couple of chapters you'd see for yourself). I'm getting a little sick of these. The terrorist plot, by the way, makes me reconsider the plausibility of a similar plan in Robert B. Parker's Night Passage. I'd always thought that the weakest part of an otherwise compelling read, seeing it now in light of this book makes me think there was something there. Still, for crying out loud, Mr. Rosenfelt, let major criminal enterprises and terrorist organizations figure out that a trip through Patterson, NJ is asking for trouble. Local conspiracies, okay. But major international conspiracies? You've got to stop going to that well so often. Or period.
My other worry about this is Ricky. If you haven't read this far in the series, you may want to skip the rest of this paragraph. About half of the material around Ricky was cute and fun -- just like it was in Hounded. The other half (mostly involving stale sit-com like bits about kids' sports) teetered on painful. I fear that this series might be like the older comedies who felt compelled to add the cute little kid late in the run (Andy on Family Ties, Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch, Olivia on The Cosby Show, Chrissy on Growing Pains, etc., etc., etc.). If that's the case, I worry about the future of the series.
Don't get me wrong -- I enjoyed this overall. I can suspend my beefs with this series as it goes on and enjoy Andy's laziness, his awe of Marcus, Marcus' awe-inducing self, the hacking seniors, and all the rest. I don't open up an Andy Carpenter novel expecting to be hanging in suspense, to be chilled, to be challenged in any way; I expect to spend a couple of hours in some pleasant company and sometimes to get a fun puzzle. In that sense Who Let the Dog Out? delivered enough.
February 4, 2017
2.5 stars
This belongs to a series of books all featuring dogs. The narrator is a defense lawyer, Andy Carpenter, who is very wealthy and rarely takes on a case unless dogs are somehow involved.His main interest outside his home and family is the Tara Foundation for rescued dogs which he runs with a partner.
If you are looking for a cute, relaxing mystery about a missing dog this is probably not for you. Instead there are complicated international conspiracies, smuggling, terrorism and many dead bodies. I already read one book in the series which I liked very much. My problem here was there were so many names and characters introduced that I wish I had started a chart to keep all the people (both alive and dead) straight in my mind. The narration contains some witty humor.
Because I liked the other book I read in the series, I plan to read more of them. I was interested in the fact that the author, David Rosenfelt actually runs the Tara Foundation along with his wife. 4000 dogs have been rescued and he is the proud owner of over two dozen dogs.
This belongs to a series of books all featuring dogs. The narrator is a defense lawyer, Andy Carpenter, who is very wealthy and rarely takes on a case unless dogs are somehow involved.His main interest outside his home and family is the Tara Foundation for rescued dogs which he runs with a partner.
If you are looking for a cute, relaxing mystery about a missing dog this is probably not for you. Instead there are complicated international conspiracies, smuggling, terrorism and many dead bodies. I already read one book in the series which I liked very much. My problem here was there were so many names and characters introduced that I wish I had started a chart to keep all the people (both alive and dead) straight in my mind. The narration contains some witty humor.
Because I liked the other book I read in the series, I plan to read more of them. I was interested in the fact that the author, David Rosenfelt actually runs the Tara Foundation along with his wife. 4000 dogs have been rescued and he is the proud owner of over two dozen dogs.
July 29, 2015
I always love this series!! Rosenfelt's writing style is so great--I find myself laughing out loud all the time! On top of that, there's always a good mystery for Andy to solve and the frosting on the cake--dogs are typically involved somehow! A great read!
September 2, 2015
Who Let The Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt.
Andy and his wife Laurie have a new addition to their family. They've adopted Ricky a little leaguer who keeps them involved in all of his sports activities. Then Andy has his Tara Foundation-dog-rescue which he co-manages with Willie Miller. As if these two major interests aren't enough Andy finds himself in the middle of another legal battle. One he has tried to avoid to no avail.
