A new cozy mystery series that shows promise, the mystery was engaging and the characters likeable, can t wait to read more

LoTiempo, the best selling author of several cozy mystery series is introducing a new series. It will be known as "A Purr and Bark Pet Shop Mystery". Title one is called "The Time for Murder is Meow."; a natural draw for all cat lovers.

Our amateur sleuth is Crishell McMillan, aka Shell Marlow. Her successful television series was cancelled after a 10 year run, coinciding with the betrayal of her director/fiance, and the death of Aunt Tilly. Things happen for a reason, she believes. Shell is the heir to Aunt Tilly's estate. She takes this as a good omen, retires from show business to return to Fox Hollow. Her dream now is to follow in her Aunt's footsteps, keeping the legacy of The Purr and Bark pet shop alive. The shop is very well regarded by the towns people, as was her Aunt Tilly. What Shell did not expect was the hyper animosity from Amelia Witherspoon, the self proclaimed doyenne of Fox Hollow.

Whether it is Hollywood, or a small Connecticut town, feuds happen. A feud may last as long as one of the participants is still living. Why else would Amelia block an exhibition of classic movie posters from Aunt Tilly's very valuable collection? Used to negotiation, and unafraid of someone who has made arguing a high art form, Shell publicly confronts Amelia and the other recalcitrant board members.

Shell has a great support group. One that includes Kahlua, her Siamese, and Purrday an one eyed Persian of uncommon talents who serve as sounding boards. The other members of her group also include Josh, and Gary her former co-star. Is this the beginning of a romantic triangle? Their support is needed as Amelia is soon found dead. Will Shell's stay in Fox Hollow be over before it gets started? Finding the real killer seems to be the answer.

A solid introduction to a new series, Book One is a pleasant summer read.

Recommended

Full disclosure: I received an e copy of this book from netgalley and midnight ink in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.

This book was a relatively quick and easy read.

The mystery wasn't particularly difficult to figure out though and the character's motivations seemed a bit thin - the main character was obsessed with the museum board because they turned down her aunt's exhibition offer. It's really not that big of a deal. Basically it felt like the characters were over acted soap opera caricatures.

I think what frustrated me most was the inaccurate descriptions of cat behaviour. If you're going to write a book to do with cats and have it in the title of your book, you should at least research cat behaviour.

It's a decent read, but just wasn't for me.

I have read the author's previous series and was looking forward to this one. Shell Marlowe moves from LA to Connecticut after inheriting her aunt's house and store. There are two cat companions for her. I had numerous problems with the book and a hard time finishing it. First off, the first quarter of the book was spent building up the confrontation between Shell and the victim over an supposed feud and the imagined slight of turning down her offer of displaying her aunt's movie poster collection. Shell makes a mountain out of a pebble over this even chasing down other board members around town. Shell keeps threatening the board members with a complaint.
Who is she going to complain to? I understand setting her up to be a suspect but this was over the top, exaggerated and extreme. It made the main character very unlikeable. There is a problem with time issues- at one point she says she got in town yesterday, then it was today and two other times it was a week ago. Then she got laid off from her long running TV series and within 3 weeks someone is already trying to get her to star in a reboot? really? When she goes to the museum she is outside and yet she PULLS on the handle which swings IN. think about it, not possible. Someone needs to edit this book badly; pay special attention to punctuation and capitalization.

Love this book
Could not put it down. Very easy to read and gives you a lot to think about

Can’t wait to see it hit the shelves

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and Midnight Ink publishing for an honest review. I will publish this review on BookBub, Goodreads, and Amazon (when the publishing date arrives.

This is a delightful cozy mystery. The author keeps you guessing who committed the murder with plenty of suspects and motives. Crishell inherits her aunt's pet store and home. On her first day in the small town, she is plunged into the politics of a small community. Not only does she battle that, but she also has to clear her name of murder. Her cat, Kahlua, soon finds out he's sharing his new home with Crishell's aunt's cat, Purrday. The two cats get along, but only after a good amount of hissing and territory establishing. The cats add an interesting twist to the story and help "Shell" solve the mystery. There is a small amount of romance indicated, but it's not real prominent. This is a great book to relax with.



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2840332011

THE TIME FOR MURDER IS MEOW by T. C. LoTiempo is the first in the Purr ‘N Bark Pet Shop mysery series that features Crishell “Shell” McMillan, former internet series star who has inherited her aunt’s pet shop and decided to leave Hollywood behind her for the lower stress life of owning a store in a small town. While she is expecting lower stress, the exact opposite is what she gets when a local woman, with whom she has had a loud and public disagreement is murdered. While Shell is named a person of interest, the local detective in charge of the case doesn’t really suspect her. There is the hint of attraction between the two that holds promise for future books.
Having worked on a detective show, Shell decides to put some of the tactics she learned there to use and find the murderer herself. She sets out to interview people and gather information, ruffling more than a few feathers along the way. At the same time, her former co-star Gary, unable to persuade her to return to Hollywood, decides to travel to the small town of Fox Hollow and help Shell in the hope she will come to her senses since her presence is a requirement for the producers to continue the series. Gary proves himself to be a genuine friend to Shell who is equally invested in solving the crime.
To add to the book’s appeal, LoTiempo has included two cats, Kaluha, Shell’s siamese and Purrday, her aunt’s persian. Together the cats nudge objects and draw Shell’s attention to items that will help her solve the mystery. They present an interesting addition as LoTiempo has imbued them with some personality traits that are consistent with each breed. If you are a cat lover, you will enjoy the additional by-play of the cats throughout the book as they engage in behavior that you will recognize, particularly if you have ever lived with a cat.
This is an interesting beginning to a new series. It introduces the reader to some wonderfully quirky characters with the hope they will continue in future books. In addition, there is the promise of a future romance to engage people who like their mysteries with a little love interest on the side. While the book seems to follow a formula in terms of cozy writing, the puzzle is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged if only to find out if they are correct in their solution.
My thanks to NetGalley and Midnight Ink publishing for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. In summary, I would define it as a light cozy with some interesting characters and two delightful felines. While it wasn’t difficult to solve, that may be fine for readers wanting to relax and rest with a book.

