Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for A Blue Ribbon Murder (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries) by T. C. LoTempio. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
A Blue Ribbon Murder (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries) by T. C. LoTempio
A Blue Ribbon Murder (Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
6th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher : Beyond the Page
Publication date : March 31, 2026
Print length : 260 pages
Paperback
When the organizer of a major cat competition is murdered and the grand prize is stolen, Shell McMillan will have to claw through the clues to catch a killer . . .
The Kitty Club Cat Show has come to Fox Hollow, and everyone from casual cat lovers to competitive breeders has shown up for the contest. Pet shop owner Shell McMillan has two cats entered, and like everyone else she has her eye on the grand prize, a vibrant red leash with a solid gold cat-head figurine attached. As the judging begins, cat owners clash and the fur flies, until a power outage throws the whole arena into darkness. But when the lights come back up, the event’s organizer is found dead and the grand prize is missing.
Shell knows the obvious suspect is the victim’s stepson, who’s up to his neck in gambling debts and would kill to get his hands on his inheritance. But there are plenty of disgruntled competitors to consider too, including some who had an old score to settle with the victim. Every clue is catnip for Shell, especially as she puzzles out whether the thief and the murderer are the same person. Either way, with two crimes to solve and a killer on the loose, she’ll have to tread carefully so that her dreams of Best in Show don’t end with Rest in Peace . . .
A Blue Ribbon Murder Excerpt
Gary and I looked at each other. “Seems to me Clements truly regrets designing that prize,” I said. I tapped a finger against my cheek. “He seemed a bit resentful, didn’t he, at having to share the spotlight with that twenty-five grand.”
“That he did,” said Gary. “Isobel probably promised his artwork would be the only prize, and then had to renege. Can’t blame her though. It would be hard to turn down a donation like that, especially if it were specifically donated to be used for the grand prize.”
I tapped at my chin. “Isobel mentioned something about an incident at Manchester. I wonder what that was about.”
“I have no idea, but we can look into it later. Right now we have an appointment to keep,” said Gary as he pushed open the office door.
We stepped inside and stopped still as we realized the office was deserted. “Isobel—Ms. Lanford,” I called out. I shot Gary a puzzled look. “Where did she go? She was here, we both heard her.”
A door off to the side opened and Mavis hurried in. She started upon seeing Gary and me standing there. “Ms. McMillan—and Gary Presser!” Her eyes lit up as they rested on Gary. “What are you doing here?”
“Ms. Lanford invited us to come here to meet Brenda Barton,” I said. “She mentioned that you were picking her up at the airport.”
“I was supposed to,” said Mavis. “But when I was halfway there, I got a call that Ms. Barton’s flight was delayed indefinitely. Engine trouble. I texted Ms. Lanford and then came straight back here.”
I frowned. “Odd that Ms. Lanford didn’t call us and tell us not to come,” I said.
Mavis shrugged. “She’s been dashing around here like a whirligig. She probably hasn’t even seen my text yet,” she said. She glanced around the office. “As a matter of fact, I’m sure that was her I saw hightailing it down the back hallway just a few minutes ago. She looked like she was in quite a hurry. No doubt another fire to put out.”
Mavis turned away from us and walked over to the desk. She bent to rummage through one of the drawers, and I took that opportunity to catch Gary’s eye and motion toward the door.
“Well,” I said, “please tell Ms. Lanford we did come here and to please get in touch with us if Ms. Barton does make it to the show.”
Mavis shifted through a pile of papers. “I’ll pass your message along,” she replied without looking up.
“Thank you,” I said and then Gary and I made our exit. Once we were outside the office door, I frowned. “That was weird,” I said.
“To say the least,” agreed Gary. “If we hadn’t stopped to speak with Clements, we’d surely have seen her. She certainly disappeared fast, though.”
“Well, she has been running around a lot,” I said. “Not to mention the difficulties with her son.”
A group of women came over to us, and one of the women pointed at Gary. “You have that beautiful cat in the household pet trials,” she said. “Princess Something, right?”
“Princess Fuzzypants, yes,” said Gary.
“She’s simply beautiful,” another woman gushed. “We all hope she wins, even though we heard some of the other owners grumbling about her.” She wagged a finger playfully at Gary. “You and your cat have caused quite a stir, young man.”
We spent a few minutes with the women, which consisted mainly of Gary extolling the princess’s many virtues. When they finally moved off he grinned at me. “Too bad the winner can’t be decided with an audience vote. The princess would surely win.”
“I think she’s got a good shot at it anyway,” I said. We turned the corner and I stopped. “Well, look where we are. I didn’t realize it was this close to the office.”
We were in front of the small room off to the side of the main arena where the grand prize was secreted. Suddenly I grabbed Gary’s arm. “Look over there,” I said. “I think the door is open.”
Gary squinted in that direction. “I think you’re right. That probably means they’re getting ready to bring the prize out to the main arena.” He glanced at his watch. “That’s probably right. The festivities begin promptly at five, right? And it’s four fifteen.”
I glanced around. “Yes, but if that were the case there would be workmen around, don’t you think? At the very least, Isobel should be here to supervise.”
“Maybe she’s delayed on account of that ‘fire to put out.’” He put air quotes around the words. “But you’re right. It is odd.” He touched my arm. “Come on. I think we should check it out.”
I didn’t have to be asked twice. We walked over to the door. It was open a sliver, and I gave it a tentative push. It swung open, and we stepped inside. I heard a faint click as the door swung shut, and then we both stopped to regard the tableaux before us.
The table looked the same as it had when we’d seen it earlier, only now the yellow covering had been removed. On top of a wooden tower sat a bust on which was displayed a silver filigree collar. Dangling from the collar was a good-sized charm in the shape of a cat’s paw. The paw had tiny twinkling diamonds in each of the toes, and the center of the paw was comprised of a large sparkling blue stone—a sapphire.
But the collar and charm wasn’t what held my attention. It was Isobel Lanford, lying in a crumpled heap just below the table, her eyes bulging, her hand reaching out in supplication, a red leash dangling from her twisted neck. In the overhead light I thought I saw something twinkle on the side of Isobel’s neck. Curious, I started to move in for a closer look.
And that’s when all the lights went 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 Pet Shop Series and the Tiffany Austin Food Blogger series and brand new Cozy Bookshop Mysteries!
You can cat-ch up with them at ROCCO’s blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com or her website, www.tclotempio.net
Social Media Links
Webpage Blog Facebook X
Purchase Links
Amazon B&N Kobo
Enter the Giveaway
A Blue Ribbon Murder TOUR PARTICIPANTS
April 6 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
April 6 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 7 – Sarandipity’s– CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 7 – Christy’s Cozy Corners– SPOTLIGHT
April 8 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
April 9 – Baroness Book Trove – REVIEW
April 9 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 10 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
April 11 – Reading Is My SuperPower – AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 11 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
April 12 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 13 – Angel’s Book Nook– SPOTLIGHT
April 14 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 15 – Sneaky the Library Cat’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 15 – Because I said so – adventures in parenting – REVIEW
April 16 – Salty Inspirations – CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 17 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 18 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
April 19 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?
Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Want to Book a Tour?
Click Here