This was okay! I enjoyed over all! Fun Christmas mystery I enjoyed the pace and the narrator. Would definitely recommend

This is everything you want from one of these books. It's character driven. While predictable and formulaic, its very enjoyable and exactly what readers are wanting when picking up this book.

These are some of my favorite escape reads, and Grover Gardner is just the best narrator! Fun mysteries with lots of doggies.

4.5 rounded up for sheer enjoyment. Another case for the reluctant defense attorney who comes out of retirement to defend innocent dog lovers. Full of wit and self-deprecating humor, Andy Carpenter is always entertaining even when dealing with organized crime and dead bodies. In this one, a man in the state witness protection program (I didn’t know that was a thing - and NJ is a fairly small state) is framed for a murder. Even though it wasn’t too difficult to figure out where things went wrong for the defendant, proving it is where the story lives. It’s the journey. A highly recommended light series, this one holiday themed (Andy hates egg nog). Thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy. I am happy to recommend it and the entire series (I suggest starting from the beginning).#DavidRosenfelt #AndyCarpenter #Dogs

I received a copy of this audiobook from netGalley for a honest review.

This is the second Christmas mystery I've listened to from David Rosenfelt and I really enjoyed it. I truly get his sense of humor and the little jokes throughout the book. This mystery was a little harder to understand the reasoning behind the crime until the end when everything was wrapped up. I will continue to search out these books and listen to them.

I enjoy every one of David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter entries, and Grover Gardner could not be better. My only complaint about this one: Noe enough Christmas for a book with Christmas in the title.

Another Andy Carpenter audiobook I listened to and it was great. During the Tara Foundations annual Christmas party, one of their best foster volunteers, Derek Moore, is arrested. Andy Carpenter is always reluctant to take on cases because he is "technically" retired but that doesn't mean he does not have a heart of gold.

Andy Carpenter decides to help out his friend and takes on the case because he believes he is innocent. Andy Carpenter won't take the case if he does not believe the person is innocent.

Andy Carpenter quickly discovers that not only is Derek Moore claiming he did not commit the murder he is charged with but that not all may be what it seems.

David Rosenfelt wrote another great book. It was fun to listen to and was filled with mystery, determination, murder (obviously), and even laughter. I found myself laughing so hard at times during this book.

The book is read by Grover Gardner who has narrated at least several Andy Carpenter books in the series that I have listened to. I am so glad that he does too. I always enjoy his reads of the books and this is no different.

When I listen to Grover Gardener read 'Twas the Bite Before Christmas I am automatically transported into Andy Carpenters world. He brings the story and the characters to life. It's as if you are right there seeing the story unfold in front of your eyes, except your actually hearing it. His voice is so smooth and easy to listen to.

I definitely recommend that you pick this audiobook up.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this review copy. This is my honest opinion.

Why am I always surprised how much I like David Rosenfelt’s books?

I’ve read every single book from the Andy Carpenter collection and every single time, I’m nonplused.

Is it that they all have can’t-take-this-book-seriously, doggy covers?

Is it that they all have Dad Joke worthy punny titles?

Is it that I’m generally not a fan of Cozy Mysteries?

All of the above?

Regardless, this one did not disappoint. The story, the characters, the comedy (Andy’s dry wit is the delight of my bookish life), all on point.

I side-eye authors who crank out more than a book a year, but for these, I’m giddy at seeing the newest GoodRead’s addition.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and St Martin’s Press for this festive ARC.

I struggled with this one because I did not like the audio narrator. I wanted to like it so much because of the cute cover and the potential in the story but I wouldn’t be interested in another book in this series I’d read by the same narrator.

Alas, 'Twas the Bite Before Christmas was not my cup of tea. I thought this would be a good book for the holiday season, but unfortunately, the title has very little to do with the story itself, which is a straightforward detective novel involving murder and mobsters, but not much holiday cheer. The tone was light and humorous, but the case itself was not very compelling and failed to hold my interest. Judging by the other reviews, 'Twas the Bite Before Christmas will satisfy fans of the Andy Carpenter series, but it may have a harder time roping in new readers.

This audiobook was fun to listen to. The narrator did an excellent job of portraying Andy's dry sense of humor. I highly recommend the book and audiobook to fans of cozy mysteries!

*Andy Carpenter book 28
*Lawyer/courtroom twist
*Full of humor-fun read!
*Complex plot-lots of stories to solve at the same time

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

It is that time of year when the Tara Foundation has it annual Christmas party for the foster parents and oops, one of the foster parents is being arrested. Derrek, although his name really is Bobby, is being arrested for murder. He is in the Witness Protection and being accused of double murder but he claims to be innocent and, of course, Andy has to represent him and take in his two foster dogs, a Golden Retriever and Dalmatian (much to the delight of his son). This one is full of all the hijinx of the secondary characters and much sleuthing to find the real culprit and the dry humor of Andy and the courtroom scenes are something to behold. This may be book #28 but each one can be read (or as in my case listened to) as a standalone. The narrator is absolutely fantastic!

This was my first David Rosenfelt book, and based on the cover and the title I expected a cozy Christmas mystery involving cute dogs - and even though Christmas was mentioned (the main person did not like eggnog!) and all persons in the story agreed that dogs are cute - that wasn't at all what the book was about. The mystery wasn't particularly cozy either! However I felt very entertained by this story, and might very well pick up another David Rosenfelt title.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to this ARC.

