I enjoy this series. The mystery kept me guessing and I like the characters. However, I'd still like to know what is going on with Nick's previous owner. We didn't hear from him at all.


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

This is a series with a fun storyline. Characters was were interesting and even though I’m not a cat person I found the information interesting. I love when authors include pets like cats and dogs and build the story around them.

Nora is excited to be catering the tv production unit in town filming a soap opera. She and her sister and best friend are balancing the diner and the catering job. Her helper and cat, Nick are called upon to investigate the death of one of the stars and there is a long line of suspects. This is part of the Nick and Nora series and can be read as a stand alone. With Nick able to communicate with Nora via Scrabble tiles he is a major help. An enjoyable cozy series especially for readers who like pets in their cozy’s.

The cover design caught my eye, and I thought this looked and sounded like my kind of book.

This was a fun and entertaining cosy mystery. The protagonist's cat seemed to have an important part to play in the story, and I felt the author gave him a personality of his own - he was very loveable and charming. I think this is the type of book that I can always rely on to make me smile and cheer me up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

When Nora Charles is awarded the catering contract for a nighttime soap that’s coming to town to film, she’s more than pleased. It’ll be a great money maker and raise the profile of Hot Bread, her sandwich shop. She discovers more than she expected when she gets a behind-the-scenes look at the show…and then things ramp up even more when she finds the body of the murdered show director. As she uncovers his past, and the history of some of the cast and crew, Nora discovers there are plenty of suspects to choose from. Things get more complicated with a second killing.

With help from the inimitable Nick and his Scrabble tiles, they’re hot on the trail of who is killing off the Hollywood crowd. But it’s not without jeopardy, and Nora soon finds herself in need of Nick’s help to get out of a dangerous situation.

In this sixth in the Nick and Nora mystery series, author T. C. LoTempio does not disappoint fans. Spend time with some favorite characters, meet some new ones and cheer on Nick and Nora in solving their latest whodunit.

Nora Charles and her exceptional cat, Nick are solving another murder mystery. Nora has been hired to cater a movie set while they are filming locally for a week or so. Nora finds that behind the scenes is far more interesting than the night time soap on TV.

In the midst of identifying all the players and their partners, Nora finds the director's dead body. There are plenty of suspects but the police zero in on the brother of Nora's best friend. Nora sets out to find the true killer, but not before she finds a second body. Everything seems to lead back to a death and a missing actress from years past.

As always, Nick guides Nora through the maze of characters with help of his Scrabble pieces and other hints.

I love this series and can't wait for the next installment.

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I love this series and should definitely go back and read the installments I missed. It’s fun that Nora has gone from amateur sleuth to PI, and the fact that her sidekick is a crime-solving cat always makes me smile. I especially enjoy Nick’s scrabble tile clues - it’s such a clever aspect to their crime-solving!

I enjoyed the twists and turns in this plot. There were so many different aspects from jealous coworkers to spurned lovers and even some underlying crime.

I wish Det Anderson was a little less difficult, particularly as Nora is a PI.

Can’t wait to go back and read what I missed.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BeyondthePage for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you’re a fan of the popular bestselling Nick and Nora Series, you’ll want to pick up a copy of installment number six, A Purr Before Dying. Nora Charles, owner of a sandwich shop called Hot Bread, is hired to cater for a soap opera filming. Unfortunately, the director is found murdered, and Nora, who is an amateur sleuth, gets involved because her best friend’s brother, Remy, is the prime suspect. While Nora is sure that Remy is innocent, there is plenty of circumstantial evidence that points to him.

While this is a light and fun cozy, it has plenty of building suspense. Nora gets herself into lots of trouble as the story unfolds, and Nick is right there helping her with clues from his favorite toy, scrabble tiles. Nick, as usual, escapes the house when he is supposed to stay home, and when Nora gets her friends or her sister to watch him.

LoTempio has done an excellent job of developing the main characters, and they are believable and likeable. The supporting characters are also believable and some aren’t particularly likeable. The story has plenty of twists and turns, which keep readers on the edge. Nick is a terrific protagonist along with Nora, and he is so loveable that most of us wish we had a cat just like him.

