Purr M for Murder
by T.C. Lotempio
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GENRE: Cozy Mystery
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BLURB:
Sydney McCall left behind
an ex-fiancé and a New York advertising job to return home to Deer Park, North
Carolina and help her sister, Kat, run the local animal shelter, Friendly Paws.
Determined to save the shelter from financial trouble, Sydney and Kat organize
a cat café fundraising event at a local coffee shop. Things are looking up
until their landlord, Trowbridge Littleton, threatens to shut down the event.
When Sydney drops by his art gallery to make peace, she finds Kat--along with
Littleton's dead body.
Local homicide detective
Will Worthington--who just happens to be Sydney's old high school crush--is
highly suspicious of the sisters' involvement. Desperate to clear their names
from the suspect list, Sydney pounces on the investigation. With the help of
one of the shelter cats, a savvy orange tabby named Toby, Sydney begins poking
her nose into other local businesses whose owners may have benefited from
Littleton's death--until the killer notices she's pawing a little too closely
at the truth.
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My Review:
This book has all the things I love most in a cozy mystery: a small cozy town, an inexperienced detective, an animal with detective skills, an old love between the heroine and the man who manages the investigation.
Sydney and Kat are two sisters who love animals very much. Sydney has recently returned to Deer Park after losing her boyfriend and her job in New York and helps her sister in fundraising for her shelter. She has a very original idea to help the shelter and its guests: organize a special event in collaboration with one of their friend who owns a cafe where customers can have coffee with cats of the shelter that are available for adoption. But the owner of their shelter, Mr Littleton, a very stingy man and doesn't like animals, doesn't approve. When he is found dead Kat is the main suspect. Sydney with the help of her new cat Toby will have to investigate to save her sister.
I loved Toby, I too would like a cat like him, thanks to him the story was even more pleasant and enjoyable.
It was an easy and well written read, the plot is very intriguing and well-woven, there are many twists and it is difficult to find the culprit until the end.
Great debut for this new series, I look forward to the new episodes.
I recommend it to those who love cozy mystery and cats.
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EXCERPT:
We were in the
doorway now. A large desk was at the far
end of what appeared to be an office.
The light was coming from a small lamp perched on the edge of the desk,
and as we crossed the threshold, it flickered and then went out. Kat shone the pencil thin beam of the
flashlight around the room, letting out a sharp cry as it hit the wall nearest
us. “Lightswitch,” she squealed, and a
minute later the room was filled with a harsh fluorescent light.
I glanced
around. Yes, this was definitely an
office, and not a very tidy one at that.
There were several file cabinets pushed up against the far wall, and two
of the drawers in the one on the left were half open. Papers were strewn across
the desk, and some file folders had dropped onto the floor and were scattered
across the Oriental rug.
“Good Lord,” my
sister exclaimed. “For someone always so
fastidious about his appearance, he certainly likes to work in a mess.”
I frowned. “It looks more to me like it’s been
ransacked. Someone was searching for something. What do you think, Kat? Kat?”
My sister had
moved over to the far corner of the room and was standing before a large
wardrobe. “Wow, this is beautiful,” she
said, lifting a hand to run it over the smooth exterior. She balled her hand
into a fist and rapped it against the wood. “Solid oak. I saw a picture of one like this in a
catalog. French, dates back to the late
1800’s. I wonder what it’s doing in his
office?”
“Who knows? Maybe
he keeps his suit jackets in it,” I said.
“Why do you care, anyway?”
“It’s such a
beautiful piece,” my sister murmured. “Too good for that rotter. It seems out
of place in this office.”
“Maybe it just
came in and he’s got it here for pricing,” I ventured.
“Maybe. I wouldn’t mind having something like this,”
Kat said, running her hand once again across the smooth wood. “It looks deep enough – I wonder if the doors
swing out all the way? It would be great to put a TV in.”
I eyed the piece.
“That thing looks hand-carved. He probably wants an arm and a leg for it.”
“Probably.” She
gave the handle a tug. “Hm. The doors
seem to be stuck.”
I waved my hand impatiently. “Oh for goodness sakes, leave it alone. Must
you examine it now?”
Her lower lip
thrust forward. “Yes. Who knows, I might
not get another chance.”
I shot her a
sharp look. “You’re not thinking of
buying this, are you?”
She sighed
deeply. “I suppose not. Littleton will
probably want some astronomical figure for it.
But I might never get another opportunity to see such a finely made one
up close.” She shot me an appealing look.
“Give me a hand, won’t you? You’re strong. Maybe if we both pull on the
handle at the same time it’ll open.”
I knew my sister.
Once Kat made up her mind about something she was like a pitbull with a bone. I
knew when it was futile to argue with her. “Okay, fine. But if we get this
open, one quick look and then we’re out of here.”
She nodded and I
placed my hand on top of hers. “On the count of three, give it all you’ve got.
One, two—three.”
We both tugged at
the same time and suddenly the door flew open.
We went staggering backwards at the same time the body of Trowbridge
Littleton, his eyes bulging almost out of their sockets, tongue lolling to the
side, hit the floor at our feet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Where to find them:
ROCCO’s blog:
Website:
Amazon- Purr M
for Murder
Amazon: All Books
Page
facebook:
@RoccoBlogger
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE
The author will be awarding autographed copy of
<i>PURR M FOR MURDER</i> (hardcover - US ONLY) to a randomly drawn
winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Will Bashor
earned his M.A. degree in French literature
from Ohio University
and his Ph.D. in International Studies
from the American Graduate School in Paris
where he gathered letters, newspapers, and journals
during his research for the award-winning
