T. C. LotempioReviews

jewelry-heist, verbal-humor, relationships, small-town, small-business, situational-humor, cats, cozy-mystery, pets, local-law-enforcement, local-gossip, amateur-sleuth, Connecticut, family, family-dynamics, murder-investigation, antiques, animal-shelter, fundraiser*****

Yippee! Another fun cozy from Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries!
Shell had escaped Hollywood thanks to an elderly relative's bequest of a beloved pet shop in small town Connecticut. But unfortunately, she didn't escape her self-absorbed mother who can't imagine her daughter WANTING to leave Hollywood after a decent career in television. Shell has had a hand in solving a murder before and has an interest in the local Homicide Detective.
Much of the set-up for this installment is in the publisher's blurb, but that doesn't tell you how much fun it is to read. I love the way real clues are hidden amongst the red herrings and a diabolical plot twist or two.
I requested and received a free EARC copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
#UrbanTailsPet ShopMysteriesBk4 #CatsCaratsandKillers #NetGalley #DiamondHeist

I loved all the cats in this story. I loved that this is a very fast paced cozy mystery. I loved Shell, her friends and her cats. I enjoyed all the twists and turns as Shell solves this mystery. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

pets, small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, Connecticut, cats, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, amateur-sleuth, actors, family-dynamics, family, verbal-humor, relationships, community-theater, murder, murder-investigation*****

Shell escaped Hollywood thanks to an elderly relative's bequest of a beloved pet shop in small town Connecticut. But, unfortunately, she didn't escape her self absorbed mother who can't imagine her daughter WANTING to leave Hollywood after a decent career in television. Now her mother is in town browbeating the local community theater group and having brought in a director with a lousy personality with her. There is some history with other cast members, so it's no surprise that said director finds a starring role as the corpse. Shell's significant other/local police detective is recused from the case because a main suspect is his cousin. Intricate sleuthing and some really devious red herrings plus an unexpected plot twist or two made this a wonderful read!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

Crime and Catnip by T.C. LoTempio, one of my favorite authors. Almost finished and I adore this Nick and Nora series. Nora Charles was crime reporter and then inherited her parent’s Hot Breads which she is trying to make financially successful. There is a lot of back story of how she got Nick, the extremely intelligent tuxedo cat but don’t want to go into that.

One of the reasons that I love this series is I used a wonderful intuitive tuxedo cat. On the day that my parakeet died, I was crying and she went out and caught a baby bird for me! I took the bird and went down the steps to the basement and let it out at the patio door. The bird flew off and I went back to thank my cat. She never brought me another bird, only that one. And was only of the stories that I have of her.

There is extensive interaction between Nick and Nora. He manages to help her figure out the mysteries, and gives her clues in many ways. His strong eyesight and sense of smell really help the mystery unravel. I read two other previous books in this series and I adore all of them. You learn a little about two different kinds of coding. The romance is light and Nora's are also helpful with the mystery.

This is third of the series and I recommend reading them in order so you can watch Nick and Nora's bonding grow.

family, family-business, family-dynamics, private-investigators, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor, romantic, friction, friendship, cat, former-journalist, small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, scrabble-game, sandwich-shop, TV/Film industry, filming, *****

Nick is a pudgy Tuxedo cat who spells out clues with scrabble tiles. Nora Charles is a former journalist who returned home to take over the family sandwich shop (Hot Bread), and recently got her Private Investigator's license. A nighttime TV soap is in town, and the shop is contracted to provide the food for the cast and crew. Nick and Nora find the first body, and it gets even more complicated from then on!
No spoilers and the publisher's blurb is a great hook! Great read! Fun series!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

Given the perfect opportunity to leave behind Hollywood life after inheriting her late aunt’s estate, Shell MacMillen tries to make a go at a new life in Fox Hollow. When a local woman she recently argued with turns up dead, she is forced to try to clear her name. Who knew that her acting would become real life skills.

What follows is a fun romp with a cat for a sidekick, new friends, and a former co-star Shell delves into the lives of the locals and finds there is no shortage of people who had issues with the deceased.

This new cozy ticks all the right boxes for popular cozy tropes and is the great start to a new series. I am looking forward to seeing how some of the relationships hinted at in this story play out in the overall arc. Extra points for the great name of Shell’s new business.

