Few can rival attorney Andy Carpenter's affection for golden retrievers, especially his own beloved Tara. After he astonishes a New Jersey courtroom by successfully appealing another golden's death sentence, Andy discovers that this gentle dog is a key witness to a murder that took place five years before.
Andy pushes the boundaries of the law even further as he struggles to free an innocent man by convincing an incredulous jury to take canine testimony seriously. It will take all the tricks Andy's fertile mind can conceive to get to the bottom of a remarkable chain of impersonations and murder, and save a dog's life—and his own—in the process.
Rosenfelt's style is light and witty, putting the reader at ease with a promise of an entertaining plot with minimal bloodshed. It's shoo-in for animal lovers and those who like their legal thrillers on the cozy side. (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Entertainment Weekly - Bob Cannon
David Rosenfelt concocts a taut thriller full of whiplash plot twists and wisecracking dialogue from Carpenter's Godfather-quoting partner, proving that he's long since earned his crime-novelist pedigree. B+
Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. No shaggy dog story, this puppy's alive with reliable Rosenfelt wit and heart.
Booklist - David Pitt
Starred Review. Andy's offbeat, outspoken personality shines on every page, and the balance of humor and mystery is dead-on. There is nothing else to say about this fine novel, except this: read it as soon as you can.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Whoizzit Not Just for Dog Lovers - Best Yet! I discovered David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series a few years ago and have read them all. I love his wit, the well-defined characters, the plotlines, and the dogs that are always close to the main characters. IMHO, Play Dead is one of... Read More
Animals on Trial
The idea of canine testimony being accepted in court is not without precedent
(e.g. drug smugglers who are convicted on the evidence of sniffer dogs), but
what about the idea of putting an animal itself on trial?
These days, animals are not tried on the basis
that they lack the ability to make moral judgments and therefore cannot be held
culpable for an act. However, this was not always so. Numerous
cases exist in history, many of them collected in The Criminal Prosecution and Capital Punishment of Animals written by
Edward Payson Evans in 1906
and reprinted in the 1980s. For example:
"In 1386, the tribunal of Falaise sentenced a sow
to be mangled and maimed in the head and forelegs, and then to be hanged,
for having torn the face and arms of a child and thus caused his death…. [T]he
sow was dressed in men's clothes and executed on the public square near the
city hall at the expense to the state of ten sous and ten deniers, besides a
pair of gloves to the...
A stunning new tale filled with witty dialogue, vibrant characters, and breakneck pacing, in which true-life history reinforces Scottoline's hallmark themes of justice and family.
Palm Beach private investigator Archy McNally takes on the murder of a socialite and uncovers a thorny tangle of blackmail and deceit, south Florida style. Vincent Lardo continues the series started by Lawrence Sanders.
These are 2 of the 4 readalike suggestions for Play Dead. Members have full access to all readalikes. If you are a member, please login. To find out more about membership, click here.
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