Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt

There’s no such thing as too many Christmas mysteries, at least when they are as entertaining as David Rosenfelt’s Deck the Hounds, the 18th Andy Carpenter mystery. This time, Andy happens upon a homeless man, Don Carrigan, and gives him some money along with a gift card for his dog, Zoey. When Carrigan is attacked and Zoey confiscated because she bit the attacker, Andy’s wife urges Andy to let Carrigan use the apartment above their garage. With Zoey rescued and Carrigan installed above the garage, things are looking up. That is until Carrigan is arrested for robbery and murder.

Gradually convinced of Carrigan’s innocence, despite the presence of a hat with Carrigan’s DNA at the murder scene, Andy agrees to represent him. Using the services of his wife Laura, a retired cop/active investigator, along with their quirky cast of friends and colleagues, Andy sets out to free Carrigan. He comes to be certain that Carrigan is innocent, even as evidence stacks up against him and proof of his innocence is hard to come by. As Andy digs deeper into the case, more people start dying, and Andy himself becomes a target.

Fun is the name of the game here, even as serious issues like trauma and PTSD are touched on. Andy’s wife Laura believes Christmas starts at Thanksgiving and lasts through January. Andy finds no help from their son who is more than happy to go along with this. The moments between Andy and his family, as well as their pets and Zoey, who turns out to be expecting puppies, keep the mood light. The mystery is intriguing, even if you guess some or most of what is going on, and the courtroom scenes are a lot of fun. Andy’s wit and sarcasm will keep you smiling if not chuckling out loud. Even though the series is 18 books in, I had no trouble jumping in here as my entry point and I think other new readers would likewise find no problem.

The audio version is narrated by Grover Gardner who perfectly captures Andy’s sarcasm as well as his sincerity. He keeps the pace moving and the mood light. Gardner adds gravitas and sophistication to Carrigan’s voice, gravel to Laurie’s ex-partner’s voice and humor everywhere. The audio production adds music at the beginning and end which sets the mood and the hours fall away while you’re listening. Audio is a great way to experience this book. I’ll definitely be returning to the series and I suspect a lot of new and continuing fans will as well. Highly recommended.

I was provided a copy of this audiobook by the publisher.

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