One of the newer rescued dogs, Cheyenne, has been stolen from their foundation. Willie reports the alarm went off and when he arrived to check on what was taken only Cheyenne was missing. The video tape shows a man with his face concealed taking the dog.
Soon Andy and Willie notify Pete Stanton,the Paterson Police Captain,
of the burglary. Since Cheyenne has a GPS they are able to follow the dog to a home where Willie hears and identifies Cheyenne's barking. They legally enter the premises and find the murdered body of the man who kidnapped Cheyenne.
The court room drama in this Andy Carpenter story is top notch keeping me focused and reading. The sleuthing to get to the bottom of what was behind this theft (in order for Andy to get his client off the hook for a crime he did not commit) kept me involved with Andy. I was sorry that dogs didn't play more of a role in this mystery.
Andy and his wife Laurie have a new addition to their family. They've adopted Ricky a little leaguer who keeps them involved in all of his sports activities. Then Andy has his Tara Foundation-dog-rescue which he co-manages with Willie Miller. As if these two major interests aren't enough Andy finds himself in the middle of another legal battle. One he has tried to avoid to no avail.
One of the newer rescued dogs, Cheyenne, has been stolen from their foundation. Willie reports the alarm went off and when he arrived to check on what was taken only Cheyenne was missing. The video tape shows a man with his face concealed taking the dog.
Soon Andy and Willie notify Pete Stanton,the Paterson Police Captain,
of the burglary. Since Cheyenne has a GPS they are able to follow the dog to a home where Willie hears and identifies Cheyenne's barking. They legally enter the premises and find the murdered body of the man who kidnapped Cheyenne.
The court room drama in this Andy Carpenter story is top notch keeping me focused and reading. The sleuthing to get to the bottom of what was behind this theft (in order for Andy to get his client off the hook for a crime he did not commit) kept me involved with Andy. I was sorry that dogs didn't play more of a role in this mystery.
June 18, 2017
I listened to this as an audiobook. It was just what I was looking for, a mystery with a little flair and I enjoyed the narrator. Missing dog inspires investigation into a wham-bang of a plot, let's just say some people really dislike Maine!!! I don't write long reviews on audiobooks but this was very enjoyable and I will look for the next book and maybe search out his other ones. Easy to listen to while cleaning, etc but still interesting enough to keep my attention.
September 1, 2015
Andy Carpenter is now married to Laurie and they have adopted Ricky (from the previous book.) An odd theft of a dog from their shelter leads Andy and his crew to a vicious murder and a puzzle. Why would anyone want to steal a particular dog from a shelter when all they had to do was walk in and adopt it? The case gets complicated, of course, and soon involves a dead chemist and blood diamonds, all tied together by Zoe, the shepherd mix.
The book is a delightful mix of humor and mystery not to mention dog-love. Since I like all three and Grover Gardner is a wonderful reader, this book (and the series) are a delight.
An example of the humor is Andy’s self deprecation as he’s trying to assemble a toy parking garage for his son. He begins by listing the many types of evil people in the world, i.e., terrorists, murders, etc. but the worst are toy manufacturers who consistently lie when they produce toys requiring “minimal” assembly and with no written instructions, except in Chinese or French, and have incomprehensible pictures. It’s a very funny scene with him sure the garage is missing at least four crucial parts and when completed looks like a Syrian warehouse that has just suffered a rocket attack.
For those of you who like hints in your mysteries I will drop one: chemical vapor deposition. That holds the key to the solution.
The book is a delightful mix of humor and mystery not to mention dog-love. Since I like all three and Grover Gardner is a wonderful reader, this book (and the series) are a delight.
An example of the humor is Andy’s self deprecation as he’s trying to assemble a toy parking garage for his son. He begins by listing the many types of evil people in the world, i.e., terrorists, murders, etc. but the worst are toy manufacturers who consistently lie when they produce toys requiring “minimal” assembly and with no written instructions, except in Chinese or French, and have incomprehensible pictures. It’s a very funny scene with him sure the garage is missing at least four crucial parts and when completed looks like a Syrian warehouse that has just suffered a rocket attack.
