In Play Dead by David Rosenfelt, top-quality lawyer Andy Carpenter hates to work. He’d rather be spending all his time with his golden retriever, Tara, after whom he named his dog rescue organization, the Tara Foundation. One day Andy is checking out the dogs at the kill- shelter to select some for the Tara Foundation to rescue when he spies a beautiful golden retriever with expressive eyes. The problem? The dog was turned in to the shelter for biting the owner, which means automatic execution after 10 days of quarantine to make sure he doesn’t have rabies. Since the expressive eyes have told Andy that he is innocent and only acted in self- defense, Andy takes on a new client, determined to get him off death row.
After winning his case, Andy is taking his new dog for a walk when a strange woman calls to the retriever, but using the name Reggie, and Reggie is clearly thrilled to see the woman, named Karen. Then Andy learns that Reggie was supposed to have been killed five years earlier when his owner, Karen’s brother, Richard, supposedly threw his fiancée into the ocean along with his dog before trying unsuccessfully to commit suicide. With the realization that Reggie is alive, it brings the whole case into question, and Andy now has to work hard to free this newest client.
The whole Andy Carpenter series is very fun, and Play Dead proves to be no exception. The use of Reggie as a catalyst to the action is a creative plot device, as everyone falls in love with him and wants him to have a successful life. Doing this moves the book effectively. One thing I really appreciate about this series is the humor with which Andy narrates the story. His tone of humor, which is full of witty quips and side comments, reminds me a lot of Archie Goodwin of the Nero Wolfe books. That makes the book all the more fun to enjoy, as the plot is wrapped up in the humor.
Grover Gardner performs the audio edition of the books in this series and does a great job of making the series all the more enjoyable. Gardner serves as a great straight-man to Andy’s comments, creating humor without acknowledging that the statement is funny.
I had a great time listening to Play Dead, following the adventures of Andy and the golden retrievers. The book is full of humor and a creative plot. I give this book five stars.
