Culinary Cozy With Recipes
A tale of intrigue. Nora’s sandwich shop is doing great, but her beau is out of town. When she gets a lucrative catering contract, she’s over the moon...until someone dies. She’s nosy, but when her best friend’s brother is arrested, she’s determined to find out the truth.
With the help of her cat Nick and a P.I friend, she uncovers info...and continues to push for more, even though she’s been advised to stop by her FBI friend.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis and offer my opinion in the same. It is a fun enjoyable read, it took me about a day because I found it hard to put it down.

The jealousies and romantic switchups behind the scenes of a nightime soap opera are just as dramatic as anything in the script, Nora discovers when she is hired to be the caterer during the filming of the show in her town for a couple of weeks. Things get really dicey when Nora discovers the director murdered and her good friend's brother accused of the crime. Nick and Nora are determined to find out the real culprit but if they are careful they just may be scripted as the next victims...

A fun cozy with a great cat sidekick. Seeing some of the behind-the-scenes action is interesting to read. I enjoyed it and anyone who likes cozies with a cat helping out in the investigations will love this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I do so enjoy these Nick and Nora cozies. Nick is cute, delightful and smart. Nora is sassy, smart and doesn't take anyone's guff. A true winning detective team.

This book takes place when Nora is set to cater a nighttime soap filming in Cruz, California. As one would expect, high drama ensues both in front of and behind the cameras. When the much hated director winds up dead, the list of who didn't want to kill him is shorter than the suspect list. Nora gets involved when her BFF Chantal's brother is wrongly accused of the crime.

While I did figure out whodunnit, Nick's antics made me adore the story all the more. I am a big fan of the inspiration behind Nick and Nora. I hope there are many more in this delightful series!

An enjoyable comfortable read. I received this as an advance copy from the author via NetGalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Nora Charles, a former Chicago reporter and amateur sleuth, and Nick, her tuxedo cat, solve crimes. Nick’s original owner, PI Nick Atkins, disappeared over a year ago, but he taught his cat, Sherlock, how to spell out clues using Scrabble tiles. So Nora changed her feline partner’s name to Nick while they work together and wait for some sign of Atkins.

In T. C. LoTempio’s new Nick and Nora mystery, a film crew for the TV show All the Days of Tomorrow, comes to Cruz to shoot on location for two weeks. Nora and her specialty sandwich shop, Hot Bread, win the contract to cater meals for the actors and crew members during their stay.

The original director for the TV series dies in an accident on the set, and Anton Forbes replaces him on the shoot in Cruz for the first time. There is speculation that the original director was murdered, but no evidence supports the suspicion. However, Forbes is not popular with either the actors or crew, and he is found murdered by Nick and Nora when they go to meet him for Nick’s guest appearance on the TV show.

With no shortage of suspects, a police investigation begins. Unfortunately, when the murder weapon is found, it turns out to be a product recently ordered by the local florist shop Poppies, and its co-owner Remy Gillard is arrested. However, Nora’s best friend, Chantal, is Remy’s sister and hires Nora to help get to the truth.

Ms. LoTempio writes the most delightful mysteries featuring two amateur sleuths: former crime reporter and newly licensed PI Nora Charles and a smart tuxedo feline snoop, Nick. Nick and Nora’s ability to understand each other is as uncanny as it is charming and certainly adds an intriguing dimension to this series. Entertaining and engaging best describe this cozy mystery series.

I received this advance reader copy via Netgalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. While this is book number six in this series, it’s easily read as a stand-alone. I enjoy this cozy series and find it great fun. Nora is human and Nick is a strangely prescient tuxedo cat who uses Scrabble tiles to give Nora clues. This time, Nora is catering a movie shoot in their town when a member of the crew winds up dead and Nora’s newly minted PI license is in use.
Well-written, enjoyable characters for the most part and I like this series.
I have two pet peeves with the recurring characters. First is the female police detective who is nothing but antagonistic. Second, is the quasi-love triangle, although one of the two men is out of the country on assignment. Nora is fully competent in all the other areas of her life; why is she unable to commit to an actual adult relationship or let it go and move on?
I look forward to the next book in this series.

This is the sixth Nick and Nora cat mystery and one of my favorite of the series. The author knows cats and includes all their wonderful qualities in her books. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity. My review opinion is my own.

In this next in series Nora has a catering contract for a show being filmed in town. She is thrilled to showcase her bakery and hopes to be successful. Her tuxedo cat Nick is featured in this series as helping her solve mysteries and her daily sidekick . When the show begins filming drama ensues and soon Nora stumbles across a murder victim. . She is a savvy investigator and soon is finding clues and red herrings abound. As Nora further investigate with Nick's help she is soon to find the answers to this murder.

The sleuth was well crafted to conclusion.. The author has a wonderful talent for building clues and holding the reader in suspense to the end. I love all the supporting charcters and especially the adorable smart cat Nick.

Although this is the sixth book in the series, I had no problem joining in on the escapades of Nora (a caterer) and Nick (an adorable kitty cat!) which mixes solving a crime and a little bit of romance...no matter how silly the reason for dating Sam was.

I will recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy mystery read that has PG rated and has no shades of grey anywhere. I will also recommend all of T. C. LoTempio's books (we have every single one of them on our shelves) as they are well written and enjoyable as well.


#shortbutsweetreviews

A truly delightful cozy series.
I love the characters and the whodunit was intriguing, entertaining and well paced.
I cannot wait to read the next in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed and advance reader copy of this book.

