David Rosenfelt once again delivers a classic Andy Carpenter story. It begins with a litter of puppies and trying to clear a friend from murder charges and gets even bigger from there. The usual cast of characters is all here: Andy, his dog Tara, and the whole K Team. Plus, an added bonus if you listen to the audiobook it's narrated by series narrator Grover Gardner. Nobody can bring Andy Carpenter and the crew to life better than Mr. Gardner.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to listen to an ARC of this book.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I thought I was getting a 'cozy' mystery with dogs solving the crime--the cover did intimate that. But no, a few dogs were involved but this story is a true 'who dunnit' narrated by the great Grover Gardner. There was definitely humor that got a few smiles out of me.
Reading other reviews, I see that this is a series and those who have read all the books in the series were ready to curl up, dog not necessary but helpful, and read another Andy Carpenter mystery.
This book tackles organized crime, friends who don't always walk the straight and narrow, repeating characters, and good research. I will certainly be on the look-out for more of Rosenfelt's books

Ahhh, to sit back next listen to another Andy Carpenter book narrated by Grover Gardner is pure heaven and “Santa’s Little Yelpers” does not disappoint. Once again, poor Andy is pulled out of semi-retirement to help a friend who has been wrongly accused of murder. It would seem that it is NOT a good idea to be friendly with Andy or his family as these are the people most often in trouble…. And, of course, there are dogs! It wouldn't be a true Andy Carpenter book without dogs. The usual twists and turns take us to the ultimate finish. I missed the Bubela Brigade, but otherwise, all of our friends were there to help solve the mystery. I must be getting good at this. I had the guilty party pegged early. But, it's the journey that is entertaining and “Santa's Little Yelpers” was definitely that.

This book sounded good and I admit that the dogs on the cover is the biggest reason why I picked this audiobook. Unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I tried to listen to this one a bunch of times but just couldn’t get further than 20% into it.
The writing was good but I just couldn’t get into it at all.

A new Andy Carpenter always brings a smile to my face. There’s a feeling of coming home, if home has a sarcastic older brother with an ornery sense of humor.
Chris Myers is a new employee at the Tara Foundation. He’s a disbarred lawyer, having served two years for manslaughter. A crime he swears he didn’t commit. When the man who was the eyewitness to the crime admits he was lying, Chris sees a chance to get his reputation back. But then the man reneges. Well, it’s easy to see where this one’s going… The man is murdered and Chris is arrested for the murder. Of course Andy takes his case.
Rosenfelt has a knack for writing complicated plots. The fun is in the twists he creates and watching how Andy works it all out. I’m always surprised that as the number of books rises, the quality does not slacken off and the plots remain fresh.
I love series with a strong team and Andy’s wife, friends and colleagues all fit the bill. In the last few books, Marcus has taken a somewhat bigger role and the reader gets to see another side of him.
I adore listening to this series as Grover Gardner is the perfect Andy. It’s now to the point that even when I read one, I hear Grover in my head.
My thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy of this book.

Chris Myers did time in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. A key witness lied on the stand, and Myers asks Andy Carpenter to get his conviction overturned. When the witness from the previous trial turns up dead, Chris is arrested for his murder. It’s up to Andy and his team to prove Chris is innocent.

I must admit I was drawn in by the cover and title of this book. Unfortunately, the dogs/puppies were barely mentioned in the story, nor did it deal with Christmas. This is the 26th book in the Andy Carpenter series but can be read as a standalone. This was a good story but nothing special.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

Being a dog person I was immediately drawn in by the title and the cover but there’s a reason you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and that reason is Santa’s Little Yelpers.

I went in expecting a lot to revolve around dogs but instead what I got was a murder mystery that spans two different states. This is the 26th book in the Andy Carpenter series but it was my first entry. I don’t know how the rest of the series is but Santa’s Little Yelpers is definitely one you can jump into with no knowledge of the series and not be lost.

The premise is simple, Andy is representing his friend Chris, who already served time for a murder he didn’t commit, now history is ready to repeat itself because Chris is arrested again for murder. Chris swears he is innocent and it’s up to Andy and his team to investigate. I really enjoyed Andy as a character. He is sarcastic and seems to always have a joke ready to go. I enjoyed the process Andy goes through to get his thoughts out. They always had an interesting trajectory. Not to spoil anything but to get to his final conclusion Andy’s knowledge of Superman helps to get him there.

As for the narrator Grover Gardner nails it. The sarcasm and quick wits come out perfectly. I would definitely go back and listen to more of this series since they are narrated by him.

First of all - do not be deceived by the cover or the title: This is NOT a Christmas story and the puppies, while adorable, play a very minor role in the story. That being said, it’s a very good, twisty mystery, as are all the Andy Carpenter books I’ve read or listened to. (I’ve become quite a fan of these books this year.) Andy Carpenter is a semi-retired New Jersey lawyer, who runs a dog adoption foundation and prefers dealing with the dogs or watching sports to practicing law. Lucky for him, he inherited enough money so that he only works when he feels like it.

