Book Review: Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt

Dog Tags
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: Andy Carpenter (Book 8)
Publication: Grand Central Publishing; Reprint edition (June 1, 2011)

Description: In this "riveting" legal thriller, a German Shepherd police dog witnesses a murder -- and if his owner, an Iraq war vet and former cop-turned-thief, is convicted of the crime, the dog could be put down (Publishers Weekly).

Few rival Andy Carpenter's affection for dogs, and he decides to represent the poor canine. As Andy struggles to convince a judge that this dog should be set free, he discovers that the dog and his owner have become involved unwittingly in a case of much greater proportions than the one they've been charged with.

Andy will have to call upon the unique abilities of this ex-police dog to help solve the crime and prevent a catastrophic event from taking place.

My Thoughts: This eighth book in the Andy Carpenter series has Andy defending a German Shepherd named Milo. Milo was taken away from his owner Billy when Billy was accused of murdering a man named Erskine. Now, for some reason no one will explain, Milo is in a kennel and there is a twenty-four hour guard outside his cage. 

Andy and his new fellow lawyer Hike manage to get Milo out of the kennel but no one will explain why he was under guard there. Since Billy is a friend of Andy's friend Pete which convinces Andy to take Billy's case. Billy was a former cop turned soldier who lost his leg in an explosion that killed 20 in Iraq and who has turned to theft to make his living upon his return to the US. 

Erskine was in charge of the security for the bombing that injured Billy which looks to give him a good motive for killing him. And there is all sorts of evidence not least of which is that he was found standing over Erskine's body and his prints were on the murder weapon. 

As Andy investigates, he comes to believe that Erskine's death was only a small part of a much bigger plot. Other points of view in the story confirm this since we hear from the killer who is taking care of loose ends and the man who is in command of this secretive operation. Andy is even more sure that there is more to discover when he learns that both the FBI and the Army want to interview one of his witnesses.

This was an engaging mystery. I like Andy's sarcastic personality and his unabashed love for dogs. I also like his relationship with Laurie who is still recovering from events in a previous book. Fans of the series will enjoy this episode. 

Favorite Quote:

The good news is that Judge Catchings then decides to put off Eli's first witness until tomorrow. The bad news is that there is likely to be a tomorrow.

I bought this one December 17, 2022. You can buy your copy here.