Animal Instinct: A K Team Novel
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- Create Date：2021-04-17 12:36:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：David Rosenfelt
- ISBN：1250788234
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Summary
The K Team is back in the second installment in this spinoff series from bestselling author David Rosenfelt's beloved Andy Carpenter mysteries。
Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner， a German shepherd named Simon Garfunkel， are recently retired police officers turned private investigators。 Along with fellow former cop Laurie Collins and her investigating partner， Marcus， they call themselves the K Team， in honor of Simon。
The K Team's latest case - a recent unsolved murder - gives Corey a chance to solve the one that got away。 Corey knew the murder victim from his time on the force， when he was unable to protect her in a domestic dispute。 Now， he is convinced the same abusive boyfriend is responsible for her murder。 With some help from Laurie's lawyer husband， Andy Carpenter， the K Team is determined to prove what the police could not， no matter the cost。 What they uncover is much more sinister than they could have imagined。
Known for his dog-loving stories and addictive characters， bestselling mystery author David Rosenfelt presents Animal Instinct， the second installment in this engrossing new series about a dynamite investigative team and their canine partner。
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books
Corey Douglas and his K-9 partner， a German shepherd named Simon Garfunkel， are recently retired police officers turned private investigators。 Along with fellow former cop Laurie Collins and her investigating partner， Marcus， they call themselves the K Team， in honor of Simon。
The K Team's latest case - a recent unsolved murder - gives Corey a chance to solve the one that got away。 Corey knew the murder victim from his time on the force， when he was unable to protect her in a domestic dispute。 Now， he is convinced the same abusive boyfriend is responsible for her murder。 With some help from Laurie's lawyer husband， Andy Carpenter， the K Team is determined to prove what the police could not， no matter the cost。 What they uncover is much more sinister than they could have imagined。
Known for his dog-loving stories and addictive characters， bestselling mystery author David Rosenfelt presents Animal Instinct， the second installment in this engrossing new series about a dynamite investigative team and their canine partner。
A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books
Reviews
Glennie
，
So happy to see these characters back again！ Love the series。
Sheldon
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When Rosenfelt is on he is on。 In the second book in this series， his humor and his mystery writing skill exhibits itself expertly。
Joey
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I'm a huge fan of the Andy Carpenter series and now the K Team series。 He needs to write many more in a year than he does so I can read one or the other all year long。 My favorite author works his magic once again in this excellent new novel。 Once I started reading it， I couldn't stop。 Such an interesting concept， and the characters are fabulous。 The dogs， however， steal the show， even when they aren't mentioned as often as I'd like sometimes。 Love the book， love the characters， love the animals I'm a huge fan of the Andy Carpenter series and now the K Team series。 He needs to write many more in a year than he does so I can read one or the other all year long。 My favorite author works his magic once again in this excellent new novel。 Once I started reading it， I couldn't stop。 Such an interesting concept， and the characters are fabulous。 The dogs， however， steal the show， even when they aren't mentioned as often as I'd like sometimes。 Love the book， love the characters， love the animals， great author。 。。。more
Denise Haugen
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I live David Rosenfelt’s writing。 He is a funny guy！ This book is the second in his new series， The K Team。 I have read every Andy Carpenter book and I will read every K Team book。 They are mystery’s but they are fun to read also。 I also like them because the K Team is a spin-off series from Andy Carpenter so most of the characters are the same in both series。 They feel like family which I love。
April
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Audio ARC。 Great， quick paced listen with a talented narrator！ Loved how he pulled off the dry and often sarcastic humor of the characters very easy to listen too。 The story line itself had enough twists and turns to maintain interest and need to get to the finish line。
Kathryn Baron
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I'm not sure if the latest novel by David Rosenfeld actually is better than others or if it just seems so to pandemic brain。 Regardless， I enjoyed this particular recycling of the familier elements。 I also enjoyed this narrator。 His ability to create distinct voices for the characters was very much appreciated。 I'm not sure if the latest novel by David Rosenfeld actually is better than others or if it just seems so to pandemic brain。 Regardless， I enjoyed this particular recycling of the familier elements。 I also enjoyed this narrator。 His ability to create distinct voices for the characters was very much appreciated。 。。。more
Helen
