David Rosenfelt’s 32nd (!) Andy Carpenter Mystery novel, “And to All a Good Bite,” strikes again with classic suspense, violence, and Rosenfelt’s trademark humor. Attorney Carpenter’s first person narrative is typically and hilariously on display on virtually every page — even when violence is involved — and the dialogue is consistently equally funny, all of which leads to as enjoyable a mystery novel as you are likely to find. Anywhere.

Although the shape and style of each Carpenter novel is similar to the others, each one also features some subtle differences. The first chapter, for example, almost always includes a murder, and the person who is accused of the murder almost always becomes Andy’s client even though Andy hates the pressure and stress which each murder trial causes. This one is slightly different, however. Here, a young man named Jeff Wheeler is on his way to pick up his girlfriend, but when he reaches his destination, his girlfriend’s workplace, he is shaken by a huge explosion and fire. It has hit the building he was about to enter. He tries to climb the stairs to get to her but is stopped dead in his tracks by the choking fire. She’s gone. But on the stairs, he sees a beautiful puppy in a cage, and he rescues the animal. The rescue makes him something of a hero. For a while.

As the story progresses, Wheeler becomes convinced that the fire was set by the building’s owner, a respected businessman/fine-art collector named Stanley Franklin. Franklin has recently announced that he is the fortunate discoverer (and now owner) of a treasure trove of paintings that had been stolen by the Nazis during World War ll, all of which are products of the greatest artists who ever lived. His plan is to auction them as a full set, with a starting price of S150,000,000. Only the richest people in the world, of course, will be eligible for the auction.

But only a year after the fire, Wheeler has become a very angry young man; the love of his life has been taken from him, and the perpetrator, he believes — Stanley Franklin himself — is about to become one of the super-wealthy elite via the auction. Wheeler can’t accept that ugly reality. He has spread the word about his feelings regarding Franklin’s evil, and he makes the tragic mistake of loudly verbally attacking Franklin in a restaurant with plenty of witnesses. Soon after the event, Franklin is murdered in his own home, and Wheeler is arrested.

Andy had briefly met Wheeler after the young man rescued the dog, and the two had liked each other very much. Now Wheeler wants Andy to represent him. How could dog-lover Andy turn down the request of a man who had risked his own life to rescue a dog? So Andy takes the case, and as usual in the Carpenter series, the evidence piles up against his client, and Andy faces the almost impossible job of persuading a jury that his man is innocent. Everyone except a couple of Wheeler’s close friends is convinced of Wheeler’s guilt. But Andy Carpenter and his eccentric team — Laurie, his wife, a former cop; his accountant Sam, an expert computer hacker; another investigator, Marcus, a nearly invincible physical specimen who also acts as Andy’s bodyguard; and two more investigators, Corey, also a former cop, and Corey’s ex-police dog companion, Simon Garfunkel, whose name I must mention in all of these reviews because it makes me laugh every time I see it.

We also meet along the way (1) several potential perpetrators, all of whom clearly demonstrate sufficient motivation for the crime; (2) Andy’s friends, who always depend on him to pay for their meals at their favorite restaurant; (3) other folks who may be able to provide Andy’s team with important clues; and (4) of course, several filthy criminals who may have framed Wheeler and who are violent enough to murder or attempt to murder anyone who might be able to implicate any of them in their nefarious activities — including Andy Carpenter himself.

Andy begins his defense of Jeff Wheeler at the trial realizing that job number one may be to disprove the prosecutor’s pieces of damning evidence: Wheeler’s threats toward and hatred of Franklin; and evidence found in a trash can near Wheeler’s home — a plastic bag containing papers with Wheeler’s handwriting and fingerprints — plus the gun that was used to kill Franklin. Andy will eventually counter those points with common sense arguments that may — MAY — convince the jury that they must conclude that they do not have enough evidence to convict; to find that Wheeler is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Carpenter displays his advanced degree in and of pre- verdict nervousness. He believes he has made a good case for his client, but he’s all too aware that he can’t talk about who started the fire and what relationship the explosion may have to the murder. And even if he could prove that Franklin himself was responsible, that would not prove Wheeler’s innocence. Murder is murder even if the victim is a bad guy.

David Rosenfelt possesses a unique talent. He presents a novel featuring suspense and a whole lot of blood and gore while at the same time offering the reader the opportunity to experience a breezy, light piece of real fun and entertainment. Every Carpenter Mystery is a quick and extraordinarily enjoyable read. And “And to All a Good Bite” certainly conveys all those wonderful qualities.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.