A strong start to a new series! The characters are well developed for first installment and get you in their clutches from the first page. A fun mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

If you like T.C. LoTempio’ s Nick and Nora Series you’ll be very pleased to know that the first installment of this series is fabulous as well! I love that The main character Shell is a retired actress who believes moving the small town of Fox Hollow from Hollywood will provide a slower lifestyle. It doesn’t take long before Shell is in the thick of a murder, and the hot topic of the small town gossip mill. With a series of great supporting characters, a wonderful puzzle to solve and a couple of smart felines this book was a pleasure to read. As a fan of all things mystery I loved all the references to vintage movies and mysteries. I look forward to visiting Shell and Fox Hollow again soon.

I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

A nice little cozy mystery, with many predictable events. I was a fan of the Cat Who series of mysteries. The author has taken a page from those books.

This was a quick enough read for me, read over the space of a day and a half. While the plot was interesting, the middle sagged a bit with not enough to keep me interested in the story overall, and admittedly I skimmed a bit towards the end. It wasn’t one of my favorite cozy mysteries ever, but it was still entertaining enough to read on through to the very end. I doubt that I’ll continue with the series, however. The animals were all fun to read, and the characters definitely had their own interesting points in regards to the plot. While I’ve seen some of the tricks pulled before in solving the mystery and therefore figured out the killer about halfway through the book, it was still a reasonable written novel that’s the first in a series.

Enjoyable, and would recommend to new cozy mystery fans. Therefore, I’m giving this a 3.5/5 stars, and I feel that anyone who likes ‘the cat who’ series would enjoy this one.

This is my second book that I have received from NetGalley and I was so happy to receive it. I must admit I was hooked from the beginning and very pleased to see two wonderful cats involved in the story and a big friendly dog called Rocco make an appearance as well.

The story was well written and flowed brilliantly, in fact I struggled to put it down. I could tell that LoTempio is a true animal and cat lover by her cat characters Purrday and Kahula. I loved Purrday the cat and found him a true hero of the day kind of cat, a true gentleman and friend to all who know him. Kahula had too much of a chip on her shoulder for my liking and needed to be taken down a peg or two.

I loved this book and hope there will be many more in the series to come of the same excellent quality.

I love murder mysteries, especially how fast and easy they are to read. I have read mysteries based on cats before, but this one seems so adorable and well thought out. I tend to guess the endings most of the time but this time I really didn't guess "who dun it!"

Really can't wait to continue reading these characters and this series. Hope there is more!

For this book in particular, there was a wide range of characters to keep you entertained but the ending did not leave you confused with plot holes. That is super important for a mystery for sure. The way the cat "assists" with the solving is both intentional but also lets you wonder if it is coincidence. Definitely recommend if you like easy murder mysteries!

I received this title in order to review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

A cute cozy mystery for a nice, fuzzy read! Loved the characters and the cats eheh... the "friendzoned" guy was just so cute... totally recommend!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Midnight Ink in return for an honest review. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it. Shell, our heroine, is an actress who had a long run on a successful TV series and has decided to make a change. She's left a pet supplies store, a house and an inheritance from her aunt. The move to the small town brings new friends, new enemies and some interesting neighbors. Add the murder of the town's over-controlling leader, right after she invites Shell to a meeting to resolve their differences, and the set up is perfect. Then, add in Shell's former co-star and other quirky characters, along with a very handsome detective and you have a perfect set up. The book is well-written; the characters are fully developed; Shell is someone I'd love to know, not someone who makes me crazy by her decisions. Really, really looking forward to more by this author!

I loved this story! It was fresh and exciting and the characters made me laugh!
I am really looking forward to reading more in this series.

The Time for Murder is Meow is a cute cozy mystery with a little romance, murder as some cats. Well written and great characters. I would recommend this book to read.

A wonderful cozy mystery with a focus with cats as her sidekicks. Shell has left Hollywood and moved to small town Connecticut to take over her inheritance from her aunt: a big house and a pet supply store. The very first day in town she gets into a fight with the town's witchy matriarch, and then the next day finds her murdered. Trying to get her name off the listing of suspects, she tries to find out who is the killer instead. With new friends in tow, plus her old tv co-star in town to help she is on a roll. Also, a budding romance with the hunky detective doesn't hurt either. Can't wait for Josh to bring over his dog to meet with her two cats, that should be fun. Overall, this was a great cozy mystery by a new to me author, and one I highly recommend. The only issue that I struggled with was why Shell got so upset about the museum not using her aunt's posters, which started all the arguments in the beginning. Didn't see it as overly important to cause such emotion. Otherwise, highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!

I just really needed a good cozy mystery to read in the bath, and this was the first one to catch my eye (incidentally, I should probably think about getting a waterproof kindle for the bath xD) It was a fun animal based mystery, and by an author I've read before and instantly trust. Yet again I wasn't disappointed, because we get an awesome small town feel, an almost arrogant but still likeable sleuth, and of course a pair of cats that know more than the poor humans. My unlikely superhero is Gary; can we get more platonic friendships in cozy like Shell and Gary? Like he knows how she likes her tea, knows when she's dressed up/putting in effort, but he isn't even slightly in the romance field. I LOVED HIM.

There were a few inconsistant things that I'll mention to Netgalley in the comments, but overall this felt polished and read through really well. I could read this author all day and enjoy it each time. A must for cozy fans! Five stars.