In spite of the clever title, “‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas,” David Rosenfelt’s newest Andy Carpenter mystery does not feature any dogs who bite, especially not the adorable Dalmatian on the cover. What this holiday-themed novel does have, and what almost all of Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter mysteries have, are clever plots, lots of bad guys, one very innocent guy who is being framed, more twists than even Santa’s most challenging routes, and many sweet rescue dogs. Add in one curmudgeonly, reluctant attorney who loves rescuing dogs and hates practicing law, and the plot is set.
It’s almost Christmas and our beloved, sports-loving, holiday-hating attorney is hosting a party for his rescue, the Tara Foundation. Those in the know know that this rescue is based on the real life Tara Foundation, started by Rosenfelt and his wife, in honor of their much loved golden retriever Tara, “The best dog in the whole world,” as he will unequivocally state. But during this holiday party for the fiction version of the rescue, Andy’s friend and captain of the homicide division of the Paterson Police, Pete Stanton, calls him on the phone and asks him to bring one of the rescue’s volunteers outside. That volunteer is arrested and charged with murder.
Derek Moore is one of the foundation’s best volunteers, and he has two dogs he adopted from them, a Dalmatian and a golden retriever. Andy has a hard time thinking he’s a vicious murderer. As usual, Andy reluctantly agrees to help him by representing him in court. In addition to Andy’s self-deprecating first person narrative, filled with Rosenfelt’s wry humor, there are short chapters written in third person narrative which give details about a mysterious series of events, which we are sure will eventually be explained and will lead to proof that Derek Moore is innocent of any crime.
Longtime fans of the Andy Carpenter series won’t be disappointed because this addition to the long-running series includes the trademark twists of brilliance by Andy just as the trial is almost over, Andy’s snarky sense of humor which manages to piss off every judge he’s ever appeared in front of, and Andy’s at-times comic group of helpers including a geriatric wanna-be spy who is a tech genius, a bodyguard who would put any television superhero to shame with his display of physical prowess, an intrepid and intelligent wife who was a cop in a previous life, another former police officer who comes with his own K-9 (and honesty check—the K-9 does indeed bite someone), and a nearly nonexistent office manager/secretary who is always away on vacation but still receives her paychecks.
Add in a few gang members and some mafioso types, plenty of unravelling of disparate clues and events, and you have another clever, humorous, dog-filled mystery. You will chow down on this Andy Carpenter mystery as if you were a Labrador retriever in front of a bowl of prime quality chopped steak—because it’s nonstop pleasure on every savory page. Happy holidays.
This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.