Review: Muzzled by David Rosenfelt

Muzzled (Andy Carpenter, Book #21)

by David Rosenfelt

Release Date: July 7th 2020

2020 Minotaur Books

Hardcover Edition; 304 Pages

ISBN: 978-1250257116

ASIN: B0818NPRRF

Genre: Fiction / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

3.5 / 5 Stars

Summary

Andy's friend Beth has found a stray that seems to have belonged to a murder victim--in fact, the man and two of his colleagues died in an explosion a few weeks ago. But when the murdered man contacts Beth, asking for his dog back, Andy knows there must be more to the story. The man claims his life is in danger, and that's why he disappeared. As much as Andy doesn't want to get involved--anything to avoid a new case--he can't help but come to the rescue of a man who'd risk everything, even his life, to reunite with his dog.

 

My Thoughts

Muzzled is the next book in the Andy Carpenter series, and while this was a fun, entertaining book, I did find it incredibly predictable and it didn't have that usual wit and sarcasm that you would expect from this author.  Perhaps, as this is the twenty-first book in this series, it needs something to shake up the series a little bit, or maybe to shake up Andy just a little bit as I felt it was a bit flat compared to his previous books.  It's not to say that it wasn't enjoyable, it just wasn't as much fun as his previous books.

First of all, look at that cover!!! Isn't it amazing? I would have picked up this book, even if I was not familiar with this series, based off that cover alone.  Personally, I think it's a great marketing technique to have a dog featured on the front cover of a murder/mystery novel, especially one that does feature canines so much.  

I love Andy as a character; his sarcastic sense of humour is enjoyable and I love how he pokes fun at himself in this self-deprecating sort of way.  However, he can be downright serious and focused when he needs to be which is why he has earned a reputation as a lethal defense attorney whom a lot of people fear and loathe in equal measure.  It's really hard to reconcile the humourous laid-back Andy though, with the sharp attorney as it almost seems like he has this split personality.  

I have read every single one of these books, and while they are easy reads, they typically are full of twists and turns.  I didn't find that to be the case with this one.  I thought it was lacklustre and predictable.  That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, but not as much as I normally enjoy these books.  I commend the author for trying to do something involving possible pharmacological fraud and the local mafia, but it didn't quite work . I just thought it wasn't as compelling as normal.

Verdict

Muzzled is always a fun read if you enjoy dogs.  The author, David Rosenfelt, runs a dog rescue foundation and has rescued over 4000 dogs, and I like how he incorporates his knowledge into his books; he uses very subtle techniques to initiate people into the world of dog rescue and adoption.  I would read these books just for that knowledge.  However, I did feel like the mystery in this one fell a bit flat, so maybe Andy and company need a bit of a shakeup in the next book which is due in October.  Will I read the next one? Yes, definitely.  It's like comfort food, I will never miss one of these books; even if this one didn't quite reach the mark, the others were really good.