The Secrets of Bones by Kylie Logan is the second book in the “Jazz Ramsey” cozy mystery series. Publisher: Minotaur Books, coming May 5, 2020.
Second in a new series from national bestselling author Kylie Logan, The Secrets of Bones is a riveting mystery following Jazz Ramsey as she trains a cadaver dog.
Assembly Day at St. Catherine’s dawns bright and cloudless as professional woman gather from all around Ohio to talk to the schoolgirls about their careers ranging from medicine, to NASA, to yoga. Jazz Ramsey has also signed up to give the girls a taste of her lifelong passion: cadaver dog training. Her adorable new puppy Wally hasn’t been certified yet, so she borrows the fully-trained Gus from a friend and hides a few bones in the unused fourth floor of the school for him to find.
The girls are impressed when Gus easily finds the first bone, but then Gus heads confidently to a part of the floor where Jazz is sure no bones are hidden―at least not any that she’s put there. But Gus is a professional, and sure enough, behind a door that no one has opened in ages, is a human skeleton. Jazz recognizes the necklace the skeleton is wearing, and that it belonged to Bernadette Quinn, an ex-teacher at the school who’d quit her job abruptly one Christmas break. But now it seems Bernadette never left the school at all, and her hiding place makes it clear: this was murder.
Bernadette in life had been a difficult personality, and so there are a plethora of suspects inside the school and out of it. As Jazz gets closer to the truth, she can’t help but wonder if someone might be dogging her footsteps. . .
Dru’s Musing:
This was a well-written drama with a tightly woven plot full of twists and turns that catered to what I enjoy in a mystery. With suspects here and there and clues left to be discovered, it was fun watching it all played out. The author knows how to tell a story that kept me immersed in all aspects as scene after scene kept me intrigued as to what will happen next. The pacing was on par with how well this story was being told. I like how everything was staged from the discovery of the body to the investigation to character development to Jazz and Nick’s blossoming relationship and to the many clues that kept this whodunit suspenseful as I was eager to learn the killer’s identity. A good read and I look forward to more exciting adventures with Jazz and her friends.
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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.
Our Sisters in Crime chapter, Desert Sleuths, invited two dog trainers and their cadaver/live body dogs (they usually specialize in one or the other) to our meeting a few months ago. Yes, the dogs were adorable … but I was amazed by the partnership, dedication, and confidence that the dogs and their trainers had in each other. Then I found out that the trainers are volunteers. They spend their time and their own money to do this. I was so impressed by all of it. I love that this book is exploring this area of police work. Thanks for featuring.
So glad you enjoyed the book, Dru! You made my day!