Kirkus Review
Dog-loving Andy Carpenter, Paterson, New Jersey's gift to the criminal bar, gets another chance at a murder case he lost six years earlier. Not even Joey Desimone disputes that his father, Carmine, runs one of central New Jersey's dominant crime families, or that Joey carried on an adulterous affair with Karen Solarno, or that he was angry and hurt when she broke it off to give her marriage another shot. But Joey vigorously disputed prosecutor Dylan Campbell's accusation that he rang the Solarnos' doorbell and gunned down Karen and her husband, Richard. Despite Andy's best efforts, Joey's story didn't sway a jury of his peers, and he's already done six years of his life sentence when Andy, following an unwitting tip he's gotten from Carmine's aging brother and enforcer Nicky Fats, realizes that Richard Solarno was up to his gizzard in gunrunning and that a group of his clients, paramilitary survivalists who deemed a shipment he supplied short on firepower, had threatened his life--facts that Lt. Kyle Wagner of the Montana State Police not only knew, but duly reported to Dylan Campbell six years ago. Even Henry "Hatchet" Henderson, the irascible judge who seems to preside over all Andy's trials (Dog Tags, 2010, etc.), acknowledges that the prosecution's concealment of such exculpatory evidence constitutes grounds for a new trial. If only the trail weren't so cold--and cooling further every day, thanks to the executions of Nicky Fats, Carmine and associates as far away as Peru at the hands of Simon Ryerson, a Harvard MBA who thinks the time is ripe for a hostile takeover of the Desimone empire and doesn't mind stepping on Joey's toes in order to close the deal. The mob intrigue, as is customary with Rosenfelt (On Borrowed Time, 2011, etc.), is unconvincing, and, despite the title, there's not much for dog fanciers this time around. But Andy is as effervescent as ever, and the courtroom byplay is consistently entertaining.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Andy Carpenter, that lazy lawyer, wealthy idler, rescuer of homeless dogs and sometimes the rest of the world as well, is back. This entertaining novel begins with a couple of efficient murders and switches to a soft moment: Andy takes his dog on a therapy visit to a gaga old man, who, in a lucid interval, blurts something startling. Later the man is found dead in his shower. The verdict? Accident. But Andy, in a flash that reveals the watchful detective mind under the sloth, spots the errant detail. The rest of the book is like that, as it opens to a world of murderous crime lords and drug dealers: the clues are there. Irritants in the earlier novels a self-conscious lowbrow streak, an irreverence edging into uncalled-for sarcasm are minimal here, but Carpenter has too easy a time scoring off and defeating anybody who challenges him. Still, there are some well-worked action scenes and fiery courtroom clashes, adding up to a good-natured read that isn't quite as easygoing as it seems. Like its hero.--Crinklaw, Don Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Lawyer Andy Carpenter (Dog Tags) is back reinvestigating a case he lost. He believes that his client Joey Desimone, now serving a life sentence in prison for murder, is innocent. The problem is that Joey is the son of a local Mafia don. Joey asks Andy to visit Joey's elderly uncle with Tara, his golden retriever. As always, Tara connects with the uncle, a former mob enforcer whose mental faculties are declining, but the uncle makes some statements that might hold clues to Joey's freedom. Nothing if not persistent, Andy follows that thread into a violent and troubled world. VERDICT Rosenfelt writes with sarcasm and a self-deprecating humor that is hard to resist. Although dogs take a backseat to the story, the author takes the suspense up a notch, and the riveting plot won't disappoint fans.-Susan Hayes, Chattahoochee Valley Libs., Columbus, GA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
