Andy Carpenter Books in Order: Publication & Chronological Guide

By T.L. BransonThriller

If you’re looking for Andy Carpenter books in order, the simplest way to read David Rosenfelt’s series is publication order. Start with Open and Shut, then keep going from there. There is one wrinkle, though: Dogged Pursuit is a prequel, so chronological order moves it to the front.

Andy Carpenter is a New Jersey defense lawyer who would rather avoid work, watch sports, and spend time with his dogs. Unfortunately for him, murder cases keep finding their way to his door. The result is a legal mystery series with courtroom drama, dry humor, dog rescue, and a recurring cast that gets more fun the longer you stay with it.

For most first-time readers, I’d still use publication order. However, if you care more about Andy’s personal timeline than the order Rosenfelt wrote the books, move Dogged Pursuit to the front.

Jump to:

Andy Carpenter Books in Publication Order

Publication order is the best default for the Andy Carpenter series. Each book has its own mystery, but Andy’s relationships, law practice, dog rescue work, and friendships all build over time.

  1. Open and Shut (2002)
  2. First Degree (2003)
  3. Bury the Lead (2004)
  4. Sudden Death (2005)
  5. Dead Center (2006)
  6. Play Dead (2007)
  7. New Tricks (2009)
  8. Dog Tags (2010)
  9. One Dog Night (2011)
  10. Leader of the Pack (2012)
  11. Unleashed (2013)
  12. Hounded (2014)
  13. Who Let the Dog Out? (2015)
  14. Outfoxed (2016)
  15. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (2016)
  16. Collared (2017)
  17. Rescued (2018)
  18. Deck the Hounds (2018)
  19. Bark of Night (2019)
  20. Dachshund Through the Snow (2019)
  21. Muzzled (2020)
  22. Silent Bite (2020)
  23. Dog Eat Dog (2021)
  24. Best in Snow (2021)
  25. Holy Chow (2022)
  26. Santa’s Little Yelpers (2022)
  27. Flop Dead Gorgeous (2023)
  28. ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas (2023)
  29. Dog Day Afternoon (2024)
  30. The More the Terrier (2024)
  31. Dogged Pursuit (2025)
  32. And to All a Good Bite (2025)
  33. Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch (2026)
  34. Bark Humbug (2026)

Andy Carpenter Chronological Order

The chronological order only changes one major thing: Dogged Pursuit moves to the front. It is a prequel about Andy beginning his career as a defense attorney and meeting Tara.

If you’re rereading the series or you love origin stories, this order works well. If you’re brand new, I’d still choose publication order first.

  1. Dogged Pursuit (2025)
  2. Open and Shut (2002)
  3. First Degree (2003)
  4. Bury the Lead (2004)
  5. Sudden Death (2005)
  6. Dead Center (2006)
  7. Play Dead (2007)
  8. New Tricks (2009)
  9. Dog Tags (2010)
  10. One Dog Night (2011)
  11. Leader of the Pack (2012)
  12. Unleashed (2013)
  13. Hounded (2014)
  14. Who Let the Dog Out? (2015)
  15. Outfoxed (2016)
  16. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (2016)
  17. Collared (2017)
  18. Rescued (2018)
  19. Deck the Hounds (2018)
  20. Bark of Night (2019)
  21. Dachshund Through the Snow (2019)
  22. Muzzled (2020)
  23. Silent Bite (2020)
  24. Dog Eat Dog (2021)
  25. Best in Snow (2021)
  26. Holy Chow (2022)
  27. Santa’s Little Yelpers (2022)
  28. Flop Dead Gorgeous (2023)
  29. ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas (2023)
  30. Dog Day Afternoon (2024)
  31. The More the Terrier (2024)
  32. And to All a Good Bite (2025)
  33. Dead Men Don’t Play Fetch (2026)
  34. Bark Humbug (2026)

Andy Carpenter Christmas Books

Rosenfelt has written several Andy Carpenter mysteries with a Christmas or winter setting. They still belong in the main series order, but this shorter list is handy if you’re looking for the holiday books specifically.

  1. The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (2016)
  2. Deck the Hounds (2018)
  3. Dachshund Through the Snow (2019)
  4. Silent Bite (2020)
  5. Best in Snow (2021)
  6. Santa’s Little Yelpers (2022)
  7. ‘Twas the Bite Before Christmas (2023)
  8. The More the Terrier (2024)
  9. And to All a Good Bite (2025)
  10. Bark Humbug (2026)

Should You Read the K Team Books?

The K Team books are a spin-off from Andy Carpenter. They follow Corey Douglas, his K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel, Laurie Collins, and Marcus Clark as they take on private investigation work.

You don’t have to read the K Team books to understand Andy Carpenter. However, they do share characters, so they’re better after you’ve spent some time with Andy, Laurie, and Marcus. I’d treat them as a companion series, not required homework.

  1. The K Team (2020)
  2. Animal Instinct (2021)
  3. Citizen K-9 (2022)
  4. Good Dog, Bad Cop (2023)

For the full author bibliography, you can also visit my David Rosenfelt books in order guide.

Who Is Andy Carpenter?

Andy Carpenter is a defense attorney in Paterson, New Jersey. He’s smart, sarcastic, and not exactly desperate to take on more work. In fact, one of the running jokes of the series is that Andy would rather retire than keep getting pulled into murder cases.

Of course, Andy keeps saying yes anyway. Sometimes it’s because a friend needs help. Sometimes it’s because a case feels wrong. And often, there’s a dog somewhere in the middle of it.

Tara, Andy’s golden retriever, is one of the heartbeats of the series. The books aren’t cozy mysteries in the softest sense, since they still involve murder trials and criminal investigations. However, Rosenfelt balances the darker pieces with humor, loyalty, and a cast that feels familiar fast.

Looking for more books in order?

If you want more thriller authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Thriller Books in Order index.

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