Willow Emery, a New York cook and photographer, is concerned for the welfare of her young niece Lucy. She goes to the Brooklyn home of her brother and his wife, who are young and live chaotic lives. Instead of having a quiet conversation, she stumbles upon the scene of a violent crime.

COPYCAT KILLER by Laura Scott is the first book in the series True Blue K-9 Unit: Brooklyn written by various authors. A quick look at their names confirms that these ladies are also behind the various marvelous K-9 romantic suspense series, which began in a Texas setting a few years ago. The books will each follow a different member of the police squad, showcasing the work of variously trained police dogs. Unlike Texas, Brooklyn has a burger restaurant on every corner, and criminals can run into the subway, while a shadowy underground can deal in anything from drugs to military weaponry. Life is made that much harder for tracking dogs in fact. On the positive side, the police have access to traffic cameras and swift computer analysis.

Detective Nate Slater is first to arrive when Willow Emery phones for emergency aid. Lucy is the only survivor of what appears to be a copycat murder – or else one carried out by a criminal who last struck twenty years previously. Murphy, the brave and intelligent Golden Labrador who is Nate’s K-9 partner, traces a scent to Willow’s work in a restaurant, but it’s a dead end. Lucy needs care, so Willow has to rearrange her life around the child – she’s pleased to do this, but the pair are a long way from being out of danger. Nate doesn’t share her faith, but he knows he needs to protect Willow.

This extremely fast-moving, enjoyable story by Laura Scott is stuffed with everyday detail and many characters. The crimes and twists keep happening while Willow and Lucy meet several handsome dogs and their police handlers. All the officers are determined to bring the perpetrators to justice. As this is first in the series, once more we find a thread running through the tale which won’t get resolved until, I’m guessing, the final book. Nate’s and Willow’s issues do find resolutions by the final page of COPYCAT KILLER. The romance is suitable for any age, growing through friendship and trust. Next books will be Chasing Secrets by Heather Woodhaven, Deadly Connection by Lenora Worth, and Explosive Situation by Terri Reed. Once you start on these K-9 books, they become seriously addictive for a dog-lover and crime reader like me.