Collared by David Rosenfelt

"Lawyer Andy Carpenter's true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. All kinds of dogs make their way to the foundation, and it isn't that surprising to find a dog abandoned at the shelter one morning, though it was accompanied by a mysterious anonymous note. But they are quite surprised when they scan the dog's embedded chip, and discover that they know this dog. He is the "DNA dog." Two and a half years ago, Jill Hickman was a single mother of an adopted baby. Her baby and dog were kidnapped in broad daylight in Eastside Park, and they haven't been seen since. A tip came in that ID'd a former boyfriend of Hickman's, Keith Wachtel, as the kidnapper. A search of his house showed no sign of the child but did uncover more incriminating evidence, and the clincher that generated Wachtel's arrest was some dog hair, notable since Wachtel did not have a dog. DNA tests showed conclusively that the hair belonged to Hickman's dog. Wachtel was convicted of kidnapping, but the dog and baby were never found. Now, with the reappearance of the dog, the case is brought back to light, and the search for the child renewed. Goaded by his wife's desire to help a friend and fellow mother and Andy's desire to make sure the real kidnapper is in jail, Andy and his team enter the case. But what they start to uncover is far more complicated and dangerous than they ever expected"--

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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I know I take dog-loving to a somewhat absurd degree, but what he just said pleases me. Someone who doesn't care about dogs, or this one in particular, would have said, “It's about the dog being found.” But he said Cody instead of the dog, which to me is a sign of respect and caring.

I may need to get out more.

Collared

“Because Kaiser is a bad guy— a very bad, very dangerous , very evil guy . He might even be a Cardinals fan.”

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post – thanks to both for this.

N.B.: As this was an ARC, any quotations above may be changed in the published work – I will endeavor to verify them as soon as possible.

YES! YES! YES! YES! Finally, a book that did not disappoint me. I haven't had much luck lately with finding books that blow me away and this one has changed my bad streak. I got this book in my first BookCase Club box and I am never cancelling that subscription! The reason I signed up for the subscription was that it was very reasonably priced and would expand my horizons in terms of what books I would try reading. I would have never picked this book up on my own and I have found a personal favorite mystery detective series. Yes, I have already ordered the first book in the Andy Carpenter series, even though this one can be read out of order.

This novel is about a lawyer, Andy Carpenter, who gets some evidence that is tied up in a high profile case that was never solved, regarding the abduction of a baby, Dylan. We then follow Andy as he looks into this past crime, with this new evidence and how it changes things in the case this time around. I absolutely loved the plot! I haven't read that many mysteries but this one kept me guessing the entire time and it's been a while since I wanted a book to last longer than it actually did. Usually, I want to get through the book and be done with it but not in this case. The plot was also pretty fast paced and never stretched longer than necessary and I loved how short the chapters were. I loved how things were revealed a little at a time, this made sure I didn't get bored, not even for one second.

Further on, the characterization is top notch. I loved how even though we were following this lawyer as he is looking into this past crime that was never solved, we got a good sense into his relationships with people outside of his work. This made Andy Carpenter all the more real and made me really care about him and his life's happiness. He is by far my favorite hero in a story I have ever read because he is quirky and sarcastic and I couldn't get enough of his psyche's ponderings and musings. I am just ecstatic that there are many more Andy Carpenter books out there for me to read and I will be reading all of them very soon. I can see myself picking up one every time I need something comforting and light but also something I know that I will enjoy and love!

Thirdly, the writing style is the best one I can possibly vibe with. It was written precisely and to the point without being too overly simplistic and the writing style really worked well together with this one-of-a-kind main character. I inhaled this book and I loved every single second of it. I loved that we got enough into Andy's mind and also into the goings on of the story itself.

In conclusion, this has quickly become one my favorite mystery detective series of all time and it will forever be special to me. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good mystery detective story that will keep them guessing but also wants to feel comforted and smile all throughout. As I've mentioned before, even before finishing this book, I've already went and ordered the first book in this long series and I can't wait to get my hands on it! Just fantastic!