by Sandra Murphy

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

Andy Carpenter is a semi-retired lawyer. That means he has enough money he doesn’t have to work and doesn’t want to, but cases do show up and he’s either intrigued enough to take the case or his wife Laurie thinks he should which is the same thing.

He also funds and helps with the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue named for his golden retriever, best friend, and greatest living creature ever. Her counterpart is Sebastian, a basset hound, a good boy outclassed by Tara in all ways. Andy, Laurie, and their son Ricky, are just docking from a cruise two of the three enjoyed, Andy being the holdout. When they’re back in cell phone range, Andy’s first call is from his friend Willie, who is taking care of the dogs. They’re fine, but a friend of Willie’s has been arrested. Andy doesn’t want to take the case, but Willie’s a friend and that means you step up when needed.

The more Andy learns about the case, the more likely it is that Tony Birch, Willie’s friend, did in fact kill Frankie Zimmer. In the past, Tony and Frankie were in a gang together, both low level shot callers working for the Dragon’s Blood gang run by Luther, no last name. Tony got out but was involved in a fight where a man died and Frankie and another guy testified against Tony, a definite no-no in gangland. Now Tony’s served his time, owns a garage, and fixes cars, legit. Frankie, well, he’s dead, of course, shot in the back of the head late one night.

The more Andy investigates, the clearer it becomes that Tony is either the stupidest killer ever or the unluckiest. There are two things in Tony’s favor: Willie’s certainty of his innocence and the fact Tony loves his Nova Scotian duck-tolling retriever as much as Andy loves Tara. Now, the only thing to do is prove it without getting them all killed.

Andy has a sarcastic sense of humor which is often ignored by those who know him well. Regular readers will notice a change in the cast of Andy’s investigative team and will be pleased with the result. This is a series I always look forward to reading and regret when I reach the last page. Luckily for me, rereads are just as satisfying as the first. Who could go wrong with crime and dogs?

This is book 22 of 23. Look for the next book, Dog Eat Dog, in July 2021, available for pre-order now.

To enter to win a copy of Silent Bite, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “bite,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 12, 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 THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

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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:

Silent Bite: An Andy Carpenter Mystery (An Andy Carpenter Novel #22)

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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.