by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win either a copy of the book, and links to purchase it.

Passing boaters thought the Doral’s owners were below decks. It was only when they were close enough to see a man sprawled on the deck, they thought it was odd. Before they got near, the Doral exploded. Without bodies, it’s assumed three men, pharmaceutical executives, who were seen on the yacht were dead. The Jersey State Police declared the incident a triple homicide based on signs of a bomb found in the debris and wreckage.

Beth Morris reunites lost dogs with their owners or finds homes if the owner refuses to reclaim them. Andy’s Tara Foundation has a similar mission. This time, Beth needs legal advice. Being a lawyer, Andy is in a position to give it as long as it doesn’t turn into a case. Wealthy and disinclined to work, Andy avoids cases unless by taking the case, he can annoy the police or other lawyers. Or help a dog.

There’s a yellow lab at the Tara Foundation. Willie, the supervisor, asked for Beth’s help to find the dog’s owner and she did. The lab belonged to Alex Vogel, thought to be on the Doral. Now a man has called Beth claiming that’s Aggie, his dog. He provides enough detail for her to believe him. So—is the phone call from a dead man or a fraud?

Andy is on hand to see the wildly enthusiastic reunion. It’s clear, that’s her person. And her person is Alex Vogel, presumed dead. The police are there, curious to find out how Alex survived, got to shore, and stayed “dead.” He’s arrested, but his one phone call is to Beth, to make sure Aggie is in a loving home and is safe.

Andy takes Alex’s case. After all, any guy who’d come out of hiding to reunite with his dog, use his one phone call to assure the dog’s happiness and safety, deserves all the help he can get. And things get weird from there.

Andy is sarcastic, a smart mouth, and definitely not the hero type. Thankfully, his wife Laurie, is an ex-cop, as is Cord, and then there’s Marcus who is just large and well. They manage to protect Andy from himself and others. Each book shows the genuine love of dogs, both on the part of the characters and the author. It’s become one of my all time favorite series.

This is book twenty-one. Readers will also enjoy The K Team, a spinoff series where, hard to believe, Andy takes a backseat to the K Team’s investigation. In October 2020, look for Andy to be back in Silent Bite, available now for pre-order. You can’t keep a lawyer quiet for long.

To enter to win a copy of Muzzled, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “muzzled,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 1, 2020. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE DUE TO THE CURRENT PANDEMIC BOOKS WILL TAKE LONGER TO GET TO WINNERS.

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You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

Muzzled: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (An Andy Carpenter Novel #21)

You can use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. A Murder of Crows, edited by Sandra Murphy (a popular title so you need her name to search), has twenty-one cozy stories. Each features the collective name of an animal and a crime. The animals range from tarantulas, koalas, wolves, bears, jellyfish, toads, cats, dogs, alpaca, goats, penguins and more. No animals were harmed. The people weren’t so lucky. Available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.