The idea of the story is quirky and interesting. The cultural references of Latin-American values make for interesting reading. As a cozy mystery book Carolina has done well with the story. Issy as the protagonist is spunky and has a style that brings a smile to the readers face and has some lovely interests in her resume. Spanish language teacher who is psychic and also dabbles in aromatherapy, the reader feels for Issy and connects with her.
Carolina has put in a lot of hard work into the story and her effort shows. The prose is also decently witty and she is able to create candid visuals in this mystery. The story is a simple murder mystery with paranormal elements.
Cozy is not something I relish being a more hard-core thriller reader but the story was easy going and had its moments.
Recommend the story.

I liked this story! I enjoyed the aromatherapy and Latin/Indigenous aspects. It was nice to read about those cultures and learn about scents for different ailments.

But, there were several points where I felt the story was disjointed. I spent quite a bit of time having to reference earlier points in the book to connect to the present spot. For example, when there is a time jump to before the murder, there wasn’t a good transition to indicate it was the past. There were also times within the story where it jumped between tenses, which was a bit disorienting.

Overall, I struggled to get to the end, but the plot itself ramped up in certain areas that kept me intrigued.

Best moment; having Issy’s heel break during life-altering moments (i.e. meeting Eddy Calderón at the beginning of the book and exposing the murderer at the end).

⭐️⭐️⭐️☆☆ (3/5)

A sensory-rich mystery with a unique twist. Carolina Dow introduces a protagonist with a heightened sense of smell, adding an interesting layer to the investigation. While some plot points felt slightly underdeveloped, the premise was intriguing and the setting vibrant. A promising start for a series with room to grow.

On a Saturday in May Issy Castillo is writing a letter of recommendation for a student. She only started the job earlier that month so can’t know the student very well. In any case, she hasn’t learned to set boundaries yet. She gets a phone call from a department friend to meet up for a bite to eat. When she gets to his office, she finds him lying on the floor. Three other people stop at the office — why are all these people at the faculty building on a Saturday? — and immediately start accussing Issy of murder. Without making the slightest attempt at finding out what is going on.

The story then moves back a few weeks to when Issy first arrived at the department. Several people are openly hostile towards her and she assigned an office in the basement — rather than given the office of her predecessor. The atmosophere in the department is decidedly toxic. At a party departmental reorganisation (including laying off people) is discussed and Issy finds two dead scorpions tacked to her door (which she doesn’t report to the department.)
This glimpse into the past shows there are many people with a grudge against Eddy, the soon to be victim.

I wanted to like this story, but I didn’t. The writing is on the one hand simplistic and many characters are characatures. On the other too much attention is given to detail when describing action or scenes. At one point, Eddy and Issy are talking in the car and after every few sentences of dialogue there is some desciption of car driving action or leaving the car and continue to walk. In that scene a conversation that can’t have been more than a minute is stretched out over ten. That just reads awkward: must I imagine the two characters have really long pauses between eveything they say?

I also didn’t particularly care for the scenes with Doña Isabella. She died long before New Mexico joined the federation, yet speaks modern slang; she could have chosen any embodiment, yet prefers to be an old woman. I can only think this is to keep with the wise old woman characature.

The author may concider getting a sensitivity reader to prevent being unintentionally offensive.

I DNFed this about 31% through the book. Don't get me wrong, I just didn't really care for the book. The characters are pretty cool, but I felt like I was bored while reading the book, so I unfortunately decided to DNF the book.

Really beautiful imagery and writing - I just found it a bit hard to follow at times. Loved hearing all of the backstories of each new suspect

I can honestly say that this book was not for me and it’s okay. It was too confusing for me. I like to give a book a good 50 pages to help me understand how the story is going to flow. There were too many characters for me to keep up with and I thought that with the way the story had begun, it would be along those lines as the book went on. But it seemed as though it was on the opposite side that I could not get to. Hopefully someone else likes this story more than me.

Issy Castillo is overjoyed to land her first job teaching Spanish at a small university in her Boulder, Colorado hometown. Here she can pursue her academic dreams, reconnect with her Hispanic roots, and—who knows?—find true love.

But her life takes a decided downturn when she finds her chief romantic interest, the witty and personable theater professor, strangled in his office with her scarf. Discovered kneeling over the body, she becomes a prime suspect in the murder. Driven to clear her name and ferret out the killer’s identity, Issy becomes entangled in a sticky web woven from the threads of passion and pundonor, the Latino interpretation of honor and integrity.

Will Issy find the murderer before a second victim, possible Issy herself, succumbs to the killer’s devious plot?

First in the Latino crime fiction series starring spunky Latina college professor and amateur aromatherapist, the plot will keep readers guessing until the final curtain drops.

