Publisher's Weekly Review
Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt's winning 20th mystery featuring Paterson, N.J., defense attorney Andy Carpenter (after Bark of Night) focuses on a cold case: the murder of 18-year-old Kristen McNeil, whose body was found near an abandoned stadium 14 years earlier. For Christmas, little Danny Traynor has three wishes: a coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, and for Santa to find his daddy and bring him home. Laurie, Andy's former police lieutenant wife who knows Danny's mom, talks Andy into tracking down the boy's father, Noah. Noah is in fact hiding from the police, who are about to arrest him for Kristen's murder, based on new DNA evidence that links Noah to the crime. It looks like a slam dunk for the prosecutor, but when Andy and his team start to dig, they uncover a larger conspiracy that puts Andy's life at risk. Meanwhile, Andy establishes a genial relationship with Simon, a retired police dog, and Simon's handler. A strong plot, likable characters, and plenty of wry humor keep the pages turning. Dog lovers won't want to miss this one. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (Oct.)
Kirkus Review
Only one of Paterson attorney Andy Carpenter's two new cases seriously involves a dog, but that dog is the star of his show.Sgt. Corey Douglas, Andy's sometime adversary, is retiring from the Paterson Police Department, and he'd like his canine partner, Simon Garfunkel, to join him. But although Simon has put in seven stalwart sniffing years and is starting to show signs of arthritis, he's only nine, one year shy of the department's retirement age for dogs. So Andy agrees to represent himthat's right, Simon is his clientin his species discrimination suit against the department. Sadly, that suit is settled all too quickly, leaving the way clear for a second case that's both more consequential and more routine. Young Danny Traynor sends three Christmas wishes to a local giving treea coat for his mother, a sweater for his dachshund, Murphy, and the safe return of his fatherthat attract the attention of Laurie Collins, Andy's wife and investigator. The sweater is a simple matter, but the problem of freelance writer Noah Traynor is much more serious, since he's just been arrested for the strangling of college-bound Kristen McNeil 14 years ago after his brother's submission to a DNA registry finally leads the police to Noah's door. The circumstantial evidence against Danny's father is daunting, but Andy is dauntless, and he's soon bringing his trademark wisecracks into court once more. A newly discovered bit of evidence turns the case upside down at the last minute, though readers familiar with Rosenfelt's fondness for double twists (Bark of Night, 2019, etc.) will be too canny to take even this late-breaking news flash at face value.The main course can't top the opening act because the dog is the consistently amusing hero's most appealing client ever. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Try to ignore the shaky pun of the title and the fact that the pup appears only long enough in the beginning to set the plot in motion. The novel quickly becomes a diverting procedural, the latest in author Rosenfelt's maturing series featuring lazy, dog-loving lawyer Andy Carpenter. His client stands accused falsely, of course of a 14-year-old murder, and to spring him, Andy must also, of course find the real killer. Andy's poking about reveals a deeper mystery, complete with murderous attacks, the puzzling involvement of world-class criminals, and a sinister plot concerning ""routers."" Andy has to do research to find out what those are. Or, being Andy, he gets a friend to do it. Readers might be relieved that Andy's tiresome high-school humor, incessant in the earlier novels, is fading. Answering a threat with ""These hands are registered with the American Bar Association"" is as bad as it gets. And it's a pleasure to read a mystery where every sentence, even every word, advances the plot or comments on it.--Don Crinklaw Copyright 2010 Booklist