Another great installment in this series. I love Andy Carpenter's dry and acerbic wit, and how his court cases always come together. They're intelligent and engaging stories that always keep my attention!

In this instance, Andy is trying to help one of his volunteers at the Tara Foundation who is suddenly charged with the murder of a crime boss. All the evidence points against him, which is never a good place to start off a criminal defense. But Andy and his team manage to pull together all the pieces needed to win the case, and more!

I look forward to the next story in the series!

Thank you to David Rosenfelt, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advance review copy and to narrator Grover Gardner, who makes a perfect Andy Carpenter.

'Twas the Bite Before Christmas is the 28th book in the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt. This book can easily be enjoyed as a standalone mystery or as part of the series.

This quick read was so good! I love the characters and found myself laughing out loud throughout the book! I am a huge fan of sarcasm, mysteries and dogs!

Andy Carpenter is a want-to-be-retired attorney, who can't help himself when faced with the right case! He is a great sleuth, loves dogs, and is so funny! I actually laughed out loud as some of the things he said! The crime solving was great and I loved how it all comes together!

This book was so much fun! I absolutely loved it! I definitely recommend reading this book!!!Sarcasm, quick wit, and dogs! I can't wait to start reading the other books in the series!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I liked this story of a cozy mystery set at Christmas. The characters were well-developed and the story line was fairly easy to follow. I think it was the narration that brought me to 3 starts instead of 4. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

I love David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter books. I haven't yet read one I didn't enjoy,
this year's new Holiday installment - out this week - is
"Twas The Bite Before Christmas" is no different.
In this book we have defense attorney Andy Carpenter, from Paterson, NJ, yet again trying to retire for good when another case drops in his lap, peripherally linked to dogs and his dog charity. A dog owner and fellow foundation member is caught up by his past as a gang member, he is being framed for murder at the same time as people are trying to kill him. Can Andy clear up this confusing mess before the danger to his client gets too big ?
I loved listening to Andy and the gang's newest adventure, it is just so fun to be along for the ride. This is just holiday adjacent, there's some eggnog to be shared but that's it.
If this is your first Andy Carpenter mystery you will have no trouble keeping up. The dry humor and banter - the legal tidbits, the strategy and planning, the books are just really fun courtroom mysteries. If you are in the mood for a well plotted, intricate mystery with a wintery setting this may be the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for accepting my request to audibly read and review 'Twas the Bite Before Christmas.

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Just okay. Grover Gardner kept Andy alive and well; however, Rosenfelt fell short. The story felt like a repeat. Even the laughs I have gotten through the series were significantly lower than books in the past.

I'm going with 3 stars -- the storyline while familiar may be due to the genre I reach for a lot. I am already looking forward to Andy's next adventure.

I fell in love with this series back in 2017 when I stumbled upon and listened to the first book in the series (Open and Shut) and have been enjoying it ever since. And all the elements that I've enjoyed in the previous books remain here in this newest addition to the series. Andy Carpenter is a lawyer who'd love nothing better than to stop being a lawyer. He could easily afford to stop working, but these pesky friends/acquaintances/strangers (and their dogs) keep popping up that need his legal help, and his inherent sense of decency and justice won't let him turn them away. As always, there's a good mystery involved, a client accused of murder who swears he didn't do it - he's in the witness protection program and swears he's turned his life around since giving testimony in a murder trial. Andy and his cast of quirky supporting characters are on the case, and it's another mix of interesting mystery and Andy's sweetly snarky observations about himself, his friends, and life in general. While I'm sure these books would be excellent to read from the page, I can't recommend the audiobook version highly enough - Grover Gardner voices Andy Carpenter perfectly and his narrations have truly added to my enjoyment of this series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

'Twas the Bite Before Christmas is the 28th (!!!) Andy Carpenter legal procedural mystery by David Rosenfelt. Released 10th Oct 2023 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. Ebooks with interactive formats are great; it makes it so easy to find information with the search function.

For current fans of the series, this is a good one. It's full of the same sarcastic, warm humor and the same ensemble cast as previous entries in the series (with the absence of Edna, who's found a second career, planning her wedding destination which changes with alarming frequency). Andy Carpenter is, of course, central to the story and still trying to figure out how to stay retired and avoid working. This is such a long running and consistently well written series that saying it's "more of the same, worked around a different mystery" should be enough of a recommendation by itself. Although it's the 28th book in the series, the mystery is self contained and the necessary back-story is written in albeit with a few major spoilers for previous books. I heartily recommend the whole series.

This is pure comfort reading. It's got a likable protagonist, an engaging mystery, humorous dialogue, and a solid climax, denouement, and resolution. I adore Andy's supporting team, and of course Marcus and Laurie are there to save Andy and keep him in functional form to perform his courtroom magic. As always there are adorable canine characters aplenty, adding a lot of fun to the story.

The audiobook has a run time of 6 hours and 33 minutes and is expertly narrated by Grover Gardner who manages to juggle the various accents and characters of all ages and both sexes without problems. I found myself grinning and laughing along several places with the wonderful narration. The read was definitely enhanced by the narrator. The sound and production quality are high throughout the recording.

Four and a half stars for both the text and audiobook versions. All around fun read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.