A PURR Before DYING: A Nick and Nora Mystery by T.C. LoTempio
About A Purr Before Dying
A PURR Before DYING: A Nick and Nora Mystery
Cozy Mystery 6th in Series
Setting - California
Beyond The Page (February 21, 2023)
Number of Pages 256
No one’s who they seem in the thrilling new Nick and Nora Mystery, and someone’s playing the part of a clever killer . . .
When a nighttime soap opera comes to town to film an episode, no one’s more excited than Nora Charles, who’s landed the contract for catering the shoot. But if she thought the show’s plotlines were full of drama and intrigue, that’s nothing compared to what she witnesses among the cast and crew, who are sneaking off for secret liaisons one minute and at each other’s throats the next. It’s all a titillating behind-the-scenes look for Nora—until she stumbles across the body of the show’s slain director.
It’s not long before the local authorities finger the brother of Nora’s good friend for the evil deed, and it’s up to Nora and her sidekick Nick to get him off the hook. As she begins to sort out the cast’s romantic entanglements and professional rivalries looking for a motive, she also discovers that the victim was involved in the mysterious death of the show’s previous director.
And then another member of the crew is found murdered, and Nora knows she’ll have to act fast to figure out who’s playing the part of the killer, before she’s cast in the role of the next victim . . .
My Review
The owner of the Hot Bread restaurant, Nora Charles, is excited when a nighttime soap opera plans to bring their show to her town to tape an episode. She is awarded a contract to cater the event. She never realized how much drama goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps even more than on screen. Most of the town is excited to meet all the actors, including her best friend Chantal and her sister Lacey.
Things take a tragic turn when the show’s director is murdered, and Chantal’s brother is arrested for the crime. They know he’s innocent, but the police aren’t looking any further for a killer since they are sure they already have him. So, it’s up to Nora, and her feline sleuth Nick, to find the real culprit.
I love this series. Yes, it has a feline detective so I’m probably biased but I can’t help it. Nick is a cutie and he helps solve crimes. He’s quite the clever cat. However, he doesn’t talk and gets his message across in other ways.
The storyline has many different angles. So many people could have been behind the murder. Each had their own gripes against the victim. I had my suspicions about halfway through the story. I was surprised I guessed right, but I had my doubts until the end and kept changing my mind. The author has a great knack at keeping the reader guessing.
Nora and Nick are two amateur sleuths that have been on my favorite list for a long time. It’s one of the few cozy mystery series I’m actually caught up on. Although this is book #6, the mystery is contained and solved in this book. I do recommend reading the series from the start to get to know the characters and their background. You do get some background info in this book, but it’s always more fun to watch the character growth for yourself.
I hope we get more adventures and mysteries with Nora and Nick. There's so much intrigue in each book with some hints at a potential romance. I know I’m in for hours of enjoyment when I see a new Nick and Nora book out.
The Purrfect Reading Challenge 2023
What An Animal Reading Challenge 2023
Cruisin’ thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2023
NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2023
Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge 2023
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.netBlog Website Facebook Twitter: @RoccoBlogger
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Great review, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting us! and thanks for that lovely review! TC, ROCCO, Nick and Nora
ReplyDeleteThat looks good. The kitty looks like my cat, Friday. :) XO
ReplyDeleteThis series is on my TBR. It looks so fun!
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