For Jazz Ramsey, life is good. She's thirty-five, loves her job as an administrative assistant at an all-girls school, and owns her own home in one of Cleveland's most interesting neighborhoods. She's also got a volunteer interest she's passionate about: she's a cadaver dog handler.
One night as Jazz is putting a cadaver dog in training through his paces in an abandoned building, she's stunned when the dog signals a find in the wrong place. The dog is insistent, and when Jazz goes to check, she finds the body of a young woman dressed in Goth clothing and makeup. She's even more shocked when she realizes that she knows who the young woman is. Disturbed over the young girl's death, Jazz searches for answers for her own peace of mind.
For those of you who anticipate a lot of canine contact in this first book in a series, I need to let you down gently. There isn't. Oh, there is some, and it's choice, but author Kylie Logan is more intent on setting her stage in The Scent of Murder than she is in letting us enjoy the working dogs. By book's end, you can see that future books will be giving readers a more immersive experience, and I'm certainly looking forward to it.
Jazz had a past love affair with the lead detective on the case that I found to be more a hindrance than a help. I liked the way it was dealt with at the end; I just hope it was with finality. Something else that Jazz will have to deal with in the future is her abrasive approach to questioning people. She seems to know the perfect way to antagonize people, and that's not just counter-productive, it's downright dangerous.
All in all, I think this is a good start to the series, and I'm looking forward to more. Let the dogs out!
The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan
eISBN: 9781250180612
Minotaur Books © 2019
eBook, 315 pages
Amateur Sleuth, #1 Jazz Ramsey mystery
Rating: B+
Source: NetGalley
This does sound interesting, Cathy. And there is something about the dog/handler relationship that I've always liked, and thought was worth exploring in books. Glad you think this is a good start to the series.
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to the next one. I want to see where Logan goes with this series. It has a lot of promise.
DeleteI want more dog involvement. That's why I put it on the TBR list. Is there enough? Sounds like future books will be more so.
ReplyDeleteThere is enough canine involvement that I didn't consider it to be a detriment. Once the end of the book is read, I would imagine there will be a lot of smiles on dog lovers' faces. Future books are looking bright.
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