Citizen K-9 by David Rosenfelt

 

Citizen K-9 by David Rosenfelt is the third book in the K Team series. It features Corey Douglas, retired police officer and his retired police dog, Simon Garfunkel. Fello K Team members include Andy Carpenter's wife and ex-cop Laurie along with her former partner Marcus. The team gets called in by police as contractors to look into old cold cases. One case immediately catches Corey's eye. It involves two classmates who disappeared from his high school reunion 7 years earlier. Kim Baskin and Chris Vogel left the reunion together and their car was found abandoned a short distance away with a playing card left in the glove compartment. No further trace of them was ever found. 

Vogel was a bit of a nerd in high school with only a couple of close friends and no apparent connection to Kim Baskin. The team discovers that Vogel had ties to drugs and organized crime. When they discover other unsolved crimes around the country with a playing card at the crime scene, they know they've stumbled onto something big, but putting it all together is going to be difficult.

Corey's dry humor is a lot of fun and the team's skillset and how it complements each other is exciting. This is a well-crafted mystery with each clue barely leading to the next and offering opportunities for speculation that makes you doubt whatever theories you may be harboring. It all ties together in an exciting conclusion that will have you racing to the finish. 

Rosenfelt is a master at injecting humor into a satisfying mystery and populating his story with funny and intriguing characters. We even get to learn a little more about the taciturn and intimidating Marcus! Fans of any of Rosenfelt's previous work will feel at home here, as will any lover of well-crafted mysteries.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher.