by Sandra Murphy

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

As anyone who’s met Andy Carpenter knows, he does not like being a lawyer. However, pesky cases keep turning up, and when they involve a dog, well, he has a softer spot for dogs than people.

His latest case comes up just before Christmas. Andy runs the Tara Foundation with his friend Willie. During their holiday party, Andy gets a strange phone call from Pete, captain of the homicide division of the police department. Pete is right outside the building but won’t come in. One of the foundation’s best volunteers, Derek, is about to be arrested for murder.

Derek is in the witness protection program after testifying against members of his former gang. Now the police believe he killed one of the gang members. Derek says he didn’t do it, and Andy is inclined to believe him. After all, a guy who fosters two shelter dogs and then is so attached, he has to adopt them, can’t be all bad. Or not bad enough to murder someone.

Jake and Sasha, Derek’s dogs, stay with Andy, his wife, his son, and their three dogs for the duration of the trial. It’s a complicated matter, with two more gang members found dead.

This is one of the more difficult cases Andy’s had, what with so many moving parts: gang members coming to town, ending up dead, and suspects and motives all over the place. What Andy needs is a surefire win so Derek can be with his dogs again.

This is one of my favorite series. Dogs, great human characters, plots that aren’t easy to unravel but that make perfect sense, and enough suspense, you want to know what happened but don’t want the story to end. Luckily, Rosenfelt publishes a couple of books a year, so readers can visit their favorite characters.

This is book 28 in the series. A prolific writer, Rosenfelt also has written four K Team mysteries, a spinoff of this series, nine thrillers, and two nonfiction books. In real life, he lives with his wife and an increasing number of very large, older, special needs dogs.

To enter to win a copy of ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas, 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 16, 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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You can use this link to purchase the book. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the Amazon link. You can also click here.

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.

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.