by Sandra Murphy

This week we have a review of the latest Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt, along with a fun mini interview with David. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book and a link to purchase it.

Flop Dead Gorgeous: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt
Review by Sandra Murphy

Andy Carpenter is an attorney and not nearly as retired as he’d like to be. Although he tries to avoid work, cases seem to find him. Take for instance, his most recent involving Hollywood actress Jenny Nichols. Andy doesn’t like to brag but does take the opportunity to mention as many times as possible, he and Jenny dated in high school. She’s in New York shooting a movie and letting on that she’s staying at a hotel there. In reality, she’s staying in the house she inherited from her mother. It’s in Paterson, New Jersey, where Andy still lives with his wife, Laurie, son Richie, and their three dogs.

Andy treats Jenny and all his friends (so they’ll believe he really does know Jenny) to an evening upstairs at Charlie’s Sports Bar, where it’s nice and private. Somehow, Ryan Collins, Jenny’s co-star and former boyfriend, finds them and makes a scene when Jenny won’t leave with him.

Just before 3 a.m., Andy gets a phone call from Jenny. She’d gone home, went upstairs to bed, and when she went to kitchen later, found Ryan dead on the floor. All evidence points to Jenny as Ryan’s killer. It’s a media circus as soon as word gets out. Can Andy save her? With Sam the computer expert, Corey ex-cop and Simon Garfunkle (K-9, retired), Laurie wife and ex-cop, and Marcus (the muscle) on the case, it should be easy but there are complications.

There are always complications. This time, they’re at a whole new level.

This is book twenty-seven in the popular series. Filled with twists, turns, suspense, and dogs, every time I read, I wonder how Andy is going to pull this one off. Somehow, he always manages with clues that are cleverly laid out, but in my eagerness to read more, they are subtle enough to be easily missed. It’s a good excuse to read the book a second (or third) time. Be advised, you’ll want all of the books plus the spinoff series, The K-9 Team (four books so far), and will be glad you did. As always, expect to see Andy on my Best of 2023 list next January.

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Interview with David Rosenfelt:

KRL: Are you a pantser or a plotter?

David: A total ‘pantser’…I have no idea where a story is going; I just watch as it gets there! I literally cannot think three pages ahead – and believe me, I’ve tried.

David Rosenfelt

KRL: Even though you’re a plotter, do you know the ending when you start?

David: Not even close; I can be a hundred pages in before I even know what the conspiracy is about, and it can take another 150 pages after that before I know who the bad guy is!

KRL: Andy always finds a way at the end – how do you keep the suspense going until then?

David: Not sure how to answer that; I just try to write in a way that would keep me interested if I was the reader. However, there is something naturally suspenseful about a trial, and there is one in every ‘Andy’ book.

KRL: Is Sam ever going to get away from the computer and into the action?

David: He did once, and in fact, his life was in danger. He didn’t handle it particularly well, but it hasn’t dissuaded him from wanting to get back ‘on the street.’ When it comes to physical competence, he’s much like Andy (and me), which is not a compliment.

KRL: What’s the likelihood of Andy adopting/inheriting another dog?

David: He has three right now, which is probably max for him, and since none of the dogs will ever die, there really isn’t room for another. But one never knows!

KRL: And of course, how many dogs do you have now? Are they still barking the early breakfast alarm?

David: We have 12, which is a historical low for us. And yes, at 5 AM every morning, they ‘sound the alarm.’

KRL: I know you adopt unadoptable, large, elderly or infirm dogs. What do you do to help make people more aware of the need for those type of dogs?

David: I try to gently preach about it in the ‘Andy’ books, and I do rescue benefit events around the country, but the problem is an overwhelming one, especially in the South.

To enter to win a copy of Flop Dead Gorgeous, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “flop” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen July 22, 2023. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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