Dog Tags

This eighth book in the Andy Carpenter series has Andy defending a German Shepherd named Milo. Milo was taken away from his owner Billy when Billy was accused of murdering a man named Erskine. Now, for some reason no one will explain, Milo is in a kennel and there is a twenty-four hour guard outside his cage.

Andy and his new fellow lawyer Hike manage to get Milo out of the kennel but no one will explain why he was under guard there. Since Billy is a friend of Andy's friend Pete which convinces Andy to take Billy's case. Billy was a former cop turned soldier who lost his leg in an explosion that killed 20 in Iraq and who has turned to theft to make his living upon his return to the US.

Erskine was in charge of the security for the show more bombing that injured Billy which looks to give him a good motive for killing him. And there is all sorts of evidence not least of which is that he was found standing over Erskine's body and his prints were on the murder weapon.

As Andy investigates, he comes to believe that Erskine's death was only a small part of a much bigger plot. Other points of view in the story confirm this since we hear from the killer who is taking care of loose ends and the man who is in command of this secretive operation. Andy is even more sure that there is more to discover when he learns that both the FBI and the Army want to interview one of his witnesses.

This was an engaging mystery. I like Andy's sarcastic personality and his unabashed love for dogs. I also like his relationship with Laurie who is still recovering from events in a previous book. Fans of the series will enjoy this episode. show less

What a fun book this is! You can tell from the very first paragraph:

"It felt so much like being a cop. The fact that the two occupations were so similar was an irony that was never lost on Billy Zimmerman, who was certainly in a unique position to know. Until three years ago, he was a cop. Now he was a thief.”

Zimmerman left the police force to volunteer for Iraq. He was there less than a year when his leg was blown off by a suicide bomber. After his return, the force only wanted to give him a desk job, which he couldn’t abide. Milo, his old canine partner on the job, was also about to get dumped because he was turning seven. So Billy took Milo, and the two now survive by making occasional “appropriations” from the rich.

When a show more job goes bad, both Billy and Milo are arrested, and lawyer Andy Carpenter is hired to represent Milo. Oddly, Billy is "merely" imprisoned, but Milo is assigned a federal guard. Andy manages to get Milo released on bail and keeps him well protected. Billy isn't so lucky, however; he is almost killed in jail. Andy begins to suspect something more is at stake than just a simple robbery.

Evaluation: This is a fast-paced, clever book with very witty dialog and some good twists. The characters are uniformly likeable, even adorable (especially the canine ones).

I am definitely going to go after the rest of the Rosenfelt oeuvre! show less

A bit of a crazy premise, though maybe not for this series. Andy Carpenter is a dog lover first and a lawyer second. He's a bit lazy, and somewhat wealthy via an inheritance, so he tries to avoid getting any new clients. But when his buddy on the police force asks him to take a case for a friend, he considers it. When he learns it's for the friend's dog, who is being mysteriously held and guarded by police for helping his owner commit a robbery, he can't refuse as long as he doesn't have to represent the owner, who is charged with a murder he didn't do.

He treats it much like any normal client, and starts with trying to bail him out. Lots of good humor during the story, with exchanges like this on when he first tries to see his client, show more Milo the dog and they don't want to let him near the dog:

“Okay,” I say, and then look past him so I can talk directly to Milo. “Milo, don’t talk to anybody about anything. Anybody asks you something, refer them to your lawyer. If you need anything, cigarettes, reading material, whatever, just tell the guard.”

This is typical Andy Carpenter wisecracking.

We find out that the dog is being held and guarded due to a request from the federal authorities, but they don't want to say why. Andy manages to secure the dog's release to him on his own recognizance since he's never been arrested before and isn't a member of the dog Costra Nostra or anything like that.

The story actually is pretty good in addition to being pretty hilarious, which to me is the appeal of this series. show less

Mr. Rosenfelt is a favorite of mine when it comes to “humerous thrillers” (is that even a book genre?). Admittedly, the stories follow a familiar pattern but Andy Carpenter’s sarcastic wit always makes me smile or, dare I admit it, actually laugh out loud.

In this installment we have an ex-cop/war vet/amputee turned thief and his trusty sidekick ex-police dog. They happen to witness a murder while committing a crime and are, of course, the primary suspects. Both incarcerated until trial, Andy springs the dog and discovers that this case is about much more than a mere murder … not solving it could lead to world crisis. So Andy, his entourage and the reader are off to the races. I liked it.

international-crime-and-mystery, law-enforcement, lawyers, conspiracy, murder, murder-investigation, friendship, dogs, contract-killer, situational-humor, snark-fest, verbal-humor, ex-cop, ex-military, greed*****

Take a wisemouthed lawyer who can afford to take semi retirement by only representing innocent clients while supporting an animal shelter, add in that his wife is no longer law enforcement but works as his private investigator and more and you have the baseline for this convoluted mystery. There are many other people who help Andy find out what the truth really is and make it courtroom admissible. This one is kind of scary in the *it is uncomfortably possible* sense. No spoilers, and the snarkfest keeps it from being too show more realistic. Lots of twists and turns in the plot and the characters certainly are, but there's no need for spoilers or an attempt at a summary. I found it to be a real brain grabber and it is one in a series of interesting and well written mysteries. At no time does the reader feel lost or as if missing background info.
Grover Gardner narrates this complicated snarkfest very well! show less

It was only a few years ago that defense attorney Andy Carpenter received an unexpected inheritance large enough that he can now cherry-pick the cases he accepts. He is now semi-retired, living happily with his girlfriend Laurie and his beloved golden retriever Tara. Pete (Andy’s friend on the police force) asks him for a favor – a good friend and ex-cop has been arrested for murder and his german shepherd Milo has been incarcerated as well. Andy agrees to represent Milo and see him freed, which he accomplishes easily. Springing Milo’s owner Billy Zimmerman though, won’t be nearly as easy.

Rosenfelt’s books are always a pleasure to read. You have to love a character who loves dogs so much. That said, I would also be happy if show more Rosenfelt wrote a crime novel that didn’t involve representing pets so much. He is straining credulity with the last few books. But I’ll still read his next one because they are such fun, easy page-turners.
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An ex-cop and war veteran and his retired police dog have a new career - thievery. But when Billy is arrested for a murder he didn't commit, he'll need more than his faithful dog Milo to get him off. Enter Andy Carpenter, relunctant lawyer and dog lover. But he's the right person leading the team that with a lot of work and even more luck, may just be able to free Billy from prison. A well-told tale with great characters and a sprinkling of humor, this thriller will keep you turning pages.