The Scent of Murder: A Mystery

The Scent of Murder is the latest novel by Kylie Logan. We are introduced to Jazz Ramsey who works as an administrative assistant to Sister Eileen Flannery, the founder and principal of St. Catherine’s Preparatory Academy. In her spare time, Jazz trains cadaver/rescue dogs and runs to work off her excess energy. Jazz has lost her father and her dog in the last year. She is close to her mother and two brothers plus she has a close friend in Sarah Carrington. I like that the author took the time to establish the main character plus her family and close friends. I did find, though, that Jazz is hard to connect with as a reader. I wanted her to be more relatable instead of distant. I like that the author is a descriptive writer who describes the characters, the setting, homes, dog searches and more. We are given just the right amount of detail. I could picture Cleveland and its various diverse neighborhoods. It was interesting to learn about the training of cadaver/rescue dogs and how they conduct searches. I hope there will be more of it in future books. The mystery was straightforward with a couple of suspects and good clues to aid readers in solving the crime before the reveal. I think Jazz needed more of a reason to investigate Florie’s death. I do want readers to know that the story contains foul language and the story is darker than most cozy mysteries. My favorite phrase from The Scent of Murder is “. . . she knew holidays weren’t dates on a calendar, but the time spent with family.” I thought that was a lovely sentiment. The Scent of Murder is a good start to this new cozy mystery series. The Scent of Murder has a strong female protagonist, good friends, a loving family, a curious mystery, and some cute canines.

The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan Jazz Ramsey #1 At the end of this book I felt this book was a bit more like a cozy mystery than anything else. The main character, Jasmine “Jazz” Ramsey is training Luther for his owner before Luther is to be tested and certified to be a Human Remains Detection (HRD) search and rescue dog. Stumbling upon a corpse at the beginning of the book is the introduction to Jazz, Luther and one-time-lover homicide detective Nick Kolesov. The blurb/synopsis of the book lays the groundwork and quite a bit of the backstory for this book and the characters within it. To me Jazz felt a bit lost and I am not sure if that is due to the death of her father, the loss of Nick as her significant other or something else. I hope to learn more about what motivates Jazz in future books of the series. Nick was someone I could understand as he seemed to be dedicated to his work and because he seemed to care for Jazz. I sometimes wondered if Jazz was into finding out who killed Florie because she was at loose ends and needed a purpose or if she is in fact nosy and likes to solve puzzles. I enjoyed following the leads that finally revealed who killed Florie. The supporting characters were interesting and no doubt will pop up in future books. I enjoyed the way the book was plotted and written and hope that Jazz’s personality will emerge more in the future. What I liked: * the dogs – when they appeared * the puzzle pieces that at first didn’t seem to have any reason being there and then later made so much sense * Nick – he seemed a level-headed and nice guy * Jazz’s brothers * The information about location * Finding out that my first thoughts about some “bad” people were unfounded * Not realizing right away who the murderer was What I didn’t like: * Some of Jazz’s less than polite ways of dealing with people she was questioning * Not finding out what happened to break Nick and Jazz up – was it volatile or just a slow moving away from one another * Not truly understanding what motivated Jazz Did I enjoy reading this book? Yes Would I read more in this series? Yes Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books for the ARC – This is my honest review. 3-4 Stars

I'm kinda conflicted here because it's a well written story even though it's missing a few things I expected from the blurb and the cover art. First off if you're looking for a story about a woman who works with these special dogs then this is a good mystery for you. If you're looking for a story that includes the dog . . . well not so much. Since I am in both categories it was a good read. I haven't read this author before but I did enjoy her style and the pace of the story. Jazz while she was a pretty flat character (her love of muted tones, beige and browns is even mentioned in the story) and accepts that fact what becomes clear is that she is intuitive. She is a single woman who just lost her father and her dog and fills her time with solving the case, so what's not to like, especially since she has a knack for getting info and pissing folks off.This murder is personal because she knows the student so she makes it her mission to find justice. I enjoyed the story mainly because it's good writing and the author didn't feel the need to fluff it with romance but gave us a clear cut mystery.