Fri 7 Feb 2020
A Mystery Review by LJ Roberts: DAVID ROSENFELT – Dachshund Through the Snow.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[4] Comments
Reviews by L. J. Roberts
DAVID ROSENFELT – Dachshund Through the Snow. Andy Carpenter #20. Minotaur Books, hardcover, October 2019.
First Sentence: It has been almost fourteen years since Kristen McNeil’s body was discovered.
A tag on a Christmas charity wish tree leads attorney Andy Carpenter and his wife Laurie to a young boy wanting his father Noah Traynor to be brought home. The murder, for which Noah has been arrested, was a cold case until his DNA is identified on the victim’s body. In the meantime, K-9 officer Sergeant Corey Douglas is about to retire, but his dog, Simon, still has time left to work. Corey wants Andy to help him get Simon released to retire with him. Andy agrees to represent Simon on the basis of species discrimination.
How refreshing it is when characters defy stereotype. Laurie, Andy’s wife, is the type of person one aspires to be; kind, generous, compassionate toward people. She is an ex-cop, and very capable of taking care of herself and Andy. Andy, on the other hand, is a lawyer who keeps trying to retire from the law and is passionate about dogs. As a self-described weakling, he depends upon Laurie and the indomitable Marcus to protect him. There are interludes of Andy at home with his family and friends, yet they avoid the over-sentimentality such interaction can bring about.
Rosenfelt’s courtroom scenes are a pleasure to read. They are well presented and honest, even when the client is decidedly unusual. He creates an excellent analogy by likening a court case to a mountain climb such as Mt. Everest, and through it, introduces the rest of Andy’s quirky and memorable team.
It is always tragic when someone young dies. It is appreciated when Rosenfelt acknowledges one of the great sorrows of such a death– ‘It also once again highlights the terrible loss that occurred when her best friend died; Kristen might have gone on to bring other people into the world or cure some disease or just do kind things for people that needed kindness.”
The story includes alternative POVs, but only when needed to move the plot forward by characters other than the protagonist. Rosenfelt creates a plot which seems simple but grows into something more complicated and more dangerous as it progresses. Be aware; despite the cute dog on the cover, this is not a cozy. Rosenfelt does like his body count, but the scenes aren’t particularly gory. He is also very good at the unexpected, and very effective, plot twist, and a fun mention which lightens the situation.
The dialogue is so well written, the courtroom exchanges come alive. Along with the on-going outside investigation, in which there is a very nice escalation of suspense, plot twist, and an excellent red herring, one feels the anticipation of awaiting the jury’s decision.
Dachshund Through the Snow is a well-done legal mystery with plenty of twists and suspense. A very nice aftermath hints at the future of the series.
Rating: Very Good.
The Andy Carpenter series —
1. Open and Shut (2002)
2. First Degree (2003)
3. Bury the Lead (2004)
4. Sudden Death (2005)
5. Dead Center (2006)
6. Play Dead (2007)
7. New Tricks (2009)
8. Dog Tags (2010)
9. One Dog Night (2011)
10. Leader of the Pack (2012)
11. Unleashed (2013)
12. Hounded (2014)
13. Who Let the Dog Out? (2015)
14. Outfoxed (2016)
15. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (2016)
16. Collared (2017)
17. Rescued (2018)
18. Deck the Hounds (2018)
19. Bark of Night (2019)
20. Dachshund Through the Snow (2019)
21. Muzzled (2020)
22. Silent Bite (2020)
February 8th, 2020 at 10:01 am
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:
“Obviously the covers and titles of this series have been lying to me all these years.”
https://mysteryfile.com/blog/?p=63711#comments
The publishers of this book must know what they’re doing, but I think they’re disappointing devout readers of cozies who buy this book and missing out on readers (like me) who see the cover and say no way.
February 8th, 2020 at 6:52 pm
I have to admit the cover is a total turn off to me, but that title might almost make up for it.
February 8th, 2020 at 11:31 pm
I have to agree with Steve, maybe the publisher knows something I don’t, but that is a great cozy title, but not something that I would ever think of reading, even after the review. Obviously the series has gone on for a while and has gotten good reviews, but wonder how many people bought it thinking it was a cozy or like me stay away just because of the title.
Also, the first five books had normal titles, after that every one seems dog related.
February 9th, 2020 at 1:01 am
It is odd they are titled as they are, but trust me, “Bark of the Night” had more bodies were strewn about than Agatha Christie, but I don’t consider her a cozy writer either.
In an interview I saw of Rosenfelt, he claims the publisher (Minotaur) actually creates the cover art and the titles after which he has to write the books. Challenging, indeed.
Rosenfelt was a very successful lawyer who loves dogs. He writes principally to make money for his Tara Foundation, which rescues dogs.
http://jaquo.com/david-rosenfelt-tara-foundation/