If you’ve never read an “Andy Carpenter Mystery” by David Rosenfelt, “Rescued” is certainly a fine place to start — because this entry, the seventeenth in the series, is just as entertaining, suspenseful, and laugh-out-loud funny as all the earlier sixteen.

Rosenfelt’s dry and self-effacing sense of humor is, as usual, on display on virtually every page of “Rescued.” This time, the wealthy, super-bright, and self-confessed rather lazy lawyer, Andy Carpenter, is persuaded to defend an ex-cop who’s been accused of murder. The ex-cop is also the ex-lover of Andy’s wife Laurie, who is herself an expert investigator.

Andy, at the urging of his wife, takes the case despite two important obstacles to a successful defense: first, he’s very jealous of his client, and second, the ex-lover client, Dave Kramer, appears to all concerned (except Laurie) to be guilty as sin. And, to make matters even worse, Kramer admits that he killed the victim — but insists he was acting in self-defense.

As the plot unfolds, Andy figures out that Kramer has been brilliantly framed, and the actual villain’s plan involves a dastardly conspiracy in which Kramer unwittingly plays just a small part. He, too, is a victim of that brilliant conspirator. And if the conspiracy is successfully executed, thousands of lives will be lost.

So as the humor ubiquitously accumulates, so does the suspense. That feat is Rosenfelt’s unique talent, and that talent is, of course, manifested effectively in “Rescued,” just as it is in all of Rosenfelt’s novels. Each one is a “can’t-miss” proposition.

Please note: This review is based on the final, hardcover book provided by Minotaur Books, the publisher, for review purposes.