Cover Image: The Scent of Murder

The Scent of Murder

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Pretty much any book with a dog (if the dog is not in peril in the book) is going to be an enjoyable read for me and this was no exception. I'm fascinated by dog training and actively working at training my dog in Scent Work with hopes to move over to Search and Rescue so I found all the mentions of dog training incredibly interesting. The mystery was interesting. Jazz's reasons for getting involved in the investigation made some sense and her methods were pretty good. I liked the setup of the community with her family and friends.

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This book is a fun fast read that has great flow and some pretty amazing characters that draw you in instantly. I did find the mystery itself to be a bit too predictable, I wish the killer was not so easily identified. I also wish the dogs got to play a bigger role in the story since that is something that drew me to this book, but it is the first in a series so I can not wait to read the others to see if I get my wish of deeper mysteries and more dogs. The romance was also a nice addition to the story gave it some depth. I would definitely recommend, its an easy entertaining read.

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This is book 1 of the Jazz Ramsey Mystery Series. Jazz is a cadaver dog handler. She and Luther, her dog, make a discovery and she is shocked to realize that the body is someone she knows. Once she realizes this, she gets pulled into the case and has to stick it out to the end.

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Riveting! The Scent of Murder sucks you into the world of Jazz and does not let go until the very end.

In the first of a series, we find Jazz working with Luther her cadaver dog in training. He does great when he finds a body. The bad part is that Jazz recognizes the corpse and now must work with the lead detective her old lover to solve the mystery.

Great storyline and well-developed characters make this story a must-read.

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This is the first in a new series from Kylie Logan, Jazz Ramsey trains cadaver dogs. .

Currently she is working with Luther, a cadaver dog in training. When Luther signals a find in an abandoned building, Jazz is stunned to see a familiar face.

You won’t want to miss this fast paced book.

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A cute cozy mystery led by Jazz, a dog trainer who stumbles upon a dead body while training her friend’s dog. It’s a quick read with likable characters. I had a couple issues: her relationship with Nick had a backstory that made me feel like I jumped into a story already in progress, and her brothers were only in one scene but it felt like it didn’t fit with the rest of the story. Either the author has plans for that storyline in subsequent books or it was filler but it needed to be developed differently if it was going to work. I did like the book enough to want to read the next.

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Jazz is a cadaver dog handler and the way the book made it sound was this was a big deal about her and the dog. NOPE! Then she is interviewing/interrogating people that were involved in someone she knew who is now dead. The cops didn't stop her, she was intrusive, put herself in danger, it was just very bland and not Jazz was not very likeable at all.

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Jazz Ramsey is living the good life. She has a great job as an administrative assistant at an all-girls school. But her passion lies in her volunteer work .... she trains and handles cadaver dogs.

One night with Luther, a cadaver dog in training, she puts him through his training paces. She's hidden an item in an upstairs of a warehouse, turns him loose and waits to hear his 3 yips meaning he's found something. She hears his yips ... but he's in an entirely different part of the building.

Imagine her surprise to find that Luther has found a body of a woman. She is dressed all in black, covered in tattoos and piercings and pale face makeup ... she has the look of a Goth.

And.... she knows the victim.

The murder victim is a former student and the detective in charge is a man she has a history with.

Jazz can't help herself... she decides to do a little investigating on her own. She talks to family, friends, school friends, old boyfriends, fellow students, and instructors.

What she learns is that the young woman had a lot of secrets ...and several that could be the motive for murder.

This is the beginning of a mystery series, with a spotlight on the tightly woven plot and the mostly likeable, if not secretive, skillfully drawn characters. The dogs are a big bonus. I like how Jazz's personal life is a part of the story... and how well it's balanced with the professional. Lots of action ... lots of suspects ... and a hint of a developing romance make this one a keeper. I look forward to read the second in this series .... THE SECRET OF BONES.

Many thanks to the author / Minotaur Books /St Martin's Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

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A delightful and heartwarming Cozy Mystery, the kind a reader can settle into and pull around oneself like a warm quilt on a chilly night, THE SCENT OF MURDER is the first in a series starring private school admin assistant and cadaver-dog trainer Jazz Ramsey of Cleveland. Rife with history, cultural, contemporary settings, and heartfelt emotions, the Series reminds me vividly why I love the cozy subgenre.