Loved it. Will recommend to others

I liked the plot and the setting. I thought Issy was a good protagonist. I feel like some of the writing could've been tightened up, but overall, I liked it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

I updated my rating to 5 stars after reading it a second time, you can just tell that this book was a labor of love for the author, it is clever, intelligent and captivating. The author begins each chapter with a quote related to the contents, and this book as a whole is a truly impressive and enjoyable read.

Carolina Dow’s Scent of Murder is a delightful entry into the world of cozy mysteries, blending paranormal elements with a rich cultural backdrop.

This debut novel introduces readers to Issy Castillo, a psychic Spanish professor and amateur aromatherapist, who finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation that is as puzzling as it is dangerous.

The story begins with Issy discovering the body of a theater professor, strangled with a scarf, and quickly becoming the prime suspect. Determined to clear her name, Issy uses her unique abilities and keen intellect to unravel the mystery. The plot is a carefully crafted puzzle, filled with red herrings and unexpected twists.

Issy Castillo is a standout protagonist—spunky, resourceful, and deeply connected to her cultural roots. Her interactions with her six-times-great-grandmother, who appears from the spirit world to offer advice and clues, adds a compelling aspect to this story.

The supporting cast, including quirky colleagues and potential suspects, are well-developed and contribute to the story’s vibrant atmosphere.

Scent of Murder explores themes of honor, integrity, and the complexities of human relationships. Dow’s writing is engaging and witty, with dialogue that sparkles and scenes which are vividly described.

Carolina Dow has crafted a cozy mystery that is entertaining and thought-provoking. Scent of Murder is a refreshing addition to the genre, offering a unique blend of paranormal intrigue and cultural richness. Issy Castillo is a memorable heroine, and her debut adventure is sure to captivate readers who enjoy a good mystery with a touch of the supernatural.

Highly recommended for fans of mysteries, paranormal elements, and strong, culturally rich narratives.

Dow's first entry into the Issy Castillo series is admirable. With picturesque Colorado serving as backdrop, this cozy mystery has a spunky Latina amateur sleuth with psychic abilities, a scandalous workplace romance, and a peek into the social politics of academia. Kept me guessing till the end and I look forward to seeing the series develop.

I liked the idea of a college campus in Colorado as a setting but I couldn’t get into this story. The writing was all over the place for me and just wasn’t my speed, making it difficult for me to get immersed in the story.

This was my first time reading a book by this author, so I cannot compare this one to Dow's previous works.
As a mystery this story can be fun to follow. But I gotta say I did not particularly like the protagonist.
Maybe I wasn't in the right mood for a cozy mystery...

I love cozy mysteries so I was excited to read this new series. It's about a Latino professor, Isabella Castillo, who returns to work in her hometown in Colorado. The mystery plot was intriguing, the characters were good - though I didn't connect to them - they seemed superficial. Needed more development. But all in all a fun light read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Carolina Dow for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Scent of Murder, which was released on August 20, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love cozy mysteries and I was excited this one featured a Latina heroine. I’m not Latina, but I speak Spanish so I love the culture. I think the fact that she was a Spanish professor was unique to most cozies. I think her psychic abilities were fun. I loved the setting in the mountains. The mystery was very cozy and fun for me! I would definitely check out more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves cozy mysteries!

I really struggled to read this book and pay attention, the cover is really good and objectively I can see it is a good book with an interesting concept. It just wasn’t resonating with me and I should have DNFd it. I powered through and thought the mystery was good. I haven’t done reviews on goodreads for it as I don’t think I deserve to.

This was an interesting new series that combined a mystical element with Latino identity. The aromatherapy elements were fun to read about. The story was told non-linear which at times I had problems with. I had a hard time really connecting with the characters. It seemed to have a lot of insight into the world of college professors. The mystery had lots of surprises at the end.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery. One of the things that really stuck out to me, was that the main character is of Latino heritage, I have never read something like that and I found that to be very unique and cool. The mystery itself was fun and I also liked that it took place in Colorado. Overall, I thought it was interesting and cute. I look forward to reading the next book when it comes out.

'Scent of Murder' is a cozy mystery about a new professor, Isabella Castillo, returning to work in her home town in Colorado. Issy's imaginative view of the world and study into her Latino heritage drew me in. Carolina Dow certainly put together a creative story here.

Issy spends much of the story guided and counseled by ancestral spirits. As a Christian, I don’t prefer to read these mystical or psychic elements in stories, so I likely won’t continue this series. However, if you are looking for a unique new mystery series, then consider this book.

Special thanks to the Publisher, Level Best Books, and Net Galley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book started off super confusing for me with just a lot of character introductions and exposition so it took me a bit to get into it. I love a mystery where the MC is also being accused of the crime. It was a good read once you got into it.