I liked this book in the series series. The murder kept me guessing. I like the reoccurring characters. I like the small town as well.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for me eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As Shell gets ready to re-open her inherited pet shop, she has a full lined up of entertainment to bring people in and help her celebrate. A fortune telling parrot has a warning for one visitor, a con man from the past, and it seems the bird is, pardon the pun, dead on.

Having scammed many residents of Fox Hollow, there are suspects a plenty in Draco’s murder. But who was mad enough tot truly kill him? When Shell discovers a secret worth killing for, she has to hope the parrot doesn’t predict her demise next.

The second book in this new series, it’s just as fun as the first and full of characters you want to be friends with. Good writing, a solid mystery and lots of red herrings…you can’t ask for more than that.

With Killers of a Feather, the second book in the Urban Tails Pet Shop mysteries, T.C. LoTempio demonstrates how a book in a series can truly stand on its own. The reader never feels left behind or like she is missing something that came ahead of this book, yet the mentions of what came before are brief and concise, not cutting into the action of the book at all. That is a skill in writing.
The book itself features interesting main characters, a fun setting, plenty of animals for those who enjoy their mysteries with a bit of animal shenanigans, and a complex mystery. There is a large number of suspects, and some are quite obvious due to an acrimonious history with the victim.
I did, however, find the characterization of the cat, which is not only intelligent enough to completely understand human speech but also spell, to turn up in locations where he is unexpected and likely unable to get to, and, in Lassie-like style, go fetch help, too over the top for me to suspend disbelief. These sections took me out of the story. As well, the number of times the main character "lucks" into ideal parking spots speaks of a near obsession on the part of the author.
But overall, it is an enjoyable book. I thank #NetGalley for providing me with a copy of #KillersofaFeather .

Killers of a Feather by T.C. LoTempio is the second book in her Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries series. I found this story to be paced well with lots of action. The murder victim was Johnny Draco who returned to Fox Hollow five years after several citizens lost their savings on an investment Draco insisted was a sure thing. Needless to say there were a number of people in Fox Hollow unhappy with Draco and were potential suspects. I enjoyed how amateur sleuths and former Hollywood Stars Shell McMillan and Gary Presser tenaciously sought clues to solve the murder. They were determined to succeed. Shell's boyfriend, Detective Josh Bloodgood is not one of my favorite characters. He seems to run hot and cold with Shell. I just couldn't connect with him. I enjoyed how this book ends. This is a good addition to the series.

This cozy mystery delighted me. Shell, a retired actress, is opening her aunts pet shop with a big celebration. The people and animals are so lovely and fun. (The mother is a bit hard to take but there is one in every book.)
A man from the past comes back k and the parrot tells his fortune which is dire. Within hours he is dead.
She'll seeks to solve the murder but uncovers far .more than a simple murderer.

I am delighted by this new-to-me series. Author LoTempio does an excellent job introducing the characters and giving us a glimpse of Fox Hollow, the small town where the story takes place. Although the fact main character Shell McMillan is shown to be a former TV series star quite a few times, that fact seemed extraneous and I wound up liking not only Shell but the supporting cast, so to speak. They seemed to be well-rounded and likable, even her rather over-the-top, seemingly self-centered retired actress mother. Ah, family ties. Heck, even the critters involved such as Honey Belle the parrot and cats Purrday and Kahlua's personalities shown through. Is Purrday as smart as he seems? Let's hope so since Shell has a tendency to find herself in dangerous situations at times.

As for the mystery, it centers about the murder of former resident Johnny Draco who many accuse of swindling them out of significant sums of money and simply disappearing when the investment fell through. Could Rita have killed him? How about her husband? Or the former girlfriend? Or any other of the many who felt they'd been swindled? Why is Shell's detective boyfriend focused on Rita? Could Shell's habit of thinking aloud get her into trouble? Why is she keeping secrets from Josh? Who left the threatening note for her? How about those mad White Boarding skills shown by Shell, Gary, Olivia, and Ron? Why does Shell.....oh, never mind. No more teasers but, oh, what unexpected twists, turns, and danger before all is said and done. Read the book. I'll be reading the first one in the series to play catch up while you're doing that.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #BeyondThePagePublishing for inviting me to Fox Hollow for the grand opening of Shell's pet store. I'm looking forward to many return visits and that local theater production.

This is a fun cat cozy series and I loved catching up with Shell and the rest of the Fox Hollow characters in the second book in the Urban Tails Pet Shop series.

Shell is getting ready for the grand re-opening of her late aunt’s pet shop when things quickly go downhill. The fortune-telling parrot predicts danger for Johnny Draco, who previously swindled people out of a lot of money. When Johnny ends up dead, there’s no shortage of suspects! Shell is determined to find the real killer after a friend is arrested for the crime.

We have charming and quirky characters, a plot that keeps us guessing, especially when there’s more than one dead body that shows up, good pacing that kept me interested in where this was going, and a fun town with Fox Hollow. I’m looking forward to book three!

I really enjoyed visiting Fox Hollow again. It was fun getting to know more about Shell, Gary, Purrday, Kahlua and the rest of the gang. Shell and Gary have been working hard to get the Urban Tails Pet Shop ready to open. Shell has worked with the other merchants to make it a big celebration. The day before the opening, a local man returns to make amends for a wrong that he caused. There are a lot of people that are not glad to see him. During the celebration, Shell finds the man dead. One of her friends is accused of the murder and Shell vows to clear her name. I really like the way that T.C. LoTempio gives all of her characters well developed personalities, even the cats. There was a little twist at the end of the story. I cannot wait to see how it all plays out in the next book.