All told, this series is delightful and a fun one to follow. A Purr Before Dying is a winner and will delight readers who will seek out the previous novels in the series. Incidentally, this is a series of culinary mysteries and has recipes as a bonus to the fun mystery plots.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Full disclosure here. I love this series. I confess to a friendship with Rocco, Toni’s kitty co-author but if you like cats and mysteries, this should be a series on your list and I think this one just might be my favourite. I love the way Nora can now interpret Nick’s conversations and accepts that he is the lead PI. Yes, Nora now has her PI license as well as running her restaurant. She will be needing both skill sets when the corrosive director of a night-time soap is murdered when they are filming in town.

Nora is contracted to provide the food for the actors and crew and even Nick is enlisted to share screen time with one of the stars. That is how she and Nick discover the body. However, it is when the prime suspect turns out to be BFF Chantal’s brother, Chantal hires her to find the real killer. She has help from friends who are also in the PI business but it will be Nick with his Scrabble tiles that fills in the blanks. I did suspect the villain early on but the whole tale was an entertaining revelation and as always, when Nora is in danger, Nick comes to her aid.

You could read this as a standalone but why miss all the fun. I would start at the beginning and follow the trail. You won’t be disappointed. Five purrs and two paws up.

This is the sixth in the series. Nora Charles’ shop Hot Bread has the catering contract for the two-week shoot for this soap opera. It turns deadly and Chantal’s brother is the main suspect.

Since the police believe they have the killer, they aren’t looking any farther. So, Nick & Nora must get involved.
As with many artists, egos, secrets and backstabbing come into play in the murder. There are plenty of suspects as the victim isn’t well-loved.

I was entertained and am looking forward to the next book.
I was given an advanced reader’s copy by Netgalley and am not required to write a positive review.

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.

A nice addition to a charming series. The cat antics always make me think of the "Cat Who..." books. A little too strange for me but a fun inclusion to the story. As a fan of the Thin Man series, I enjoy the names. Thrilled that I early on suspected the correct person of the crimes. Convoluted cozy mystery. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

The owner of the Hot Bread restaurant, Nora Charles, is excited when a nighttime soap opera plans to bring their show to her town to tape an episode. She is awarded a contract to cater the event. She never realized how much drama goes on behind the scenes. Perhaps even more than on screen. Most of the town is excited to meet all the actors, including her best friend Chantal and her sister Lacey.

Things take a tragic turn when the show’s director is murdered, and Chantal’s brother is arrested for the crime. They know he’s innocent, but the police aren’t looking any further for a killer since they are sure they already have him. So, it’s up to Nora, and her feline sleuth Nick, to find the real culprit.

I love this series. Yes, it has a feline detective so I’m probably biased but I can’t help it. Nick is a cutie and he helps solve crimes. He’s quite the clever cat. However, he doesn’t talk and gets his message across in other ways.

The storyline has many different angles. So many people could have been behind the murder. Each had their own gripes against the victim. I had my suspicions about halfway through the story. I was surprised I guessed right, but I had my doubts until the end and kept changing my mind. The author has a great knack at keeping the reader guessing.

Nora and Nick are two amateur sleuths that have been on my favorite list for a long time. It’s one of the few cozy mystery series I’m actually caught up on. Although this is book #6, the mystery is contained and solved in this book. I do recommend reading the series from the start to get to know the characters and their background. You do get some background info in this book, but it’s always more fun to watch the character growth for yourself.

I hope we get more adventures and mysteries with Nora and Nick. There's so much intrigue in each book with some hints at a potential romance. I know I’m in for hours of enjoyment when I see a new Nick and Nora book out.







FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Purr Before Dying is book #6 in the Nick and Nora Mystery series by T. C. LoTempio.

A nighttime soap is shooting in town and Nora is catering. There is more drama behind the scenes than on the screen. The director is killed and Nora and Nick investigate.

This is a quick, light read. I really enjoyed the nighttime soap setting. It is as soapy behind the scenes as on-screen. There were a lot of twists in the investigation trying to figure out who was involved with whom and who hated the victim. It kept me guessing. I look forward to reading more about Nora and Nick’s adventures.

