Who Let the Dog Out?

At the start of Rosenfelt’s subpar 13th mystery featuring lawyer Andy Carpenter (after 2014’s Hounded), thief Gerry Downey breaks into the Tara Foundation, Andy’s dog rescue operation in Paterson, N.J., and steals Cheyenne, a German shepherd mix. Thanks to a GPS tracker in the dog’s collar, Andy and his partner, Willie Morris, are able to locate Cheyenne in a modest house in downtown Paterson, where they also discover Downey’s nearly decapitated body. Their efforts to track down Cheyenne’s former owner lead to a fugitive suspected of murdering his business partner and to a larger case involving a ruthless assassin and arms dealer, international diamond smuggling, and domestic terrorism. On the home front, Andy wisecracks with Laurie, his bride of five months, and takes an overly invested interest in the baseball ability of their recently adopted eight-year-old son, Ricky. Series fans will hope for a deeper look into Andy’s life with his new family in the next installment. [em]Author tour. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July) [/em]