I have enjoyed several other books by Kylie Logan and was excited to see a new series by the author. I lie her style of writing, and I love the premise of the book with Jazz Ramsey being a trainer of cadaver dogs. It’s interesting that her main job is as an administrative assistant, but her true passion is working as a dog handler. It’s also intriguing that Jazz has unexpected ties to the victim and the detective.

Jazz is likable and persistent in getting to the truth of the murder. The book is well-written, and I think the series has potential, but I was disappointed that the dog handling took a back seat to other aspects of the story. Jazz’s role as a cadaver dog trainer is what caught my eye when reading the description of the book, so it was a let-down that more details weren’t included. Hopefully if the series continues, there will be more of an emphasis on Jazz working with Luther and not only the other parts of the investigation. Adding more of those details would really make this series stand out.

I received this book from NetGalley, through the courtesy of Minotaur Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Jazz Ramsey trains cadaver dogs part time when she is not working at St Catherine's School for Girls. She takes her friend's dog out for some training. Luther knows what he is doing and doesn't find the sample Jazz put out but does find a body. It is one of the graduates from St. Catherine's. Jazz's ex-boyfriend, Nick is the lead detective on the case. Jazz wants to find out what happened to this girl who had so much potential to wind up dead. It is a good story and the author lays the ground work well for the future stories about Jazz.

As the first book in a new series, I really enjoyed "The Scent of Murder" by Kylie Logan. Do I wish there was more about Luther and the cadaver dog training, yes, but it is a solid mystery, well written and intriguing. I personally had a hard time putting it down. There is some romance, but I don't believe it takes away from the story and in fact, has a reason to be there. I have found a new series to enjoy and look forward to following Jazz on more adventures.

I'm kinda conflicted here because it's a well written story even though it's missing a few things I expected from the blurb and the cover art. First off if you're looking for a story about a woman who works with these special dogs then this is a good mystery for you. If you're looking for a story that includes the dog . . . well not so much. Since I am in both categories it was a good read. I haven't read this author before but I did enjoy her style and the pace of the story. Jazz while she was a pretty flat character (her love of muted tones, beige and browns is even mentioned in the story) and accepts that fact what becomes clear is that she is intuitive. She is a single woman who just lost her father and her dog and fills her time with solving the case, so what's not to like, especially since she has a knack for getting info and pissing folks off.This murder is personal because she knows the student so she makes it her mission to find justice. I enjoyed the story mainly because it's good writing and the author didn't feel the need to fluff it with romance but gave us a clear cut mystery.

I’m giving this a 3 stars because of dogs! I mean right?! What’s my name?!

Anyhoo, I chose this book because of said dogs. The beginning starts out with Jazz (whom I thought was the dog at first) training a cadaver dog named, Luther, in an abandoned building. Well, good ole Luther finds a real body. Hmmmm... that sucked, but he did his job! Give him the ball!

The dogs aren’t really in the book much. It’s mostly about Jazz and her ex who is the cop on the investigation. This, that, the other happens. They get the killer and the best part, there is a new puppy at the end.

* I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book!

Happy Reading!

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

Jazz Ramsey is the second in command at an exclusive Catholic Girl’s school that trains dogs to search for cadavers. When she is working with a friend’s dog on searching, she stumbles across the body of a former student. While the memory haunts Jazz, she wants to find justice for the girl, unfortunately that means she will be crossing paths with her ex boyfriend, detective Nick Kolesov.

The first in a new series, it is the first tie I have read anything by this author and I truly enjoyed the story. The characters are well developed and the mystery is well written and has a few red herrings to keep you from sniffing out the murdered too quickly. Looking forward to more in this series.

I was a little disappointed especially with the cover image that this didn't feature more of the cadaver dog work, and more heavy on the mystery. However, Jazz does find the victim using a cadaver dog that she is training for a friend. The rest of the story she decides to ask questions, investigating on her own, while her ex is the detective in charge of the murder.

Lots of secrets, uncovering many suspects and motives.