Thank you to the author, Beyond the Page Publishing, and NetGalley for the copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Setting the Scene: Nick and Nora return in a wonderful twisty drama-filled story. When Nora lands the contract to cater for the cast and crew of the night-time soap opera, All the Days of Tomorrow, she expects most of the drama to take place in front of the camera. She is wrong.

The egos, secrets, and back-biting among the cast and crew are staggering, and when Nick and Nora discover the body of the universally despised director, there are plenty of suspects. Unfortunately, the police settle on Nora's BFF's brother, Remy, as their number one suspect, and Nora, with her newly minted PI license, is compelled to investigate.

Nothing and no one is what they seem. Even Remy has a dark history with the murder victim that he refuses to share. Nora calls on her sleuthing allies, Ollie and Hank, as she and Nick work to identify the real murderer. Unfortunately, Daniel is still in London on his undercover assignment. At least Nora assumes so since he has been incommunicado for 6 months. Regardless, his absence leaves a hole in her investigation process, maybe her life. On the other hand, Lee Samms makes his presence known - often.

What I Thought: Toni LoTempio has created a near perfect, and unique, cozy mystery series with a sassy cat who communicates through Scrabble tiles, a smart and savvy protagonist who runs a sandwich shop/catering business and has her PI license, FBI agents, a touch of romance, and a small hometown full of friends who are just quirky enough to be interesting without crossing over into corny. Add to that some very interesting mysteries, present book included, and we have a winner.

It's been a hot minute, but these characters are so relatable that I jumped right back into their lives and their humor. Nick is his usual uncanny but lovable self and may be my favorite sleuthing cat of all time. Nora continues to be an intelligent businesswoman and sleuth, managing both activities successfully (with a little help from her friends). My only concern is this potential love triangle that has been building. I really like both Daniel and Samms, and I get the well written dilemma of choosing, assuming there is a choice, given Daniel's absence; but I really hope to see this resolved sooner rather than later.

Bottom line, I highly recommend this series/book and urge you to start at the beginning and keep reading.

Have you ever been hooked on a soap opera? During college I got hooked on Days of Our Lives, Another World, and Santa Barbara. Then I got hooked on Knots Landing for a while. A couple of “my stories” got cancelled, and then my kids got old enough to understand what was going on on Days, so I quit watching. Then the soaps got ridiculous, so I would have quit watching anyway! Drama, drama, drama. It’s what gets you hooked on them! Many residents in Nora Charles’s town, Cruz, are hooked on the nighttime soap opera that comes to Cruz to shoot some scenes. Not Nora! But her sister and friends are, and they’re thrilled that Nora is catering for the cast and crew.

So, we know that soaps are full of drama, and so is this one! Unfortunately, the drama behind the scenes is worse than those in front of the camera! There are a whole bunch of whiny, self-absorbed actors, directors, etc. It’s surprising that they haven’t killed each other…well, then someone does. And, of course, Nora’s cat Nick sniffs out the body, and Nora is once again in the middle of a murder mystery.

I really enjoyed A PURR before DYING . It’s the sixth book in the series, and I’ve read most of them. I’m very attached to the wonderful characters in the series. They’ve got well-developed personalities, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for them…especially for Nora in the romance department. Though it’s not necessary for you to have read the previous books in order to enjoy this since the mysteries are resolved in each book, you will enjoy the characters more if you do read them in order.

If you love cozy mystery books with cats, great characters, yummy food descriptions, and twisty mysteries, you will love A PURR Before DYING!

a fun mystery with a cat sidekick. I really enjoyed it. Being privy to the behind-the-scenes action of a soap opera was interesting to read. I enjoyed it.

I love Nick&Nora mysteries and I can say this is one of my favorite series. I hope there's will be a lot more instalments but - PLEASE - no more love triangle as Nora is a strong women and it seems a bit unrealistic that she's not able to choose.
That said this is a solid and entertaining mystery full of twists, fast paced, and entertaining.
I thoroughly enjoyed it (expect for the romantic side) and can't wait to read the next one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Really good cozy, It was nice to catch up with Nora and the myriad of characters. I loved the whole soap opera theme in this book. It was interesting to follow the clues to get to the killer.