A new series, The K Team, springs into action

The K Team #1, David Rosenfelt

Genre: Mystery, Animals

Published 3/24/20, 304 pages

It's been a while since I've read a David 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. However, you don't have to have any history with the previous series - this works perfectly well as a stand-alone novel. 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.

New Characters in The K Team make a Strong Showing

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, which wasn't much. If fans are expecting an installment in the Carpenter series, they'll be disappointed. I can see where Andy's small role will disappear altogether in some future books. 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.

photo of dog by Altino Dantas via unsplash.com