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

pets, small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, relationships, Connecticut, cats, cozy-mystery, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

The publisher's blurb gives a good intro to this second book in a newish series. Shell escaped Hollywood thanks to an elderly relative's bequest of a beloved pet shop in small town Connecticut. But, unfortunately, she didn't escape her self absorbed mother who can't imagine her daughter WANTING to leave Hollywood after a decent career in television. The other thing she can't seem to escape is finding a murdered victim. The suspect list is long because the man seemed to have swindled s number of locals and then vanished without a trace only to have returned in the recent past. Let the sleuthing begin by both the intrepid heroine and her new boyfriend, the local police detective. A very good read with some very zany characters!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

Not a bad start to a series at all. A protagonist that's an investigative reporter. so her questions and sleuthing make sense. A cat with a LOT of personality. A interesting romantic interest with chemistry.

My biggest gripe:
This is a multi award winning reporter who covered the crime beat in Chicago and wrote stories about the mob. Yet when her cat kicks out three scrabble tiles: I, F, and B right after a run-in with the detective, she comes up with "FIB". This happens a couple of times and "FIB" is what she clings too. COME ON... Then the cat kicks out G, T, V and O; she puts that together as "Govt" but still can't come up with FBI?!?! Nothing like giving us an accomplished, smart heroine and making her stupid.

The mystery was pretty good and I didn't guess the villian although I definitely saw what was behind it early on. I'll happily read the second book in the series, though, as I thought it was pretty well-written.

family, family-business, family-dynamics, private-investigators, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor, romantic, friction, friendship, cat, former-journalist, small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, scrabble-game, sandwich-shop*****

Nick is a pudgy Tuxedo cat who spells out clues with scrabble tiles. Nora is a former journalist who returned home to take over the family sandwich shop, is currently working to get her Private Investigator's license, and STILL can't decide which law enforcement agent she prefers. The first PI seemed to have committed suicide, the second was no accident, and the sleuthing needs to get serious now! No spoilers and the publisher's blurb is a great hook! Great read!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

[b:The Thin Man|80616|The Thin Man|Dashiell Hammett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1321111302s/80616.jpg|1336952] by Dashiell Hammett is a favorite book and the series of movies as well, so when I saw the title of this series I knew I had to give it a try. LoTempio does a good job writing a smart heroine that runs a sandwich shop inherited from her mother. Unlike many mysteries where the non professional detective amazingly solves crimes on the side. Nora Charles has a BA in journalism and years of experience writing a crime column for a Chicago paper.

What doesn't make a lot of sense however is that the California town where the crimes are committed are actually linked back to Chicago, I found that to be to much of a coincidence. The other problem was that all her old Chicago sources had plenty of information on a small city in CA, that seemed far fetched.

It was a fun read, and I'll read the next one as well.

Once again coincidences abound, and a college friend is the detective investing a murder that her sister has been arrested for and it just so happens that the case is involved with a smuggling case involving the FBI agent from book 1 and the entire case is tied to PI Nicks disappearance.
That's an awful lot of coincidences. Still a fun read, but not as good as [b:The Thin Man|80616|The Thin Man|Dashiell Hammett|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1321111302s/80616.jpg|1336952]

Can you say coincidences? This series is really just one coincidence after another every single character it seems is involved in at least 2 of the 3 mysteries in this book. But least I judge it too harshly the cat does some outlandish stuff and if that's not bothering me I don't know why I let a few coincidences. This is the last of the books released so far and I liked all three so if they do a fourth I'll read right along.
Hey you gotta love a cat that plays scrabble, right.

Also a shout out to the author who does charity work for Nathan Fillion’s charity, Kids Need to Read!

See this and all of my reviews at Mystereity Reviews

Sydney and her sister Kat run Friendly Paws, an animal shelter in Deer Park, North Carolina. The shelter has run into financial difficulties, so Sydney and Kat team up with a local coffee shop to host a Cat Cafe, all to benefit the shelter and to get some of the cats adopted. The only problem is that one of the townspeople, an influential property owner named Trowbridge Littleton, is determined to shut the Cat Cafe and the animal shelter down. Determined to change his mind, Sydney and Kat show up at his shop and discover him dead on the floor. Under suspicion and intent on saving the animal shelter from being closed, the sisters team up to find a killer.

Purr M for Murder is a cute and entertaining debut in a new series, there was a lot to like about it. The twisty and engaging plot kept me turning pages, and Toby the cat made for one adorable sleuthing sidekick. Likable characters, a quick pace, and a fantastic ending, complete with a big plot twist and an action-packed conclusion, all combined to make a thoroughly delightful and enjoyable story.

And I loved the cat cafe idea (this should be done everywhere, along with a doggy diner!)

