The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (Andy Carpenter Series #15)

by David Rosenfelt Narrated by Grover Gardner

Overview

"Grover Gardner's narration of Rosenfelt's whodunits is what good audiobooks are all about, and this newest performance is a prime example. Gardner's delightful portrayal of defense lawyer Andy Carpenter continues to be fresh, allowing listeners to glimpse Andy's soft heart and humor, despite his often cynical view of the world." - AudioFile Magazine on Outfoxed


"Gardner's breezy, slightly sarcastic delivery is just what's needed for Rosenfelt's breezy, slightly sarcastic mysteries featuring multimillionaire New Jersey lawyer Andy Carpenter." - Publishers Weekly on Play Dead

Defense lawyer Andy Carpenter usually tries to avoid taking on new cases at all costs. But this time, he's happy-eager, even-to take the case that's just come his way. Andy's long-time friend Martha “Pups” Boyer takes in stray puppies that the local dog rescue center can't handle, raises them until they're old enough to adopt, and then finds good homes for them. Not everyone admires the work Pups does as much as Andy does, however. With Christmas just around the corner, one of Pups's neighbors has just reported Pups to the city for having more than the legal number of pets in her home under the local zoning laws.

Andy happily takes Pups's case, and he feels confident in a positive outcome. Who could punish someone for rescuing puppies, after all, especially at Christmastime? But things get a lot more complicated when Randy Hennessey, the neighbor who registered the complaint against Pups, turns up dead. Pups had loudly and publicly threatened Hennessey after he filed his complaint, and Pups was also the one to find his body. All the evidence seems to point to Pups as the killer, and suddenly Andy has a murder case on his hands. He doesn't believe Pups could be guilty, but as he starts digging deeper into the truth behind Hennessey's murder, Andy may find himself facing a killer more dangerous than he ever imagined.

With his trademark wit, larger-than-life characters, and clever plotting, David Rosenfelt delivers another gripping mystery.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

08/22/2016
Martha “Pups” Boyer, who’s at the center of Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt’s entertaining 15th legal thriller featuring Patterson, N.J., attorney Andy Carpenter (after Outfoxed), earned her nickname for her efforts to take in stray puppies that the local animal shelter can’t handle and find them permanent homes. Near the holidays, Pups’s new neighbor, Randy Hennessey, reports her for keeping more than the legal limit of animals. Andy, a long-time friend of Pups, figures that puppies and Christmas are key words that will ensure that the case is dismissed. He’s right. But when Randy turns up dead, Pups is arrested for his murder. The evidence is stacked against her, but Andy refuses to believe Pups guilty. On the other hand, Andy and his team discover some alarming discrepancies when they dig through the assets of the wealthy Pups and her late husband. Rosenfelt integrates Andy’s vocation of finding rescued dogs permanent homes—which the author shares with his character—without overwhelming the story. Author tour. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Praise for The Twelve Dogs of Christmas

“Heartwarming… Carpenter’s endearing first-person narrative moves the story along with just the right mixture of humor and suspense.” — Associated Press on The Twelve Dogs of Christmas

“I loved it. This is a courtroom drama with charm and a really clever plot…Dog lovers will adore this book but serious mystery fans will love the puzzle.” —The Globe and Mail

“Dog lovers across the country drool at the thought of a new mystery about the curmudgeonly lovable lawyer and his quirky entourage…In each and every book, Rosenfelt manages to make the reading both humorous (laugh-out-loud funny) and edge-of-your-seat suspenseful.” —Huffington Post

“Rosenfelt integrates Andy’s vocation of finding rescued dogs permanent homes—which the author shares with his character—without overwhelming the story.”—Publishers Weekly

Praise for David Rosenfelt and The Andy Carpenter Mysteries

“Dog lovers won’t want to miss this one.” – Publishers Weekly on Dachshund Through the Snow

“This book was a romping good time, perfect for taking a break through the stressful holidays.” — Dogster Magazine on Dachshund Through the Snow

“All the elements dedicated readers will be expecting, wrapped up in a festive Yuletide setting. . . sweet moments of puppy love will have readers smiling.” — Library Journal (starred review) on Deck the Hounds

“As is always the case with Rosenfelt's Carpenter novels, nearly every page will elicit a smile, if not out-loud laughter.” —NJ.com on Deck the Hounds

Library Journal

10/15/2016
Rosenfelt's 15th mystery featuring Paterson, NJ-based defense attorney Andy Carpenter (Outfoxed) takes on the case of Martha "Pups" Boyer, who earned her nickname after years of rescuing and placing stray puppies. However, a neighbor complained to the city about the dogs, and now Pups is due in court to fight the zoning law. Although she wins that battle, she's soon hauled off to jail for allegedly killing the complainant. To make matters worse, that case calls into question the death of Pups's husband. Now Andy will have to prove her innocence and avoid the killer. VERDICT The wisecracking, dog-loving attorney still has plenty of appeal in this fast-paced Christmas mystery that avoids any holiday sentimentality. [See Prepub Alert, 4/10/16.]

Kirkus Review

2016-07-28
Rosenfelt, who continues to write some of the best hooks in the genre, saddles attorney Andy Carpenter (Outfoxed, 2015, etc.) with a client who’s got only six months to brighten her Paterson neighborhood—if a guilty verdict doesn’t remove her from her home first.Despite all Andy’s coaching and beseeching, irrepressible Martha Boyer, universally known as Pups, is already on record as having threatened Randy Hennessey, the neighbor who filed a legal complaint against her houseful of two dozen rescue dogs, in open court. Andy gets the case dismissed, but before he can begin to gloat properly, Hennessey is dismissed, too—by a handgun that turns up in Pups’ basement shortly after a neighbor sees her leaving his house. Her story that her former legal adversary had asked her to come over so he could apologize and give her a present sounds highly implausible even to Andy. What really complicates the case, though, are a pair of unwelcome developments that seem to come out of nowhere: the news that Pups’ recurrent cough is actually a symptom of malignant mesothelioma, a surefire death sentence, and forensic evidence that identifies the murder weapon as the same gun that widowed Pups 18 months ago, when her husband, Jake, and local Bloodz member Raymond "Little Tiny" Parker fell victim to a drive-by shooting that suddenly looks a lot more premeditated to rookie prosecutor Dan Tressel. Even getting Pups acquitted won’t end her troubles, for Jake’s long-estranged son, Hank, is ready to launch a civil suit against her in order to claim his father’s estate. Though the falling action never rises to the level of the setup, Rosenfelt’s canine-loving hero is always good company—especially when he deals with someone who’s gone to the dogs even more completely than him.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171807610
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Series:	Andy Carpenter Series , #15
Edition description:	Unabridged

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