The Scent of Murder

March 4, 2019
Logan (the League of Literary Ladies series) makes a confident stride from cozies into a harder edge story with this solid series launch set in Cleveland. Jazz Ramsey, an administrative assistant at St. Catherine’s, a prestigious Catholic high school, volunteers as a trainer and handler of Luther, a German shepherd employed by the Human Remains Detection service. During a training session, Jazz hides a tooth in an abandoned building, but Luther finds instead the body of Florie Allen, who graduated a couple of years before from St. Catherine’s. The discovery brings Jazz back in touch with Det. Nick Kolesov, her ex-boyfriend, who’s handling the case. To help her cope with the shock of Florie’s death, Jazz tries to learn more about how she changed since high school. The appealing Jazz is guided by her love of dogs and her close relationship with her two firefighter brothers and her mother. Believable characters, crisp dialogue, and an insider’s view of Cleveland’s energetic arts and restaurant scenes enhance the mystery. Readers will hope to see a lot more of Jazz and Luther. Agent: Gail Fortune, Talbot Fortune.

When one of Jazz Ramsey's cadaver dogs finds the body of a young woman in a Cleveland condo development, investigators must find out who killed the victim and why. Narrator Emily Pike Stewart handles the variety of voices, relying on a range of tones for male and female characters who include suspects, Jazz's brothers, unsavory business types, and the victim's parents. Stewart's comfortable narration demonstrates her understanding of the characters, especially Jazz. While she stumbles upon a place name or two, it certainly doesn't mar the narration of this well-paced mystery. M.B. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine