Reviews

A Purr Before Dying by T.C. LoTempio

dollycas's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious

5.0

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Nick and Nora are back again. Will they be able to use his Scrabble tiles to spell out a killer this time?

The cast and crew of the nighttime soap opera All the Days of Tomorrow have come to Cruz, California for two weeks to film an episode, and Nora’s sandwich shop Hot Bread has been awarded the catering contract. She soon finds out the soap opera playing out in real life was more interesting than the one being filmed. That was made clear when she trips over the dead body of the show’s director and she learns the previous director died not long ago in a freak “accident”.

While the police question everyone involved with the show they put Nora’s friend Chantel’s brother Remi at the top of their suspect list. Remi has nothing to do with the soap and has remained frustratingly silent about the whole thing. So Nora decides she and Nick will have to again get involved and try to find the real killer. Good thing she had all that training and now has her P.I. license.  But she barely gets her investigation started when another crew member is killed. She realizes she needs to work fast or she could be written out of the production permanently.

Will Nora catch a killer? Will Nick get his closeup? Will the soap survive? Will Nick and Nora survive?

I love old movies and I can remember first watching The Thin Man with my mom on our old black and white t.v. many, many years ago and several other times with the movies being available on DVD, Streaming, and I think my mom even had it on VHS. We also enjoyed the many sequels that followed.  So the characters of Nick and Nora Charles and their dog Asta are near and dear to my heart. That is why I love the way T.C. LoTempio has made these characters her own even turning the character of Nick into a clever cat with a flair for detective work and a unique talent. Although Nick’s former human was also named Nick and he hasn’t seen or heard from for quite a while. That adds just a little more mystery to this series. Every book in this series makes me love these characters more. They are well-developed and fun and surrounded by a great supporting cast.

The mystery has an overabundance of suspects including the whole cast and crew of the soap, Chantel’s brother Remi, and who knows who else could have wandered into Sweeney Park. Nora and Nick had their work cut out for them. The author plotted out everything so well. I kept changing my mind about who committed the crimes until a certain character drew my attention. Then I discarded them too thinking I just couldn’t be right. I was shocked as I kept reading only to see I had been on the right track after all. The reveal was excellent, Nora got into some scary but good trouble, and Nick, oh Nick. What a fabulous feline he is!

A Purr Before Dying was so entertaining. I hope this series continues for a long time as these characters are some of my favorites.

Just a note, this book can be read all on its own but I encourage you to read the whole series for maximum enjoyment.

Now I just need to decide which Thin Man movie to watch this weekend.

cgonya1's review against another edition

lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

4.0

I have read the other novels in T.C. LoTempio’s  Nick and Nora Mystery series, because I absolutely love both characters. However, I do have some concerns.

In this sixth installment, Nora Charles, owner of Hot Bread and newly licensed private investigator, has landed a contract to cater a movie shoot. While setting up the tables, she is witness to drama outside of the scripted kind. Later, Nick, her sleuthing partner tuxedo cat, and she find the show’s director dead.  
Remy, Chantal’s brother, becomes the prime suspect when he refuses to reveal his pat with the slain man. Nora and Nick must prove his innocence before anyone else loses their lives.

I have serious pet peeves with certain tropes in the mystery genre. For example, when the amateur detective is better at deductions and the police are nasty and non-cooperative. Now there is female Detective Dale Anderson, who is shutting the door in Nora’s face. How many times does the woman need to be told that Nora is a licensed P.I. before she stops telling her that she isn’t a professional? 

Outside of this concern, everything else was great. The characters are all very well written with distinct personalities. The mystery has more than enough suspects, motives, and red herrings. I wasn’t sure of the killer until the close to the end.

Nick is still one of my favorite pet sleuths. I love the Scrabble tiles, and how he uses them. It actually is possible for cats to learn these things, so I don’t find it far-fetched or impossible. My own cat knows how to open doors. 

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.