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holly_keimig's review
4.0
Syd and Kat try to host another fundraiser for their animal shelter to raise money. The local bookstore agrees to host a cat cafe and author signing. When the book author is detained, a former local celebrity steps in but things go awry. Syd has to pry into the past with the help of her cat Toby to figure out why murder keeps getting a bit too close for comfort. I enjoyed the second book in this series, although not quite as much as the first book. Some of the murder investigation felt a bit too similar but overall the story was good. I will definitely keep an eye out for Book 3.
katreader's review
4.0
DEATH BY A WHISKER by T.C. LoTempio
The Second Cat Rescue Mystery
The Friendly Paws Animal Shelter is gearing up for a big media event, when the author planning to attend is hurt in an accident. A replacement is quickly found, another Deer Park native and current shopping host megastar and new author, Ulla Townsend. While Sydney McCall and her sister Kat are pleased to have a replacement, especially one who will also donate a portion of the book sales to the shelter, Maggie is aghast and vows to be nowhere near the event. Ulla and her entourage ooze scandal, vindictiveness, and a proclivity for backstabbing so when Ulla dies at the event there are plenty of suspects...including Maggie. Syd is bound and determined to prove Maggie's innocence and help her detective boyfriend solve the case. But is she risking her future by looking into Ulla's past?
One of my favorite aspects of this book is that the setting centers around an animal shelter. I appreciate the dedication and hard work necessary to provide a haven and a chance at a new life for animals in need and am glad that this series shines a light on it, even though it doesn't really touch on the sadness and harsh realities also found there. The cats here are real characters with personalities and ties to the action and plot. They're also plain lovable. I want to hang out with Toby and give him another Melvin the Magnificent Mouse. I am also sorely tempted to adopt Annie Reilly myself, even if she is fictional!
DEATH BY A WHISKER is a cautionary tale dealing with bullying and how the past impacts both the present and future. Can we fully escape our past? How do we move on...or do we? Crisp writing and a fast paced storyline kept me quickly turning the pages easily following the multiple suspects and many motives. This second Cat Rescue Mystery was a fun read and I look forward to hearing more from Syd and the residents of Deer Park, North Carolina. Meanwhile my cats want to know where they can get their own Melvin toys!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
The Second Cat Rescue Mystery
The Friendly Paws Animal Shelter is gearing up for a big media event, when the author planning to attend is hurt in an accident. A replacement is quickly found, another Deer Park native and current shopping host megastar and new author, Ulla Townsend. While Sydney McCall and her sister Kat are pleased to have a replacement, especially one who will also donate a portion of the book sales to the shelter, Maggie is aghast and vows to be nowhere near the event. Ulla and her entourage ooze scandal, vindictiveness, and a proclivity for backstabbing so when Ulla dies at the event there are plenty of suspects...including Maggie. Syd is bound and determined to prove Maggie's innocence and help her detective boyfriend solve the case. But is she risking her future by looking into Ulla's past?
One of my favorite aspects of this book is that the setting centers around an animal shelter. I appreciate the dedication and hard work necessary to provide a haven and a chance at a new life for animals in need and am glad that this series shines a light on it, even though it doesn't really touch on the sadness and harsh realities also found there. The cats here are real characters with personalities and ties to the action and plot. They're also plain lovable. I want to hang out with Toby and give him another Melvin the Magnificent Mouse. I am also sorely tempted to adopt Annie Reilly myself, even if she is fictional!
DEATH BY A WHISKER is a cautionary tale dealing with bullying and how the past impacts both the present and future. Can we fully escape our past? How do we move on...or do we? Crisp writing and a fast paced storyline kept me quickly turning the pages easily following the multiple suspects and many motives. This second Cat Rescue Mystery was a fun read and I look forward to hearing more from Syd and the residents of Deer Park, North Carolina. Meanwhile my cats want to know where they can get their own Melvin toys!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a digital ARC provided through NetGalley, in the hopes I would review it.
peggyemi's review
4.0
Who knew that being the public relationship director for a cat rescue could be so dangerous. Sydney McCall can't seen to stay away from involving herself in solving murders despite the request of her police officer boyfriend, Will. I am enjoying this series and hope there are more to come. Sydney McCall is feisty, loyal, independent and a likable main character. I enjoy her relationship with both her sister and roommate Leila. In fact, all of the secondary characters add to the charm of this series, including the feline characters. I think Toby is making the perfect feline sleuthing companion to Syd. I like how she has conversations with him and it is almost as if he really understands and responds. The mystery was well done. An unlikable character returns home to do a book signing and make amends but ends of dead. There are plenty of suspect with old grudges. I did figure out the identity of the killer, but not until well into the book. It was fun watching Sydney put the clues together and figure it out.
I really enjoy the series and hope there are future installments.
I really enjoy the series and hope there are future installments.
mpr2000's review
4.0
Sydney McCall and her sister Katherine are organising an event to allow people adopt some of the kitties they have at the Friendly Paws animal shelter that they own. But everything goes south when the diva that has to promote the event dies during the event, and it seems that someone has killed her! Of course Syd loves to investigate, and she has some personal reasons to discover the truth, one of her best friends could have had a motive!
This had been a cute case, full of fluffy cats and handsome detectives, we should have more of both in our lives, maybe they would be more interesting! ;)
Of course the case is interesting too, but it was easy to discover how the presume murder was done, the part that was more absorbing was discovering all the subplots around the diva and her need do be always the centre, I am sure this case will get you an interesting inside of the tv backdoor. And let me say that Syd has a little kitty help with the case!
This book has been a quick read, easy to be inside the plot and love the main characters since the beginning, but I am quite worried of the poor cats of the shelter, if there were more killing near them they will need to make therapy, for sure.
I was a little bit down with the part of Syd's life, she has a lot of good friends, but her "boyfriend" and detective seems more like an invisible friend than someone real. I hope we will see more of them together in the next book, Syd needs someone to trust and confide in her life, don't you think?
This is the second book of the "A Cat Rescue Mystery series, but you can read it as standalone.
Ready for a furry case?
This had been a cute case, full of fluffy cats and handsome detectives, we should have more of both in our lives, maybe they would be more interesting! ;)
Of course the case is interesting too, but it was easy to discover how the presume murder was done, the part that was more absorbing was discovering all the subplots around the diva and her need do be always the centre, I am sure this case will get you an interesting inside of the tv backdoor. And let me say that Syd has a little kitty help with the case!
This book has been a quick read, easy to be inside the plot and love the main characters since the beginning, but I am quite worried of the poor cats of the shelter, if there were more killing near them they will need to make therapy, for sure.
I was a little bit down with the part of Syd's life, she has a lot of good friends, but her "boyfriend" and detective seems more like an invisible friend than someone real. I hope we will see more of them together in the next book, Syd needs someone to trust and confide in her life, don't you think?
This is the second book of the "A Cat Rescue Mystery series, but you can read it as standalone.
Ready for a furry case?
slferg's review
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Sydney McCall is helping her sister Kat run a cat rescue, although they do take other animals. Her boyfriend, Will, is a detective in the police department. A woman is returning to their town to do a book signing to benefit the rescue. She’s a very popular TV Channel shopper. But Ulla has made a lot of enemies in the town where she grew up as well as among the people who work with her. And someone has figured out a way to get even. Syd’s friend Maggie is under suspicion and Syd feels she must clear Maggie’s name - and gets too close to the killer.
karen_the_baroness's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book for free from the Great Escapes Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Death By a Whisker by T.C. LoTempio was a pretty different book in terms of a cozy. We have everything that makes a cozy a cozy in this book, but the murder was weird. It took me for a spin, and I do have to say that I was enthralled and wanted to know who killed her.
Our sleuth is Sydney McCall, more commonly known as Syd. She works with her sister, Kat, at a shelter called Friendly Paws. Syd owns an orange cat tabby named Toby, and he is a tomcat that now loves being indoors. She is there at the shelter for publicity and to help out when she’s not solving cases that she shouldn’t be solving. Like this newest one.
What I like about Sydney is that she knows that she shouldn’t be doing any sleuthing or getting involved in a case. However, she wants to help her boyfriend to succeed in the workforce. Another thing that I like about her is that she loves animals and will do anything to help them get a home. What I dislike about her is that she isn’t good at lying on the spot and yet she is getting in situations where she has to lie. Another dislike is that she sometimes does things without thinking about the consequences.
Will Worthington is Sydney’s old high school crush/boyfriend and one of the detectives on the case. We don’t see much of him or the other detective as much as we do in some of the other cozies. What I like about Will is that he is by the book, but he lets Sydney assist with this one because he knows she will be a great help. Another thing that I like about Will is that he has saved Syd's butt countless times in the book. What I don’t like about him is that he should know not to tell Sydney to stay away from something.
The crime in this one was pretty ingenious. The murder victim was a bully back in high school named Ulla Townsend, and she came back to make amends so that she could get to be the spokesperson for a makeup company named Glow. She died at her event with the Friendly Paws Animal Shelter, and she died from an allergic reaction. The fun thing was trying to figure out how this happened, what her allergy was, and who did it. I figured out how it happened before the sleuth and yeah. Can’t tell you what it was or who did it but I do have to say that it was pretty surprising.
Death By a Whisker by T.C. LoTempio is a pretty entertaining cozy mystery series. The sleuth was okay, the love interest wasn’t really in there that much, and the crime was good. I am giving this book a four-star rating as it is good. I recommend this book to those who love cozy mysteries.
February 12 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – SPOTLIGHT
February 12 – Carla Loves To Read - REVIEW
February 13 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
February 13 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
February 14 – The Book Diva's Reads – SPOTLIGHT
February 14 – Laura`s Interests – REVIEW*
February 15 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW*
February 15 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
February 16 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
February 17 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 17 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
February 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW*
February 18 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
February 19 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
February 19 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 20 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW*
February 21 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Prize: (1) Paperback Copy - Death by a Whisker plus $15 Amazon Gift Card
Revenge is best served shiny.
Death By a Whisker by T.C. LoTempio was a pretty different book in terms of a cozy. We have everything that makes a cozy a cozy in this book, but the murder was weird. It took me for a spin, and I do have to say that I was enthralled and wanted to know who killed her.
Sydney McCall
Our sleuth is Sydney McCall, more commonly known as Syd. She works with her sister, Kat, at a shelter called Friendly Paws. Syd owns an orange cat tabby named Toby, and he is a tomcat that now loves being indoors. She is there at the shelter for publicity and to help out when she’s not solving cases that she shouldn’t be solving. Like this newest one.
What I like about Sydney is that she knows that she shouldn’t be doing any sleuthing or getting involved in a case. However, she wants to help her boyfriend to succeed in the workforce. Another thing that I like about her is that she loves animals and will do anything to help them get a home. What I dislike about her is that she isn’t good at lying on the spot and yet she is getting in situations where she has to lie. Another dislike is that she sometimes does things without thinking about the consequences.
Will Worthington
Will Worthington is Sydney’s old high school crush/boyfriend and one of the detectives on the case. We don’t see much of him or the other detective as much as we do in some of the other cozies. What I like about Will is that he is by the book, but he lets Sydney assist with this one because he knows she will be a great help. Another thing that I like about Will is that he has saved Syd's butt countless times in the book. What I don’t like about him is that he should know not to tell Sydney to stay away from something.
The Crime
The crime in this one was pretty ingenious. The murder victim was a bully back in high school named Ulla Townsend, and she came back to make amends so that she could get to be the spokesperson for a makeup company named Glow. She died at her event with the Friendly Paws Animal Shelter, and she died from an allergic reaction. The fun thing was trying to figure out how this happened, what her allergy was, and who did it. I figured out how it happened before the sleuth and yeah. Can’t tell you what it was or who did it but I do have to say that it was pretty surprising.
