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“There is nothing like a golden retriever. I know, I know, it’s a big planet with a lot of wonderful things, but golden retrievers are the absolute best. Mine is named Tara… The only problem she has ever caused is that I spend so much time with her in the mornings that I am almost invariably late for work.”

Whether dueling with new forensics or the local old boys’ network, irreverent defense attorney Andy Carpenter always leaves them awed with his biting wit and winning fourth-quarter game plan. But Andy prefers the company of his best friend, Tara, to the people he encounters in the courtroom. Tara, a golden retriever, is clearly smarter than half the lawyers who clog the courts of Passaic County. However, just as it seems Andy has everything figured out, his dad, New Jersey’s legendary ex-D.A., drops dead in front of him at a game in Yankee Stadium. The shocks pile on as he discovers his dad left him with two unexpected legacies: a fortune of $22 million that Andy never knew existed… and a murder case with enough racial tinder to burn down City Hall. Struggling to serve justice and bring honor to his father, Andy must dig up some explosive political skeletons – and an astonishing family secret that can close his case (and his mouth) for good.

After reading several Andy Carpenter mysteries, I thought I’d pick up the first one and see where/how it started. This story didn’t disappoint. It was also fun to see how Andy came to inherit his millions.

If you’re new to the series, there’s a lot of dry humor, enough legal explanation to help normies sort through the details without getting overwhelmed by legal jargon, and plenty of characters to keep you confused and questioning. Some of the details in this one were easier for me to predict, but I still enjoyed the story overall.

Rated PG-13 for some swearing and murder.

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For more Andy Carpenter, check out:

Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt
Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt