When I picked up this book I’d no idea what to expect. I haven’t read the Andy Carpenter mysteries that this is spun off from. That being said I really enjoyed this story. It took me a bit to warm up to Corey Douglas mostly because of his inner monologue about his girlfriend. But I pushed through and really enjoyed solving the mystery with the K Team. This was a convoluted case filled with red herrings galore and tricky bad guys. I really had to work hard to figure it out. By the end I was entranced and look forward to the next installment.

This spinoff of Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter mysteries is told from the POV of ex-cop Corey Douglas, who is part of a private investigation team with his K-9 partner Simon, silent and lethal Marcus, and Laurie, Andy’s wife. The team investigates the blackmailing of a tough but fair judge.

I wanted to like this book. I am down for any mystery where a dog plays a prominent role. But the story did not hold my interest. I think part of the problem was the cast of characters. Corey’s voice is similar to Andy’s; Simon and Marcus are mute and menacing; and Laurie is not given much to do. I hope the team dynamics and characters evolve in subsequent books.

The editing could also be tighter. Facts are repeated, and subsidiary characters are called alternatively by first and last name within the same paragraph, which adds to the confusion in the unnecessarily cluttered plot.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book in the spin-off series to the Andy Carpenter series that was set up in Dachshund Through The Snow - of the investigation team comprised of Laurie (Andy's wife), Marcus (the muscle and deus ex machina of the regular series) and Corey, the retired cop and partner of the German Shepherd, Simon, that Andy represented in the past. And though Andy's POV is not included here, he still plays a pretty large role, so I am not sure that this is a very far spin-off, really. Instead of Andy's voice, the main perspective is Corey's - which isn't that dissimilar to Andy, as the humor is pretty similar and there are perhaps a few (and only a few) less sports analogies.

The plot here takes some unexpected turns as the K Team takes on their first case at the behest of Carpenter series regular, Judge "Hatchet" Henderson. With a high body count and many familiar faces, this is an engaging read. I did enjoy it - and it had be gasping in the end. I do wish that more of the team had their perspectives. I wasn't really expecting Corey to be the main voice of the team. He is likable, but not really as charming as Andy. Still, this is a fast and fun read and as usual, I am anxious to see what Rosenfelt writes next! He remains one of my favorite authors!

I enjoyed this story and following the step by step process of the K Team. Retired cops turned private investigators. This happens all the time. Who better to do the job? It was interesting trying to figure out who was doing what. Just who are the bad guys? This story will keep you guessing. I enjoyed getting to know Laurie, Andy, Marcus, Corey, Simon and friends. I can’t wait to see what their next case will be. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

This was a quick read from a talented writer. That said, this book and series aren't for me, for a couple of reasons. First, the premise is a bit misleading: We are led to believe this is about a team of three human investigators AND a dog (indeed, look at the cover), so I was expecting something more like Jeffrey Burton's The Finders, which I LOVED, where the dogs are fleshed-out characters and play a role in solving the crime. Simon, the German shepherd in this novel, had no real role here; he seemed completely superfluous. Secondly, I just didn't connect with any of the characters. Corey was my least favorite, which didn't bode well, as he is the principle narrator. But, as always, I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this one.

In this first book in a new series from David Rosenfelt, we see everything through the eyes of retired cop Corey Douglas, and I found his jaded sense of humor to be only mildly amusing. He's also an award-winning commitment-phobe, and how he deals with his growing relationship with Dani did bring a smile to my face.

For me, the best part of The K Team was figuring out the mystery-- who was blackmailing the judge and why. That really kept my interest. Other than that-- being familiar with Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series-- I found the book to be lackluster. I'm willing to read the next book in the series, but if it doesn't liven up either, I'll stick with Andy. Of course, your mileage may vary.

★ ★ ★ 1/2
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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After 20+ books (and counting!) in a series, what's an author to do? Well, if you have the dog food bills that David Rosenfelt must have (seriously, check out the photos on his website or Facebook page of the dogs he and his wife shelter), you create a spin-off. I found myself comparing the books a lot in the paragraphs that follow—I won't make a habit out of it as the series progresses, but I kept comparing them as I read, so that's how I think of the book. I hope it doesn't get too tiring.

In 2019's Dachshund Through the Snow , we met Former Paterson NJ police officer Corey Douglas and his German Shepherd partner, Simon Garfunkel. At the end of that novel, Corey had decided to join forces with Laurie and Marcus to form a detective agency. This is their first case—and what a way to start!