Four Stars
Death By a Whisker by T.C. LoTempio is a pretty entertaining cozy mystery series. The sleuth was okay, the love interest wasn’t really in there that much, and the crime was good. I am giving this book a four-star rating as it is good. I recommend this book to those who love cozy mysteries.
Other Books in the Series
Purr M for Murder
By T.C. LoTempio
Series: A Cat Rescue Mystery#1
Published by Crooked Lane Books on March 14th, 2017
Genres: Mystery, Cozy, Women Sleuths
Pages: 295
Format: Hardcover, ebook & Paperback
Buy on Amazon
Sydney McCall left behind an ex-fiance; and a New York advertising job to return home to Deer Park, North Carolina and help her sister, Kat, run the local animal shelter, Friendly Paws. Determined to save the shelter from financial trouble, Sydney and Kat organize a cat cafe; fundraising event at a local coffee shop. Things are looking up until their landlord, Trowbridge Littleton, threatens to shut down the event. When Sydney drops by his art gallery to make peace, she finds Kat--along with Littleton’s dead body.
Local homicide detective Will Worthington--who just happens to be Sydney’s old high school crush--is highly suspicious of the sisters’ involvement. Desperate to clear their names from the suspect list, Sydney pounces on the investigation. With the help of one of the shelter cats, a savvy orange tabby named Toby, Sydney begins poking her nose into other local businesses whose owners may have benefited from Littleton’s death--until the killer notices she’s pawing a little too closely at the truth.
Delightfully clever and charming, Purr M for Murder, the first in a new series from nationally bestselling author T. C. LoTempio, will leave readers clawing for more.
Tour Schedule
February 12 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog – SPOTLIGHT
February 12 – Carla Loves To Read - REVIEW
February 13 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
February 13 – Babs Book Bistro – SPOTLIGHT
February 14 – The Book Diva's Reads – SPOTLIGHT
February 14 – Laura`s Interests – REVIEW*
February 15 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW*
February 15 – Mallory Heart's Cozies – REVIEW
February 16 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW
February 17 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 17 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
February 18 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW*
February 18 – A Holland Reads – SPOTLIGHT
February 19 – I'm All About Books – SPOTLIGHT
February 19 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
February 20 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW*
February 21 – View from the Birdhouse – SPOTLIGHT
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Prize: (1) Paperback Copy - Death by a Whisker plus $15 Amazon Gift Card
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Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death by Whisker by T.C. LoTempio. Don't forget to enter the giveaway, and it's got lots of great stuff.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
This review was originally posted on Baroness' Book Trove
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
3.0
Like I said with the first of this series, I got both during a Book Outlet sale. I like the characters just fine in these, though Sydney makes some really TSTL moves. But this one just fell flat for me. I know most of what was going to happen in this one from the start and spent most of the time thinking, "When is someone gonna realize...?" So yeah. I don't know if there are more to this series, but I won't seek them out. But if I come across them at work, I'll probably read them.
bookwormbunny's review
5.0
Sydney McCall and her sister Kat are helping to prepare their local animal shelter for their newest fundraiser. They are hoping to help some fuzzy friends find "furever" homes and raise some money for the shelter to pay for some things that they need. When they learn that their headliner has to pull out they are briefly concerned, until they learn that an old town native will be replacing him, Ulla Townsend. What they don't know is the trouble and drama that Ulla will be bringing with her, both known and unknown. When shelter administrator, Maggie Shayne, refuses to even show up, the girls are concerned. What could have Maggie so against even being around to help them out with something so important? They all soon learn that Ulla was less than a nice person in her younger years and that in a bid for financial opportunity, she's trying to show herself to be bettering herself as a person. Things get a little furry when Ulla ends up having an episode that leaves her dead. Now the hunt is on to figure out who had enough motive and desire to see her dead. The list of suspects won't be a short one, but it will include someone who is close to home.
