Dead Men Don't Play Fetch: An Andy Carpenter Mystery

Bestselling author David Rosenfelt returns with Dead Men Don't Play Fetch as Andy Carpenter investigates a wealthy dog lover's unusual death.

It’s defense lawyer Andy Carpenter’s dream to retire. That goal is once again thwarted when he gets a call from Lou Campanelli, an old friend who he simply cannot refuse, asking for a favor. Lou runs a rehab center, and when one of his patients, a homeless veteran, is charged with first degree murder, he needs Andy's help. And of course, Andy will also be called on to care for the accused’s dog, but that’s okay: What's one more dog?

The man that Jason Maddox is accused of stabbing to death is none other than billionaire Paul Vincent, an eccentric businessman and inventor. Bickert dedicated a great portion of his life to philanthropy, with a soft spot for dog-related causes. This led him to befriend Jason, a physicist and war hero, whose life fell apart to the point where he ended up on the streets with his dog, just trying to survive.

But why would Jason possibly have wanted to kill him? Well, for one thing, he was to receive a fortune in Vincent's will. That, coupled with the fact that Jason was at the scene, his fingerprints were on the knife, and Vincent's wallet was in his jacket, made it a slam dunk arrest.

Once again, Andy is enmeshed in a puzzling, twisty case. But in order to reunite a man and his dog, Andy will have to untangle it all.

David Rosenfelt, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, is a graduate of NYU. He was the former marketing president for Tri-Star Pictures before becoming a writer of novels and screenplays. "Open And Shut" was his first novel; "First Degree," his second novel, was named a best book of 2003 by Publishers Weekly. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and 35 dogs.

“[An] unfailingly entertaining series.” —Kirkus Reviews

“I laughed out loud at least six times while reading David Rosenfelt's latest Andy Carpenter courtroom murder trial...Add several loud guffaws and a tee-hee per page and you've covered Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch…Sharing time with Andy is time well spent.” —David Rothenberg on WBAI/RADIO

Dead Men Don't Play Fetch, the thirty-third installment in David Rosenfelt’s beloved mystery series, defense attorney Andy Carpenter finds himself once again reluctantly pulled back into the courtroom. Andy is a man who loves nothing more than his golden retrievers, his wife, sports, and doing absolutely as little legal work as humanly possible. His ultimate, perpetually thwarted dream is to simply retire and spend his days managing the Tara Foundation, his dog rescue operation in Paterson, New Jersey. However, Andy has a fatal flaw when it comes to his retirement plans: he is incredibly loyal to his friends, and he has a soft spot for anyone who loves dogs as much as he does. When an old friend reaches out with a desperate plea for help, Andy’s dreams of a quiet life are predictably put on hold.

The disruption to Andy’s peaceful existence comes in the form of a phone call from Lou Campanelli, an old acquaintance who runs a local rehabilitation center called A Day at a Time. Lou is someone Andy feels indebted to, making it impossible for the lawyer to refuse a favor. Lou’s facility caters to people trying to rebuild their lives, and one of his current residents is a man named Jason Maddox. Jason is a former physicist and a war hero whose life tragically fell apart, leading him to a life on the streets where his only constant companion was his loyal dog. Jason has been trying to get back on his feet at the rehab center, but his progress is violently derailed when he is arrested for first-degree murder.

The victim is Paul Vincent, an eccentric billionaire, brilliant inventor, and highly litigious philanthropist who was found stabbed to death in an alley right behind A Day at a Time. Jason was actually the one who notified the police after discovering the body, but the authorities quickly turned their suspicions toward him. From a law enforcement perspective, the case against Jason Maddox is an absolute slam dunk. The physical evidence is incredibly damning: Jason was at the scene of the crime, his fingerprints are undeniably on the murder weapon, and the victim’s wallet was found tucked inside his jacket.

To make matters worse for the defense, the prosecution has a rock-solid motive. Despite their vastly different socioeconomic backgrounds, the billionaire and the homeless veteran had struck up an unlikely friendship based on a mutual passion for dog-related causes. Vincent had recently promised to put Jason in charge of a massive new nationwide chain of animal rescue facilities, and as a result, Jason was slated to receive an absolute fortune in Vincent’s will. With millions of dollars on the line and irrefutable physical evidence linking him to the scene, Jason looks incredibly guilty to everyone except Andy and his team.

Of course, what ultimately seals the deal for Andy isn't just his friendship with Lou or his belief in Jason’s innocence; it is the fact that Jason’s dog needs a place to stay while his owner is locked up in a jail cell. Andy eagerly takes the dog under his wing, reasoning that anyone who inspires such devotion in a canine cannot possibly be a cold-blooded killer. With the dog safely looked after, Andy quickly concludes that his client is being framed. However, proving that innocence in a court of law against a mountain of physical evidence will require a monumental effort.

Andy mobilizes his standard, highly unorthodox crew to investigate the life and death of Paul Vincent. The team includes Marcus, Andy’s terrifyingly effective, incredibly dangerous, and fiercely loyal investigator who handles the heavy lifting, as well as Sam, the brilliant hacker who operates well outside the bounds of legality to gather crucial information. As they dig into the billionaire’s past, they realize that a highly litigious and wealthy man tends to leave a long trail of bitter enemies. Since they cannot mount a standard affirmative defense against the physical evidence, Andy’s strategy relies on introducing a parade of viable alternative suspects to create reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury.

The investigation quickly uncovers several dangerous individuals who had far better reasons to want Vincent dead than a dog-loving veteran. Andy and his team link the billionaire to Matthew Bender, a former business partner in a startup who had a massive falling out with the victim. They also look closely at Vincent’s stepson, Ethan Davenport, who is heavily connected to a dangerous crew of drug dealers, money launderers, and violent enforcers. As if that were not enough, the search for the truth forces Andy to cross paths with members of organized crime, testing the limits of his uneasy relationships with local mobsters and putting his own life at considerable risk.

As the trial dates loom and the courtroom battles begin, Rosenfelt delivers the signature legal maneuvering and sharp, sarcastic wit that fans of the series have come to expect. Andy uses his self-deprecating humor and sharp legal mind to chip away at the prosecution's case, balancing intense cross-examinations with his trademark banter. Underneath the humor and the thrilling twists of the murder investigation, the narrative remains grounded in a heartwarming quest for justice. At its core, the story is about fighting for those who have been marginalized by society and doing whatever it takes to reunite a broken man with his beloved dog, proving once again that Andy Carpenter might complain about his job, but he is the best friend a person—or a dog—could ever have in their corner.