Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Review: Bell, Book and Corpses (A Nick and Nora Mystery) by T. C. LoTempio (Blog Tour/Tour-Wide Giveaway)

 

Bell, Book and Corpses (A Nick and Nora Mystery) by T. C. LoTempio

About Bell, Book and Corpses



Cozy Mystery 7th in the Series 
Setting - California 
Beyond the Page (September 24, 2024) 
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 206 pages 
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1960511831 
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1960511836 
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DFDWSQRN

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It’s Halloween trick-or-treachery when murder pays a visit to a cursed mansion in the new Nick and Nora mystery . . .

Waincroft Manor has long been tied to rumors of witchcraft and fatal curses, and to Nora Charles, that makes it the perfect place for a Halloween fundraiser. But her first trip to the deserted old mansion turns out to be truly ghoulish when she discovers a dead body. What’s more, the corpse is laid out in a coffin—with two bite marks on its neck. Then the autopsy comes back showing that the body was drained of blood, and there’s no stopping the local gossips from whispering the word vampire to anyone who will listen.

Determined to dispel the rumors and save the fundraiser, Nora sets out to prove the murderer was quite human after all. Sifting through the clues, she learns of a bitter family rivalry that spans generations, and a more recent conflict that may point to the motive for the murder. And when Nick spells out a clue that proves to be the missing piece of the puzzle, Nora knows she’ll have to watch her back—because there’s a killer out there who wants to keep some secrets buried, and they’ll happily bury Nora right along with them . . .

Includes mouthwatering recipes!

My Review 

It’s Halloween and the people of Cruz are ready for a party.  They are planning to hold a fundraiser at Waincroft Manor.  However, it’s not just any manor.  There is history and gossip about witchcraft and curses there.  When Nora and her faithful feline Nick go to check it out, they find a dead body in a coffin.  The townspeople immediately suspect a vampire since the body was drained of all its blood.

Nora takes it upon herself to figure out what happened.  She is afraid no one would want to attend a fundraiser at a place where a vampire might be killing people.  Not to mention a friend is arrested for the murder and Nora knows she's innocent.  Nick and Nora are on the case, and they enlist the help of their friends for this one.

This is the perfect cozy mystery for this time of year.  The author puts you right into the Halloween spirit even if it’s a little early in the season.  It comes complete with the backdrop of a haunted mansion and a group of ghostbusters.  Even the cover is perfect.

In this 7th book of the Nick and Nora Mystery series we get a chance to revisit old friends.  That’s always a fun thing.  Nora, Nick and their supporting cast are a perfect fit in this series.  Of course Nick is always my favorite character and it’s so clever that he communicates through scrabble squares.  He seems to always be one step ahead of Nora.  

As often is this case with a cozy mystery series, the actual mystery is contained in this one book, but you really would enjoy it even more if you read the entire series starting with the first book.  There are a couple of continuing threads throughout the series.

This author has become a favorite of mine in the cozy mystery field.  She has several other cozy series and all are wonderful.  I can never turn down one of her books.  She’s such a master of the cozy mystery writing craft and she’s perfect at including the kitties.

I’m looking forward to the next book.



For reading challenges:

Craving for the Cozies Reading Challenge 2024
NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2024


FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions expressed are my own.


 

About T.C. LoTempio



While Toni Lotempio does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The Secret in the Old Attic.  She and her cat pen the Nick and Nora mystery series originally from Berkley Prime Crime and now with Beyond the Page Publishing.  They also write the Cat Rescue series from Crooked Lane and the Pet Shop series, originally published by Midnight Ink and rebranded last  year as “Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries.”  Book six in the Nick and Nora mysteries, A PURR BEFORE DYING, is released this February from Beyond the Page.  There is also a new series, Tiffany Austin Food Blogger, coming out in April. 

 You can cat-ch up with them at ROCCO’s blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com or her website, www.tclotempio.net

Blog     Website    Facebook   Twitter/X:  @RoccoBlogger

Purchase Links 

Amazon    B&N   Kobo 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS 

September 24 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT 
September 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW 
September 25 – Christy's Cozy Corners – REVIEW 
September 26 – Maureen's Musings – SPOTLIGHT 
September 26 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT 
September 26 – Novels Alive – REVIEW 
September 27 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
September 28 – Boys' Mom Reads! – CHARACTER GUEST POST
September 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
September 29 – Sapphyria's Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
September 30 – Elizabeth McKenna - Author – SPOTLIGHT 
October 1 – Sneaky the Library Cat's blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW 
October 1 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW 
October 2 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – REVIEW 
October 3 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT 
October 4 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW 
October 5 – fundinmental – RECIPE 
October 6 – Cozy Up With Kathy – AUTHOR GUEST POST 
October 7 – Melina's Book Blog - REVIEW 
October 7 – Reading Authors – SPOTLIGHT 

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