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This is the second in this series， but don't worry， Andy makes an appearance！！ I love David Rosenfelt's humor & sarcastic whit。 Run， don't walk and get this book！ 😊 This is the second in this series， but don't worry， Andy makes an appearance！！ I love David Rosenfelt's humor & sarcastic whit。 Run， don't walk and get this book！ 😊 。。。more
Diane Davis
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Another great one from Mr。 Rosenfelt。。 Love his sense of humor。。。
Cindi
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This is the last of his thirty-five books for me to read—until the next one is published in July！
Sheila Burke
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The second installment in "The K Team" series， this book was really enjoyable。 The main characters are all likable， and the mystery was complex enough to keep my attention。 This book was well-written， well-paced， creative， and entertaining - very well worth the time to read。 Looking forward to reading the next in the series！ The second installment in "The K Team" series， this book was really enjoyable。 The main characters are all likable， and the mystery was complex enough to keep my attention。 This book was well-written， well-paced， creative， and entertaining - very well worth the time to read。 Looking forward to reading the next in the series！ 。。。more
Dana Plewka
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Somehow I missed the first K Team book， but no matter。。。。 I loved this one。 A few laugh out loud moments and many， many chuckles makes this a quintessential Rosenfelt book。
Bookreporter。com Mystery & Thriller
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David Rosenfelt's latest suspenseful and witty mystery is ANIMAL INSTINCT， the second in what surely will be another long-running hit series。 It features the "K Team，" three human investigators plus a very important canine operative: former police dog Simon Garfunkel。 Yes， that is his name， which I cite here in full because I laugh so hard every time I see it。The first twist in the mystery is that the first-person narrator and lead investigator in this unique case， former police officer Corey Do David Rosenfelt's latest suspenseful and witty mystery is ANIMAL INSTINCT， the second in what surely will be another long-running hit series。 It features the "K Team，" three human investigators plus a very important canine operative: former police dog Simon Garfunkel。 Yes， that is his name， which I cite here in full because I laugh so hard every time I see it。The first twist in the mystery is that the first-person narrator and lead investigator in this unique case， former police officer Corey Douglas， is also the primary target of the investigation。 They're quite sure he's the murderer。 We readers， of course， know that he has been framed， but the real perpetrators are slippery， brilliant， sly and merciless。Rosenfelt follows his usual M。O。 at the very beginning。 He introduces a character named Lisa Page on page one。 By page three， she's dead。 Corey suspects that the killer is her former boyfriend， Gerald Kline， whom he believes had been abusing Lisa。 Kline is a rather evil fellow， and Corey expresses his opinion of him to a police officer acquaintance。 However， Kline places a phone call to Corey and begs the investigator to come to his house and meet him。 Corey arrives there， only to find a slain Kline lying on the floor。 But all kinds of phony clues have been planted at the scene， and they all point to Corey as the murderer。From this point on， the investigation plot and process take shape。 The police carry on a relatively shallow investigation because they believe they already have their man。 And the K Team simultaneously carries out a much more careful investigation in order to find the real killer and restore Corey’s stellar reputation。 So off they go --- Corey; Simon; Laurie， the ex-cop and present wife of incorrigible defense attorney Andy Carpenter; and Marcus， the team's enforcer， who has never lost a fight。 Also along for the bumpy ride is the ubiquitous Sam Willis， who can hack anybody or anything， and anything legal or not-so-legal。 And Andy will represent Corey in court。Their investigation turns up many potential clues and leads， all of which end up exactly nowhere。 Our heroes are stumped， and additional murders abound。 But they eventually make some hard-won headway; they become convinced that these crimes are performed via a cleverly constructed conspiracy involving several peripheral but significant characters。 They conclude that with every new murder， Corey looks less and less guilty， but they still must prove to the cops and the jury that he is innocent。As usual， Rosenfelt mixes in third-person-omniscient narrative chapters in addition to Corey's view of the proceedings， so we know more about the villains than the "cast" does。 But also as usual， though we meet in those third-person chapters a man who is obviously a guilty party， we are as mystified about the specific elements of the conspiracy as are Corey and his friends。 When the web is unraveled， Rosenfelt produces a kind of solution that is NOT usual for him: he hits us smack-dab in the face with a truly existential crisis that confronts us now and likely will prove even more shocking， dangerous --- and even deadly --- in the future。But have no fear。 The traditional Rosenfelt humor still graces every page --- the dialogue， the narration and the characters themselves produce smiles and laughs galore。 And to top everything off in style， check out the delicious Acknowledgements， two pages worth of tasty giggles。 Rosenfelt strikes again。Reviewed by Jack Kramer 。。。more
Cathy Hodge
