HOLY CHOW

5 stars out of 5

Unfamiliar as I am with this series - this is the 25th book - I admit to expecting a dog-centric story on the order of the Spencer Quinn Chet and Bernie detective series that's a favorite of mine. It was clear from the git-go that I was barking up the wrong tree here, but no matter - it's every bit as doggone good. Put another way, what a thoroughly enjoyable book! 

The star of the show isn't a dog; rather, it's mostly retired criminal attorney Andy Carpenter of Paterson, New Jersey. Independently wealthy, most of his time and money have gone to the dogs; he runs the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue organization, and is the human parent to three of his own. Not too long ago, a 60-ish woman named Rachel Morehouse stopped by looking to adopt a four-legged friend and went home with Lion, an older Chow Chow (just for the record, although I'm a confirmed cat person, I do like dogs - and Chows are a favorite to root for while I'm watching the annual Westminster Dog Show). Anyway, Rachel later calls Andy to ask if he'll agree to take care of Lion should something happen to her. Her husband is deceased, and she's not sure her stepson Anthony will want anything to do with the pooch.

Not an issue, Andy tells her - never suspecting he'll be held to that promise much sooner than expected. Next thing he knows, he's in Rachel's attorney's office waiting for her will to be read; it seems she's suddenly passed away. There, he meets Anthony, who seems to be a pleasant enough guy who's not unhappy about inheriting Lion. That gets put on hold, though, when Anthony gets arrested; it seems his stepmother's death was not of natural causes, and he's been charged with her murder.

It also turns out her estate is far more than chump change, and even though Anthony may not get the (ahem) lion's share of it, he insists he's innocent and begs Andy to defend him in court. Because he was impressed by Rachel and a few things don't quite add up, he agrees to take on the case and brings his supremely talented team in to help. From that point on, the case starts to heat up as details of Rachel's vast business holdings come to light. For those, however, you'll have to read the book for yourself; all I'll say is it's a well-written, intriguing and often humorous adventure you won't want to miss. I'm sure glad I didn't, and I'm going to make sure I don't miss any more. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for leading me to a pre-release review copy of this one.

Holy Chow by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur Books, July 2022); 269 pp.