Play Dead

Play Dead by David Rosenfelt

June 2015

PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Born in Patterson, NJ; married; children: two. Education: Graduated from New York University. Addresses:Home: CA. E-mail: david@davidrosenfelt.com.

CAREER:

Writer. Tri-Star Pictures, former president of marketing; Tara Foundation (dog rescue organization), cofounder, with wife, 1995.

AWARDS:

Mystery Prize, Audie Awards, 2014, for Unleashed, read by Grover Gardner

Former film executive and screenwriter David Rosenfelt pens mysteries and suspense novels. The bulk of his work is a series featuring a wealthy, witty, deceptively easygoing attorney who loves both dogs and justice. Rosenfelt places his wise-cracking protagonist in assorted unpleasant situations -- mostly in Paterson, New Jersey -- ratchets up the danger, then takes his readers on a fast-paced ride with criminals, cops, and dramatic courtroom scenes. Rosenfelt's stand-alone novels are equally brisk and witty, although they tend to be more plot-driven and suspenseful. Start with: Leader of the Pack.

"ANDY CARPENTER" SERIES

• Open and Shut, (#1), 2002.
• First Degree,(#2), 2003.
• Bury the Lead, (#3), 2004.
• Sudden Death, (#4), 2005.
• Dead Center,(#5), 2006.
• Play Dead, (#6), 2007.
• New Tricks,(#7) 2009.
• Dog Tags,(#8) 2010.
• One Dog Night, (#9) 2011.
• Leader of the Pack (#10) 2012
• Unleashed (#11) 2013
• Hounded (#12) 2014

NOVELS

• Don't Tell a Soul, 2008.
• Down to the Wire, 2010.
• On Borrowed Time, 2011.
• Heart of a Killer, 2012
• Unleashed, ,\ 2013.
• Airtight, 2013
• Without Warning, 2014

Play Dead finds Andy Carpenter defending Yogi, a golden retriever that has supposedly bitten its owner. Carpenter posits that the dog was protecting itself from an abusive situation and ultimately wins its freedom. The story deepens, however, when the dog turns out to have belonged to another owner five years previous and holds the key to proving the innocence of U.S. customs inspector Richard Evans in the case of the murder of his fiancée.

Read-alikes  series

1.	Dismas Hardy novels  by John T. Lescroart Reason:  Realistic courtroom drama surrounding provocative issues can be found in these series, which contain sympathetic, realistic characters who engage readers in their lives, not just the courtroom. The Carpenter novels are lighter in tone, while the Dismas Hardy novels are grittier, darker, and more urban. -- Rebecca Sigmon
2.	Paul Madriani novels  by Steve Martin Reason:  Both of these fast-paced series follow the suspenseful exploits of star defense attorneys whose violent cases and complex personal lives frequently intertwine. -- Kim Burton
3.	Jason Kolarich novels  by David Ellis Reason:  The Jason Kolarich novels and the Andy Carpenter novels are fast-paced and suspenseful, certain to entertain legal thriller fans with their independent-minded defense attorney protagonists and compelling plots. Justice is alive and well in the hands of these unorthodox but ethical lawyers. -- Mike Nilsson

Read-alikes  author

1.	Evanovich, Janet Reason:  If it's the snappy banter, humor, offbeat characters, and fast-paced (and sometimes wacky) plots that draw you to David Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter Legal Thrillers, you might want to try Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, which features a wise-cracking bounty hunter who never met a donut she didn't like. -- Shauna Griffin
2.	Lescroart, John T. Reason:  Rosenfelt's readers who don't mind a darker tone should try John T. Lescroart for his novels that also raise disturbing, provocative issues about the law and feature sympathetic series characters, investigative background, and grandstanding courtroom action. -- Katherine Johnson
3.	Corleone, Douglas Reason:  Corleone and Rosenfelt write legal thrillers that feature defense attorneys as their sleuths. The men are likeable and have a wry sense of humor. The stories are fast paced with intricate twists and turns in the plots. The sleuths often resort to uncovering the truth outside of court. -- Merle Jacob

Dog Mysteries

                     

Mystery Stories Featuring Dogs

Cynthia Alwyn: Scent of Murder

The founder of a volunteer canine search-and-rescue team in Sacramento, Brenna Scott and her group find themselves up against a diabolical adversary as they embark on a search for a number of missing children.

Cynthia Baxter: Reigning Cats and Dogs Mysteries

(First book in series) When veterinarian Jessica Popper and her canine companions uncover a half-buried corpse during a house call to a local horse farm, she teams up with sometimes lover PI Nick Burby to help her discover who wanted the victim, a notorious PR mogul, dead.

Carol Lea Benjamin: Rachel Alexander and Dash Mysteries

(First book in series) Private investigator Rachel Alexander and her pit bull, Dashiell, begin their search for a missing dog and refuse to leave the streets until they have sniffed out a murderer.

Laurien Berenson: Melanie Travis Mysteries

(First book in series) Thinking her life could not be worse after a disastrous summer peaks with her uncle's death, Melanie Travis realizes that she is in for more trouble when the disappearance of her uncle's prize-winning poodle suggests that murder has taken place.

Blaize Clement: Duplicity Dogged the Dachsund; the second Dixie Hemingway

Waving to the driver of a car that speeds by during her morning run with her dachshund Mame, Dixie Hemingway suddenly realizes that she accidentally waved to a killer when she and Mame stumble upon a corpse.

Susan Conant: Dog Lover's Mysteries (Holly Winter)

(First book in series) Holly Winter, a writer and amateur sleuth, and her adopted Alaskan malamute, Rowdy, team up to track down a killer lurking at a dog show.

Jonathan Englert: Bull Moose and Dog Run Mysteries

(First book in series) When his master, Harry, a man still grieving over the loss of his beloved girlfriend Imogen, becomes embroiled with a cadre of would-be occultists, one of whom is also a murderer, Randolph, the canine Labrador sleuth, teams up with some of his animal friends to find a killer

Suzette A. Hill: Francis Oughterard Mysteries

(First book in series) His hopes for a restful life shattered by the realities of parish life, Reverend Francis Oughterard finds himself entangled in an overwhelming murder case in which he is unwittingly aided by his supercilious cat and a bone-obsessed hound.

Cornelius Kane: Unscratchables

(First book in series) When some Rottweiler gangsters are murdered and it looks like a cat was the killer, bull terrier detective Crusher McNash is assigned to work with Siamese agent Cassius Lap of the Feline Bureau of Investigation to solve the case.

Jill Morgan (ed.): Creature Cozies

A cast of crime-solving canines and felines highlights a collection of eleven mysteries, written by J.A. Jance, Jan Burke, Carole Nelson Douglas, Ed Gorman, and other notable authors.

Spencer Quinn: Chet and Bernie Mysteries

(First book in series) Intrepid canine detective Chet accompanies his human police officer partner, Bernie, on a first assignment involving the disappearance of a teenage girl who ran with the wrong crowd, a case that is complicated by Bernie's dysfunctional personal life.

David Rosenfelt: New Tricks

"Edgar-award nominated author David Rosenfelt's hilarious hero, Andy Carpenter, plunges into a high-profile murder case in which a bernese puppy and his golden retriever play instrumental roles"--Provided by publisher.