(Please note: This is a reprint of an earlier article. The ‘Andy Carpenter’ series is ongoing — thank goodness!)

Rating: 5 stars

If you haven’t read any novels by David Rosenfelt, read Dog Tags, and I guarantee that it won’t be the last of his books you will read. Chances are that you will immediately head to your local library or bookstore (or Amazon.com) and order the whole Andy Carpenter series.

I couldn’t put the book down. Rosenfelt’s writing style is clever and chatty. The story is told from two viewpoints: a third-person omniscient narration and a hilarious first-person narration by the main character, Andy Carpenter. The narration is compelling and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny.

From the author’s website:

A German Shepherd police dog witnesses a murder and if his owner–an Iraq war vet and former cop-turned-thief–is convicted of the crime, the dog could be put down. Few rival Andy Carpenter’s affection for dogs, and he decides to represent the poor canine. As Andy struggles to convince a judge that this dog should be set free, he discovers that the dog and his owner have become involved unwittingly in a case of much greater proportions than the one they’ve been charged with. Andy will have to call upon the unique abilities of this ex-police dog to help solve the crime and prevent a catastrophic event from taking place.

Murder scenes alternate with doggy-human trust building sessions; courtroom scenes alternate with army base visits. And clues abound. Andy Carpenter, his girlfriend, and a cast of characters (and I do mean characters) get the job done. They solve the murder, save the country, and, of course, save the dog. And on the way, it’s a non-stop ride from Paterson, New Jersey all the way to the Bahamas. But most of the action takes place in Paterson, Rosenfelt’s childhood hometown.

David Rosenfelt’s website reads like one of his novels; his bio is fascinating. He is a true dog lover (like authors Peg Kehret and Dean Koontz), but David takes it one step further and has his own rescue, Tara Foundation. Many of his travels around the country signing books are benefits for various Golden rescue groups. There is a great photo of a bunch of fat, happy Goldens lying around his house.