Nora Charles used to be an investigative journalist but now writes for an online true crime magazine alongside running her late mother's sandwich shop, Hot Bread. When it is announced that a popular nighttime soap plans to film in their small town of Cruz, Nora bids for and wins the catering contract much to the delight of her employees and customers alike. Although she has recently got her Private Investigator's licence, partly due to a talent for finding murder victims, Nora has no intention of stepping back from her catering career, however fate appears to have other plans!

With everyone on set seeming to have as much drama in their private lives as their on-screen characters it isn't long before Nora discovers one of the visitors' dead and her whole team witness arguments, fall-outs, and histrionics on an epic scale. As the investigation heats up and secrets are revealed, Nora, and her trusty sidekick Nick, the tuxedo cat, know they will have very little time to discover the killer’s identity before their own luck runs out.

This is the sixth Nick and Nora mystery, and although reality is suspended throughout, it is very enjoyable with all the main protagonists making it a very pleasant read. There are some basic stereotypes here including a 'will they, won't they' romance, some handy coincidences, and a Scrabble loving cat to help the plot along, it is still a fun book.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the opinions expressed are my own. If you are a fan of this series, you won't be disappointed, if it's new to you, well sometimes reality is overrated. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Nick was an adorable feline who acted as if he had some sort of paranormal attributes. Together, he and Nora made a great sleuthing team. Faced with three puzzling mysterious deaths, Nora and Nick were caught in a race with time, trying to solve the three mysterious deaths before her friend’s brother got charged with the murder of one. I like the romantic mix, especially liked how it was Sam alone in the picture, although her reason for choosing Sam was hogwash.

Nora and her cat Nick are back and working on the set of a soap opera. Nora has been hired to cater, and Nick even gets a gig working as a cat actor. However, the director soon ends up dead. Nora investigates to solve the crime before more people end up dead.

This was overall a pretty good cozy mystery! it got a little slow in the middle, but picked back up again.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't mind this one. It's my first in this series and I found it a decent read and not bad. I'd read other books in the series if and when I come across them.

Nora lands a catering gig that has her working a movie shoot. When Nora finds the director dead, and her BFF’s brother is the prime suspect, she finds herself wearing her second hat, Professional PI as well. Can she and Nick solve the case and save Remy from being falsely charged?

I adore this series. Who wouldn’t fall in love with Nick? A Tuxedo cat that spells out clues via Scrabble tiles? I’m in! Each of the mysteries are solid, the characters are well developed and the mystery is well written. It doesn’t get much better than this.

A Purr Before Dying is book number 6 in the Nick and Nora Mysteries series. This is the second novel by T.C. LoTempio that I have read. The Nick and Nora Mysteries are not full of surprises, but they are fun. The plots follow predictable cozy detective tropes, which includes a cat, who helps to solve crimes. Truthfully, the cat is a bit too cute, given that it is Nick, the cat, who actually solves the crime. Nick is the better detective of the pair, although it is Nora who has the private investigator license. I like animals, and while the Scrabble board is a bit over the top, since Nora ignores these clues, I guess there is no harm in including them.

The descriptions in A Purr Before Dying are basic, and so more detailed descriptions would help readers better visualize the action. For instance, there is no description of the gazebo, which is strange, since that so much action occurs at that location. I like descriptions, since I read to escape, and to escape, I need to be able to imagine the locations. A Purr Before Dying is a fast easy read, but like Nick, I had also solved the mystery long before Nora did so. Waiting for Nora to catch up to Nick (and me), was not a tedious read, but a few more red herrings would be welcome.

I want to thank the author and publisher for providing this ARC, which, while not a challenge, was still an enjoyable novel. Thank you also to NetGalley for providing these fun reads.

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.

family, family-business, family-dynamics, private-investigators, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, situational-humor, verbal-humor, romantic, friction, friendship, cat, former-journalist, small-business, small-town, cozy-mystery, scrabble-game, sandwich-shop, TV/Film industry, filming, *****

Nick is a pudgy Tuxedo cat who spells out clues with scrabble tiles. Nora Charles is a former journalist who returned home to take over the family sandwich shop (Hot Bread), and recently got her Private Investigator's license. A nighttime TV soap is in town, and the shop is contracted to provide the food for the cast and crew. Nick and Nora find the first body, and it gets even more complicated from then on!
No spoilers and the publisher's blurb is a great hook! Great read! Fun series!
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Beyond the Page Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

A Purr Before Dying by T.C. LoTempio is book #6 in the Nick and Nora Mysteries series. A soap opera company comes to town. Nora Charles wins the bid to cater breakfast and lunch for the actors and crew while they are in town filming an episode of All the Days of Tomorrow. The director is not the most popular person on the set. Guess not since he is murdered. Enter Nora and her investigative sidekick, her cat Nick. Nick is quite the detective for a cat. Nora can't resist investigating the murder because her best friend Chantal's brother Remy becomes the prime suspect. Nora and Nick manage to ferret out important clues. There's lots of action and danger which I enjoy in a mystery story. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

This newest Nick and Nora book is packed full of excitement, you won't want to put it down.
Nick is a super smart cat, and Nora his human, and together they help solve murder investigations.
Nick uses scrabble tiles to leave clues for Nora, and his witty meows and yowls help get his point across.
Nora has taken over her family's sandwich shop, and its her catering gig that gets her involved in this newest investigation.
A well known soap opera is filming close by, and Nora has been chosen to provide the onsite food.
Looking forward to earning extra money, Nora is excited for this chance, until someone is murdered, and Nora is asked to look into it.
I loved this story, it was packed full of interesting characters and Nick was more charming than ever.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.
#APurrBeforeDying #NetGalley