Animal Instinct is the second book in the K Team series by David Rosenfelt. The story revolves around Cory, his K-9 partner Simon Garfunkle, Laurie, and Marcus (the K Team) who work to investigate a present-day murder that Cory believes is a result of an old unproven dispute domestic violence dispute that has haunted Cory since his days on the force. He feels responsible for letting down the woman all those years ago and now it is up to his entire team to bring justice to her.

The story quickly captures your attention and keeps you engaged as the plot unfolds. With the help of Andy Carpenter (with his trademark sarcastic humor), Laurie's defense attorney husband, Cory is determined to make a cruel and criminal husband pay for his deeds…past and present.

This ARC book was complimentary…provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

Animal Instinct (K Team #2). By David Rosenfelt. 2021. Minotaur Books (ARC eBook).

Private investigator Corey Douglas and his partners of the K Team take on a case of a murdered woman who Corey recognizes as a women he tried to help when he was a cop responding to a domestic violence call. He’s sure he knows who is responsible for the murder, but the investigation takes unexpected twists when he himself becomes the focus of the police and more bodies begin to drop. Corey and his girlfriend Dani might have to rely on his canine partner, Simon Garfunkle’s, instincts to stay alive. An entertaining mystery with action and solid teamwork, both with Simon and the rest of the members (and honorary members) of the K Team.

Disclaimer: I am a David Rosenfelt fan and have read every book he has written and loved them all. I repeatedly gift his books to my family and friends because I should not be the only one who enjoys his writing so much!!!!

Andy Carpenter is a lwyer who is working hard to keep from working. As part of his team, Corey Douglas does not have enough work to do so he starts his own investigative company......The K Team. Corey's maon partner is his retired police dog, Simon Garfinkel. They are joined by Andy's wife and partner, Lori and everyone's favorite muscleman, Marcus. The K Team will keep readers entertained and cheering for the good guys as they solve some of the hardest cases that Paterson, New Jersey's finest are unable.....or unwilling....to take on.

You should really treat yourself and read these books!!!!

This is the second in the K Team series spin off from the popular Andy Carpenter series. Corey convinces the team to take a case that is personal for him, a woman is murdered that he is sure was killed by an abusive domestic partner, and one that he let go once before when he was still a cop. But while the guy is just as much a jerk as he supposed, the case is far darker than he ever guessed, and requires the best talents and brains of everyone involved.
I wasn't that pleased with the first book in the series, but Corey finds his voice in this one. While not as annoyingly smart-mouthed as Andy, he does have a good sense of humor which keeps the suspense from being overbearing, and the story moving right along. As before, I wish the K-9 Simon was more of a character himself, but he does have his part to play. A very enjoyable, fun and fast read. Recommended.
My copy is an eARC from NetGalley.

Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, German shepherd Simon Garfunkel, recently retired from the police force. Now with Laurie and Marcus, they are the K Team, private investigators. They work for Laurie’s husband, attorney Andy Carpenter, but take other jobs when work is slow. Considering Andy is a lawyer who hates to take cases and can afford not to, work is as slow as he can make it.

Police officers often have cases that stay in their minds long after the fact. Corey answered a domestic violence call but the woman, Lisa, insisted she’d fallen. The man in question, Gerald, was smug and obnoxious about it. Unable to do more without her cooperation, Corey left. Now Lisa has been killed in what was called a random drive by shooting. Corey is sure Gerald is behind it, despite an ironclad alibi. The K Team is on the case.

Corey isn’t shy about his opinion, venting to a police officer and to his team. After questioning Lisa’s sister, neighbors, and friends, and delving into Gerald’s finances and background, Corey decides an in-person visit to Gerald is the next step. Gerald claims Lisa broke up with him, so there was no need for him to want revenge. The relationship had run its course. Corey does not believe him.

Things move rapidly after that, each step supposed to bring the team closer to a solution, but in fact, resulting in a dead end or consequences they couldn’t have seen coming, and putting one team member in jeopardy.

This is the second book in the series, a spin off of the Andy Carpenter mysteries. Corey tries to maintain a solitary life but is surprised to find out he really cares for Dani. He puts up with Andy for Laurie’s sake, but this case may change his attitude about that. Sam is the computer whiz while Marcus provides the muscle. Simon, well, he was always the best cop on the force, so that hasn’t changed now that he’s gone private.