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Action packed novel that has dogs， courtroom drama， and a touch of good humor。 I like the characters in this cozy detective mystery。 The K Team is a great spinoff from the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt。 Simon Garfunkel （star of the show） Corey Douglas， Laurie Collins， and Marcus are the K Team。 I actually liked this second installment of the K Team better than the first novel。 You could read this book as a "Stand-Alone" but I recommend all of the Andy Carpenter books as well。 Enjoy。 Action packed novel that has dogs， courtroom drama， and a touch of good humor。 I like the characters in this cozy detective mystery。 The K Team is a great spinoff from the Andy Carpenter series by David Rosenfelt。 Simon Garfunkel （star of the show） Corey Douglas， Laurie Collins， and Marcus are the K Team。 I actually liked this second installment of the K Team better than the first novel。 You could read this book as a "Stand-Alone" but I recommend all of the Andy Carpenter books as well。 Enjoy。 。。。more
Pat
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Rosenfelt’s’ second K-Team novel follows the enjoyable pattern of familiar characters facing a multi-layered mystery with contemporary themes。
Susan Willis
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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。
Kelly
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The author never disappoints。 Interesting plot to this one。 Highly recommend。
Loretta L Camp
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Rosenfelt doesn’t disappoint Wow。 Lots of intrigue in this one。 It will have everyone changing their passwords and a few life insurance e Eva sweating。
Irene Nowitzke
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Love anything by David RosenfeltI'm a huge fan of both the Andy Carpenter and KTeam series。 This latest is a home run。 Marcus is one of my favorite characters， along with Tara， Simon， and Sebastian。 Please keep both series coming， and I'll keep reading。 The acknowledgement were worth reading， too。 Love anything by David RosenfeltI'm a huge fan of both the Andy Carpenter and KTeam series。 This latest is a home run。 Marcus is one of my favorite characters， along with Tara， Simon， and Sebastian。 Please keep both series coming， and I'll keep reading。 The acknowledgement were worth reading， too。 。。。more
Pam Bales
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Roosevelt writes great storiesAlways a joy to read books that are tied to animals。 A love of dog books attracted me to David Rosenfelt's books。 This one does not disappoint。 I highly recommend his books。 Roosevelt writes great storiesAlways a joy to read books that are tied to animals。 A love of dog books attracted me to David Rosenfelt's books。 This one does not disappoint。 I highly recommend his books。 。。。more
Linda C。 Brizendine
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Excellent！I thought this book started a bit slow， but wow， it certainly made up for that。 I have read all of Rosenfelt's books and this one certainly had surprises in it。 Very good。 Excellent！I thought this book started a bit slow， but wow， it certainly made up for that。 I have read all of Rosenfelt's books and this one certainly had surprises in it。 Very good。 。。。more
Jaymie
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[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。]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！ [I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。]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！ 。。。more
Susan
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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 woma 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。 。。。more
Victoria
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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 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！ 。。。more
Hobart
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★ ★ ★ 1/2 （rounded up）This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---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 ★ ★ ★ 1/2 （rounded up）This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---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 GARFUNKELThe 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 HIGHLIGHTI 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。Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St。 Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this opportunity and the fun read。 。。。more
Karen
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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。 Th 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！ 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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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 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。 。。。more
Barbara