Carpenter is a wonderful character, extremely snarky as only a “Jersey guy” can be. Despite these being mysteries, Rosenfelt always manages to make me laugh several times over the course of the story with Carpenter’s observations or comments. Grover Gardner does a fabulous job with the narration.

This story does take place before and after Christmas, but that just happens to be the time of year and isn’t particularly relevant to the mystery that unfolds. Chris Myers has been accused of killing someone who had previously testified against him and Myers insists he’s innocent of this murder as well as a previous case, for which he served time. Carpenter takes the case because he’s a friend of Chris, who also works at the adoption foundation. The story takes a lot of twists and turns and kept me guessing for the most part.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Audio book, 6h, 41 m Narrator Grover Gardner (plus my original review of print version)

This was the perfect way to end my day, curled up on the couch with my own dog while listening to award winning narrator Grover Gardner read David Rosenfelt's 26th Andy Carpenter mystery to me. I've loved each and every Andy Carpenter book in the series and Gardner, the long-time narrator, is perfect. He has Andy's personality down. Running time 6h, 41m.

Having read the print version previously, you'd think I'd be bored listening to it again but you'd be wrong. You pick up things via the audio versions that you might otherwise miss while reading. I should probably note here that Gardner makes no attempt to imitate/differentiate voices, he simply reads. It works with Rosenfelt's writing style. As for the story, a summation of my initial review of the print version follows:

While the dogs of the tale are certainly a huge draw, David Rosenfelt always weaves a story full of not just dogs and humor but deep dives into organized crime, corruption, and how investigations might be done. Heck, he even makes the legal process understandable. And, Andy Carpenter never loses his self-deprecating humor and smart-mouth approach.

I must also admit, I am a biased witness, er, reviewer. As soon as this book was approved for me to review, I immediately set aside what I was then reading and dived into the world of wannabe-retired lawyer Andy, who does some of his best thinking while out walking his dogs. Sebastian never fails to draw a grin from me, btw, for his lack of enthusiasm for said walks. Tara, of course, is the world's best dog. Just ask Andy. He may also have the best investigative team ever, too, and Sam, hacker extraordinary, gets out of the office to spend some time checking out a site in person for a change. True, at that point Andy figures it's a relatively safe bet that Sam won't encounter any problems on this seemingly barely connected town visit. Oh, but even Andy can be wrong sometimes. Sam's encounter with some shady characters sets the stage for the rest of the story, one that ultimately involves diamonds and organized crime. There's something in there about a trip to Disney, too, but Andy assures us he won't be wearing mouse ears.

If the above confuses me, don't despair. I've long since learned to just sit back, buckle up and enjoy the roller coaster ride that is an Andy Carpenter story. Even though I could have used a few more doses of Marcus, wife Laurie, as always, has Andy's back. There's even a new lawyer to oppose Andy this go-round and he sounds like a promising foe, albeit one we may wind up liking.

Bottom line, excellent pacing which moves right along, main characters you'll like, lovely dogs with personality, and worthy opponents. You'll have to read it to find out what the big hole in the ground is and why people keep winding up dead. Thanks #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress - #MinotaurBooks - #MacmillanAudio for letting me spend some time with Andy, Laurie, Ricky, Tara, Corey, and, oh, yes, Marcus, not to mention some adorable Golden Retriever puppies. Readers will love the ending and I'm hoping to see lawyer Chris Myers perhaps pop in occasionally in the future.

David Rosenfelt has once again gifted readers the Christmas present that topped our list - a holiday edition of The Andy Carpenter mystery series. The team is back and Andy is tackling another case. A man is being framed for murder a second time. This book was interesting, full of humor and charm, and interesting throughout. I listened to the audiobook, so got to enjoy the excellent narration of Grover Gardener. I am already looking forward to the next installment!

I regret to report this audio ARC was not for me. When I first started it, I just couldn’t get into it. So I abandoned it for a few days. I reread the reviews got really excited and began it again. However, I had the same results. I am not sure it if was the story, the narrator, or me. Whatever it was, I just could not get into.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the audio ARC.

Santa's Little Yelpers
by David Rosenfelt
Pub Date: October 11, 2022
MacMillan Audio

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the audio of this book. This is a very popular series at our library and it was fun to listen to the audio. This program is read by award-winning longtime series narrator, Grover Gardner.
This is the 26th book in the series and the covers are always great!~ I love the humor the author uses and David Rosenfelt always weaves a story full of not just dogs and humor but deep dives into organized crime, corruption, and how investigations might be done. Heck, he even makes the legal process understandable.
There's nothing our there quite like this series! I am glad to recommend it and the audio version as well.
5 stars.