Outfoxed

Edgar-finalist Rosenfelt’s entertaining 14th legal thriller featuring New Jersey attorney and dog lover Andy Carpenter (after 2015’s Who Let the Dog Out?) finds Andy running a program called Prison Pals, which uses inmates to help train and socialize rescued canines. One of them, white-collar criminal Brian Atkins, who’s up for parole in four months from East Jersey State Prison, manages to escape from custody with one of the animals. Soon after, Brian is spotted fleeing from the scene of a bloody double homicide, whose victims are his estranged wife and his former business partner. Naturally, he’s the prime suspect, but Andy, who’s impressed by Brian’s treatment of the dog he was working with, takes on his defense. That task, already daunting given the circumstantial evidence against Andy’s client, becomes even more of an uphill slog when Brian insists on pleading guilty, despite his innocence. The self-deprecating lead, who winds up playing amateur sleuth, is engaging enough, and the plot follows a predictable course to a nevertheless satisfying finish. Agent: Robin Rue, Writers House. (July)