Title: A Trail of Lies by Kylie Logan
Jazz Ramsey Series Book Three
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 320 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
A Trail of Lies is the third in the Jazz Ramsey mystery series from national bestselling author Kylie Logan.
Jazz Ramsey is just getting used to the idea that her on-again-off-again beau, Nick, might actually be a permanent fixture, when she gets an alarming call in the middle of the night from his mother, Kim: there’s a dead man in her backyard. Kim has a long history of drinking and a vivid imagination, so when Jazz’s human remains detection dog, Wally, finds no evidence of a body, Jazz thinks she can breathe easy.
But when the body of a middle-aged man, Dan Mansfield, is discovered in a nearby park, and a photo of Nick and his mom is found in his pocket, Jazz has to admit that something isn’t adding up. Kim claims not to know who Dan is, but the cops find out soon enough: he’s a recently paroled convict who served thirty years for murder. And when Jazz traces his crime back to a bar fight with an antiques dealer, she ends up with more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, no one wants her poking around—not Nick’s mom, nor the Motorcycle-riding ex-con she connects to Dan, nor Nick himself, who seems worried about Jazz’s safety, but also about what she might find. But Jazz has never been one to take no for an answer, and she won’t give up now—even if it means risking her own life.
Review:
A Trail of Lies by Kylie Logan is a suspense-laden mystery. Although this newest release is the third installment in the Jazz Ramsey series, it can be read as a standalone.
While her police boyfriend Nick Kolesov is away working on a case, Jazz reluctantly agrees to check in with his alcoholic mother, Kim. So, when she is awakened by a phone call from her, Jazz goes over to see if there is any truth to Kim’s outlandish story. She claims that Nick is dead in her backyard, but upon Jazz’s arrival, there is no body. Kim is adamant she killed a man but now she says he was a stranger. When a body is later found in a nearby park, Jazz has a feeling this discovery might be linked to Kim’s story. After she realizes the deceased is connected to Kim’s past, Jazz continues trying to figure who killed him and why.
Jazz works as an administrative assistant at St. Catherine’s and she also helps out with the girls’ track team. She has strong ties within the local community and she is close to her family. Jazz’s relationship with Nick has become more on than off but she and Kim are not close. But during her investigation into the dead man, Jazz gains a little more understanding about Kim and her long battle with alcoholism.
Jazz begins to piece together what happened with Kim and the deceased, Dan Mansfield. Her investigation takes her in unexpected directions as she interviews a slightly frightening motorcycle mechanic, a bartender and an antiques dealer. What is the connection between the three people she has talked to? And who is behind the alarming threat for her to back off?
A Trail of Lies is a fast-paced and engrossing cozy mystery. Jazz is tenacious as she tries to find out who killed Dan and why. The storyline is well-written and engaging. With clever red-herrings, Kylie Logan keeps the murderer’s identity under wraps until the jaw-dropping denouement. Old and new fans are sure to enjoy this third mystery in the Jazz Ramsey series.
