Shell's mom is organizing another fundraiser for the local cat shelter. This time it will be murder-mystery play with food prepared by a famous chef. When the chef is murdered, there are a number of people who wanted to do him in. Shell and Gary, seem to be acting out their tv roles in real life. But, we they keep themselves from harm. The cats show up and offer a bit of comic relief. A fun read!

This is one of my favorite series. Shell and Gary are both super amusing while clever. I still am uncertain about Shell’s boyfriend Josh. Sometimes, he’s there and others it's like the author just added him as a filler.

This part of the series made me think. I wasn’t thinking the killer was who it was. I was pretty close though. There were a lot of red herrings and suspects. I also liked the background. The murder mystery theater that becomes reality. It was very well done. Add in the cats, and I loved the whole thing.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Andra

I have followed ‘An Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery’ series right from the start. I must say, this series definitely has me engaged with not only the mysteries surrounding each of the murders but more importantly – the involvement of the main cats in the story! How do these cats so stealthily direct Shell to uncover the ‘whodunit’ or even help Shell out of very tight situations?

The book begins with a fundraiser to assist with the adopt-a-cat month. Shell McMillan has decided to host a night of murder mystery dinner theater! Little does she anticipate a real murder (or two) to occur during the evenings festivities. The event was able to garner the culinary skills of a celebrity chef (Reynaldo Venery), who has a checkered past and has not made many friends with his VERY unpleasant attitude (and that is an understatement). My question is – why do chef’s display diva attitudes? Very annoying 😉 Regardless – back to my review.

With amateur sleuth Shell and her trusty sidekick and good friend Gary Presser on the case (unofficially of course), this reader became entrenched in their thought process creating a suspect list and then narrowing it down. That was an experience which kept me engaged fully and reading long past bed time 🙂 .

Right off the bat – we have a suspect in Louise Gates, the inn’s owner as a result of one of her initial meetings with Shell to discuss the event. When Shell asked Louise about the menu, their interaction goes as follows:

Shell inquires as to the state of the menu “You have finalized it, correct?”

“Yes, about that.” Louise nibbled at her lower lip and clasped and unclasped her hands in front of her…. She walked back to the desk and placed the folder in front of me. “This is the menu Venery gave me yesterday.”, she said…

She raised her gaze to meet mine, and her eyes glittered with barely supressed anger.

“To be honest…that man is impossible. I could just kill him!”

As the murder mystery dinner theatre continues, more potential suspects emerge. Patrick, Shell’s ex-husband to name another. Patrick was at the event trying to woo chef Venery into working with his network on a new cooking show…and surprisingly at the time of the murder and after, Patrick is no where to be found. That sparks Shell into engaging her sleuthing skills as she is certain the Patrick is innocent. But is he? Time will tell. There are many suspects to sift through and along the way – a second body is discovered. This definitely muddies the waters. Are the two murders connected…and how? One thing is for certain – Venery was one complicated and messed up chef! But I have faith that Shell will discover the truth.

With bad weather requiring everyone to remain at the inn, and not telling the attendees about the murder, the race is on to find the killer. We have a very unpleasant victim with his secrets going back decades all coming together to provide crucial clues, Shell figures it out. There are many red herrings and some very plausible potential killers.

I truly enjoyed the cat aspect! Not only did we have Purrday (a one-eyed Persian) and Princess Fuzzypants, even Dahlia (one of the cats available for adoption) gets into the sleuthing. And it was wonderful to see that many of the felines were adopted during this event.

I was a bit disappointed in the progression (or should I say lack of) in the relationship between Shell and Josh. Okay – he was the lead detective on the case, but a bit more interaction would have been nice.

Of note, you can read this as a stand-alone as there is enough backstory presented early on in the book, but for full context and enjoyment – I suggest reading the series in order.

If you enjoy cozy mysteries with cats – then I suggest you pull up a comfy chair and a warm (or cold) beverage (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, wine??? Your choice) along with the latest installment (book #5 to be exact) of “An Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery series” – A Side Dish of Death and get reading!!! You will have a thoroughly wonderful escape for a short while.