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3。5 starsThis fun series is a spin-off of David Rosenfelt's humorous 'Andy Carpenter' mystery books， set in Paterson， New Jersey。 Andy is a criminal defense lawyer who's assisted by a team of private investigators called 'The K Team。' In this second K Team novel， one of the private detectives is accused of murder。 The book works fine as a standalone。*****Andy Carpenter's wife Laurie， an ex-cop， was his law firm's private investigator until she joined the K Team， which now does Andy's detective w 3。5 starsThis fun series is a spin-off of David Rosenfelt's humorous 'Andy Carpenter' mystery books， set in Paterson， New Jersey。 Andy is a criminal defense lawyer who's assisted by a team of private investigators called 'The K Team。' In this second K Team novel， one of the private detectives is accused of murder。 The book works fine as a standalone。*****Andy Carpenter's wife Laurie， an ex-cop， was his law firm's private investigator until she joined the K Team， which now does Andy's detective work。 The members of the K Team are Laurie; Corey Douglas， a retired cop， and his dog Simon Garfunkel， a K-9 German shepherd who worked with Corey at the Paterson Police Department;and Marcus Clark - the toughest， scariest guy on the planet。The K Team is also assisted by Andy's accountant/computer hacker Sam Willis， who often uses 'extra-legal' means to get information。 As the story opens a woman named Lisa Yates is shot in the street。 Former cop Corey Douglas feels guilty about Lisa's death because he thinks he let her down。 As a Paterson， NJ police officer， Corey had investigated a domestic violence report at Lisa's house。Corey was sure Lisa's boyfriend Gerald Kline hit her， but Lisa refused to press charges。 Thus， other than threatening Kline， Corey was helpless to assist the injured woman。Now that Lisa is dead， Corey is sure Kline killed her。 When the police can't find evidence against Kline， Corey and the K Team decide to investigate themselves。 Before long Kline is murdered as well， and Corey - who was known to have an animus towards the man - is arrested for murder。 Andy becomes Corey's defense attorney， and the K Team turns its energy toward finding the real killer。The squad believes the same person killed Lisa and Kline， and looks for connections between the two victims。 The investigators learn that Lisa did data entry work at Ardmore Medical Services， which stores medical records for use by doctors， hospitals， insurance companies， etc。And Kline was a headhunter for medical service agencies and gave seminars about working in the medical services industry。Thus medical services seems like a common factor in the murders， and the detectives hone in on and interview executives and employees of Ardmore Medical Services。 This alarms the CEO of Ardmore （not a spoiler）。。。。。。。。。。and leads to additional murders， including an attempt on Corey's life。 The Paterson police and the district attorney don't believe the ongoing crime spree is connected to Kline's killing， and Corey's murder trial is put on the fast track。 This chagrins and frustrates the K Team， whose investigation keeps running into dead ends。。。。。almost like someone is manipulating them。Rosenfelt's mysteries follow a pattern， and the reader can expect amusing banter among the characters， a huge conspiracy perpetrated by the evildoers， a trial scene where Andy shows his cleverness and mettle， and fun scenes with the dogs - including Corey's German shepherd Simon Garfunkel， and the Carpenters' golden retriever Tara and basset hound Sebastian。The book's fun continues into the acknowledgements， where Rosenfelt thanks the many people who （allegedly） helped with his writing career。 You'll probably recognize some of the names。 😃I enjoyed this cozy mystery， and recommend it to fans of the genre。Thanks to Netgalley， David Rosenfelt， and Minotaur books for a copy of the book。You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer。blogspot。com 。。。more
Barbara Tobey
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Fantastic。 Even the acknowledgements are hilarious。 Can't say the story is funny， although it does have its moments of comic relief。 It did keep me guessing and I was wrong， of course。 The guilty parties seem obvious， but there is so much more to the tale。 Speaking of tails， Simon comes to the rescue as needed。 I am eager to read the further adventures of the K Team。 Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley。 Fantastic。 Even the acknowledgements are hilarious。 Can't say the story is funny， although it does have its moments of comic relief。 It did keep me guessing and I was wrong， of course。 The guilty parties seem obvious， but there is so much more to the tale。 Speaking of tails， Simon comes to the rescue as needed。 I am eager to read the further adventures of the K Team。 Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley。 。。。more
Connie
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Animal Instinct is the second book in the K Team series by David Rosenfelt。 I enjoyed reading his Andy Carpenter Mysteries， and I was happy to see some of the main characters from that series are also in these spinoff books。 This works well as a standalone。 I have been happy to have books in this series to read。 I like the characters—it’s an interesting mix， and the plot is tangled enough that I didn’t have a clue who was behind the murders until the end; although， it really made sense when they Animal Instinct is the second book in the K Team series by David Rosenfelt。 I enjoyed reading his Andy Carpenter Mysteries， and I was happy to see some of the main characters from that series are also in these spinoff books。 This works well as a standalone。 I have been happy to have books in this series to read。 I like the characters—it’s an interesting mix， and the plot is tangled enough that I didn’t have a clue who was behind the murders until the end; although， it really made sense when they were revealed。 By the end of the book， everything was neatly wrapped up。This is a series I will enjoy reading， and I’m looking forward to the next book。 。。。more
Kathy Martin
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