Andy Carpenter, created by David Rosenfelt, hates to work. So it’s a good thing that he has inherited millions of dollars and doesn’t actually need to work at his job of defense attorney. However, Andy has one particular soft spot, and that is his love — no, adoration — of dogs. In fact, Andy has joined with Willie Miller, the man framed for murder in the series’ first book, Open and Shut, in creating a dog rescue charity named The Tara Foundation, named after Andy’s golden retriever, Tara, the greatest dog ever to exist in the whole wide world. [Reviewer’s note: I take issue with that statement, being certain that Teddy Bear and Quentin can rival Tara in greatness.] So when a dog is involved, Andy always gets sucked into defending the client, but only if he believes that person to be innocent.
Each book in the series contains intrigue, mystery, and exciting courtroom drama in addition to witty banter and fun dogs. Andy is known for wild courtroom stunts that often upset not only the prosecutors but the judges as well. However, he balances the ire of these characters by delighting the listeners with his antics. The plot of each book generally involves some form of conspiracy, which Andy and his investigative team end up racing to uncover in time to stop it.
Every time I listen to one of the Andy Carpenter books, I can’t help but laugh out loud. Since the majority of each book is narrated by Andy himself, we get to take a peek into his mind and gain an inside look into his real thoughts, which often deliver humorous commentary. The clever quips frequently bring to mind the humor of Archie Goodwin, the intrepid assistant and “man Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday” of the lazy genius Nero Wolfe, created by Rex Stout.
The success of any audiobook is highly dependent upon the skill of the narrator performing it. Grover Gardner performs the Andy Carpenter series and quickly becomes a friend sitting in the living room with listeners. Gardner deserves the dozens of awards for his performances, including winning at least one Audie, being named one of “The Best Voices of the Century” by AudioFile Magazine, and earning numerous Narrator of the Year awards and even more Earphones Awards given out by AudioFile.
There is so much to love about the Andy Carpenter books, but you’ll have to put my claim to the test by listening to one of the books yourself. Then you too will know just why I find Andy Carpenter to be extra special.
You can see my reviews of a few of these books in Fangirl Nation Magazine here.
Check out David Rosenfelt’s website at www.davidrosenfelt.com/.
You can also visit him on Facebook.
