Leader of the Pack

Ten books into the Andy Carpenter series, David Rosenfelt still knows exactly how to pull a reader in: start with an injustice, add an old man whose fading memory may hold the key to everything, and let the mob loom quietly in the background. Andy has never stopped believing that Joey Desimone was wrongfully convicted, and a casual favor — visiting Joey's elderly uncle with his golden retriever Tara — cracks open something far larger and more dangerous than anyone anticipated. The emotional stakes here are real: a man has already lost nine years of his life, and the clock on the truth is ticking in more ways than one.

What keeps Rosenfelt's series so reliably satisfying is his voice — dry, self-aware, and genuinely funny without ever undercutting the tension. Andy is a reluctant hero in the best sense: principled despite his best efforts to avoid being so. The plotting is tight, the pacing moves with purpose, and the humor lands because it's earned rather than forced. Readers already familiar with the series will find Leader of the Pack among its more emotionally resonant entries; newcomers will find it an easy, confident place to start.