Bark Humbug
DETAILS: Series: Andy Carpenter, #33 Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication Date: October 13, 2026 Format: eARC Length: 320 pg. Read Date: September 30-October 2, 2026
What’s Bark Humbug About?
The sister of a murder suspect comes to Andy’s home. Her brother had adopted a dog through his dog shelter a couple of years before, which had led him to follow Andy’s career. So when he became the focus of a police manhunt, he wanted Andy to help coordinate things when he turned himself in. Well, hopefully to go all the way and defend him in court, but they’d start with surviving surrendering himself to the police.
Things there didn’t go quite as planned, and Andy got upset and was caught on camera saying he’d defend Jon. So he’s stuck with a job—which might not be all that bad, it’d give him something to think about other than all the holiday music his wife’s about to start playing—it’s Halloween season, time for her to break out the Bing Crosby. Also, Andy believes Jon.
Jon’s accused of murdering the mayor—and gubernatorial candidate—with a sniper rifle, making an incredibly difficult shot. Sadly, one that the US Military taught him to make. That, and a whole lot of evidence, is pretty daunting for Andy and his legal team—but since when has that stopped them?
They do find a lot of evidence of other criminal activity afoot that could point to other suspects—but will it be enough? Is Andy capable of (another) Christmas miracle? And just what happens to someone who makes our genial attorney mad?
The Years are Passing
This is one of those series where very little changes—the dogs never age (thankfully); Andy, Pete, and Vince eat like college students and don’t have health issues; Edna is on the verge of retirement constantly; Sam’s senior citizen helpers are just as old as they’ve ever been, and so on.
However…Ricky is aging. Nowhere near in real-time, but it’s happening. He’s got a girlfriend, he’s taking vacations with his friends over the holidays, and even the frequently oblivious Andy is noticing it.
On the one hand, having Ricky around was a breath of fresh air back when it happened—and seeing him grow up could add some variety to things. Also, it’s hard to keep writing him out of things so he’s not in danger, or his activities aren’t a distraction from the case. Maybe aging him will allow Rosenfelt to bring him into the plots just a bit, too.
The Return of Marcus
When I talked about Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch earlier this year, I noted that Marcus was returning to his mysterious and dangerous roots after a few books where Andy and the reader learned a little more about him, got a glimpse into his personal life, and actually understood what he was saying.
This book took a major step in that direction. Andy understood a little bit of what Marcus said (although we didn’t get it in dialogue form, just described in the narration), but not most of it.
And whoo-boy, Marcus was back to his near-superhero levels of intimidation and violence. I think there was one book with more violence from him (many years back), but this has to be second place on the Marcus-as-Batman meter.
While I liked getting to know Marcus more, I like this “classic” version of him, too.
So, what did I think about Bark Humbug?
The humor in this volume seemed a little more crisp and fresh than it has lately (not that I’ve even had problems with it, but it’s felt tamer). The cultural references are more current, as well (some of them, anyway).
The courtroom action is as solid as ever—Andy keeps the judge and the prosecution on their toes. But keeps things friendly with the D.A., which is a nice touch.
Andy and his team have to do things we’re not used to them doing to get to the truth—although there are plenty of typical antics going as well.
Basically, I guess I’m saying that Bark Humbug gives the reader everything we’ve come to expect in an Andy Carpenter book, but just a little more.
This is a dose of holiday-themed fun (much to Andy’s chagrin) with a very twisty mystery on tap. This case, more than any other in a long time, challenges our team. The last few chapters are as tense as I can remember this series being—maybe not since the first dozen or so. New readers or old won’t be saying “Humbug” to this ending (or anything before then).
Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley—my thanks to both for this. This post contains my honest opinion about a book I chose to read.
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