Scent of Murder

The bestselling author delivers a gritty crime thriller filled with "suspenseful action [and] riveting details about police work and police service dogs" (Florida Weekly).

Two years after being tossed from the detective bureau for using questionable tactics while catching a child molester, deputy Tim Hallett's life is finally on track. Assigned to a special K-9 unit with the best partner in the world, a Belgian Malinois named Rocky, Hallett has finally learned to balance police work with his family life. But that all changes in the heat of a Florida sugarcane field.


While searching for a kidnapper, Rocky locks onto the scent of a predator unlike anyone has ever seen. Or have they? The more Hallett digs, the closer he comes to his old issues when the case that ended his career as a detective appears to be the key to a series of kidnappings.


When the trail turns to murder, Hallett risks everything to catch the killer, even if it means clearing the child molester who drove him to violence and ruined his career. Along the way, Hallett and his partners learn the true meaning of loyalty and courage as their canine companions take police work to a new level and show that instinct means more than training.

"The bonds between people and their dogs are strong. But the connections between K9 cops—both two-legged and four-legged—are even stronger. These highly trained dogs aren't just pets but true partners to their human counterpart. Author James O. Born taps into that bond with the well-plotted Scent of Murder." —South Florida Sun Sentinel
"Dog-lovers will welcome Born's intriguing crime novel." —Publishers Weekly