The Time for Murder is Meow

Written by T.C. LoTempio

Narrated by C. S. E. Cooney

To save their pet shop, Shell and her two furry sidekicks must cat-ch a killer

Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N Bark, and do something she loves.

While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting-until a museum board member, who had a longstanding feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick-her aunt's Persian Purrday-find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Nov 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781541440029

T.C. LoTempio

T.C. LoTempio is the award-winning, nationally bestselling author of the Nick and Nora Mysteries, the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, and the Cat Rescue Mysteries. Born in New York City, she now resides in Phoenix, Arizona with her two cats, Maxx and Rocco. Rocco prides himself on being the inspiration for her Nick and Nora series! For more information, check out her and her cat Rocco's blog at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com and visit her website at www.tclotempio.net.

Reviews for The Time for Murder is Meow

[jenn88-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Crishell "Shell" McMillan has decided to give up acting when her TV series gets cancelled. Her aunt has just passed away and left Shell her pet shop - the Purr N' Bark. Shell has lots to do before the re-opening, but being a suspect in a murder investigation wasn't on her list. Shell was upset one of the museum board members didn't want to display her late aunt's collection of Cary Grant posters due to a long-standing feud, but it seems to be the perfect set-up for someone to get away with murder.

This had potential but just lacked that special something that could put it over the top. I liked the idea of a retired young actress inheriting her aunt's pet shop in a small town. I loved that there are two cats, but their behaviour wasn't always catlike, it was forced and that takes away from the flow of the story. It was easy to read, fun and I'll keep my eyes open for the second in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Midnight Ink for an ARC.

[katebaxter_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a classic cozy mystery and a good start to the new "Purr N Bark Pet Shop Mystery" series by author, T.C. LoTempio. The two felines appearing on the book's front cover were what first caught my attention and they are a playful pair, for sure. The main protagonist, Crishell ("Shell") McMillan, is an L.A. actress known to most by her stage name, Shell Marlowe, and t.v. spy, Hermione DuVal. Shell's Aunt Tillie recently passed away two days after the t.v. program got canceled. As Aunt Tillie had no children, it was not a total surprise that her aunt's home and pet store business were left to Shell. So Shell snuffed out her foot-candles, retired from Hollywood and settled into small-town, Fox Hollow. In addition to the real-estate, Shell surprisingly inherited her aunt's one-eyed Persian, Purrday, which was carefully introduced to Shell's coffee colored seal point, Kahlua. Feline detente was soon established and the relaunch of the Purr & Bark pet shop commenced. Soon after, Shell has a public run-in with a leading member of the local museum board of directors. Shell is later summoned by this woman to the museum on a Sunday morning. Upon approaching the museum offices, Shell discovers the woman dead on the library floor and suddenly becomes a person of interest and front page fodder for the local paper. Shell figures the best way to get back on track for the shop's grand re-opening is to solve the murder and clear her name, and so the sleuthing begins.This is certainly a light and humorous read with civilian characters having an inordinate amount of unrealistic participation in the detective work. It is a cozy mystery, after all. Personally, I prefer a bit more real world police procedural added to my cozies where the local constabulary reluctantly rely on the assistance of the book's protagonist. The sleuths in this book are instructed to stay out of it and of course they do not nor are they arrested for interfering in the investigation. The character development is good and their interplay classic. The small New England village is well laid out with all the charm and tourist attractions one would hope for that setting. You catch a whiff of the steaming lattés served in the town's café and taste the richness of a true Reuben sandwich at a local pub restaurant where the town's residents all seem to hang out.All in all, this was a charming light read for in between the heavier novels. Will I seek out further installments in this series?...maybe.Synopsis (from book's back cover):Shell and her two furry sidekicks must cat-ch a killer to save their pet shopCrishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N' Bark, and do something she loves.While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting--until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick--her aunt's Persian Purrday--find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Time for Murder is Meow is the debut of A Purr N’ Bark Pet Shop Mystery series. When Crishell “Shell” McMillan finds herself a person of interest in the murder of Amelia Witherspoon (think Wicked Witch of the West with white hair), Shell sets out to clear her name with help from her new friends. She believes her experience in playing a spy on Spy Anyone will come in handy. Shell talks to a variety of people around town gathering information and clues. This gives us a chance to meet the secondary characters and learn about Fox Hollow. Shell’s co-star, Gary Presser arrives in town and helps in solving the crime. Gary was my favorite character and he outshone Shell. He has a great personality and provides engaging humor. Purrday, Aunt Tillie’s cat, is a delight and I like how he communicates with Shell (cats have a way of telling us what they want). I like how Shell talks to Purrday and her cat, Kahlua. Kahlua acted in typical cat fashion when first introduced to Purrday—by hissing. I am glad that the author took the time to introduce the characters and the town (set the stage so to speak). Amelia Witherspoon was a disagreeable woman which leads to multiple suspects and misdirection. The clues were a little too on-the-nose which allows readers to pin down the guilty party early in the story. I enjoyed the movie references and how Shell would compare an individual to a movie character or actor. I liked the descriptions of Aunt Tillie’s collection and the Victorian home she left Shell. Detective Josh Bloodgood provides a potential romantic partner for Shell. The Time for Murder is Meow is a lighthearted cozy mystery with movie memorabilia, a wicked victim, bewitching brew, a gregarious co-star, playful Purrday, and one anxious actress.

[managedbybooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crishell "Shell" McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt's pet shop, the Purr N' Bark, and do something she loves.

While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt's Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting—until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell's aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick—her aunt's Persian Purrday—find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?

The first in a new series, The Time for Murder is Meow is fun and fresh! The plot and characters are well-developed, and I found this to be the perfect start for a new series.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*