Longtime Andy Carpenter antagonist, the harsh, yet fair, Judge Henry Henderson (aka Hatchet) hires the team to look into a blackmailer trying to pressure the judge into something. He doesn't know what the blackmailer wants yet, but he knows there's enough to damage (probably fatally!) his career. The arrangement they enter into means that Andy won't be able to try a case before Hatchet again—which bummed me out, he wasn't a constant presence in those novels, but a frequent one—probably the only judge's name I recognized. I enjoyed watching Andy squirm around the judge.

But now, it's Hatchet's turn to squirm. The blackmailers (well, potential blackmailers—he's quick to note they haven't actually broken the law yet), have some manufactured evidence to make it look like he's crooked. He's not, and has enough of a reputation and goodwill to weather the storm. Probably. But the hint of scandal would taint his record and probably force him off the bench.

So, Corey, Laurie, and Marcus get to work—looking into cases the judge presided over and could be alleged to have influenced. Before long, the threats get more real and bodies start appearing (or, disappearing, in some cases). And well, that's really all I can safely say. But fans of the Andy Carpenter books will be familiar with the way things play out—and new readers will be entertained by it, too.

Marcus doesn't do much more (especially on the dialogue front) in The K Team than he does in a typical Andy Carpenter book, he's basically an unintelligible superhuman (yeah, the jokes about the protagonist's inability to understand him are of the same genus as the ones in the Carpenter novels, but they're a different species coming from Corey—I was surprised at how refreshing that was). I think he probably gets a little more space devoted to him than he typically gets, but he does basically what we're used to seeing. There are a couple of exceptions, including what I believe is the longest hand-to-hand fight scene we've seen from him.

Even Laurie isn't featured as much as I expected. Actually, that's an understatement. I assumed that this would be Laurie's series with a couple of sidekicks—or maybe an equally Laurie and Corey series with Marcus showing up to do his thing every now and then. Maybe a third person kind of thing alternating between focusing on each character. But no, this is first person from Corey's POV—so we get a lot of Laurie, but most of what she did was off-screen, only teaming up with Corey for bigger moments or to discuss what they'd done together. It's not what I expected, but I can live with it (I just wish she'd get to shine a bit more).

So, Corey...we get to know him a bit better here than we did in his first appearance, obviously. He's single—deliberately—and very devoted to Simon (but not the same way that Andy is to Tara), they worked together and are now shifting to a new career together. Corey's a bit more willing to leave Simon out of some of the action than say, Bernie Little is (eager, occasionally, for Simon's safety). He's a movie buff—a little bit of a nerd about them, it seems—and I look forward to seeing this more. He's good at his job, still a straight arrow (the kind of cop he was), but is discovering that he's more willing to color outside the lines than he thought. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better.

The humor is a similar style to the one employed in the Andy Carpenter books, but it's not Andy's voice in a different body. Corey is distinctive, but fans of the one will tend to enjoy the other. That's half the point (maybe 70% of the point) of a spin-off, right? Similar, but not equal—that applies for the voice, the humor, and the story.

If you've never read an Andy Carpenter book, don't worry. Just think of this as the good idea it is—a team of PI's working together instead of a lone operator with an occasional side-kick. A trio is so rare in the PI fiction biz that I can't wait to see it at work more in future installments. I enjoyed this enough that I'm ready to read the next two at least. There was so much set-up to The K Team that Rosenfelt almost had to shoe-horn the plot around it. This was a good intro to the series, but I'm looking forward to seeing what Rosenfelt has in store for the team now that he's been able to establish things.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

Corey Douglas is a recently retired police officer as is Simon Garfunkel, a his former K-9 partner. They team up with Laurie and Marcus to form an investigation firm called The K-Team. Laurie is married to Andy, a retired criminal defense lawyer, and she and Marcus do investigative work for Andy. Laurie is also a former police officer and Marcus has "persuasive" reasoning skills and provides protection when it's most needed. Sam is Andy's accountant who is also a computer hack and Corey, as a retired police office, has an issue with how Sam gets his information.

The K Team's first client is Judge Henry "Hatchet" Henderson, a no-nonsense judge who suspects he's about to be blackmailed into doing something. Henderson wants The K Team to find out what's going on. As they investigate, dead bodies start popping up until they finally figure out what's going on.