Be warned, if you love mysteries, sarcasm, and dogs, not necessarily in that order, you’ll love Rosenfelt’s books. There are twenty-two in the Carpenter series out now with Dog Eat Dog coming in July and Best in Snow in October, both available for pre-order now. Adjust your book buying budget accordingly. You were warned.

Animal Instinct by David Rosenfelt

Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner, a German Shepard named Simon, are recently retired police officers turned private investigators. Along with fellow former cop, Laurie Collins, and her dog, Marcus, they call themselves their K team, in honor of Simon.

This book was filled with intrigue, deceit, and many murders. It was well-written. Just when you think you are grasping the plot, the story takes another right turn and you are in the dark. Great ending. I recommend this book.

Thanks to Net Galley for sending me an advanced reader’s copy for my review.

David Rosenfelt involves the K Team of retired police, Corey Douglas and his K9 partner Simon Garfunkel, another retired police woman Laurie and her lawyer husband Andy Carpenter in a series of murder in Animal Instinct. Corey wants to nail the murderer of an abused woman. From this bodies start dropping. Corey is framed for murder and to get him freed of the charge the K Team works to find the original murderer of the first victim. Action is non stop. The conspiracy behind the killings is intricate and AI based. Great thriller.

Rosenfelt brings back the K Team for another fast read mystery. A great book to read in one sitting!!! Roseenfelt never disappoints with his humor and lovable characters. I always look forward to his new books.

I am prefacing this review by saying I typically love David Rosenfelt books, in particular the Andy Carpenter series, but this book is a huge miss.
This is a crossover book with many of the same characters of the Andy Carpenter series but it reads as if it is trying too hard to be funny as in the slightly sophomoric poking at character Andy Carpenter. I like the crossover characters of Laurie and Marcus but bringing in Andy and Sam just confuses everything and it does not read smooth.
I do not recommend this particular series by David Rosenfelt.





I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley.

I am a sucker for dogs and this series is always enjoyable. This book was no exception with it's cleverly plotted mystery, likable characters, and wonderful dogs.

Readers who are a fan of Rosenfelt’s dog series will enjoy this novel that focuses on a new character. Corey Douglas has retired along with his K-9 partner named Simon Garfunkel. This German Shepherd helps his partner trying solve an unsolved murder and keep his owner out of prison.

Retired policemen Cory feels guilty when he hears that a woman he knew had been in an abusive relationship is murdered. After consulting with his investigator partners, they decide to look into the case. Typically, the case becomes much more involved as clues are collected. Cory is finding his voice and Andy is called in to help. Enjoyable from start to finish.

David Rosenfelt has been one of my favorite authors for well over a decade now and I'm always looking forward to reading his latest book (and to add to the fun, my dad really enjoys the series as well and also keeps up-to-date with it!). This one marks the second entry in the spin-off series, The K Team. While Andy Carpenter is heavily involved here, Corey, the retired police officer partnered with the ex-K9 cop, Simon, is the main narrator. But with a lot of the same humor and sports references, this series shares a similar feel to the Andy Carpenter one.

The central case involves a murdered woman who Corey had wished that he had done more to help when he was still employed. He gathers their investigation team to dig into her death - but soon events spiral in an unexpected direction, putting the K Team under more pressure than ever!

Fast-paced and fun, it's an enjoyable read with some funny moments to break up the tension. Plus, there's a lot of love for dogs in this series, too, as you would expect from Rosenfelt. This one is well-plotted, too, with some truly unexpected twists! Engaging and quick, I am left to wait for more from Rosenfelt - in either series (or even more standalones!). He's a talented author and a prolific one, so I am hopeful that the wait won't be too long!

5 stars = Outstanding!

Another winner from David Rosenfelt! The sass is strong in this one, which is one of the primary reasons I read Rosenfelt's Andy Carpenter series and now this spin off, the K-Team series. The mystery here is excellent and kept me guessing until the end. Loved spending time with some of my favorite characters. Highly recommend!

Rosenfelt fans will not be disappointed with the new Animal Instinct series, a spin-off of his long-running Andy Carpenter series. An interesting plot and likable characters make this another winner for Rosenfelt. We've already ordered it for our stores.

Thank you, Minotaur Books, for this digital ARC.