Another winner by T. C. LoTempio in this beloved series. Well plotted and entertaining, a cast of likely characters I was glad to catch up with, a solid mystery that kept me guessing
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

“A Side Dish of Death” is the nicely done fifth book in T. C. LoTempio’s Urban Tails Pet Shop cozy mystery series. In this book, ex-actress turned pet shop owner Shell McMillan finds herself involved in yet another murder investigation when a real murder occurs at a mystery dinner theater event she is hosting. Since boyfriend Josh is on the scene she would ordinarily be more than happy to let him do his police work but she can’t help get involved when her ex-fiancé is one of the chief suspects. Add in a bad storm, plenty of suspects (many of whom keep disappearing), and some lovable (and very well behaved) cats and you have a very enjoyable mystery. The mystery is well plotted with more than a few twists and turns – while I did figure out who the killer was, the motive took me by surprise. All in all a well done mystery.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This was my first time reading a book in the series and I enjoyed it so much that I will now go back to catch up by reading the previous adventures. The writing is excellent and the plot line is well done. The characters are mostly likable with the exception of the main character’s annoying mother. But, I guess a good story needs a bit of an edge. The animal rescue aspect and the resident felines add to the fun. NetGalley provided me with an advanced readers copy, but the opinion is my own.

Shell McMillan left her glamorous Hollywood life when she inherited a home and pet store from her aunt. She was a co-star in a tv series and engaged to the director. Shell left it all and never looked back. Gary, her co-star came looking for her one day. Initially he hoped to convince her to come back to the show, but then found that he liked the small town life and decided to stay.

It's adopt-a-cat month in Fox Hollow. Shell's mother decides hosting a night of murder mystery dinner theater would be a good way to raise funds and get a few cats adopted. She has arranged for a celebrity chef to cook the meal. Unfortunately, this chef has caused problems for everyone. When he is murdered during the mystery dinner theater show, Shell, Gary and friends need to identify the killer.

I really enjoyed the book. It had a unique story and likable characters. I would absolutely recommend it.

“A Side Dish of Death” is book five in T.C. LoTempio’s “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- fiance 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.

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.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

It was a dark and stormy night as residents of Fox Hollow gathered for a murder mystery dinner theater fundraiser for Adopt-a-Cat month at the Fox Hollow Inn. With a hurricane brewing outside and the roads flooding most of the ticket holders arrive but they may be spending more time at the inn than they planned. Shell’s mother Clarissa is in charge of the event and “pulled out all the stops” to bring in Chef Reynaldo Venery from the popular cable show Culinary Surprise to be in charge of the meal. He was not popular with the staff or anyone else at the inn for that matter. Shell had her own surprise when her ex-fiancé Patrick arrived at the event after receiving an invitation from her mother but that wasn’t the only reason he was there.

When the actors for the mystery theater part of the night are kept away due to the storm, Shell jumps in and finds guests ready to step into the roles. As the show plays in the dining room a real murder has been uncovered in a storage room. Chef Reynaldo Venery is dead. While the storm rages on Josh calls in reinforcements but Shell is already on the case and finds out the chef has left plenty of wronged, disgruntled, and unhappy people in his wake. She just needs to find out if any are stuck with everyone at the inn and try to stay one step ahead of them. She does not want to be the killer’s next target.

I love how cats were the focus of the event and that Purrday, Princess Fuzzypants, and Kahlua, were its ambassadors along with a visiting Ragdoll cat, Serendipity. There was also an adoption room with more cats including a little escape artist, the feisty Dahlia, who ended up having a pretty important role. Purrday and Princess Fuzzypants had their moments of heroism too.

In addition, to the wonderful felines, our favorites are back although they are all pretty busy trying to track down the killer. Shell’s ex-fiancé Patrick showing up added some drama and humor. The weather turned this into a closed-room mystery. The killer had to be at the inn. While Josh was working to follow the evidence Shell focused on researching the chef and potential suspects online. I was surprised by how much she found out and that during a hurricane didn’t crash the wi-fi. I had a suspect list of my own but someone was on my radar from the start, I just needed more backstory. So when the clues started to click and the showdown began I was thrilled that I was right. I was also happy with how the takedown went and how in the end all my questions were answered.

I did have one thing that gave me pause and just pestered me to the end. Phones were taken away from 2 characters and weren’t returned within the story but the phones were being used in later chapters. I am sure this was an editing error in the advance copies and hope it was corrected in the final book.

