JEFFERSON, Maine — The dogs walked from the house to the deck, an enthusiastic, slobbery, and tail-wagging pack that quickly filled the outdoor space. Multiple mastiffs, a Newfoundland, a bloodhound, at least two golden retrievers, and more.
They circled the two of us who occupied the desk chairs, occasionally offering some loud woofs as comment.
Welcome to the home of David and Deb Rosenfelt.
Dogs, specifically rescue dogs, have been a central part of their lives for more than 20 years since the couple started their own dog rescue project in California.
And dogs also helped put David Rosenfelt on the map as a Maine author.
He had left a high-level career in the movie industry to become an author of murder mysteries when they decided to move from California to Maine — with their huge family of canines.
Rosenfelt’s book "Dogtripping" tells the story of that move with 25 rescue dogs in three RVs. It became very popular and introduced Rosenfelt to many Maine readers. It also introduced them to his novels, in particular, the series of books featuring New Jersey defense attorney Andy Carpenter.
"If you extract all the humor and Andy's personality,” Rosenfelt said, “They are pretty solid legal mysteries. But you could throw a dart and hit other successful legal mysteries, right? If there is anything that makes these books different, it’s the humor, and it's Andy’s voice."
The readers clearly love the character. Last week, his newest Andy Carpenter novel, "‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas," went on sale.
It's David Rosenfelt’s 28th Andy Carpenter book and the latest in that series written to come out shortly before Christmas.
"It takes place at Christmas, gives Andy a chance to talk about eggnog, how much he hates it, and Laurie [the wife in the book] wanting Christmas to be four months a year," the author said.
Those sort of character quirks, and the humor that runs through much of the dialogue, are hallmarks of the Andy Carpenter books. Rosenfelt admits to the character of Andy Carpenter being essentially an alter ego of himself.
"I wouldn’t even say alter,” the author chuckled. He is younger and thinner. And he’s a lawyer, but his point of view is exactly, can’t think of a time it wasn’t exactly mine. He is a sports degenerate, totally me," the author said.
The similarities don’t stop there. Those who know David Rosenfelt easily see him in Andy Carpenter.
"There is a scene in this book where Andy walks into his son’s room and his son is watching a taped premier league soccer game. And Andy feels like he has failed as a father. There is college football on, and his kid is watching a soccer game. Absolutely, it's all me," he said.
Rosenfelt has been typically writing two Andy Carpenter novels each year, and occasionally a third. At the same time, he has authored other crime novels, some using many of the same characters that surround Andy, others totally separate.
He estimates he has published 40 books in all — so far.
Rosenfelt said he has just signed a contract for four more Andy Carpenter novels over the next two years.
The author always includes dogs in the story, sometimes in central roles, sometimes not. And the publisher always puts a dog on the cover and uses a title with a dog connection.
The combination of dogs, humor, characters, and crime appears to resonate with readers.
“I get marriage proposals for Andy all the time, I swear,” he said. “I get email marriage proposals. And many more I wish I could find somebody like Andy. All the time,” he said.
Asked about the character’s quirks, Rosenfelt had a quick reply.
“I think that’s part of the appeal. But he’s funny.”