From bestselling mystery author David Rosenfelt comes a new series – a spinoff of the much beloved Andy Carpenter mysteries – about a dynamic new investigative team featuring a determined former cop and his loyal German Shepherd. Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, Simon Garfunkel, have recently retired from the police force. Not ready to give up the life yet, they come up with a proposal for … a proposal for fellow former cop, Laurie Carpenter, and her investigating partner, Marcus. Laurie and Marcus – who help out Laurie’s lawyer husband Andy on cases – have been chafing to jump back into investigating on their own, so they are in.
They call themselves the K Team, in honor of Simon. Their first job as private investigators comes to them from Judge Henry Henderson, who’s known as a very tough but fair judge, and they’ve all come up against him in court at one time or another. Though it’s hard to believe, Judge Henderson is being blackmailed and extorted, and he doesn’t want to involve the police–he needs the K Team to figure out why.
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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.
I LOVE David Rosenfelt’s “Andy Carpenter” mystery series and have recommended it to more people than I can count. The K Team is a spin-off of that series, featuring Andy’s wife and ex-police-detective Laurie, Marcus a scary P.I., Corey an ex-cop, and his police dog Simon. I was really looking forward to this book, and for those who haven’t read the Andy Carpenter series, this is a good mystery as the team works to find out who is behind an extortion scheme and multiple murders. BUT…if you love the Andy Carpenter series, you might have a problem with Corey’s treatment of Laurie. Laurie is a strong capable woman whose previous job was with the police. But ex-cop Corey (and he is the first-person POV character for this series) tries several times to essentially keep the little woman out of the action. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator even reads Laurie’s part as a weaker person than she’s been in the original series and at one point makes it sound as if she is panicking. And — if you have read the Andy Carpenter series and expect there to be humor in this series — you might be disappointed. But if you like mysteries featuring a hero who has issues (Corey has issues with women, for example) but still prevails, you will like this book.
The K Team was a bit unexpected as it told the story more from Corey’s viewpoint than from the team itself. Also, Simon, the K part of the K Team did not really have much of a place in the book at all except for one scene. I would have enjoyed more interaction between all of the team, especially Laurie and Marcus. However, since this is the first book in this series I am sure that we will see more teamwork in the future. I am looking forward to seeing where this series leads.
What a Fun new series from David Rosenfelt! I actually listened to the audio book – read by Fred Berman (love his way of story telling). I have always enjoyed the sarcastic Andy Carpenter books and this series is right up there. Corey & Simon are new players with our fun favorites Marcus & Laurie (Andy Carpenters wife).
“The K Team” by David Rosenfelt Narrator: Fred Berman
I had to wait several weeks for my turn to download this audiobook from my state library. And, it was worth the wait. If you like legal suspense stories then I am sure you will enjoy this story as much as I did. I devoured my copy in less than 24 yours. Read the description… then get your hands on a copy of this story and sit back and be prepared to go for an adventure. Happy Reading ! !
Good read
This is the first book I read by this author but not the last. I really enjoyed The K Team. It was well written and the characters were very believable. The story contained enough twists and turns to keep me entertained. It is a good mystery story that doesn’t contain a lot of gore or sexual content. I recommend this to anyone who wants a good mystery with likeable characters.
There is a new dog on the block and on the case; enter the “K Team.” Corey Douglas is an easy-going, recently retired Patterson New Jersey cop who is one of the world’s foremost film-trivia experts. His first person present tense narrative is casual and comfortable; he talks to readers and talks to himself. Readers get to know him well as he shares thoughts about criminals, lawyers, and life in general. His fellow “K-Team” members include Laurie Collins, Marcus Clark, and German Shepherd Simon Garfunkel, also recently retired from Paterson P.D. Readers recognize these characters from Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series, and in fact, those familiar characters make appearances in this new series, but in slightly different roles.
Behind the friendly banter and friendship with dogs, Rosenfelt created a solid, complex plot involving gangsters, blackmail, financial fraud, computer hacking and killers for hire. The narrative alternates between Douglas’s first person account and a third person view so readers know details the team does not. People disappear then turn up dead. Unrelated actions and people weave in and out of the story, so the K-Team must ferret out the truth from the pack of lies. The team struggles to discern how all this fits together, and fit together it does. The questions are answered, the unexpected is explained, and the dogs live happily ever after; that is what readers really want after all.
“The K Team” reflects Rosenfelt’s conversational writing style and easy enjoyable prose. He gave Corey Douglas and Andy Carpenter the same attitude, sarcastic humor, realistic approach, and love of bogs. They could have best friends if they had not spent so many years on opposing sides. I received a review copy of The K Team” from David Rosenfelt and Minotaur Books. The K-team “family” is entertaining and compelling, and this new series shows great potential. Sign me up for the next installment.
I am a huge fan of Andy Carpenter and his team of, shall I say, operatives? The chemistry of Andy, his wife, Laurie and Marcus (very large, of few words, and very intimidating) placed the series firmly in my must have list. When Laurie, a former police detective, decided to team up with Corey Douglas, a retired police detective, his K nine partner Simon Garfunkel (awesome name) and Marcus, I did not hesitate to get hold of a copy. I was not disappointed in the least. While Corey doesn’t have the wit of Andy, he has the smarts and paired up with rest of the K Team, well David Rosenfelt has another winning series.
When we meet the team they have been ordered by Pete Stanton (from the Andy Carpenter series) to come to his office. There is a case for them and Andy is supposed to join them but keep his mouth shut. So off they go to start their first case and boy, is it a doozy. turns out their client is Henry ‘the Hatchet’ Henderson, the judge who has gone head to head with Andy. The nickname is well earned and he makes a challenging client. Turns out Judge Henderson is being blackmailed and, as the K Team starts to dig for information they discover the blackmail has been very well planned by somebody with lots of patience and lots of money. But why? What form of payment do they want from the judge?
As in every mystery crafted by David Rosenfelt things get complicated fast and the body count grows and the puzzle gets as twisted as rotini. Red herrings all over the place. Plus dogs. Always dogs. So, if you like complicated puzzles, great characters, smooth writing style, books that cause you to stay up past your bedtime and dogs, do not think twice about buying this book. You won’t regret it.
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.
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.
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, affectionately 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)
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.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Minotaur Books via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
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!