Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A PURR Before DYING: A Nick and Nora Mystery by T.C. LoTempio. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A PURR Before DYING: A Nick and Nora Mystery
by T.C. LoTempio
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
Have you ever been hooked on a soap opera? During college I got hooked on Days of Our Lives, Another World, and Santa Barbara. Then I got hooked on Knots Landing for a while. A couple of “my stories” got cancelled, and then my kids got old enough to understand what was going on on Days, so I quit watching. Then the soaps got ridiculous, so I would have quit watching anyway! Drama, drama, drama. It’s what gets you hooked on them! Many residents in Nora Charles’s town, Cruz, are hooked on the nighttime soap opera that comes to Cruz to shoot some scenes. Not Nora! But her sister and friends are, and they’re thrilled that Nora is catering for the cast and crew.
So, we know that soaps are full of drama, and so is this one! Unfortunately, the drama behind the scenes is worse than those in front of the camera! There are a whole bunch of whiny, self-absorbed actors, directors, etc. It’s surprising that they haven’t killed each other…well, then someone does. And, of course, Nora’s cat Nick sniffs out the body, and Nora is once again in the middle of a murder mystery.
I really enjoyed A PURR before DYING . It’s the sixth book in the series, and I’ve read most of them. I’m very attached to the wonderful characters in the series. They’ve got well-developed personalities, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them…especially for Nora in the romance department. Though it’s not necessary for you to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this since the mysteries are resolved in each book, you will enjoy the characters more if you do read them in order.
If you love cozy mystery books with cats, great characters, yummy food descriptions, and twisty mysteries, you will love A PURR Before DYING!
Character guest post
Hello there!
My name is Chantal Gillard. I’m best known to readers of the Nick and Nora mysteries as her BFF! I co-own a flower shop, Poppies, with my brother, Remy Gillard. On the side I make costume jewelry (Pet collars too – just ask Nora’s cat Nick!) and give the occasional tarot reading! (I’m a bit psychic).
It’s too bad my psychic abilities were off in Nick and Nora’s latest adventure, chronicled in A PURR BEFORE DYING. Nora landed a catering job for a soap opera shooting in our hometown of Cruz- unfortunately, things hit a bit of a snag when she discovered the director’s dead body. Said director and my brother Remy had a past, which helped to make him the number one suspect! Had I done a tarot reading for my brother, perhaps all this could have been avoided – although Remy rarely listens to me LOL.
As Nora can attest, my tarot card readings are usually surprisingly accurate! For those who are not familiar, the Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, each with its own imagery, symbolism and story.
There are 22 Major Arcana cards that represent life’s karmic and spiritual lessons. They represent a path to spiritual self-awareness and depict the various stages we encounter as we search for greater meaning and understanding.
The 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect our daily trials and tribulations . They highlight the more practical aspects of life and often refer to temporary or minor circumstances we experience.
Within the Minor Arcana cards, there are 16 Tarot Court Cards each representing 16 different personality characteristics we may choose to express at any given time. There are also the 40 numbered cards split into 4 Suits – Cups, Pentacles, Swords and Wands – each with 10 cards, representing various situations that we encounter day-to-day.
Sounds confusing, right? But once one learns to read them, they can be a helpful guide! I only wish I’d broken my deck out sooner—do Nick and Nora save the day? You’ll have to read A PURR BEFORE DYING to find out.
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: @RoccoBlogger
Purchase Link
Amazon – B&N – Apple – Google Play – Kobo – Smashwords
Enter the Giveaway
A Purr Before Dying TOUR PARTICIPANTS
February 27 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
February 28 – I’m Into Books – AUTHOR GUEST POST
February 28 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
March 1 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 2 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 3 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 4 – Lisa Ks Book Review – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 4 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 5 – Cozy Up With Kathy – CHARACTER GUEST POST
March 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
March 6 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 7 – Jane Reads – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 7 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 8 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
March 9 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
March 10 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 11 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 12 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
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Many readers will find A PURR Before DYING: A Nick and Nora Mystery a purr-fectly great mystery!
thanks Nancy! TC, ROCCO, Nick and Nora
Thanks Christy for hosting us! TC ROCCO, Nick and Nora!
You’re welcome! I’m ready for the next adventure!
Sounds like a great read.
Thanks for sharing!
I love the cover! The design and colors are amazing.
Thanks so much or the chance to win this!
This is a new author to me, thanks for sharing.