If I ever find myself in a real sticky legal situation, the kind that has me worried about how I'll look in an orange jumpsuit if I don't get good help - fast, I would want The K Team and Andy Carpenter fighting for me. In this, the second book starring the K Team - Laurie, Corey, Simon (the 4 legged member of the team) and strong, silent Marcus are fighting for one of their own. Corey, a former cop and Simon's human partner, has long been bothered by a case in which he was unable to help a woman caught in an abusive situation. Now the case has re-entered his life as a PI and it goes very wrong very fast. From asking his partners to help him when she is found murdered to tracking down her ex, also recently deceased, well Corey finds himself on the wrong side of the jail cell bars. If he has any hope of ever being a free man again, it will take all of considerable talent of the K Team along with my favorite lawyer, Andy Carpenter to catch the killer. Whoever planned and executed the framing of Corey will soon be the one behind those jail cell bars. Yes, the K Team and Andy are that good.
This series and the series featuring Andy are those rare books that I have re-read. They never fail to entertain me even when I'm on the second reading. The humor combined with great characters, dogs and a fantastic puzzle to unravel never disappoint. May there be many, many more for us to enjoy.
My thanks to the publisher Minotaur and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

WHAT'S ANIMAL INSTINCT ABOUT?
Every retired police officer or PI in fiction (maybe in real life, too, I don't know), has at least one case, one incident, one moment that haunts them. If only they'd done X, if only they'd been able to solve Y, or stop Z from happening. Corey Douglas has one of those—a few years ago, he responded to a call about domestic violence. He was unable to make any arrests that night, or anything else--he was convinced that the woman had been abused, but she denied it.

Years later, this woman is murdered and Corey's out to do the one thing he couldn't do before—get justice for her. He keeps telling himself that he wants the killer arrested, but really, he wants to finally arrest the boyfriend for the murder. Laurie and Marcus, his partners in the private investigator business—as well as his dog, Simon Garfunkel, a retired K-9 officer, join him in this investigation that turns out to be far more than anyone expected. The team needs Laurie's smarts and ability with people, Marcus's mysterious abilities (and brute force), Simon Garfunkel's teeth, and Corey's determination—and more than a little luck—to get to the bottom of this.

Especially when more murders are committed.

SIMON GARFUNKEL
The collective name for this group of investigators is The K Team, because of their K-9 member, right? So why doesn't he get more to do? I realize he's a dog. I'm not suggesting he join Sam in the hacking, or sit on stakeouts with Marcus (although I admit, I would pay good money for 10 pages or so of that). But Corey leaves him home a lot—yes, he retrieves him as quickly as possible and does what he can to spend time with him. But, I think he could do more.

When Simon Garfunkel is given a chance to do something—he's great. And even when he's just there for atmosphere, or as a conversational/narrative prop for Corey—he's a handy addition. I just think we could get some more of him. Bernie Little brings Chet to many more places that Corey tries. Maybe that's a function of Corey living in New Jersey and not the Southwest, and I think I could accept that as an explanation.

There's a scene toward the beginning of the novel where Corey takes Simon to the beach for the first time—and like most dogs, Simon loves the water and the sand. It's his enjoyment of the setting that gets Corey, who's apathetic at best toward the beach, to embrace the beach. I couldn't have enjoyed this scene more unless I was on the beach with them.

COREY'S OTHER RELATIONSHIP
Of course, the reason that Corey's at the beach for Simon to enjoy is his girlfriend, Dani. She's one of the best things about this book.

We're told in the last book that Corey's not really had any serious relationships as an adult, he's always looking for the reason to end things. He just doesn't want to end things with Dani. Whether it's because now that he's retired, he has time in his life for things other than police work; he's finally found "The One" (or a right one, depending on how you like to think of that); or he's finally maturing—or any combination of the three. Corey's letting himself grow, letting himself want things that he hasn't before—even at his age.

I love a character like that—I want to read about them, they're inherently interesting. And Rosenfelt is writing this just right—a little sappy and a little realistic.

It helps that Dani's a pretty fun character—but we could learn a bit more about her. Still, I like the way Corey seems to be changing because of her influence, I like him more than I did when we first met him in the Andy Carpenter series.

MY CONCERN...
This is about The K Team as a series as much as it is about this book specifically.

There's just too much Andy Carpenter.