Overall, Purr M for Murder is a fantastic start to a new series and will appeal to cat fanatics and cozy mystery fans looking to curl up with a purr-fectly charming tale.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I listened to Claws For Alarm, by T.C. Lotempio on an unabridged MP3-CD. The story was better than the way than I listened to it. I had ordered it because I loved the first book in this series. I had mistakenly ordered it thinking it was on a CD for books. I bought an MP3 player, and it broke, therefore I ended up listening to the 24 parts one by one on my computer. It was tedious to start the parts one by one.

Now, with that out of the way, the mystery had lots of twists and turns and I still Nora Charles but was started by her younger sister who had gotten herself arrested for the murder of the college art professor. Her sister, Lacey, is caught standing over the victim with a weapon in hand. Lacey did not seem grateful enough to that Nora was getting helping her, instead she was displaying her lifelong jealousy, Nora is the smartest and the pretty one of the two.

Now, Nick, the tuxedo cat was at his best, and he is what makes the story for me. He spills scrabble tile and arranges them into clues for the mystery. He is overweight but extremely intelligent and makes me think of my own dear cat, Happy Day, a fitter cat but an extra smart cat.

I enjoyed the story but think that if I decide to read the third and final story in the series that I will buy the e-book.

cats, situational-humor, sleuth, small-business, small-town, murder, murder-investigation, cozy-mystery, magical-twist, verbal-humor, family-dynamics, friendship, author, law-enforcement****

Someone REALLY did not want the author to publish that Tell All book! Nora makes an appointment to see the temperamental author visiting town, but Nick the cat finds her body when they get there. Nora is a freelance journalist, runs a sandwich shop, has one old boyfriend working as temporary local Homicide detective, and the current one is FBI. But it's the cat who shows her where the clues are (and he is certainly NOT a sleek Siamese!). If you like stories where the cat is the star and the sleuth thwarts the law enforcement, you'll love this one, too! No spoilers and the publisher's blurb is a great hook!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

Sydney McCall lives in Deer Park, NC with her adopted rescue cat, Toby. She's helping her sister Kat with preparations for a fund raiser to benefit the animal shelter they run together. Unfortunately their guest of honor, a comedian born in Deer Park, is injured in a car accident. They turn to another famous former resident, Ulla Townsend. Immediately they get mixed reactions from some shelter staff and residents who went to school with Ulla. Apparently, Ulla was difficult and promised to come back someday when she was famous to rub it all in their faces. She does come back.....and she is famous....but before she can exact any revenge for past slights, she is murdered. Ulla was a rude and difficult person so there is no shortage of suspects. But.....who hated Ulla enough to kill her??

Death By a Whisker is the second book in the Cat Rescue Cozy Mystery series. This is the first book by T.C. LoTiempo that I've read. The mystery was a little slow to start at first, but I enjoyed the character and story development. It picked up pace as soon as the victim was offed. There were several suspects and some interesting twists along the way. All in all, a nice, enjoyable cozy mystery! I have LoTiempo's Nick and Nora Mysteries series (the main character and her cat are named after Nick and Nora from The Thin Man movies -- some of my favorite classic movies!) on my TBR shelf.....I will definitely be reading those next!! I like her writing style, and the characters she created for the Cat Rescue series are engaging and likable.

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Chishell McMillan moves from LA to Connecticut after her elderly aunt dies and leaves her a house and pet store. Chishell (or Shell for short) leaves behind an acting career and a failed love affair. Her fiance cheated on her with a scipt girl, creating all sorts of celebrity gossip. That's when she knew she needed to exit stage left and change her life. Connecticut, a small town, and running a pet store sounded perfect. She arrives in town just in time to have an altercation with the town's cantankerous, controlling old biddy. As if that isn't bad enough, she then discovers a dead body and is a suspect in a murder case. An old friend from her old life comes in to help her investigate before she's behind bars for a murder she didn't commit.

I loved the two Cat Rescue series books I read by T.C. LoTempio so jumped right on this new series. But I never really connected with Shell. I liked her friend and acting partner Gary better. Not sure why exactly. I just didn't "click'' with Shell. At one point she threatens to "press charges'' about a situation that isn't really that big of a deal and not really something that really warrants a formal complaint. It felt like a bit of a contrived plot point to create animosity between two characters so that the plot could continue.....didn't really gel with me. I was like "File charges with who? And for what?" Just didn't work for me.

All in all, I liked the story. It just wasn't a "wow'' for me. The mystery followed the usual cozy formula...girl inherits property, moves to a new town, sees sexy cop, finds dead body, girl is suspect and investigates, etc etc etc. I've read many, many similar cozies. I did like the premise of a known actor being the main character. The cats were a plus -- love them both! And I like the quirky side characters. So, I liked it....didn't love it. I will definitely be reading the next book to see if with a little character development I might feel more on board with Shell.

