Caturday Reads: You can't outfox this lawyer
Outfoxed
by David Rosenfelt
St. Martin's Press
Minotaur Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 19 Jul 2016
Review
Outfoxed is an incredible mystery that keeps readers on edge, as there not only is a double murder to be solved, there is an innocent man on trial for the crime who needs a strong defense - and a dog waiting for his partner to be exonerated.
Andy Carpenter much prefers working with the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he founded, than working as a defense attorney. His love of dogs and involvement in a county prison program where inmates train dogs leads to his involvement with Brian Atkins, a white collar criminal nearing the end of his sentence. Just weeks before his parole hearing he breaks out of prison with his dog Boomer. He is witnessed leaving his wife's home where her body and that of his partner are discovered brutally murdered. Brian is innocent, but blames himself as his wife had uncovered that someone in the business had dealings with Petrone, a well known mobster.
When you dig into Outfoxed you find a mystery that is complex and characters who are very human in their thoughts, feelings, and way they interact. It was a pleasure to observe how Andy and his wife spoke to each other, mingling jokes with utter seriousness, and the way they cared for their adopted son. David Rosenfelt writes with humor and heart, making Andy and his friends easy to admire, but still ultimately human. David Rosenfelt skillfully works these quirks into the plot, using Andy's son's in school bookmaking to bring up the topic of gambling which plays an important role in the plot.
David Rosenfelt's skill as a writer makes it no surprise that this series has numerous fans. I for one can be added to that number after reading Outfoxed. A thrilling, immersive mystery and dogs what more could a mystery lover ask for?
5/5
I received a copy of Outfoxed from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
Defense lawyer Andy Carpenter spends as much time as he can working on his true passion, the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs. Lately, Andy has been especially involved in a county prison program where inmates help train dogs the Tara Foundation has rescued to make them more adoptable, benefiting both the dogs and the prisoners. One of the prisoners Andy has been working with is Brian Atkins, who has 18 months left on a 5-year term for fraud. Brian has been helping to train Boomer, an adorable fox terrier the Tara Foundation rescued from a neglectful owner. Brian and Boomer are clearly a terrific match. In fact, Andy hopes that Brian will adopt Boomer himself, once his sentence is up. But one day, Andy arrives at the prison to discover that Brian has used Boomer to make an ingenious escape, and man and dog are both in the wind. The next day, the man on whose testimony Brian was convicted is found murdered. Brian is caught and arrested for the crime, though he forcefully protests his innocence. Suddenly, Andy finds himself with a new client in Brian and a new dog in Boomer. And as he starts to dig deeper into the murder and the events leading up to it, Andy realizes he might be putting them all in far more danger than anyone had realized.
