Title: The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan
Jazz Ramsey Mystery Series Book One
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 315 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
First in a new series from national bestselling author Kylie Logan, The Scent of Murder is a riveting mystery following Jazz Ramsey as she trains cadaver dogs.
The way Jazz Ramsey figures it, life is pretty good. She’s thirty-five years old and owns her own home in one of Cleveland’s most diverse, artsy, and interesting neighborhoods. She has a job she likes as an administrative assistant at an all-girls school, and a volunteer interest she’s passionate about—Jazz is a cadaver dog handler.
Jazz is working with Luther, a cadaver dog in training. Luther is still learning cadaver work, so Jazz is putting him through his paces at an abandoned building that will soon be turned into pricey condos. When Luther signals a find, Jazz is stunned to see the body of a young woman who is dressed in black and wearing the kind of make-up and jewelry that Jazz used to see on the Goth kids back in high school.
She’s even more shocked when she realizes that beneath the tattoos and the piercings and all that pale make up is a familiar face.
The lead detective on the case is an old lover, and the murdered woman is an old student. Jazz finds herself sucked into the case, obsessed with learning the truth.
Review:
The first installment in the Jazz Ramsey Mystery series, The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan is an exciting mystery.
Jasmine “Jazz” Ramsey’s primary job is working as an administrative assistant at a Catholic High School. In her spare time, she trains and works with cadaver dogs. Both of these worlds collide during a training session with Luther, a friend’s dog. While working with the dog in an abandoned building, Jazz is stunned when Luther finds the corpse of a young woman. She is further disconcerted when the detective in charge of the case is none other than her ex, Nick Kolesov. As she is giving him her statement, Jazz realizes the victim is former student Florentine “Florie” Allen. Unable to reconcile the fact that the promising young woman has been murdered, Jazz begins talking to the people in Florie’s life. Will Jazz’s questions provide her the answers she is seeking?
Jazz is a very relatable character due to her compassion and curiosity. She does not understand why anyone would want to harm, let alone murder, Florie. Despite warnings from Nick to stay away from the case, Jazz begins digging around in Florie’s life. She is disturbed by some of the information she uncovers but she does not let this dissuade her from following where her investigation leads. Jazz unearths very troubling details about Florie’s activities, but did her activities lead murder?
During the investigation, Jazz is nonplussed by her mixed feelings about Nick. Their relationship ended a little over a year earlier and a lot has happened to her personally during that time. Despite her determination to keep her distance, Jazz agrees to slowly begin dating him again. But will the problems they experienced in the past prove to be as insurmountable as before?
The Scent of Murder is an engaging mystery with a fantastic cast of characters and a perplexing murder to solve. Jazz is extremely likable, quite intelligent and very persistent. But will her dogged pursuit for the truth unmask Florie’s killer? With unexpected twists and some very clever red herrings, Kylie Logan keeps the murderer’s identity and motive for the crime tightly under wraps until the novel’s conclusion. Readers who enjoy amateur sleuths will definitely want to pick up their copy of this first installment in the Jazz Ramsey Mystery series.
