Publishers Weekly
08/12/2019
Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt’s winning 20th mystery featuring Paterson, N.J., defense attorney Andy Carpenter (after Bark of Night) focuses on a cold case: the murder of 18-year-old Kristen McNeil, whose body was found near an abandoned stadium 14 years earlier. For Christmas, little Danny Traynor has three wishes: a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, and for Santa to find his daddy and bring him home. Laurie, Andy’s former police lieutenant wife who knows Danny’s mom, talks Andy into tracking down the boy’s father, Noah. Noah is in fact hiding from the police, who are about to arrest him for Kristen’s murder, based on new DNA evidence that links Noah to the crime. It looks like a slam dunk for the prosecutor, but when Andy and his team start to dig, they uncover a larger conspiracy that puts Andy’s life at risk. Meanwhile, Andy establishes a genial relationship with Simon, a retired police dog, and Simon’s handler. A strong plot, likable characters, and plenty of wry humor keep the pages turning. Dog lovers won’t want to miss this one. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
A strong plot, likable characters, and plenty of wry humor keep the pages turning. Dog lovers won’t want to miss this one.” – Publishers Weekly
“The main course can't top the opening act because the dog is the consistently amusing hero's most appealing client ever.” — Kirkus Reviews
"It's a pleasure to read a mystery where every sentence, even every word, advances the plot or comments on it." — Booklist
“This book was a romping good time, perfect for taking a break through the stressful holidays . . . The action and the fun never stop, and I enjoyed reading it very much . . . David Rosenfelt gets two paws up and a tail wag from me.” — Dogster Magazine
“If you love dogs (and even if you don’t but love a good mystery), you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of David Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter mystery series . . . Talk about hitting all the right buttons. Intelligent mystery, dialogue, twists, red-herrings, and dogs.” — Rosepoint Publishing
“This is a fun, feel-good story that also has depth and complexity . . . Andy’s humor and the overall tone make this a light read, but beneath the surface we’re given much to consider.” — Quiet Fury Books
“Andy’s team has been unstoppable in this series, and this book is no exception. Andy’s relationship with each and every one of them is my favorite part of the series, and reading Rosenfelt's books is as comfortable as slippers and hot chocolate.” — Madderly Review
“Dachshund Through the Snow is one of the best in the series. A couple of authentic laughs, a lot of smiles, some warm fuzzies. a very clever mystery, and some good quality time with old friends—it’s a genuinely good time.” — The Irresponsible Reader
“In my recollection, there has never been a bad book featuring Andy Carpenter and his assorted team of assistants.” — Book Bitch
OCTOBER 2019 - AudioFile
Narrator Grover Gardner delivers an exciting performance as the character of Andy Carpenter, an eccentric lawyer who hates to work but gets roped by his wife into defending a man accused of a fourteen-year-old murder. With effective pacing and a sense of energy sometimes held back deliberately and at other times released with gusto, Gardner makes the experience of listening to this audiobook as delightful as can be. Listeners will hang on every word as Andy fights to free his client. He becomes especially endearing to listeners when he takes on an additional client, a police dog, an action that leads to Andy's salvation later in the audiobook. V.M.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2019-07-28
Only one of Paterson attorney Andy Carpenter's two new cases seriously involves a dog, but that dog is the star of his show.
Sgt. Corey Douglas, Andy's sometime adversary, is retiring from the Paterson Police Department, and he'd like his canine partner, Simon Garfunkel, to join him. But although Simon has put in seven stalwart sniffing years and is starting to show signs of arthritis, he's only nine, one year shy of the department's retirement age for dogs. So Andy agrees to represent him—that's right, Simon is his client—in his species discrimination suit against the department. Sadly, that suit is settled all too quickly, leaving the way clear for a second case that's both more consequential and more routine. Young Danny Traynor sends three Christmas wishes to a local giving tree—a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, Murphy, and the safe return of his father—that attract the attention of Laurie Collins, Andy's wife and investigator. The sweater is a simple matter, but the problem of freelance writer Noah Traynor is much more serious, since he's just been arrested for the strangling of college-bound Kristen McNeil 14 years ago after his brother's submission to a DNA registry finally leads the police to Noah's door. The circumstantial evidence against Danny's father is daunting, but Andy is dauntless, and he's soon bringing his trademark wisecracks into court once more. A newly discovered bit of evidence turns the case upside down at the last minute, though readers familiar with Rosenfelt's fondness for double twists (Bark of Night, 2019, etc.) will be too canny to take even this late-breaking news flash at face value.
The main course can't top the opening act because the dog is the consistently amusing hero's most appealing client ever.