In the eleventh Andy Carpenter mystery, it is his friend Sam Willis who is in need of Andy's professional skills.

After a call for help from an old friend, Sam heads to Barry Price's house. His arrival is delayed when he hits a dog and needs to wait until help can arrive for the dog. His late arrival means missing Barry who dies in a plane crash - a plane Sam was supposed to be on with him.

When Barry's wife - Sam's high school girlfriend - is arrested, Sam asks Andy to defend her. But there is a twist. She claims that she's been having an affair with Sam and Sam is the one who killed Barry. Now, Sam's on trial until Andy can figure out the whole thing which happens to lead to plans for mass terrorism on Memorial Day.

I like Andy who is snarky and work-averse but who will do anything for his friends. Sam's new dog whom he names Crash was also a nice companion for Andy's Tara. ( )

Andy Carpenter books are always just plain GOOD....great escape reading. You can depend on him and his steady crew, to come up with fascinating cases that sometimes hint at being far too realistic in the world we live in. I made the mistake of reading one book first, out of order...no more of that...it's so much more fun to see the story of Andy's life build! ( )

An old friend from high school summons Sam for help. Barry won’t talk over the phone, so Sam has no idea what the problem is. Driving to his friend’s house, Sam hits a dog. Unable to just leave the injured animal, Sam calls the police for help. The dog is taken to a 24-hour emergency vet, and Sam goes on to his meeting. He discovers from Barry’s wife, also an old schoolmate of Sam’s, that he couldn’t wait, and took off in his private plane. Later, that plane has crashed, and Barry is dead. And Sam realizes that if not for the dog, now named Crash, Sam would be be dead, too. What Sam doesn’t yet realize is that his troubles are just beginning. And because Andy is Sam’s friend, Andy is about to get a new client to defend in court. Andy is so bad at being retired! This novel is filled with Andy’s wit and wisdom, courtroom drama, murder, subterfuge, more murder, sinister plots, dogs, and yes, more murder and planned assassinations. It’s nice to see Sam in a major role, and to see him interact with his newly adopted dog. Andy Carpenter books are always well written, with intricate plots, plenty of action, and great characters, especially the dogs. ( )

Always nice to revisit the gang in this series, and take a break from the serious, often dark books I tend to read a lot. But some things about the series are starting to get old even though the book was still enjoyable. For example, he and his girlfriend talk about "getting lucky" a lot, meaning sex. I have nothing against sex, but it seems like two people who have an exclusive relationship wouldn't need luck to make love, and it doesn't usually have a lot to do with the plot. But this is pretty minor.

The story is good, although it was somewhat disturbing at one point when they were looking for someone, and discussing why it was best to kill the guards even though they weren't even 100% sure what was there. They decided that the guards had to die because they didn't have any way to tie them up, and didn't have time to get anything. They made the right decision, I suppose, looking back at it.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read, much like the previous books in the series, but different enough to be interesting. I don't think it's really necessary to read the previous books, but it helps. ( )

I love to read legal thrillers and am an animal lover. The Andy Carpenter series blends the two well. What sets David Rosenfelt's series apart from most is the beloved pet does distract from the focus of the story. The dogs come in when pets are necessary or to relieve tension. I never forget the legal battle when I am reading his books. I think I have been Unleashed to read more Andy Carpenter books. ( )