Death by a Whisker: A Cat Rescue Mystery by T.C. LoTempio is the first book that I have read by this author. I absolutely loved this book. It was fun, well-paced, and had lots of cats. I am an avid cat fan, and I loved all the precious kitties mentioned in this story. Sydney comes off as such a good character. She sounds like someone you would want to be good friends with. She's a good friend, and with the help of her precious Toby, she's able to get to the bottom of this cozy who-done-it. When the signs point to her friend Maggie as a possible suspect, Sydney is determined to find out the truth. Maggie doesn't make things easy with the steps that she takes, but it only makes Syd all the more determined. Of course, things aren't straightforward with a top position open at the local police station either. Syd's boyfriend has some competition for the job when a new guy is brought in. All the dynamics of this story come together so well to keep you engaged throughout the story. I like how the characters use some less than orthodox means to piece all of the pieces together to finally see the big picture.
There honestly isn't much that I don't like about this book. There are a few minor spelling errors, but there isn't much I don't like. I will say I got a touch annoyed with Sydney when she wants to go into the evidence locker with Will, but he tells her no. I didn't see the point in her wanting to pout about it. She's already trying to steer clear of Callahan and she can't exactly do that if she had gone and signed her name to go back with Will. Will would have been in trouble and she'd have been in jail. It just seemed like she chose to lose her common sense at that point. I have to say I despised Callahan. He was so arrogant it drove me nuts! Haha! But we need someone to dislike, so it works until the killer is revealed.
Overall, I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I love how clever and well done this book is written. It genuinely kept me trying to figure out who the killer was. The author does a fantastic job redirecting some of the suspicions and keeping you guessing. The cats are absolutely precious, and I just wish that I could have adopted one myself. If you like a good cozy mystery, and like one with cats and fun, this book is for you.
Death by a Whisker: A Cat Rescue Mystery by T.C. LoTempio is the first book that I have read by this author. I absolutely loved this book. It was fun, well-paced, and had lots of cats. I am an avid cat fan, and I loved all the precious kitties mentioned in this story. Sydney comes off as such a good character. She sounds like someone you would want to be good friends with. She's a good friend, and with the help of her precious Toby, she's able to get to the bottom of this cozy who-done-it. When the signs point to her friend Maggie as a possible suspect, Sydney is determined to find out the truth. Maggie doesn't make things easy with the steps that she takes, but it only makes Syd all the more determined. Of course, things aren't straightforward with a top position open at the local police station either. Syd's boyfriend has some competition for the job when a new guy is brought in. All the dynamics of this story come together so well to keep you engaged throughout the story. I like how the characters use some less than orthodox means to piece all of the pieces together to finally see the big picture.
There honestly isn't much that I don't like about this book. There are a few minor spelling errors, but there isn't much I don't like. I will say I got a touch annoyed with Sydney when she wants to go into the evidence locker with Will, but he tells her no. I didn't see the point in her wanting to pout about it. She's already trying to steer clear of Callahan and she can't exactly do that if she had gone and signed her name to go back with Will. Will would have been in trouble and she'd have been in jail. It just seemed like she chose to lose her common sense at that point. I have to say I despised Callahan. He was so arrogant it drove me nuts! Haha! But we need someone to dislike, so it works until the killer is revealed.
Overall, I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. I love how clever and well done this book is written. It genuinely kept me trying to figure out who the killer was. The author does a fantastic job redirecting some of the suspicions and keeping you guessing. The cats are absolutely precious, and I just wish that I could have adopted one myself. If you like a good cozy mystery, and like one with cats and fun, this book is for you.
lunifur's review
4.0
**I voluntarily read this ARC**
I really enjoyed this book, but I did feel that it had some minor pacing issues. The mystery was well-written, and I was surprised by the ending.
I really enjoyed this book, but I did feel that it had some minor pacing issues. The mystery was well-written, and I was surprised by the ending.
hannah_badger's review
2.0
Listen, love makes you do crazy things. Like my love for cats causing me to read a cat mystery novel.
If you want to read a low-stakes, Nancy Drew type novel, you might as well pick this one up.
My feelings toward this book are very neutral and mostly indifferent.
If you want to read a low-stakes, Nancy Drew type novel, you might as well pick this one up.
My feelings toward this book are very neutral and mostly indifferent.