A college student. a promising photographer, is discovered deceased by a cadaver dog whom Jazz is dog sitting. As the young lady was a former graduate of the preparatory school that employs Jazz, she's intrigued sufficiently to commence her own investigation, to the chagrin of homicide investigator, ex-boyfriend, Nick.

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Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan is a 2019 publication.
Jazz Ramsey is a school administrator, but also trains cadaver dogs as a side job. When she takes her dog on a training mission in an abandoned building he alerts, just as she had hoped. Jazz is sure he is responding to the bait she planted for him. But, instead, the dog has located the real deal- the dead body of a woman- one that Jazz recognizes as a former student, one dressed in a way that is shocking and out of character.
Although, Jazz’s former boyfriend, Nick, is the lead detective on the case, Jazz embarks on her own investigation, almost obsessively determined to find out why her former student was murdered.
Meanwhile, her involvement brings her into constant contact with Nick, who is working hard to convince Jazz to give their relationship another chance. Who will solve the mystery first? Jazz or Nick? Or could they end up making a good detective team?

This is the first book in a new series by Kylie Logan, who has written a few cozy mysteries series before launching this one. This is my first book by Logan, so I had no set expectations, but I did find myself intrigued by the prospect of a series featuring a cadaver dog.
The dog, however, isn’t prominently featured in the book, and the story is most certainly a standard, no frills whodunit. That said, there are times when a book like this one works quite well for days when one needs a distraction, despite having a divided attention span.
The plot is not at all complicated and the characters are equally one- dimensional, but it fits the bill for a quick, easy, ‘airplane’ read or for times when it is hard to focus on anything too challenging. The story may be a bit too basic for many, but the series shows a little promise if the author can liven up the plot and characterizations just a bit.
Overall, this was an enjoyable enough read, but with all the books, series, and authors out there competing for our attention, the author will have to step it up to stay competitive.

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itle: Scent of Murder
Series : Jazz Ramsey #1
Author: Kaylie Logan
Genre: mystery
Rating:3



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 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 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 a former student. Jazz finds herself sucked into the case, obsessed with learning the truth.


My thoughts:
Would I recommend it ? Yes
Will I read more of this series? Yes ,in fact I have the second book to read
Will I read more by this author? Yes
So what made me pick this up and start the series first off the cover because of the dog and second because inloved the idea of what Jazz does which is a cavdor dog handler , for those who don't know what that is , their the ones that go in with their dogs and find dead body's.While the story was enjoyable and I get this is a first in a series I wish she had done more with what Jazz and the dogs do, and that you got to see more of the dog characters as well , because most of not all of the story line was about the murder victim which is great because you find out she had a lot of secrets that wasn't great , but it was also about Jazz and her ex boyfriend and their relationship. You also see the inter acting between Jazz and her family and friends. With that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it .

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Jazz is a dog trainer who also works at a Catholic girls school that she used to attend. When she discovers the body of a young girl who used to be one of her students, she immediately goes into detective mode. I’m a sucker for a story with a dog and this one did not disappoint.

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I really liked this story. I had some ideas of what was happening prior to it happening in the book, but more times than not, I was surprised about the outcome. I thought it was a great mystery, and the addition of dogs made it so much better. The romantic element was solid enough to be a side plot without overwhelming the story. I thought it added nicely to the mystery. This was my first book to read by Kylie Logan, and I thought it was a good start to the series. I look forward to reading more!

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This is a decent book, but not an amazing on. I didn't feel like it delivered on the main premise of the cadaver dog being an integral part of the story, as the description would have you believe. Once the dog does his job in the first chapter, we don't get any more story line beyond a few mentions. So that was a bit disappointing as I was interested in that aspect of the plot. Secondly, I find it very hard to believe that Jazz was able to do her own investigating on this murder without any pushback from authorities or people she was questioning. That would never happen in real life. But if you want to read as a decent murder mystery, it is a fine book, but there are better ones out there.

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This is the first book in a new series. This was also a new-to-me author, so I was excited to see if I found a new go-to. Unfortunately, I didn’t.

