Death by a Whisker: A Cat Rescue Mystery

T. C. LoTempio

Feb 2018 · Crooked Lane Books

About this ebook

Getting used to life back home in Deer Park, North Carolina, Sydney McCall and her right-hand tabby, Toby, are helping her sister Kat run the local animal shelter. Syd and Kat are all excited about the prospect of the shelter’s newest fundraiser: shopping channel queen Ulla Townsend. Shelter admin Maggie Shayne vehemently refuses to have anything to do with the woman, but the fundraiser ensues as planned. That is, until Ulla turns up dead in the middle of the event.

The cause of death is determined to be an allergic reaction, but Syd and Toby are sniffing out something fishy. When Syd met Ulla, it was clear she was distasteful and rude. And right before the event, Syd spotted some behind-the-scenes drama between Ulla and her manager. As they begin to investigate, they realize there is no shortage of suspects, and Maggie is at the top of the list.

Now Syd and Toby must claw their way to the truth before everything goes paws up at their animal shelter in Death by a Whisker by national bestselling author T. C. LoTempio.

Ratings and reviews

This delightful cozy is second in A Cat Rescue Mystery series, and it is even better than the first! Syd, Kat, and the ladies of the Friendly Paws Animal Shelter are putting together a pop-up cat cafe at Crowden’s Bookstore. To sweeten the event, a book signing is planned; the cat café and book signing will complement each other. I love the characters, including Syd’s cat, Toby (fka The Wanderer until he adopted Syd). The mystery is intriguing, humorous, and fast-paced. Ulla Townsend came from the less-affluent part of town, but has been a host on the Shopping Your Way show for the past fifteen years. Her autobiography has people lined up several hours before the event. The shopping network decided to film Ulla’s event, so the bookstore is crowded even before the doors open. Syd and her sister Kat, the manager of the shelter, have brought the cats they hope to adopt out in the event. Maggie, Kat’s right hand, usually willing to do whatever she can, refuses to help. Maggie knew Ulla in high school, and whatever happened between them, Maggie won’t reveal. Ulla is the queen of snark and is generally rude and nasty to everyone, and her book is full of the dirt she could reveal about co-workers and people she had known back in her high school days. One positive thing about Ulla is that she adores cats, and there is one that she is particularly attracted to. She is even filmed playing with her favorite. After a break from signing books, Ulla seems not quite well, and collapses. As EMT’s take her away, fans are snapping photos and uploading videos faster than you can say “adopt a cat”. At the end of the day, Ulla is dead, all cats have adoption applications in for except one, and Maggie has been seen in a video outside the bookstore – just before she left town and stopped answering her cell phone. Because of her strong dislike for Ulla, she is now a person of interest. Syd and Kat are my favorite ladies in this mystery. I envy their work at the shelter! That would be a dream job in many ways, especially as their fur babies are held until adopted. It may be frustrating, but ultimately rewarding, work! Especially among the people in Deer Park, most of whom are supportive of the cause. Ulla is so well defined that I can almost hear her, syrupy sweet in front of readers, and a bully around the rest. All the primary characters are well defined, as well as those who are suspects. First, I love this series! And second, where can I find some Toby’s favorite Melvin the Marvelous Mouse toys? There is no shortage of suspects in this novel, including those girls and guys who she tormented in school. Literally. The plot twists are well-placed and perfect, changing the mystery over and over. There were a couple people who I liked for the culprits, who should have spent a bit of time behind bars for general principle. I learned some new things, including … I can’t say what! While I had an idea about a part of the crime, I just couldn’t come up with the right person. Which is great, as the real killer had barely registered on my radar and been quickly eliminated. This is an A+ story that I highly recommend! Cat lovers, cozy mystery lovers, and even those who love bookstores will enjoy this. It can be read as a standalone or as part of the series, but either way, don’t miss it! From a grateful heart: I received a copy of this from the publisher and NetGalley, and here is my honest review.

About the author

While T. C. 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 ten—The Secret in the Old Attic. She (and her cat Rocco, albeit he’s uncredited) pen the Nick and Nora mystery series and make their home in Clifton, New Jersey. This is her second Cat Rescue mystery.