Flop Dead Gorgeous

by David Rosenfelt

There are lots of things reading can and should be, but in the case of Flop Dead Gorgeous, it is FUN! I enjoyed this legal mystery with a dollop of cozy and a heavy dose of humor. The dogs add animal charm, and now I’m addicted. That is okay  because this book is the 27th book in the Andy Carpenter Mystery Series!

Out to dinner with a starlet, lawyer Andy and his retired cop wife Laurie experience some real life drama when Jenny’s demanding and irrational ex-boyfriend shows up. Thanks to Laurie’s reflexes, all seems well until Jenny discovers his body on the floor of her kitchen in the middle of the night. Andy, who dated Jenny a few times in high school (as he humorously reminds the reader multiple times), is convinced Jenny did not kill Ryan, but the only way to persuade the jury of her innocence is to find out who did kill him. Sam, his cyber investigator who has a way of “entering” off limit computers is called upon to track phones, to find out what the authorities know, and to learn what those active in the dark web are up to. Andy also has his team safe guarding himself and Jenny—a smart move since some really nasty foreign mobsters may be involved.

I enjoyed Andy’s persistence and his straight-faced wise cracks in the face of a probably negative outcome for his lovely client. He has a number of loyal friends that include a police chief and a local newspaper editor. They are ethically sound, but they also will help when they can. Andy has an excellent record as an attorney, but he maintains a fairly rundown office above a fruit stand that successfully throws some off guard. 

The author’s love of rescue dogs is reflected in this mystery in which he has three dogs living with him. Mamie, Jenny’s dog, adds to the pack when Jenny and Mamie live with his family during the trial to avoid the press. As a Basset hound aficionado, I particularly enjoyed these quotes about his Basset Sebastian:

“…Mamie runs around him, trying to get him to play. She doesn’t know it yet, but she has more chance of getting a response from a clothes hamper.”

and

“Ricky always holds Sebastian’s leash because there is no danger that Sebastian will pull free and run off. It’s like walking a barking turtle.”

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Legal Mystery, Humor

Notes: 1. #27 in the Andy Carpenter Mystery Series. This could definitely be read as a standalone. This is my first book by David Rosenfelt, and I had no problem with bouncing into this large series.

  2. There is some inappropriate language which could have been left out, but not enough to keep me from reading another in the series.

Publication:  July 4, 2023—St. Martin’s Press (Minotaur Books)

Memorable Lines:

“I’ve got water, flavored water, and flavored carbonated water.” “None of the above,” I say. Just because I’m in California, it doesn’t mean I am going to abandon my principles and start being health conscious.” …“You’re representing the person who killed Ryan.” “Apparently the innocent until proven guilty concept hasn’t worked its way west?” “It’s probably somewhere over Nebraska at this point,” he says.

…people who invest in movies are not usually the killer types. They certainly are not above stabbing people in the back, but they do it metaphorically.

He spit at Marcus Clark. As stupid maneuvers go, that ranks well above tugging on Superman’s cape and pulling the mask off that old Lone Ranger.