Death Steals the Spotlight (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries)
by T. C. LoTempio
About Death Steals the Spotlight
Death Steals the Spotlight (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Beyond the Page Publishing (June 27, 2023)
Paperback : 202 pages
ISBN-10 : 1960511173
ISBN-13 : 978-1960511171
Digital ASIN : B0C62G13J9
It’s exit stage left, permanently, for a big-time director who lands the starring role in an unscripted death scene . . .
Desperate to find a director for their annual production, the Fox Hollow Players have a stroke of luck when Shell McMillan’s actress mother lands a prominent theater director for the job. He’s more gruff and demanding than the small-town cast and crew are used to, but his soft side for animals quickly endears him to pet shop owner Shell. Persuading her to let him use a shed on her property where he can work in peace, Shell is horrified when she finds his dead body there. And with obvious signs of foul play, she can’t help but investigate the murder.
As she digs into the man’s past, it becomes apparent that at one point or another, he was romantically entangled with just about every woman involved in the play. And just when Shell discovers he may have been blackmailing one of them, other clues surface that suggest a more sinister motive. With her hands already full with a beautiful stray cat she found and christened Princess Fuzzypants, Shell will have to fill two roles, caring for the Maine coon and trying to track down the killer before it’s her turn for a fatal curtain call . . .
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The Fox Hollow Players are getting ready for their annual production and they are in dire need of a director. Shelle’s actress mother, Clarissa McMillian thinks she has found the perfect man for the job in Raymond Terrill but he may be too big for a small-town production. He is drawn to a Maine Coon cat that was found behind Shelle’s pet shop though. Their interactions spur Shelle to offer her backyard shed as a place where he can spread out all his papers and work without being interrupted. That works out fine until the stray, now named Princess Fuzzypants, alerts Shelle to come to the shed where she finds the man’s dead body.
He was a demanding director but who would want to kill Raymond Terrill? With the murder happening in her backyard Shelle feels emboldened to direct an investigation of her own. Can she cat-ch the killer? or will the killer cat-ch her?
Reuniting with these characters just makes me happy. Shelle is a fabulous protagonist. She is smart and funny and she really enjoys owning the Urban Tails Pet Shop that was left to her by her aunt. Her mother still thinks Shelle needs to pick up her acting career and get back to California but in this book Clarissa has much more to worry about. I love the friendly relationship between Gary and Shelle. He has her back and she has his. Shelle’s heart belongs to homicide detective Josh Bloodgood but the current murder case has a personal connection to him so his hands are pretty much tied. I also enjoy Shelle’s feline companions and the new cat, Princess Fuzzypants.
The mystery was complicated as Raymond Terrill had a past with several characters and as each clue/secret was revealed it shined a new light on different one of them. The police make an arrest but Shelle doesn’t believe it especially when Josh asks for her help. The author throws in some nice twists and a crucial clue that gives Shelle an “a-ha moment”. That clue sets up an exciting showdown that puts Shelle in danger. Thank goodness that girl can think on her feet. I really enjoyed the way Purrday and Princess Fuzzypants were involved in the story. Kalua seems to have no interest in the trouble Shelle gets into but she’s a pretty cool kitty.
While the murder mystery is solved the final page sets up another mystery when Shelle receives a package.
Death Steals the Spotlight
Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent
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.” Number three in this series debuted June 27, DEATH STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT
You can cat-ch up with them using the links below
Blog Website Facebook Twitter: @RoccoBlogger
Purchase Links –
Amazon – B&N
Also by T.C. Lotempio
TOUR PARTICIPANTS – Please visit all the stops.
July 5 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 5 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 6 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
July 7 – Angel’s Guilty Pleasures – SPOTLIGHT
July 7 – Jane Reads – AUTHOR GUEST POST
July 8 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
July 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
July 10 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
July 10 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
July 11 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 11 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 12 – Read Your Writes – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 13 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 13 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
July 14 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
July 14 – RUFF DRAFTS – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
This sounds like such a good book. Definitely going on the list to read.
thank you Carol K. We try 🙂
Sounds like a great read.
This sounds like a fun read, Lori. Have a wonderful day ☕📚💜😊
Thanks for arranging our blog tour, and for the lovely review! TC and company
I enjoy cozy mysteries–they are so easy to read!