Book Review: Play Dead by David Rosenfelt

Play Dead
Author: David Rosefelt
Series: Andy Carpenter Mystery (Book 6)
Publication: Grand Central Publishing (July 15, 2009)

Description: In this imaginative legal thriller for dog lovers, an attorney tries to free an innocent man by convincing an incredulous jury to take the testimony a golden retriever seriously.

Few can rival attorney Andy Carpenter's affection for golden retrievers, especially his own beloved Tara.

After he astonishes a New Jersey courtroom by successfully appealing another retriever's death sentence, Andy discovers that this gentle dog is a key witness to a murder that took place five years earlier.

It will take all the tricks Andy's fertile mind can conceive to get to the bottom of a remarkable chain of impersonations and murder -- and hopefully save not only a dog's life but also his own in the process.

My Thoughts: There are few things lawyer Andy Carpenter likes more than golden retrievers, so when he hears that one is in a kill shelter after biting his supposed owner, Andy is determined to save him. He doesn't expect to find out that the dog was once the beloved pet of a man convicted of murdering his girlfriend.

When Richard Evans's sister sees the publicity about Andy saving the dog, she immediately comes to him because the dog was supposed to have been killed by Richard in the same incident when he killed his girlfriend. If the dog is still alive, what else about the night his girlfriend died and he tried to overdose isn't true? She's never believed that her brother could have killed anyone and asks Andy to look into the case again.

Andy agrees to meet Richard and form his own opinion though he already has positive feelings for the man because of his dog. But as Andy begins to look into the case and especially the character of the woman Richard was supposed to have murdered, he finds he is disturbing something that some very powerful people don't want uncovered. 

Andy's shot at, has his home bugged, and hits all sorts of roadblocks including not being allowed to indicate that the girlfriend was in the Witness Protection Program. And even after he finds out about the conspiracy, someone is murdering the participants.

This was another engaging entry into the Andy Carpenter mystery series. 

Favorite Quote:

Marcus Clark is a terrific investigator, but that is not what initially comes to mind when one thinks of him. Focusing on his investigative talents first would be like somebody asking for your view of Pamela Anderson, only to have you respond that you hear she's a pretty good bowler. It may or may not be true, but it's not "top of mind."

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.