It was my first time reading this author, and I didn't know what to expect, but I loved the story so much. Jazz was such a strong woman, intuitive, smart, but also stubborn. She has some experience training dogs, and one of those training sessions she runs into a dead body. The victim was someone she knows, a young woman with a special talent for the photography. This event affected Jazz's inner peace and mind, and she had the need to find answers at the many questions raised by the young girl's murder.
At every turn of the page the reader will be facing theories and fighting to find the truth alongside Jazz and the police. Every chapter will drag you deeper and deeper into the story, and the end will surprise you.
Or maybe not.
Maybe you'll see beyond the evidence and solve the mystery.
The scent of Murder was a hell of a ride, and can't wait to read Jazz new adventures in the future.

Who killed Florie? This nags at Jazz because she found Florie's body while she was out training Luther to be a cadaver dog. Jazz works as an admin assistant at a school and sorta kinda knew Florie when she was a student there. So of course, in classic cozy fashion, she has to investigate, even though her ex, Nick, is the lead detective. Or is it because of Nick? In any event, this appears from the cover to be a more serious novel, there isn't enough of the cadaver dog work to lift it out of cozy mode (it has all the elements of the latter). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I give this book three stars for originality in the premise, however there were a few issues that kept me from fully enjoying it.
The main character is Jazz, a high school administrative assistant that trains service dogs to sniff out dead bodies in her spare time. Her hobby intrigued me. It's the first time I'd ever read a book with that type of service animal. Her day job, though...? I feel like that was chosen simply to give her a reason to get involved in the murder investigation. It didn't fit, and like the character's on-page personality, it fell flat.
Admittedly, I probably read too much into the story summary. I assumed that Jazz was a suspect in the murder and that is why she is investigating: she had stakes. I was wrong. In the first chapters, it's clear she's not a suspect and neither is anyone she knows well. So what is the point of her investigating? There is none. She finds out nothing that her ex Nick, who we never find out why she'd broken up with him, has already covered while doing his actual job. In fact, it would have been a much better story to follow him, in my honest opinion, since the thing that bugged me the most is why people were so eager to give up information to this woman with no badge.
The final reveal was dull in a book that meandered about for much too long.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book - I admit that I had read reviews prior to starting it in which the readers were disappointed that there was not a greater focus on the cadaver dog. I have a strong interest in canine behavior and working dogs, and the cadaver dog in the book was exactly what drew me to this novel. I did enjoy the presence of Luther the dog, and the author did a fantastic job of describing his job at the beginning as well as his later training day, and while I certainly would have loved a book entirely about Luther, Kylie Logan does write a very good mystery that kept me turning pages right to the end.
I enjoyed Logan's style of writing and I felt that it complimented our protagonist, Jazz - a fairly straightforward and no nonsense type of woman who was raised in a family of firefighters and spends her free time running, training the cadaver, and solving mysteries. There was an interesting cast of characters, plenty of suspects and red herrings, and I loved the twist at the end.
I have already recommended this book to friends who love dogs and mysteries - I don't think it will disappoint, and I look forward to the next novel in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for review.

The Scent of Murder is the start of a new series by Kylie Logan and whilst it was quite a simple and descriptive story. I did find it lacked character details. But it did have a nice amount of mystery, and was well paced. Plus, the route to the killer was easy to follow and it certainly kept me engaged throughout. And I'm sure fans of the author will really enjoy it.

I adored this book. I have always been fascinated with the training of cadaver dogs and granted, this only touches on it. But it goes to show, some dogs like Luther are natural born trackers. I would love to read more in this series. I can't think of anything better than animals and a good mystery.

Jazz just knows that this isn't going to end well. She just wants to work with Luther and to complete his training as a cadaver dog she just hopes that she can tell his owner Greg that he has what it takes. This is his test and she is about to find more than a tooth. She can't believe that Luther has found a body of a young girl and the worst thing is that she knows the girl. Florie was a student at St Catherine were Jazz works. And her ex Nick is in charge of the case and she would rather keep her distance from him. They had a bad breakup and she just can't go there again. Should she let the police deal with finding the murderer or can she do her own digging? Florie deserves justice but there are too many suspects for Jazz to figure it out and she finds out that Florie wasn't a good young woman as she thought. Can she find out who killed Florie and why? Nick wants Jazz to stay away from this case but she just doesn't want to let it go and wherever he turns up she is there already. Nick knows that he messed things up but will Jazz give him another chance to prove that he has changed and that they can have something special again? A good read twists & turns. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

