Silent Bite

August 10, 2020
Edgar finalist Rosenfelt’s entertaining 22nd mystery featuring semiretired defense attorney Andy Carpenter (after Muzzled) finds Andy and his family returning home to Paterson, N.J., after a Caribbean cruise, which he didn’t particularly enjoy, when he gets a call from Willie Miller, his friend and partner in the Tara Foundation, a dog-rescue operation. Willie wants Andy to defend Tony Birch, who was paroled from prison three years earlier following a manslaughter conviction. Tony has since been on the straight and narrow, recently taking over the shop where he worked as a mechanic after the owner retired. Now evidence is stacking up against Tony for the murder of a former associate of his who testified against him at his manslaughter trial. The fatal shooting of another former associate of Tony’s raises the ante. Andy steps into the courtroom to defend his client with the sublime self-assurance of Perry Mason. Loads of dog lore and Andy’s gripes about things that get under his skin add to the fun. This long-running series remains as fresh as ever. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House.

Listeners' favorite lazy, dog-loving lawyer returns. This time, Andy Carpenter gets dragooned into defending a convicted felon when the man is charged with murder. Narrator Grover Gardner performs the first-person narration. Listeners will be convinced they're hearing the wisecracking Andy himself and find themselves chuckling throughout the story. When Andy has to face the possibility that he has come up against a high-level gang boss, Gardner captures the discomfort mixed with bravado that Andy shows the world. Listeners will find especially endearing Andy's love of dogs, which tends to drag him into taking seemingly impossible cases despite his hatred of work. V.M.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine