THE K TEAM by David Rosenfelt is the first book in a new mystery series. It is also my first book by this author. Several characters from his Andy Carpenter series are the main characters with Andy becoming a minor character in this novel. Former Detective Laurie Carpenter, former Detective Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner Simon Garfunkel, and Marcus Clark are working as private detectives. In their first case, Judge Henry Henderson hires them via Andy to find out who is attempting to blackmail him. While no specifics for what they want him to do have been detailed, they have sent incriminating documents.

From a characterization standpoint, Corey is the most compelling and has the most depth in this novel. The characters acted in a plausible manner. The plot was suspenseful, complex and full of twists and turns. The prose was engaging and well-paced. My frustration was that the K Team did not always stay on the legal side of things to get their answers. How this will play out in future books remains to be seen.

Overall, this was entertaining and a good start to a new series and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and David Rosenfelt for an ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

Mr. Rosenfelt is a "new to me" author so I was excited for the opportunity to try this new series. This is a spinoff from the Andy Carpenter series featuring Andy's wife, Laurie, Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, Simon Garfunkel and Marcus Clark.

For a first book in a series, I found the characters to be well developed throughout the book. The smoothly paced plot and the red herrings as several suspects were considered kept the suspense building until the reveal. A solid mystery that I'm sure will continue for many books in the future.

Well darn. I was disappointed with this. This was essentially an Andy Carpenter mystery with most of Andy sucked out of the story, i.e. none of the good bits. The K Team is the new investigative team of Andy's wife Laurie, Marcus, and the retired police officer and K-9 from Dachshund in the Snow Corey Douglas and Simon. Corey takes over the narration here, and his voice is similar to Andy's, only minus the wit and sarcasm. Laurie is presented essentially the same, and Marcus as well. Corey cannot understand Marcus any more than Andy (but is not afraid of him), and Marcus seems to play no more of a part than before, which is disappointing. I was also hoping that Simon, the retired police K-9 would be more thoroughly a part of Corey's work, but just seems to be along for the ride. In this, their first case, the infamous Judge Henderson "Hatchet" of many earlier Carpenter cases is being blackmailed and wants it investigated and stopped. But this is no ordinary blackmail, and things develop in a most peculiar and deadly manner. The mystery was okay, but Corey wasn't all that interesting and couldn't carry the narrative alone. The team needs more teamwork.

I have said it before and I'll say it again...I love David Rosenfelt! He does not disappoint in his newest series. You may remember Corey Douglas and Simon Garfunkel from the Andy Carpenter novel, Dachshund Through the Snow. As a retired cop, Corey cannot rely on work from Andy to pay the bills. (We all know how much Andy Carpenter LOVES to take on new clients.) So, Corey, Laurie and Marcus have decided to team up to start a PI firm Laurie enthusiastically (and everyone else not as much) call the "K-Team". And who should be their first client? None other than the notorious Judge "Hatchet" Henderson! With Rosenfelt's trademark humor and wit be prepared for another twisting turning ride.

Thank you as always to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Such a fun spin off from the author of the Andy Carpenter series. Many of the same characters show up in this book with the addition of a new member of the team, whose story this mostly is. Lovely Tara makes an appearance, thank goodness. The mystery here is good but the dialog and the familiar characters are what keeps me coming back to the regular series and the new K Team is a great addition.

The K Team is an entertaining and well written mystery. Great plot and believable characters. I look forward to future books in this series. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

I admit that I was drawn to this book because of the cover and my recent infatuation with K-9 mysteries (Paula Munier's Mercy Carr, Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek series, Susan Furlong's Bone Gap Travelers series). While Simon Garfunkel, the shepherd on the cover, is a key part of the K Team, this book isn't really about the dog. This book is a spin-off of Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series and focuses on a small group of private investigators that includes Andy's wife Laurie, a retired cop, and Corey Douglas and his dog Simon, also retired cops.

Corey is the main narrator of the book (which occasionally switches over to a third person narrator when it's necessary to give the reader additional information) that begins when the K Team is hired to figure out who's blackmailing a judge. A far-ranging conspiracy is investigated and the story provides enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. Good read with engaging characters.

I thoroughly enjoy every Rosenfelt novel from thriller to canine. I was expecting my Andy, Laurie, Marcus, Tara etc but this is a new series with the K Team which was introduced in the last novel. Not enough dog in this one.
It is well written and Corey has a voice of strength and confidence but I miss the old crew. The humor isn’t quite there but Marcus does get more dialogue ;)
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The K Team by David Rosenfelt. This is a new series that features many characters from the Andy Carpenter series. The lead is Corey, who was part of Rosenfelt's last novel, and Simon, a German Shepard, who also had a starring role.
Rosenfelt is one of the funniest writers. His dialog is sometimes laugh out loud but he also writes a great mystery as well.
A prominent judge is being blackmailed and he hires a new company to find out who is disrupting his life - enter the K Team - Corey, Laurie Carpenter (Andy's wife) and Marcus (one of the scariest, nicest guys). They start digging into the Judge's life including his work on the bench. They discover there are alot of possible suspects that may have a hand in trying to blackmail the judge, but no real leads.
The K Team has leads but none that they can state is the reason behind trying to ruin the life of a prominent New Jersey Judge. But things take a turn and the list of suspects increase and there appears to be some people who will stop at nothing to not only make the Judge's life not worth living. But who and why - The K Team, with the help of Andy Carpenter, is determined to bring justice and find a killer as well.
Really Good start to a new series - Fresh and Funny - 4 stars.

Corey (and Simon,his canine partner from his days on the police force), Laurie, and Marcus, names you may recognize from Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series, have decided to go into business as private investigators: The K Team. Their first client is Judge Henderson, who some lawyers referred to as "Hatchet." The judge is being blackmailed, but there is much more going on than that. Evil financiers, hit men, and layers and layers of careful cover up point to a scheme that is making some wealthy people even wealthier, and eliminating anyone that gets in the way. A great start to a new series by one of my favorite authors. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

New series, same enjoyable style
When newly retired police detective Corey Douglas and his former K-9 German Shepherd partner Simon Garfunkel form a private investigation agency with retired cop Laurie Carpenter and taciturn “muscle” Marcus Clark, none of them would have dreamed that their first client would be the respected Paterson, New Jersey, judge Henry Henderson. Known as “Hatchet” Henderson “because it is said that he chops the testicles off lawyers”, Judge Henderson must be in BIG trouble if he feels compelled to hire the wife of lawyer Andy Carpenter, one of his favorite targets in the courtroom. Indeed, he is. Judge Henderson is being blackmailed, and he wants the team to find out who is responsible and stop it before rumors spread and the judge’s reputation is ruined. The case becomes even more complicated and nasty and even includes murder before the K team finally sees that justice is done.
Corey is the informal leader of the K team, and he narrates the book. His tone reminds me very much of Andy Carpenter, who narrates his series: wry and full comments on humanity. These provoke lots of smiles and chuckles, but they are never mean. Corey and the rest of the team have seen some pretty nasty scenes and people in their careers and during this book, but they still care about people. They are persons the reader can like, and each brings his or her own personal skills to the case. It is interesting to see Corey struggle with ethical issues now that he is no longer part of law enforcement when the team has opportunities to get information crucial to their case through not-quite-legal means, such as assistance from accountant and cyberwhiz Sam Willis.
The humor, characters, and plot are the important elements to the book, but I also appreciate nice details Rosenfelt inserts along the way. For example, Judge Henderson does NOT hire the K team. He hires attorney Andy Carpenter and has him, in turn, hire the K team as investigators, because that way their work is protected by attorney-client confidentiality.
As noted above, The K team has a lot of similarities to the Andy Carpenter series that should please Andy’s fans (as well as new readers). So how is it different? Most obviously, the plot does not involve animals. Simon is a member of the team and actually has an opportunity to participate in one significant action, but there is no element of the story involving dogs. Many readers like myself really enjoy the animal element of Andy’s cases, but I sometimes wondered how long Rosenfelt would be able to come up with new plots involving dogs. When the new series was announced it occurred to me that this might have been the author’s way to continue with essentially the same cast but branch out into new story lines. The second big difference is that, since attorney Andy Carpenter is not front and center in the book, there are no extended courtroom scenes, which is a shame, because those are always fun.
But I won’t complain (too much). The K Team is off to a good start, with nice characters, humor, and a compelling plot. Fans of the Andy Carpenter series will not be disappointed. If you have not yet been introduced to the team, I think you will enjoy meeting them, and then I recommend you go to the Andy Carpenter series and enjoy getting to know them even better.

The K Team is officially open for business. When I heard about this series, I thought the premise was great. Laurie Carpenter, Marcus Clark, ex-cop Corey Douglas & his 4 legged partner Simon Garfunkel are Paterson, New Jersey’s newest private investigators. Now all they need is a client. Be careful what you wish for…

If you’re a fan of the Andy Carpenter series you’ll already be acquainted with his nemesis, Judge Henry “the Hatchet” Henderson. Seems the judge has a wee problem….someone is trying to blackmail him & he wants them to find those responsible. His instructions for their meeting are clear: it must be completely confidential & he’ll require the presence of Laurie’s annoying husband.

I won’t get into the main plot line. It’s ingenious & complex & has our rookie PI’s chasing their tails. The first half of the book deals with setting the stage & introducing all the players. At the 50% mark, the pace picks up considerably following 2 pivotal events….the introduction of one character & the loss of another. As the frustrated team begins to make connections, you’ll be kept guessing as to who is behind it all.

I’ve always enjoyed the Andy Carpenter books but was looking forward to Marcus & Laurie being in the driver’s seat. I assumed the 3 human MC’s would split story telling duties with Simon contributing the occasional growl. (I know what you’re thinking…..Marcus? using words? Ok ok, so maybe not actually speaking but I was hoping for some internal dialogue to balance out his pithy grunts.) And seeing events through Laurie’s eyes would give us a fresh approach.

Alas, it was not to be. While Marcus & Laurie play their parts, the story is narrated by Corey. And while he’s a smart & earnest guy, I’m not sure his character is compelling enough to carry it off. I’m glad the author chose to make him completely different to avoid comparisons with Andy but the result is he’s a bit like vanilla ice cream. Nothing wrong with it, just no surprises. Hopefully his character is fleshed out in the next book so more of his personality shines through.

There are some holdovers from the original series. Andy pops in & out of the story as do Pete Stanton & accountant/hacker Sam. And of course Tara is always there to provide quiet wisdom & support. But the big surprise is the loss of a well known character & it will be interesting to see how the author fills their shoes. It’s a solid start to the series & I look forward to spending more time with these characters in book #2.

It seems that my opinion of this book is quite different from the rest. I was looking forward to the K Team, mainly because who doesn't love law enforcement dogs - unless you are on the wrong end of the law.

After reading this, I'm not sure why we have a whole different series. The characters.are the same except for Corey Douglas and Simon Garfunkel. Andy is still involved. Laurie's level of participation is about the same. And there seems to be less dog scenes. Part of what made Andy Carpenter's series so successful is the repetitious dialogue underlying how wonderful dogs are. With Tara, no longer the main character that is missing. It is not that Corey doesn't love Simon - he does but it is not expressed in the same way.
And Simon, the K-9 member of the team, well except for a few scenes, he never really shown as a character. He likes to ride in cars; he is lethargic after retirement; Marcus likes him; someone tried to poison him. If you remember, Rosenfelt wrote "Dog Tags" which featured a German Shepherd named Milo. Milo seemed to feature more in the story then Simon did in this one.
There is some a dash of sly humor - but nowhere near the amount of humor I've come to expect in Rosenfelt's books. It centers around Corey's dating life, which comprises about three scenes.
But the kicker for me, is the killing off a secondary character that was a perfect foil to Andy. It not that I love the character. He wasn't created for readers to love, but he sure deserved a better ending then what he received here.
Overall, I found this a disappointing read.

Loving the Andy Carpenter series, I couldn’t wait to read the K-team. As an offshoot, I can’t help comparing them, until there are a few more books in the series.

The first case for the newly formed K-team is helping Judge Henderson, not one of Andy’s favorite judges, find out who has set him up and is blackmailing him. Although there is not quite the same Andy irreverent humor, getting to know the character of Corey Douglass is interesting. Love his dog Simon, and of course having Laurie and Marcus rounds it off. I thought the plot a little draggy at times but overall, recommend this first book to readers.
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

I'm going to give this four stars because it's David Rosenfelt and he's always good for an enjoyable read, however this wasn't one of his best. I don't know if it's because Andy Carpenter isn't as well featured or because I found the story a bit convoluted. I'd still recommend it 'cause...David Rosenfelt. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

ex-cop, K-9, law-enforcement, murder, extortion, greed, snark-fest, friendship, assassins, private-investigators,*****,

It really doesn't matter if you've read any of the Andy Carpenter books, this stands alone as a winner! Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, Simon Garfunkel, have recently retired from the police force only to join up with a former colleague, the ex-cop wife of early retired lawyer Andy Carpenter. Together they and some other consultants take on a case for a highly respected judge who is being blackmailed by an unknown entity for unknown purposes. The body count almost reaches the snark count, and the plot is devilishly twisty, full of misdirection and red herrings. LOVED IT! It's clear that this is the start of an active, fun series.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Rosenfelt has another winner in this spinoff from his Andy Carpenter series. Excellent characters, dialogue, and plot as the newly-formed PI firm comes to the rescue of a judge.

This book was received as an ARC from St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am always a fan of dog stories and the impact they have on our lives. I am always on the lookout for more books on the K-9 unit and their impact for not only serving the community but for the bonds they form with their human companions just like Corey and Simon Garfunkle The K Team! Corey retires from the force and catches up with former cop and friend Laurie and her friend Marcus and they form The K Team! They are tasked to assist Laurie's husband Andy who is a lawyer with solving the case so he can defend his clients. Their first case involves judge Henderson involved with a blackmail case that could end his career. The K team is on it having worked with him before as police officers and the case takes a new turn that no one is prepared for and the job they once loved is in question. I could not stop being fascinated by the bond of Corey and Simon and how they stuck by eachother every step of the way. I know a lot of our readers will enjoy this book very much.

We will consider adding this title to our Adult Fiction collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I love this new series by Rosenfelt. It contains all the humor of his Andy Carpenter series just with new characters. I have loved everything that he has written and I highly recommend his books

As Andy Carpenter's number one fan I was immediately interested in meeting the K Team and I have to say that I am now a huge Corey Douglas fan as well. This new series continues with the same wry sense of humor that makes me love Andy, and it is also a big treat to reconnect with Laurie, Marcus and the rest of the gang. When Andy's nemesis, Judge "Hatchet" Henderson is being blackmailed with false evidence, he calls in the team and, as with all of David Rosenfelt's books, they manage to peel back all the layers of seemingly disparate occurrences until they whole pattern emerges. This is a wonderful book - once I started I could not put it down and stayed up until I had gotten to the end. I highly recommend it.