Killer’s Scent: From a Patch of Grass to a Novel

How a dog’s nose inspired a novel about transgenesis and instinct.

Do you have a dog? On your daily walks, do you ever wonder about it? Dogs have a superpower: they know the past and predict the future. What would you feel if you had their nose? Would you be fascinated by the smell of urine? I hope not. Then again… it probably says a lot about the health of whoever left it there.

Watching Miraï, our dog, sniffing with meticulous concentration at faint traces of urine on a tuft of weeds, I wanted to understand her better — and decided to write Killer’s Scent. To learn more, I spoke with a canine behaviorist named Melvin, a name with a whiff of magic, although it has no connection to Merlin, his almost-homophonic but far more famous counterpart. Melvin worked wonders with Miraï and almost succeeded in teaching us the art of her training. His stories exceeded my expectations: dogs can detect a person hiding in a room, follow an invisible trail for hours, even sniff out certain cancers. Apparently, they can even recognize their own offspring — all thanks to their sense of smell.

But what if we could transfer those abilities to humans through DNA transplantation? Science fiction? A little. Yet chimeras are already among us. Human stem cells have been inserted into animal embryos in the hope of one day producing “semi-human” organs — and, more astonishing still, scientists have created human–chimpanzee embryos and kept them alive for two weeks.

These experiments remain extremely limited, but they already sketch the blurred boundaries that fiction can cross without hesitation. And as fascinating as transgenesis may seem, if it ever becomes widespread, it will certainly bring problems. Every “improvement” comes with complications — and in my novel, Adam finds that out the hard way.

He opts for a canine DNA graft and a new career in the police, hoping to turn himself into a top tracker. But his illusions don’t last long. Between a wife who cheats on him with his best friend, a critical partner, a budding attraction to his superior, and the unsettling instincts triggered by the graft, Adam struggles to think clearly. Smell replaces sight. The body senses before it understands. Instinct unsettles reason.

Killer’s Scent will be released soon in English. For the French version, I am still looking for a publisher. I have had several rejections and I am waiting on the final responses. Whatever the outcome, I will keep you posted.

By the way… which title do you prefer: A Question of Scent or the new one, Killer’s Scent? A title is less a literary statement than a marketing message, but when the two can meet… I’d love to hear your thoughts by email or in the comments.

Until next time,

Laurence M. Rapp

✨ If you enjoy my writing, you might also like my novel Of Flesh and Tears.

📖 More here: www.lmrap/en