For those of you who like hints in your mysteries I will drop one: chemical vapor deposition. That holds the key to the solution.
April 24, 2016
Another fun addition to the series, maybe a little more complex than most, hence the extra star. It's really more of a 3.5. It's typical of the series. Andy's mouth gets him a client he doesn't want & he winds up sticking his nose where it doesn't belong which causes everyone opposing him to get irritated with him. This does them no good in the long run as he somehow manages to bring the bad guys to justice, upset the justice system, & get the innocent out of jeopardy.
Well read by Grover Gardner & very self-contained. It's been a while since I last listened to one of these books & while there is the familiar cast of characters & it was nice knowing their history, it wasn't mandatory. If you wanted to start the series with this book, you could without a problem, although I do recommend reading them in order.
Well read by Grover Gardner & very self-contained. It's been a while since I last listened to one of these books & while there is the familiar cast of characters & it was nice knowing their history, it wasn't mandatory. If you wanted to start the series with this book, you could without a problem, although I do recommend reading them in order.
February 23, 2022
OK, 5 stars for being the Andy Carpenter series, although there's always a possibility for disappointment. A remote possibility. So far, I haven't been disappointed. Maybe if Marcus doesn't make an appearance or two I would, but so far I've been lucky in that regard. If you've been sleeping under a rock and haven't read any of this series, Marcus is kind of a low-key super-hero. He's basically strong, fast, and all-knowing. If you get in trouble and he's anywhere in the same country, you don't need to worry. He'll show up and put down any bad guys before you know he's there.
Other than that, it's a story about a lawyer and some dogs, a few senior citizens in a computer club, and some other regulars. If this doesn't sound like an interesting read, ignore me and read it anyway. I won't waste your time telling you what it's about, because it really doesn't matter.
Other than that, it's a story about a lawyer and some dogs, a few senior citizens in a computer club, and some other regulars. If this doesn't sound like an interesting read, ignore me and read it anyway. I won't waste your time telling you what it's about, because it really doesn't matter.
October 28, 2019
Always a good read with bonus of dogs.
February 26, 2023
Andy’s take on “no assembly required” toys is funny and his baseball talk/games with son Ricky will bring laughter.
The serious/legal plot line meandered too much for me and seemed a bit overloaded .. but tied up nicely at the very end.
Diamonds are the key word for this book.
The serious/legal plot line meandered too much for me and seemed a bit overloaded .. but tied up nicely at the very end.
Diamonds are the key word for this book.
January 11, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
March 27, 2018
I've been listening to these books from the start so I've always wondered if they'd hold up in print over audio. I'll start with the fact that I believe story-telling's history falls directly into the audio world. Long before we had words on paper, we had spoken words and pictures on walls - each telling stories in their own way.
But a great verbal story isn't necessarily a great written story as there is a lot of opportunity in an audiobook to change voices, show emotion among other things to draw a listener in that isn't there on paper.
That all said, this thirteenth books in the series holds up well on paper. I still love the characters and thing that Rosenfelt does a fantastic job of weaving somewhat complex plots together in a limited number of pages without sacrificing anything.
Marcus is still one of my favorites, even if his involvement was a little lighter in this one. And seeing Andy's interaction with Ricky was delightful.
As a fan of legal thrillers/suspense and animals, this series is a great fit for me and I'm glad I've been reading it. And I'm almost caught up on the series!
But a great verbal story isn't necessarily a great written story as there is a lot of opportunity in an audiobook to change voices, show emotion among other things to draw a listener in that isn't there on paper.
That all said, this thirteenth books in the series holds up well on paper. I still love the characters and thing that Rosenfelt does a fantastic job of weaving somewhat complex plots together in a limited number of pages without sacrificing anything.
