Rescued by David Rosenfelt

First Sentence:  It wasn't the presence of the tractor trailer that caused John Paxos to take notice.

      

Attorney Andy Carpenter keeps trying to retire but when his wife's ex-boyfriend, ex-cop and ex-private investigator Dave Kramer, is accused of murder, he has no choice but to agree to defend him.  It won't be easy since Kramer admits to having killed the victim.  But with no witnesses, other than a truck trailer full of dogs, and no second weapon, how you do prove it was self-defense.

      

Don't be fooled by the puppies on the cover.  Although the book may appear "light," the bad guys are truly nasty, which is accentuated by not knowing who they are, other than their names, or how they fit into the story until things begin to fall into place.  And if one is looking for a scene which is incredibly chilling, Rosenfelt delivers.  The fact that it is only one page long makes it even more so.

      

The story is set up very well.  One certainly knows who, what and when.  He then goes on and introduces most of the characters, who are fully-developed and interesting each in their own right, in a very straight-forward, uncomplicated way which immediately draws one in.  It is very nice having a protagonist who is not super-macho—"Laurie believes I would have trouble defending myself in a contentious Girl Scout gather, and while I pretend otherwise, he happens to be right."  The author has a very readable voice and uses humor well—"I hate visiting clients in jail.  Maybe I should have thought of that before I became a criminal attorney, because jail is where most of my clients hang out."

      

The plot links that are made are clever.  It's a twisty road down which we are led.  Although one hopes elements of the plot are improbable, the author creates well-crafted puzzle pieces, joining them together, one-by-one, so they make sense while still hiding the complete picture from the reader.  His explanation related to the stock market is nicely done and simplifies that which some may not understand.

      

There are coincidences and connections to conveniently-talented people.  Sometimes the plot does stretch credulity a bit but, it is fiction and it's enjoyable.  And there are dogs.

      
"Rescued" includes courtroom scenes which are as exciting as are scenes of physical danger.  Although the outcomes of the story's threads were slightly anticlimactic, they were still very satisfactory.

RESCUED (Legal Thriller-Andy Carpenter-New Jersey-Contemp) – Good

      Rosenfelt, David – 17^th in series

      Minotaur Books – July 2018