The Scent of Murder starts out with cadaver dog and its handler, Jazz, finding a dead body. Jazz recognizes the girl as she attended the catholic school where Jazz runs the school office. Because of this connection, Jazz is determined to find out how the girl died.

Jazz decides to go off on her own to investigate and frankly this never really works for me. Reading the blurb it says she’s sucked into the investigation. I assumed it was because of her old lover and the fact she found the body – not so. She becomes Sherlock Holmes but not as smart or interesting.

The story didn’t have much to do with cadaver dogs on the whole, but I found the dogs more interesting than the characters. Jazz was mainly the focus in the books – her trying to find out who killed the girl and what the dead girl had been up to since graduating from the catholic school (nothing good).

Th whole thing with her ex-boyfriend, Nick, was…confusing and a bit ridiculous. We were told they were ex’s and that scheduling and communication were their downfall. That’s nice, but it wasn’t explained further. Jazz seems to dislike Nick intensely for whatever part he played in them fizzling out. Of course then he shows up on her doorstep asking to meet her for coffee and she agrees. What? Then they agree to meet once a week but then keep cancelling and actually never meet again. Then Nick shows up on her door, randomly once again, and gives her a new puppy to train as a cadaver dog. It was just so bizarre! I can only assume that Nick was included because that relationship will go somewhere in subsequent books. I won’t be reading those to find out.

The characters in this story were flat and uninteresting. The mystery around the dead girl was interesting and I wanted to find out what was up with her, so I kept reading. I can’t say I’d recommend the book even with a very generous 3 stars. I can think of a lot of different books that are much more captivating than this one.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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First in a new series from Kylie Logan "The Scent Of Murder is a definitely an interesting mystery and for my first read of Kylie Logan is pretty good.

This story follows Jazz Ramsey ( first in the new series Jazz Ramsey)a cadaver dog trainer and her (un)official boyfriend detective as they try to uncover the mystery behind the death of a young girl. Although I wish Jazz was give a valid reason for pursuing the death considering she's not in law enforcement or a private investigator. I think this would have made the story more realistic as to her involvement, especially if this is a series and more books are coming out.

Received an ARC from Minataur Books via NetGalley for an honest review.

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Interesting facts and science, investigative work, well written but flat at times. I lost interest halfway through and had to start over to finish. I'd still recommend to lovers of this genre but it wasn't for me.

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As a huge fan of forensics and criminal investigations, I was instantly drawn to the synopsis of this story. And what about that cover! While I had the impression that this was going to largely focus on the relationship, interactions, and utilization between the handler and the dog, the dogs ultimately aren't concentrated on much, honestly to the point of being inconsequential. There was interesting information provided about their training, but I really wanted more, especially the gritty details about the field of work. However, personal preference aside, this is a really solid and engaging mystery that set the stage for a new series that I am looking forward to continuing.

Jazz is in the process of training Luther when they accidentally stumble upon the body of a young woman who graduated years earlier from the Catholic girls school Jazz currently works at as an administrator. Jazz's likability and charisma help to guide her as she embarks in her own private investigation to determine not just who murdered Florie, but also what was really going on in Florie's life that may have led to her untimely demise. Jazz's ex-boyfriend, Nick, is the lead detective on the case, which definitely created some mildly antagonistic interactions that will provide interesting fodder for future stories to come.

Overall, this was a well-plotted and fast-paced mystery that has fantastic potential for a more immersive experience as the series progresses.

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Jazz Ramsey is training a cadaver dog, Luther. Luther is still fairly new to his training so Jazz takes him to the abandoned building to put his through the paces. Luther, however, finds the real body of someone that Jazz knows. The lead detective on the case just happens to be Jazz’s ex-boyfriend, Nick. Can Jazz help solve the murder, will she Nick be able to move past their past history?

This is a great start to a series. This is the first book of this type that I have read. I really enjoyed learning more about the training of cadaver dogs. The author Kylie Logan uses a very descriptive writing style helps the reader picture what is taking place and how every character looks. The characters are very realistic and interesting. The mystery is well written with several well placed red herrings and keeps the reader engaged until the end. I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I recommend this book to all mystery lovers.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced.

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2.5 stars. The mystery was a solid one. But the rest of the story was a little lacking. Jazz investigating the murder was weird and made no sense. Writing seemed a little unexciting and amateurish.

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