"A Side Dish of Death" By T. C. LoTempio: Review/Giveaway

Review by Sarah Erwin

Details at the end of this post on how to win a $15 Amazon card, and a link to purchase the book.

A Side Dish of Death is book five in T.C. LoTempio Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries and once again features a wonderful small town setting, excellent side characters and one amateur sleuth determined to uncover a murderer.

Shell McMillan is the owner of Urban Tails Pet Shop in Fox Hollow, and to celebrate adopt-a-cat month, she and her mother Clarissa organize a murder mystery themed dinner theater. Funds raised will support the local animal shelter, so tickets start going fast when Clarissa arranges for a celebrity chef to prepare the meal. Even Shell’s ex- fiancee arrives in town. Unfortunately, Shell soon discovers that said chef has a huge ego and an equally unpleasant personality. Surely, though, they can get through one fight to raise funds for a good cause.

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Image Source ‎ Beyond the Page Publishing

The night arrives and so does hurricane-like weather with so much thunder, lightning, and wind. Despite the weather, the evening gets under way, but it is not long before Shell finds our celebrity chef murdered. As she digs into his past, Shell begins to reveal secrets and more than a few ruffled feathers. Someone that night, though, was mad enough to kill.

While this technically is not a locked room mystery, it has all the Clue-like vibes, as characters are stuck in a beautiful hotel while roads flood around them. I was immediately drawn into the story and could easily picture the tense atmosphere. Shell’s detective boyfriend Josh was supposed to be off-duty, but of course that all changes upon the discovery of the body. Shell and Josh work well together, and of course there’s Shell’s best friend Gary there to lend a hand.

I had a little guess as to the true murderer and uncovering the why was fascinating. Like the storm outside, this mystery plot does not let up and I found myself holding my breath as Shell bravely interviewed suspects and dug for clues.

Wonderful side characters like Clarissa and Gary really round out the story and make me want to read more in this series. And I can’t wrap up this review without mentioning the perfectly wonderful and smart felines that help Shell solve mysteries.

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You can click here to purchase this book.

Sarah Erwin started her career as a children’s librarian, later becoming a public library director and now she’s a stay at home mom. While her career might have changed, her love of reading has been a constant since 4th grade and she reads over 200 books a year. Read along with her on her blog Sarah Can’t Stop Reading or on Instagram. Sarah lives in St. Louis, MO with her two kids, her husband and a family dog and cat.

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