There have been twenty books so far in the Andy Carpenter series and I've read them all ... this is the first in the K Team spin-off series (and I hope it won't be the last). Laurie and Marcus have major roles in the Andy Carpenter series and Andy is in this one. We met Corey in the last Andy Carpenter book just as he and Simon had retired.

I enjoyed this book. After getting to know Andy (in his voice) in his series, it was interesting to see how someone else views him and how he reacts/relates with others. The story was interesting and it didn't come together until the end. Though it is a spin-off of another series, you don't need to have read the other series (though you should because they are good). I like the writing style of this author as it was funny, sarcastic and amusing. It was written mostly in first person perspective in Corey's voice but is sometimes in third person perspective when the focus is on one of the bad guys.

There's a new dog in town and he's Simon! More seriously, fans of Rosenfelt might remember that Andy Carpenter's last case involved Simon the police K-9 and his handler Corey. Both Corey and Simon are retired now and they've joined forces with Andy's wife Laurie (a force in her own right) and Marcus (would love to meet him) as well as Andy to form the K-team. Their first case is Judge Henry Hatchet Hendeson who is being blackmailed and then is shamed for what he does not know. This one gets a little complicated in the solution (follow closely near the end) but it's terrific with all the charm of the Carpenter novels. Andy's in the back seat here, with Corey in the front. Corey's got a great distinct voice and a sensibility that differs a tad from the rest of the team. This one kept me guessing- I could see the answer out there somewhere but couldn't put my finger on it, which is always the mark of a good read. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. This is a great start to a new series and I look forward to spending more time with this cast of characters.

If you’re familiar with the Andy Carpenter series then you know it’s apt to be quite a challenge for the fast-talking, somewhat smart-aleck, criminal defense lawyer, to step back and let the spotlight shine on the K Team.

If you’re not familiar, that’s just fine too. This new series doesn’t require that you know the characters from the Andy Carpenter books.

The K Team consists of Andy’s wife Laurie, who is a former police officer. Cory and his German Shepherd, Simon Garfunkel, both retired police officers that Laurie worked with. And lastly, Marcus who is a bodyguard in the Andy Carpenter books.

In this spinoff, one of the judges in the Carpenter series is being blackmailed and wants the team to do some “quiet” investigations. Obviously, due to his position, he needs to count on the confidentiality of those on the team. In order to ensure that, he hires Andy to represent him. Of course, that means attorney/client privilege, and the team will then be legally bound to the same terms since technically they will be doing research for Andy. This is more or less a cameo appearance for Andy.

I was familiar with everyone on the K Team except retired cop Cory and his dog, Simon. And I was excited to see how Rosenfelt would weave a police dog into the story.

I hate to admit it, but I wasn’t all that happy with the characters. And here are the reasons why:

Cory – I kid you not, at the beginning of this book, Cory reminded me so much of Andy that I had to go back and make sure who was telling the story. That’s not a good thing. As I continued to read, he did start to veer away from what I considered to be Andy’s thoughts and humor. But Cory just didn’t stand out enough to be the key character in this book. In my opinion, Cory needed to have a very distinct voice, which he didn’t.

Simon Garfunkel – Cory’s police dog’s participation in this story was next to nothing. Quite disappointing. Knowing Rosenfelt’s deep love for dogs, I expected much more.

Lauri – What can I say? Lauri is Lauri. I have nothing negative nor positive about her character.

Marcus – Could be just my sense of humor or lack of, but when a character speaks only in grunts, he doesn’t add that much to a team, or a story. In fact, if Marcus got paid for every recognizable word he speaks, he’d be left asking for handouts on the street corner.

So with that cast of characters, it was difficult for me to get too excited regarding the plot. Don’t get me wrong, I was interested in the reason that Judge Henderson, alias Hatchet to many lawyers, was getting anonymous, incriminating mail, it just wasn’t enough.

What Concerned Me
1. I thought this cast of characters was weak.
2. And I want investigators to always solve mysteries with practices that are within the boundaries of the law.

What I Liked
Rosenfelt is a good writer, and I’ve appreciated his writing throughout the last few years. With some tweaks to the characters, I see The K Team as developing into another fun series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for providing an ARC and the ability to post my thoughts.

I have just recently started reading books by Rosenfelt. I really enjoyed this book. I love a good crime book and having dogs involved makes it so much better. Love this author!!