In exchange for an honest review, I received a free copy of KILLERS OF A FEATHER (Book 2 of the Urban Tails Pet Shop mysteries) by T.C. LoTempio. The grand opening of the pet shop is finally here, and it's heralded with a block party event. However, when the day arrives, it's overshadowed by the reappearance of a shadowy figure from the town's past. When old secrets and anger lead to murder, Shell finds herself trying to prove one of her friends to be innocent. I recommend this book and the first in the series to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring retired actors, quirky animals, and family drama.

#KillersofaFeather #NetGalley

Killers of a Feather is the second book in this pet shop cozy mystery series. T. C. LoTempio has written several other novels, but Killers of a Feather is the first of this author's novels that I have read. The mystery was fine, although I did not find the characters as compelling as I had hoped they would be. The best comparison of this novel is to a 1950s B movie, which fits, given that the protagonists are television stars, who series was cancelled. And in fact, I could easily picture Shell and Gary in a comedic mystery television story. In fact, Killers of a Feather is rather like one of those old 1950s television series that people seem to be streaming these days. Although it is part of a series, this novel would stand alone.

I want to thank Beyond the Page Publishing and the author for providing this ARC for me to read and review. And a big thank you also to NetGalley for introducing me to so many new authors. These comments are my honest opinion.

As Shell McMillan prepares for the grand re-opening of Urban Tails Pet Shop, her mother, actress Clarissa McMillan, decides to fly in for the occasion. Unfortunately, Clarissa witnesses an argument between Johnny Draco and Adrian, whose parrot gives Johnny the Death card as his fortune. As her mother leaves to go freshen up, Purrday and Kahlua escape out the open door. Shell chases her felines and finds them staring at the dead body of Johnny Draco in an empty store.

The bad news is several of Fox Hollow’s citizens are suspects in Draco’s murder since so many lost money that they invested with him five years earlier. Shell begins investigating since so many of her new friends are now suspects.

T. C. LoTempio writes an engaging cozy mystery with Shell trying to start a new chapter in her life with Urban Tails Pet Shop, only to be surprised when her mother shows up and decides to move to Fox Hollow. Many red herrings, plenty of twists, and a pleasant pace make the second Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery a likable sequel. Stay tuned.

Protagoniist Shell McMillan returns in the second book of T.C. LoTempio's Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery series, Killers of a Feather. In this installment, Shell is preparing for the grand re-opening of the pet shop she inherited from her aunt. In conjunction with the re-opening, she and several of the other merchants have planned a block party to celebrate. The singer that Shell had hired cancelled on her at the last minute and then she discovers that the person she was thinking of hiring as a replacement was someone who had been an investment advisor to many people in town and had left the area after one of his recommended investments went broke and many people lost their life savings as a result. Shell later finds him dead and when one of her best friends becomes the number one suspect, she begins investigating in hopes of clearing her friend.

By including the victim's past connection with the town's residents, the author is able to give Shell a plethora of possible suspects and motives to this murder as well as the opportunity to uncover other connections that could have bearing on the case. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of Shell's mother to the cast as it created an additional level of issues for Shell to contend with. As with the initial installment of this series, Shell's investigating creates tension with her romantic interest, police detective Josh Bloodgood.

With the number of potential suspects, motives, and opportuniities that the author introduces the reader to in this book, she does an excellent job of misdirecting the plot (the most likely suspect early on ends up a victim, too) and the ultimate revelation is a complete surprise as to the identity of the killers. I hope to see much more of Shell, Josh, Gary and all the other townspeople of Fox Hollow, Connecticut in future installments of this series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and Beyond the Page Publishing and am voluntarily posting this review.

The second book in this delightful series is just as entertaining and engaging as the first one. It is not necessary to have read that one to be able to enjoy Killers of a Feather. Interesting characters. A smidgeon of romance. I look forward to reading the further adventures of our charming protagonist. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

Shell is a fun character and I enjoyed reading Killers of a Feather.
Anticipating the opening of her new store, Shell has no idea she’s about to become involved in another murder investigation.
I enjoyed the storyline and the rest of the characters add a bit of fun to the book.
I enjoy this authors other books, so I’m not surprised I enjoyed reading this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.
#KillersofaFeather #NetGalley

pets, small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, relationships, Connecticut, cats, cozy-mystery, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor*****

The publisher's blurb gives a good intro to this second book in a newish series. Shell escaped Hollywood thanks to an elderly relative's bequest of a beloved pet shop in small town Connecticut. But, unfortunately, she didn't escape her self absorbed mother who can't imagine her daughter WANTING to leave Hollywood after a decent career in television. The other thing she can't seem to escape is finding a murdered victim. The suspect list is long because the man seemed to have swindled s number of locals and then vanished without a trace only to have returned in the recent past. Let the sleuthing begin by both the intrepid heroine and her new boyfriend, the local police detective. A very good read with some very zany characters!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Beyond the Page Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fun, entertaining, enjoyable cozy mystery. Second installment in the established series, it won’t disappoint.