This is the first book by Kylie Logan that I've read...and it is the first of a new series. Kylie has a new fan! This book has everything I like in a good romantic suspense book...although this first book is heavier on the suspense than the romance. Jazz and Nick had a previous relationship and I liked that Kylie didn't throw them back into a relationship immediately. Jazz has had a difficult year...she lost the firefighter father that she adored, her beloved cadaver dog Manny and has broken off her relationship with Nick...a Cleveland police detective. But she has a strong support system with her family and friends...including Luther a German Shepherd Dog that belongs to a training buddy.
During a training session with Luther they find the murdered body of a young woman who used to be a student at the school that Jazz works at. Jazz begins to ask questions...what happened to the Florie that she remembers from St Catherine's. What follows is a very interesting and satisfactory mystery that we get to solve along with Jazz and Nick.
I really like Jazz. She's strong and relatable, she fights for what she thinks is right. She loves her family, friends and dogs. Nick is going to be fun to get to know in future books as well. I really recommend this book to mystery/suspense fans.
Thank you to Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I've read a few of Kylie Logan's cozies, and the new direction she's taken in The Scent of Murder is welcome and well-done. Jazz feels invested when she is the one to come across the body of a former student at the school she works at while training a cadaver dog. She's uniquely situated to talk with various people in the young woman's life and try to piece together what had happened to Florie in the short amount of time between when she graduated and when she is found dead in a construction site.
There's a great sense of place in this one- even the school setting is descriptive enough that I felt like I could see it- and it introduces some interesting characters. Jazz and her family are piecing themselves back together after the death of her father, and it really seems like there is some depth and material for future books in her close family relationships. It's true that cadaver dogs/dogs in general are not maybe as much a part of the plot as the blurbs would lead readers to believe, but what is there speaks to a genuine interest and passion for the topic, and as this seems to be a series starter, there's room for more.

While I liked the story idea, I thought it would involved the dog a bit more. Couldn't really connect the characters, book was a bit long for the storyline.
Still lots of typos to have edited.

Synopsis:

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. (Goodreads)


Review:

I really liked the setting of this book. Having grown up near Cleveland, I knew many of the places that were described in this book, and that pulled me into the story that much more. There is something special about a setting that you are familiar with.

The characters are well developed and well rounded. I am sure that they will grow in subsequent books, and this was a good start. Jazz is smart, caring and loves animals. She is a cadaver dog handler and she is very proud of the work that she does. When she finds a dead body during one of her training sessions, she cannot help but snoop into the death. She knows the victim and she wants to see justice served. Nick, a detective and Jazz’s ex, is trying to solve the murder too, so they are spending more time together. Will they be able to rekindle their romance and solve the case?

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. I think that the author is very talented in her descriptive writing and this kept me engaged throughout the book. The parts in the book about the cadaver training and Luther, the dog, were my favorites. There just were not enough of them, I was left wanting much more. Hopefully as the series continues, that will be included in the books much more.

The mystery was well plotted and it was nicely pace. I did figure out who it was before Jazz, but that was alright. I enjoyed watching Jazz and Nick unravel the clues and solve it.

I would recommend this book to any who enjoys a well crafted mystery. I will definitely read the next book in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

What an interesting concept for a new series! Jazz is an administrative assistant at an all girls school but her passion lies with her volunteer job which is working with cadaver dogs. While training a dog she discovers a body and it is someone that she knew.
I found this to be an interesting read. I hope that in future books, we get to know more about the character of Jazz. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I really liked this mystery story set in Cleveland, Ohio featuring Jazz Ramsey, and administrator at an all girls Catholic school. In the story, one of the former students at the school is found dead in a decrepit house. Jazz finds her while training a cadaver dog. She runs into her old flame Nick, who is the cop assigned to the case.

The characters were well developed, and I was engaged in the mystery. I figured out who did it fairly early on, but I still loved the story.