Two new characters, Corey and his dog Sam, join Andy's crew to make up the K Team for another GREAT who-dunit!

Welcome to the K Team. After writing the Andy Carpenter mystery series for many years, David Rosenfelt has spun off what appears to be a new series. The K Team is composed of Andy’s wife, Laurie, a former police officer, Cory and his German Shepherd, Simon Garfunkel, both retired police officers, and Marcus, all-around bodyguard. All but Cory have been part of Andy’s life and adventures for many years. In Rosenfelt’s most recent book, the newly formed K Team has been asked to investigate the blackmail of a local judge. Faced with their first big case, the team begins to assemble information …and then the case goes sideways.

The main characters in The K Team are from the Andy Carpenter series (except for retired cop Cory and his canine companion, Simon) so it’s inevitable that there are comparisons of the two. I found The K Team to be less appealing, although I still love the characters. But, meanwhile, I miss Andy, who only appears on the periphery of this story. The dialogue seems to be more stilted, the humor more forced, and the storyline doesn’t seem to flow as well as some of Mr Rosenfelt’s other books. However, this could still be an entertaining new series and I haven’t given up on it yet.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

In the most recent Andy Carpenter book, Dachshund through the Snow, Andy helps Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, Simon, retire together. Now, Corey, and Simon, along with Andy's wife, Laurie Carpenter and the dangerous and silent Marcus Clarke are teaming up to be private investigators. Their first case is to investigate the hate mail that Judge Henry Henderson is receiving. But when the judge commits suicide after the smear campaign against him goes public, the team is determined to get to the bottom of who is benefiting from his death. If you are a fan of Andy Carpenter, you will love this one, too. Recommended for dog lovers everywhere.

Corey, an ex-cop with his K-9 partner, GSD Simon Garfunkel, has teamed with Laurie, Andy Carpenter's wife, and Marcus (also of Carpenter fame), along with occasional Super-Hacker Sam.

Corey is not your average vision of a tough guy--and he has woman issues. He knows there's bound to be a problem with Dani--he just hasn't found it yet. He is less sarcastic than Andy. Dani is a great support character and fits in beautifully with Laurie. And Marcus--you don't mess with Marcus. The Seal Team wouldn't mess with Marcus. Book 1 doesn't include Simon so much and I hope we'll see his as a slightly stronger role going forward.

There is going to be some time spent in "getting to know" the new guy and a bit of redux for Laurie and Marcus. Once past the preliminaries, the novel begins to gather speed and has the reader burning through the remaining chapters. The team's first client, a judge known as "Hatchet" has them looking into a possible blackmail/extortion attempt. The case quickly escalates. The well-plotted action becomes complex and it might help to possess some slight knowledge of the stock market. Even if you don't, this becomes a good primer.

While Corey doesn't have the biting wit of Andy Carpenter (and really, how could he?), it still moves at a fast pace, keeping the characters involved, dodging red herrings, kicking ass and taking names. Okay, maybe the former part is more Marcus' domain, while the taking names part is Corey's.

I was thrilled to receive this digital ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for a review. This is a great start to the new series and I'm already looking forward to Book 2. Recommended for any who enjoy an action and crime thriller, animal fiction, mystery. Great characters, complex plots, well-written and entertaining.

3.5 stars

This book is a spin-off of Rosenfelt's humorous 'Andy Carpenter' mystery series, set in Paterson, New Jersey. Andy is a criminal defense lawyer whose wife, private detective Laurie Collins Carpenter, is the investigator for his firm.

Now Laurie is part of a new detective agency that calls itself 'The K Team.' The members of The K Team are Laurie; Marcus Clark - the toughest, scariest guy on the planet; Corey Douglas - a retired cop; and Simon Garfunkel - a German shepherd who worked with Corey at the Paterson Police Department.

The K Team is hired by Judge Henry (The Hatchet) Henderson who's being blackmailed. Clever extortionists have made it look like the judge takes bribes. The miscreants have sent the judge statements from a Cayman Islands bank account in his name - which Henderson never opened - that contains almost $400,000. Now Henderson wants The K Team to find the scoundrels before they start making demands.

The K Team gets on the job, and things soon get complicated. It's clear that some well-funded entity has nefarious plans to make a fortune, and it somehow involves Judge Henderson. Moreover, the wastrels aren't above committing murder to further their ends.