Marcus is still one of my favorites, even if his involvement was a little lighter in this one. And seeing Andy's interaction with Ricky was delightful.
As a fan of legal thrillers/suspense and animals, this series is a great fit for me and I'm glad I've been reading it. And I'm almost caught up on the series!
August 15, 2015
Book #13 in the Andy Carpenter Mystery series. Andy is a lawyer, but he doesn't like to practice law. He only does so when he's is sorta forced to. Andy's passion is his Tara Foundation, his new wife and adopted son who came with a dog. Andy has his own dog too. So he happily plods along everyday with his regular family stuff and checks in with Willie who runs the Tara Foundation dog rescue. In this story a recently acquired stray has been kidnapped through a break-in at the foundation's shelter. Andy and Willie go looking for the dog. They find her in a house sitting next to a dead body. The dead body belongs to the person who stole the dog. Now he's dead and Andy wants to know why. What importance could this dog be that someone is killed but the killer doesn't take the dog or the two diamonds forensics find in one of the dead guys drawers.
May 18, 2017
Author David Rosenfelt has achieved the perfect balance of light-hearted mystery and suspense thriller in this entertaining series. In this tale, an ordinary dog has been stolen from the rescue organization, but just minutes later, the thief was found dead with the dog nearby. Andy Carpenter is again caught up in a mystery that will take him from his cozy surroundings and throw him into a world of deception, smuggling, and oh yes, more murders. Again in the courtroom with a client who claims to have been setup, Andy needs to uncover the murderer or murderers to free his client, because no jury will find him innocent. This tale has the charm and humor of a cozy but still maintains page-turning suspense.
October 27, 2015
Too much baseball, not enough dog
I gravitate towards books with dogs on the cover and I keep forgetting that David Rosenfelt’s books always have a dog on the cover but only have peripheral dog characters. Since this is his 13th Andy Carpenter book, he has enough loyal readers to sustain new books but I find his characters shallow and undeveloped although interesting. His background as a screenwriter ensures that once I’ve started one of his books I can’t stop but I’m always a little disappointed once I’ve finished. A pleasant enough read but Carpenter’s sports-nut wise-cracking isn’t my cup of tea.
I gravitate towards books with dogs on the cover and I keep forgetting that David Rosenfelt’s books always have a dog on the cover but only have peripheral dog characters. Since this is his 13th Andy Carpenter book, he has enough loyal readers to sustain new books but I find his characters shallow and undeveloped although interesting. His background as a screenwriter ensures that once I’ve started one of his books I can’t stop but I’m always a little disappointed once I’ve finished. A pleasant enough read but Carpenter’s sports-nut wise-cracking isn’t my cup of tea.
August 6, 2015
Enjoyable murder-mystery. This is an Andy Carpenter mystery. Andy is a semi-retired attorney who got involved in a murder because someone stole one of his Golden Retrievers from the Tara Foundation. a dog rescue mission. Because a dog is involved, Andy can't help but get involved. This story involves diamonds real ones and fabricated ones and lots of money is involved. Twists and turns are always a large part of the Andy Carpenter novels and this one is no exception. This is another GOOD READ.
July 31, 2015
Awesome! I love these books. I enjoy all of the characters especially Andy Carpenter. I just love his wit, sarcasm and dry humor. As Pete always says to Andy, "you're a pain in the ass." I am enjoying the new aspect of Lori and Andy being married and having an adopted child. It really adds to the story. This was another great story with lots of intrigue, murder and mayhem. Rosenfelt cannot write these fast enough for me! Looking forward to the next one!
August 30, 2015
13th in the Andy carpenter mystery series, it has all the smoothly delivered, self-deprecating Andy Carpenter humor, the fun secondary characters, the case Andy can't resist because a dog's involved (here in a peripheral way), the jams, the nefarious plot and the perfect lawyerly solution for everyone involved, including the dog...quick, light and thoroughly enjoyable read...reading this series in order makes each one better
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