Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Cats, Carats and Killers (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries) by T. C. LoTempio. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Cats, Carats and Killers (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries)
by T. C. LoTempio
Cats, Carats and Killers (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher : Beyond the Page Publishing (March 19, 2024)
Paperback : 182 pages
There may be honor among thieves, but a long-ago diamond heist might hold the secret to a man’s murder . . .
Pet shop owner Shell McMillan is thrilled to see everyone in Fox Hollow flocking to the local animal shelter’s fundraiser, where they can get their old keepsakes and collectibles appraised and maybe even sell them for a tidy sum. But the event has drawn some shady characters as well, including Pete Martin, who seems determined to get his hands on a beat-up old jewelry box at any cost. Then Martin is found murdered, and Shell has to go from fundraising to finding a killer.
It doesn’t take long for Shell to figure out that the jewelry box was concealing diamonds from a long-ago heist, and that Martin wasn’t the only one trying to get his hands on the stash. But to figure out who wanted him dead, she’ll have to uncover who was behind the original heist and who knows where the rest of the gems are hidden. It’s as dangerous a case as Shell has ever faced, and if she’s not careful, her search for the missing stones will leave her stone-cold dead . . .
Excerpt from Cats, Carats and Killers
I disconnected and looked at my cats. “Sorry, gang, but company’s going home. Say goodbye to Cleopawtra.”
Kahlua sniffed, minced over to her fleece bed in the far corner of the kitchen, curled into a tight ball and closed her eyes. The Princess let out a sharp meow and Purrday sat up on his haunches and pawed at the air.
I chuckled. “I take it you two want to go along?”
The cats looked at each other, then gave loud yowls of assent.
I sighed. “Fine—but you’ve got to behave yourselves.”
If ever a cat could look angelic, it was those two.
I put all the cats in the backseat and started off toward Main Street. The Gordons lived across town, about a half mile from where Good Eats was located. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me that all I’d had to eat today had been that pumpkin muffin. As I approached Main, I could see a ton of red taillights, a sure sign of Saturday night traffic. Abruptly I made a right hand turn.
“Guess what,” I said to the cats. “We’re going to take the shortcut to Cleo’s house through Grimley woods. Otherwise, we’ll never make it there in twenty minutes, and Inez will probably call the cops.”
Grimley Woods was named for the man who’d owned that particular stretch of land and then donated it to the county to use as a park when he passed. I turned my car down the back road that cut through the park. I was glad of the company, even if it were the four-footed variety. There’s always been something about woods at night that has spooked me, ever since I was a kid and saw the part in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs where she’s trapped in the woods overnight with the talking trees. I’d had nightmares about giant elms chastising me for weeks afterward.
I drove slowly along the winding path and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye I saw Purrday leap into the passenger seat. His shoulders hunched forward and his head raised slightly, ears flat against his skull.
“Purrday?” I said, my tone sharp. “What’s the matter?”
He pressed his nose against the passenger window and let out a soft whimper. I pulled over to the side of the road and leaned across the passenger seat so I could look in the same direction as my cat. A few seconds later, I saw a figure emerge from the woods. At this distance I couldn’t see very clearly, but I could tell from the build it was a man. As he moved farther out of the circle of trees and into the clearing, I frowned. There was something familiar about the man, about the way he carried himself – slightly stooped, the same way Gus Morton walked. But this man couldn’t be Gus. He was supposed to be working at the Last Call until well after midnight.
The man moved rapidly now, almost as if he were frightened of something, or someone. He paused every few feet to glance over his shoulder, as if he were afraid someone were following him. Midway across the clearing he stumbled over a rock and almost went down, but he righted himself quickly. A few minutes later he’d turned onto one of the hiking trails and vanished from view.
I reached up to swipe at my forehead. “Goodness. I wonder what that was all about?”
I heard a soft meow, and then a whirr. I looked back at the passenger seat and bit back a cry of dismay. My enterprising cat had put his paw on the automatic window button and the window was now all the way down. I saw Purrday’s rear end wiggle and I knew what that meant.
“Don’t you dare?” I cried. My hand shot out but I wasn’t fast enough. Purrday sprang forward and sailed gracefully out the window, landed with all four feet on the ground and then took off like a shot toward the woods.
“Oh, great,” I muttered. “Just great.” I pulled over and slammed the car into park. The Princess was dancing around in the rear seat, her nose pressed up against the window, looking in the direction Purrday had taken off in. “Merow?” she said.
I sighed. “Okay. You can come with me to find him.”
After making sure Cleo was secure I locked the car and then Princess Fuzzypants and I hurried off in the direction that Purrday had taken. Finally I saw a white blur. He was over by the rock Gus had stumbled over, and he was pawing at the dirt. I hurried quickly over to him. The cat looked up as I approached, and I could see he had something clenched between his paws. I knelt down and saw the object was a button. I reached down and gently disengaged his prize, held it up. The button was made of thin, cheap plastic and had the design of a sailing ship carved into it. It didn’t look much the worse for wear, so I reasoned it couldn’t have been lying outside very long. I thought about the man I’d seen. Could this button have come from his jacket when he stumbled?
I tensed, suddenly, assailed by the feeling that I wasn’t alone here in the woods. I glanced swiftly to my right. A dark shape moved slightly, and then seemed to blend back into the shadows. I blinked rapidly, not sure if it had been my imagination, or if I’d really seen someone. “Come on kids,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Let’s get out of here.”
Purrday suddenly let out a soft grr, then sat up straight, ears flicked forward, lips peeled back. His backside wiggled like a bowl of jelly; the next minute he launched himself forward and took off into the woods like a streak of greased lightning. I shoved the button into my pocket and took off at a swift cantor after him, Princess Fuzzypants at my heels. I hurried down the beaten trail, craning my neck to and fro until I finally caught sight of him. He was perched on a large rock, sitting ramrod straight, ears flattened against his skull, his tail swishing to and fro like a banner waving in the wind. His gaze was fixed on something just beyond the rock, and as I drew closer I saw what had captured his attention.
The edge of a man’s shoe.
Steeling myself, I peered cautiously around the side of the rock. Yep, it was a shoe all right, and what’s more it was attached to a body, and one I’d seen very recently.
It was Pete Martin’s body, and he wasn’t moving.
About T.C. LoTempio
T. C. LoTempio is the award-winning, national bestselling author of the Nick and Nora mystery series. Her cat, Rocco, provides the inspiration for the character of Nick the cat. She also writes the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery Series, as well as the Cat Rescue series and the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger series. Check out her and Rocco’s blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com, and visit her website, www.tclotempio.net, for more information.
Social Media Links
Webpage: http://www.tclotempio.net
Blog: http://www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toni.lotempio.5
Twitter/X: @RoccoBlogger
GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1195684.T_C_LoTempio
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Kobo
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Cats, Carats and Killers TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 19 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
March 20 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
March 21 – Bigreadersite – REVIEW
March 21 – Read Your Writes – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 22 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 22 – Angel’s Book Nook– SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
March 23 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
March 23 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
March 24 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 25 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST
March 26 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 27 – Socrates Book Reviews – REVIEW
March 28 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – SPOTLIGHT
March 29 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
March 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
March 31 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
April 1 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 1 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
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I liked the excerpt, thank you.
Thanks for posting! I love the cover on this book
I love the book title. So clever and makes me want to pick up the book.