The story is narrated by Corey, who infuses his narrative with humor and quips. For example, when Marcus responds 'Ynnhh' to a remark, Corey observes, "I've learned that Marcus is a man of few words, none of them remotely understandable." And when a detective interviews Marcus, Corey observes, "I'm sure (it) will go down in state police annals as the least productive interview ever."

In another scene, Corey observes that a pimp named Rico violates his "Pimpian Code" when he allows his employee to engage in a conversation with a man that doesn't involve money. All this adds a light element to the tale. 🙂

We also get a peek at Marcus's superhuman capabilities. When a pimp hits a woman, Corey notes, "Marcus has been standing silently next to me, then suddenly he is not. He has his hands on the pimp and does something I've never seen before. He lifts him off his feet and tosses him up over the car. The guy clears the car by at least eighteen inches; his ass faces the ground as he sails backward, as if he is an Olympic high jumper."

Several characters from the Andy Carpenter series make an appearance, including Police Detective Pete Stanton - who cooperates with The K Team; newspaper editor Vince Sanders, who's so devoted to free food and beer that if he wasn't invited to a celebration, he would crash the party anyway; and gray-haired computer hacker Sam Willis, who's so talented he could probably use his computer to get the national nuclear weapons codes.

The book is a fine beginning to a new series, recommended to fans of amusing mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (David Rosenfelt), and the publisher (Minotaur Books) for a copy of the book.

The K Team
by David Rosenfelt
St. Martin's Press
Minotaur Books
General Fiction (Adult)

Never having read any in this series, I was concerned that I would not be able to catch on. However, this stands alone as a fully entertaining and well-written mystery. I will recommend it to our readers.
Thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC.

Looking for an engaging new mystery series from an established author? David Rosenblatt delivers with The K Team, which tells the tales and travails of a newly formed investigative team as they race to solve their first case, which involves a judge who is being blackmailed for reasons that no one can identify. The plot development in this story is interesting, particularly in the places where Simon Garfunkel, the retired German Shepherd K-9 who is an integral member of the team, is woven into the story. I look forward to reading more books in this series!

Note: I loved the cover on this book - in fact, the beautiful German Shepherd on the cover was what drew me to the story!

It's been a while since I've read a Rosenfelt book (though I have a couple waiting on my bookshelves). This introduction to a new series is off to a good start. The characters are connected to Andy Carpenter, Rosenfelt's long time leading character, so fans of the series will find some familiar faces, even Andy makes an appearance.

For this new series, Andy's wife Laurie (a former policewoman) joins with another former cop, Corey, his K9 partner Simon Garfunkel (?!), and Marcus, their silent, hulking 'muscle'. The four of them take on a blackmail case against a prominent judge that turns deadly. Twists and turns develop as they learn new information that sends the case in new directions. Fast paced with short chapters makes it easy to keep the pages turning.

Told in the first person from Corey's perspective, the dialog (both internal and external) is sharp, entertaining, and sometimes chuckle worthy. The plot moved right along and in addition to the blackmail had a financial/stock trading component that was interesting. I liked that Corey has commitment issues and his budding relationship with Dani made for some entertaining asides. On the other hand, we learn almost nothing about Marcus, so I hope that character is developed more fully in future books. Laurie, Andy's wife, was another bit player and got about as much story time as Andy himself.

Somewhat disappointing was the lack of dog action. Simon got a mention every few chapters, mostly as he accompanied Corey to or from someplace; he was barely part of the story. If it's going to be a K-9 team, I certainly hope Simon's role expands.

All in all, a solid story from a solid writer. I look forward to more in this series.

Thanks to #Netgalley, #StMartinsPress #Minotaur books for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
A review will be appearing on my blog www.bookshelfjourneys.com on Feb 25

An entertaining spin-off of the Andy Carpenter series as Andy’s wife Laurie, former cop and current P.I., teams up with retired sergeant Corey Douglas and his K9 Simon Garfunkel to form the K Team, private investigators. If you think this is going to be as wonderful as the Andy Carpenter series then you would be right! The first case for the K Team is a wild one as they are investigating who is setting up a well-known judge, affectionally known as Hatchet, for blackmail and extortion. Without knowing if this involves a former or upcoming case before the judge, or what the blackmailer wants, the team, including Marcus work to find out who wants to destroy the judge’s reputation. Who has the money needed to bankroll such a long-range plan and why? The same amazing, unique mystery and humor brings us another winner from Mr. Rosenfelt! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)