Best in Snow by David Rosenfelt

Nothing better to kick off the Christmas season than the new Andy Carpenter novel from David Rosenfelt, Best in Snow. (Christmas season, according to Andy’s wife Laurie, starts around October and lasts for four months.) Andy is out in the park walking the dogs in the freshly fallen snow when beloved Golden Retriever Tara literally digs up the body of the freshly murdered Mayor of Patterson, New Jersey. The police waste no time arresting a journalist, Bobby Nash, whose negative story about the Mayor landed him in hot water and cost him his job when the story was proven false. Andy’s buddy Vince insists he’s a good kid who couldn’t possibly have done it and just like that, reluctant attorney Andy Carpenter has a new client.

Soon, more bodies start to pile up as bombs are literally going off all over Patterson. The former Mayor was a front-runner for Governor. Now there’s a new front-runner as well as a hotly contested mayors race. As if that weren’t enough, a gangster from Detroit is spotted in the area. This leads to no shortage of suspects and possible motives that Andy has to sift through if he is going to keep his client from spending the rest of his life in jail. Andy, as is often the case, becomes a target himself, letting him know that there is definitely more here than meets the eye.

Fortunately for Nash, Andy has a brilliant legal mind and an eclectic but talented group of investigators and legal team at his disposal. This is a wonderful mystery that will have you puzzling over every development from beginning to end. Rosenfelt is a master at spinning out these plot threads before eventually tying them all together in a big satisfying bow. The story is filled with wit, humor, and plenty of excitement. Andy’s team and his friends are both hilariously familiar and simultaneously full of surprises. This book is a treat for series fans as well as easy for new readers to jump into.

Audiobook is my preferred way to take in an Andy Carpenter story because narrator Grover Gardner absolutely crushes it every time and he does so here once again. His tone and inflection perfectly capture the dry, sarcastic humor of Andy and particularly his banter with newspaper editor Vince and police chief Pete. They share a recognizably juvenile, insult-based camaraderie common to men who would do anything for one another. This is conveyed by the words on the page and made manifest by Gardner’s excellent delivery. His voicing of Marcus, Laurie’s ex-partner and ofttimes secret bodyguard for Andy, makes me laugh out loud every single time.

Treat yourself to this wonderful book and series. You won’t regret it.

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