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Midnight Ink via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

*I received this book from a Goodreads giveaway*

I applied for this book after laughing at the punny title for a good long while. As a cat lover and avid reader, I figured, why not? Well, I won but still had no idea what to expect.

This book is essentially the book equivalent of a Hallmark movie mystery. Not everyone's taste, but I really got some enjoyment out of it. I generally read really serious and heart-racing mysteries so this was a nice change. I loved that it was centered around a shelter and other small businesses in this town.

Syd, the main character, has just moved back to town and is helping her sister at the shelter with an event. They meet an opponent to the event and town bully early on. But things get interesting when he turns up dead. Syd almost recklessly throws herself into the heart of the mystery trying to solve it. It probably wasn't the safest thing, but as the reader is at a safe distance it was fun to find out the answers along with her. Other than her love for Nancy Drew and romantic interest in the new detective in town - Syd is a rather 2 dimensional character. But this wasn't the kind of book where I expected to have that.

I enjoyed the story unraveling and the way you find out about different characters and what their motives might be. Overall, it was a fun, light mystery with a bonus - cats!

Crishell "Shell" McMillan has decided to give up acting when her TV series gets cancelled. Her aunt has just passed away and left Shell her pet shop - the Purr N' Bark. Shell has lots to do before the re-opening, but being a suspect in a murder investigation wasn't on her list. Shell was upset one of the museum board members didn't want to display her late aunt's collection of Cary Grant posters due to a long-standing feud, but it seems to be the perfect set-up for someone to get away with murder.

This had potential but just lacked that special something that could put it over the top. I liked the idea of a retired young actress inheriting her aunt's pet shop in a small town. I loved that there are two cats, but their behaviour wasn't always catlike, it was forced and that takes away from the flow of the story. It was easy to read, fun and I'll keep my eyes open for the second in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Midnight Ink for an ARC.

loved this cozy mystery so much that I added the other two books in this series to my wish list. Long ago, I used to watch the Thin Man movies in the afternoons and remember buying this book because of the connections. I pictured Nora Charles in the book looking like Myrna Loy.

The cat which is a tuxedo cat. They are short hairs and are known for their exceptional intelligence. The Nick in this book is overweight beautiful tuxedo cat. I have had one in the past, my son named her Happy Day. I tend to favor dogs the most but Happy Day convinced me that she had way above cat intelligence and she even related to me differently than other cats I have had. Happy Day went out of her way to communicate to me. If I have another cat, I will want a tuxedo cat.

Nick in this book seems to be very perceptive and attentive to Nora. That reminded me so much of Happy Day. I think the author knows like I know that these cats are special.

The mystery was easy for me to follow and her Tarot loving friend loved Nick's handsome coat and added humor to the tale and the food made by Nora's sandwich shop made me hungry. I would love to try the recipe in the back of the book.

This cozy mystery is the first installment of a new series featuring former actress and pet shop heiress Crishell McMillan. "Shell" inherited her shop, the Purr N Bark Pet Shop, from her grandmother.

The murder to be solved did not occur until page 100 of this 296 page book. For me, that is way too late for a whodunnit to be successful. Also, when a series is about a shop, the shop should be featured in the story. The Purr N Bark Pet Shop was rarely mentioned as it had not opened for business yet. The reader does not know what type of series this is going to be when the supposed setting for it has not been introduced. We don't know the decor, the characters who work there, and how the business is woven into the sleuthing. I think this is a fatal flaw for the series but we shall wait and see what book number two turns out to be. As for the two cats mentioned in the back cover summary of the novel, they were only involved in the plot to greet the protagonist when she came home in the evening. I don't know why they were even mentioned in the summary.

The main problem that I had with this book was that the conflict between the main character and her adversaries was based on an unrealistic premise. I can forget the other problems with the book and view this as a stand alone novel. What I cannot do is get interested in a plot that is based on a person being upset that a charity will not allow her to exhibit her vintage movie posters one their premises. Any one who takes offense at that has psychological problems. Unless the author wants to take us on a murderous rage, this plot falls flat.

This is a classic cozy mystery and a good start to the new "Purr N Bark Pet Shop Mystery" series by author, T.C. LoTempio. The two felines appearing on the book's front cover were what first caught my attention and they are a playful pair, for sure. The main protagonist, Crishell ("Shell") McMillan, is an L.A. actress known to most by her stage name, Shell Marlowe, and t.v. spy, Hermione DuVal. Shell's Aunt Tillie recently passed away two days after the t.v. program got canceled. As Aunt Tillie had no children, it was not a total surprise that her aunt's home and pet store business were left to Shell. So Shell snuffed out her foot-candles, retired from Hollywood and settled into small-town, Fox Hollow. In addition to the real-estate, Shell surprisingly inherited her aunt's one-eyed Persian, Purrday, which was carefully introduced to Shell's coffee colored seal point, Kahlua. Feline detente was soon established and the relaunch of the Purr & Bark pet shop commenced.

