Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
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!
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 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 â. . . she knew holidays weren't dates on a calendar, but the time spent with family.â 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.
