GOOD DOG, BAD COP

4 stars out of 5

Unhappy that I'd missed quite a few books in this series after reading "Holy Chow" last year, I was looking forward to this, the next in the now four-book series. While it was enjoyable, but I'm somewhat unhappy again. Why? The character that made me love that one, retired criminal attorney Andy Carpenter of Paterson, New Jersey, is conspicuous in his absence.

The focus here is on the K Team, comprised of Corey Douglas, Laurie Collins, Marcus Clark and their K-9 partner, Simon Garfunkel (who really doesn't get to shine as much as I'd have liked, but at least he's in it). The team members aren't employees of the Paterson Police Department, but they've been hired by the Police Chief as sort of consultants to investigate cold cases. Their pick of the litter is the death of two people - a woman and a cop generally thought to be "dirty." But that man was a mentor to Corey, who never believed the rumors. They also plan to investigate murder of another guy who was shot while in his car in a parking lot.

The investigation sort of wanders all over the place as hunches are followed up and leads go not much of anywhere except to hint at local mob connections and a possible event that could bring part of the country to its knees. But here and there, connections are made, giving the team incentive to keep digging. It's quite a chase, and in the end, all's well that ends well. As for me, I'm ready for the next one (hopefully with Carpenter back in action), and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a prerelease copy of this one.

Good Dog, Bad Cop by David Rosenfelt (Minotaur Books, March 2023); 288 pp.