Soon after, Shell has a public run-in with a leading member of the local museum board of directors. Shell is later summoned by this woman to the museum on a Sunday morning. Upon approaching the museum offices, Shell discovers the woman dead on the library floor and suddenly becomes a person of interest and front page fodder for the local paper. Shell figures the best way to get back on track for the shop's grand re-opening is to solve the murder and clear her name, and so the sleuthing begins.

This is certainly a light and humorous read with civilian characters having an inordinate amount of unrealistic participation in the detective work. It is a cozy mystery, after all. Personally, I prefer a bit more real world police procedural added to my cozies where the local constabulary reluctantly rely on the assistance of the book's protagonist. The sleuths in this book are instructed to stay out of it and of course they do not nor are they arrested for interfering in the investigation.

The character development is good and their interplay classic. The small New England village is well laid out with all the charm and tourist attractions one would hope for that setting. You catch a whiff of the steaming lattés served in the town's café and taste the richness of a true Reuben sandwich at a local pub restaurant where the town's residents all seem to hang out.

All in all, this was a charming light read for in between the heavier novels. Will I seek out further installments in this series?...maybe.

T.C. LoTempio already has two cozy mystery series out, which the Nick & Nora Mysteries and A Cat Rescue Mysteries, so when I saw she had a third series coming out, A Purr N’ Bark Pet Shop Mystery, I knew I had to read it.

LoTempio has a purrfect trio of well developed characters, a charming small town, and real interactions between people and their fur babies. At least it’s how I react to my cats. I liked how Purrday has a magical aura about him and how sassy Kahlua is.

As with any great cozy, the characters are very important. As a reader, you want to find ones you can connect with so you want to keep coming back to the series to see what adventures they get into next. With this being LoTempop’s third series, she has established a real knack for this type of writing.

I really enjoyed Gary Presser, Shell’s co-star when she was in Hollywood. And the rest of their group, Rita, Ron, and Olivia, or as I affectionately think of them, The Scooby Gang, really added a nice layer of community and detecting help. I’m looking forward to more of their adventures together and separately.

The mystery itself was done well with details to try and throw the reader off the trail. I did know the killer before chapter twelve (don’t want to say which chapter exactly in the review), but it was still a fun read even knowing who dunnit. And as far as the motive, I had half of it guessed at the beginning as well, but the rest of the reason I didn’t learn about until the reveal.

I’m excited to see what new mystery Shell and the Scooby Gang have to solve in the next book in the Purr N’ Bark Pet Shop Mystery series.

The Time for Murder is Meow is the debut of A Purr N’ Bark Pet Shop Mystery series. When Crishell “Shell” McMillan finds herself a person of interest in the murder of Amelia Witherspoon (think Wicked Witch of the West with white hair), Shell sets out to clear her name with help from her new friends. She believes her experience in playing a spy on Spy Anyone will come in handy. Shell talks to a variety of people around town gathering information and clues. This gives us a chance to meet the secondary characters and learn about Fox Hollow. Shell’s co-star, Gary Presser arrives in town and helps in solving the crime. Gary was my favorite character and he outshone Shell. He has a great personality and provides engaging humor. Purrday, Aunt Tillie’s cat, is a delight and I like how he communicates with Shell (cats have a way of telling us what they want). I like how Shell talks to Purrday and her cat, Kahlua. Kahlua acted in typical cat fashion when first introduced to Purrday—by hissing. I am glad that the author took the time to introduce the characters and the town (set the stage so to speak). Amelia Witherspoon was a disagreeable woman which leads to multiple suspects and misdirection. The clues were a little too on-the-nose which allows readers to pin down the guilty party early in the story. I enjoyed the movie references and how Shell would compare an individual to a movie character or actor. I liked the descriptions of Aunt Tillie’s collection and the Victorian home she left Shell. Detective Josh Bloodgood provides a potential romantic partner for Shell. The Time for Murder is Meow is a lighthearted cozy mystery with movie memorabilia, a wicked victim, bewitching brew, a gregarious co-star, playful Purrday, and one anxious actress.

Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N' Bark, and do something she loves.

While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting—until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick—her aunt's Persian Purrday—find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?

The first in a new series, The Time for Murder is Meow is fun and fresh! The plot and characters are well-developed, and I found this to be the perfect start for a new series.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*