Sure, this is a spin-off from that series, and as Andy's married to Laurie and they largely work out of the Carpenter house, he's going to be around. I don't mind, but he has his own series, and gets two books a year lately. Not only do we need more Simon Garfunkel, but we also need more Laurie and Marcus.

I like Andy Carpenter, I've read 22 novels about him (some more than once)—and I'm probably going to read at least two novels in that series this year. I thought Animal Instinct was a good way to use Andy, and I'm absolutely glad that I read this book. I just think for The K Team series to have any long-term success, they need to stand on their own feet more and not be propped up by Andy.

THE UNEXPECDTED HIGHLIGHT
I don't know if you typically read Acknowledgments pages/sections. I tend to glance at them, but like many people, I don't spend that much time with them. So let me draw your attention to the Acknowledgments for this novel—any David Rosenfelt novel, really. You simply must read them. They are the silliest, goofiest writing Rosenfelt ever does (and in some cases, that's saying something) and never fail to make me smile.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT ANIMAL INSTINCT?
So I have some long-term concerns with the series and a couple of things I wasn't crazy about when it comes to Animal Instinct, but I don't want those to overshadow the central point I have about this book: it's good*. I had a lot of fun while reading it, and while I was satisfied with the ending, I wish it didn't end when it did, because that meant it'd be a few months before I got to spend more time with any of the characters in this book.

* I've said it on this site before, I'll say it again: It takes few words to praise something, it takes several to fully explain a concern, problem, or even mild annoyance. As such, they tend to overshadow the praise. I think that's what is happening here. I don't mean it to.

David Rosenfelt is one of the most reliably entertaining novelists in Crime Fiction today. Every time I sit down with one of his books, I know I'm in for a good read. Characters you want to spend time with. Animal Instinct is a solid story with some great twists—and well-executed reveals. Corey's got a great narrative voice and his sense of humor (which isn't quite the same as Andy Carpenter's) permeates the book and livens up the text just enough when things are grimmest.

If you have no idea who Andy Carpenter, Corey Douglas, Simon Garfunkel, or the rest are? Don't let that stop you from trying this, it absolutely works as a jumping-on point—both to this series and the books it's spun off from. I'm in this series for the long haul, and I think you'll want to be, too.

Animal Instinct by David Rosenfelt is the second book in the author’s new series, The K Team. Members of the K Team include Andy Carpenter’s wife, Laurie, a former police officer and Corey Douglas, a retired police officer turned private investigators. Corey’s partner, a German Shepard named Simon Garfunkel and Marcus, Laurie’s investigating partner round out the K Team, named in honor of Simon. Rosenfelt offers the same fast paced mysteries in this new series as in his Andy Carpenter series. This book adds a twist! Corey hears about the death of a woman he was unable to help a few years ago and wants to find her killer. He is sure he knows who it was, too! Only this time, he finds himself on the other side of the law, implicated as a murderer! This is another suspenseful and exciting thriller that was hard to put down! If you enjoy Rosenfelt’s Andy Carpenter series, you will enjoy The K Team. Animal Instinct was riveting and humorous, just what you expect from David Rosenfelt! I highly recommend it!

When Corey Douglas hears that Lisa has been shot in the street, he flashes back to when he was on patrol and visited her home on a domestic violence call. He's convinced her partner Gerald was responsible and enlists his pals Laurie and Marcus, as well as Andy and Sam, to help him prove it. Unfortunately, when he goes, with his K9 Simon, to Gerald's house, he finds the man murdered- and then he is arrested for the crime. This second in a pair of interlocked series from Rosenfelt brings together characters from both- with Andy, the smart aleck attorney defending Corey. This starts out one way and then turns into a rather complex mystery that's quite topical. Rosenfelt has a way with characters- they're funny, thoughtful, and determined- and with plot. AND, best of all, this is both a mystery and a legal thriller, with the courtroom scenes being highly educational. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Don't worry if you haven't read either the K-Team or Andy Carpenter as Rosenfelt gives you plenty of background. Don't miss the acknowledgements at the end! Fans (and newbies) will be very happy with this one - which is a great read.

The second installment of the K-Team series was excellent. Corey hears about a suspicious death of a woman he tried to help when he was on the force. Things go sideways and the bodies start to pile up. How will they figure this one out? Andy plays a much bigger role in this book than in the first. When a new David Rosenfelt is published other things I'm reading get pushed to the side!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.