ARC Review: Best in Snow by David Rosenfelt

Best in Snow
Author: David Rosenfelt
Series: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (Book 24)
Publication: Minotaur Books (October 19, 2021)

Description: In this Christmas mystery, lawyer Andy Carpenter and his golden retriever, Tara, are on the beat after a body turns up in the snow and a journalist is the prime suspect.

Christmas has come early to the town of Paterson, New Jersey, in the form of a snowstorm that dumps two feet of snow on the ground. Lawyer Andy Carpenter likes snow – white Christmas and all that – but it can cause problems for the walks he takes his dogs on every day.

When Andy’s golden retriever, Tara, goes to play in the snow and instead discovers a body, Andy ends up on the phone with the local newspaper editor. The murder victim is Mayor Alex Oliva, who had an infamous relationship with the newspaper. Last year a young reporter published an expose, and Oliva had him fired for libel. Now, the young reporter – and prime suspect – is in need of a lawyer.

Andy agrees to take the case, though it’s not looking good this holiday season. The evidence is piling up faster than the snow in Best in Snow, the next Christmas mystery in the bestselling Andy Carpenter series from David Rosenfelt.

My Thoughts: This 24th Andy Carpenter mystery begins on Thanksgiving and lasts into the new year. Andy and Edna's new boyfriend are walking the dogs when Tara discovers a body buried in the new snow. Andy is surprised to find that it is the body of Mayor Alex Oliva. He is surprised again when his friend newspaper editor Vince Sanders calls him and asks him to take the case of his young former employee Bobby Nash who has been accused of the murder.

Andy isn't excited about working again since he really enjoys his retirement, but Vince is a friend. Things aren't looking good for Bobby. He was in a car accident just after the murder and doesn't remember anything. But the mayor's wife said Bobby had phoned with threats and the mayor's blood was found in the trunk of Bobby's car.

Andy has lots of questions. Why transport the body three blocks from the murder site to dump it in a park? Who wanted the mayor dead besides Bobby? What is true about the newspaper article that cost Bobby his job and that claimed the mayor was receiving under the counter money from a local business man? The biggest question is why someone would kill the mayor and try to frame Bobby for it. 

As the evidence piles up against Bobby including the presence of his cell phone at the mayor's house at the time of the murder, Andy needs to call on all his resources including the Bubelah Brigade - Jewish senior citizens with mad tech skills. After another death related to the case and an attempt on Bobby's life and on Andy's, Andy knows something is going on but it takes quite a while to figure things out.

I really enjoy Andy and his whole crew. I like his quick wit and sarcasm. I like that his wife Laurie gives it back to him as quickly. I like the way Andy views holidays with Thanksgiving being his favorite for the food and the football. I like the way Laurie celebrates Christmas for four months. 

I enjoyed the large cast of characters who have appeared in so many of the stories. I even liked the courtroom drama.

Favorite Quote:

"I had a plan, you know. I was going to get away from them."

You had a plan and they had a gun. Here's a tip, Andy: never bring a plan to a gunfight."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.