A Side Dish of Death was a charming cozy mystery filled with delightful cats and their people and friends. While I enjoy catching up with the humans in these stories the cats really do steal the show. Clarissa is already thinking about her next project and you know she believes wherever Shell and Gary are “the bodies naturally follow”. I am excited to see what these characters get into next.

Cosy mystery is indeed the name of the game here.

When a murder mystery evening is held for charity, it doesn't take long for the real world to intrude on the fictional story. A celebrity chef murdered during a blackout, a whole host of suspects trapped in the hotel thanks to a hurricane and our main characters sleuthing their way to victory.

This was my first book by this author and it was a short, enjoyable read. Although the main character, Shell, is an ex-actress turned shop owner, she was giving off huge Jessica Fletcher vibes. Which is no bad thing, the cosy amateur detective snooping around and getting into all sorts of peril is just the sort of thing that works.

And then we move onto the cats. Oh the cats. I picked it up because of the cats, and I was not disappointed. All of them are delightful little characters in their own right, smart little felines that really are the true crime solvers - if anything there should have been more about their adventures, as they spent the whole evening working tirelessly to keep their human out of trouble.

A lovely palate cleanser of a book.

Side Dish of Death is the 5th book in the UrbanTails Pet Shop Mysteries. I had read the first two titles in the series years ago. Despite requests for purchase, my library stop purchasing the series and I was able to pick it back up with this title thanks to NetGalley. The author quickly brings new readers up to speed with just the right amount of information. I was very interested in this book because I love “locked room” type of mysteries and those that are solved within an event. This one did not disappoint in that aspect. There were just a tad too many main players for me to keep track of. There were also some inconsistencies that stood out. The author didn’t close the loop on some parts of the story. Fans of the Second Chance Cat Mystery series would enjoy this series as the cats featured in this series also help guide their person to clues and help solve the crime. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a review.

This is the 5th book in the charming pet shop cozy series "Urban Tales Pet Shop Mysteries:. Thank you to the publishers, to Net Galley and to the author for the opportunity. My review opinions are my own.

Our protagonist Shell owns a pet shop and is kicking off advertising for adoption month with a murder mystery dinner theater. She has hired a celebrity chef who turns out to be not so nice and everyone immediately dislikes him. As the show begins and the audience gathers the chef is found murdered and many suspects are suspected. Shell is determined to have a successful fund raising event in spite of the murder so she investigates and finds the victim had many nefarious dealings. As she questions attendees and those involved with the chef she finds he was intensely disliked by many leading to numerous red herrings and clues abound.

I enjoyed this series for the pet shop focus on animals and the savvy smart protagonist. The animals are a fun part of this series. The sleuth was well crafted to conclusion and kept this reader guessing. I look forward to the next in series.

Thoughts: Who doesn’t love a good mystery with cats. Specifically, Purrday, Princess, and Kahlua. I loved how they helped Shell out of a couple of tight spots, found not one, but two dead bodies, and helped catch the perp.

Shell is helping host a charity “adopt-a-cat” event – during a hurricane – and with a murder mystery theme. What could possibly go wrong? Right. Add in an egotistical chef and you have all the fixings for a murder. Fortunately, Shell’s boyfriend, a cop, is stranded in the building with them so they have built-in support. But so is her ex, who has an issue with the chef. As do several other people. And how does he tie in with the second murder?

This was a fun read, especially with the cats. Loved how they helped out with things. There were a few editorial glitches- like a phone showing up in a pocket when a few pages earlier, it was pointed out that she didn’t have her phone. And it was rather obvious to me from the start who the murderer was – just not the why until later. But overall, an entertaining read with a satisfying ending. And you don’t have to know the entire series to understand who the players are and what’s going on in this one.

Recommended.

Disclosure of Material: Thanks to Netgalley and Beyond the Page Publishing for providing this material. I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

A SIDE DISH OF DEATH by T. C. LoTempio
The Urban Tails Pet Shop Mystery

Fox Hollow is abuzz about the murder mystery fundraiser to promote adopt-a-cat month and support the Fox Hollow Shelter. Celebrity chef Reynoldo Venery is overseeing the food preparation and not even a hurricane predicted for that night will stop people from coming to the sold out event. Shell McMillan, owner of the Urban Tails Pet Shop and former star of Spy Anyone, is ready to enjoy the evening with her homicide detective boyfriend, Josh, with her cats acting as ambassadors, despite the fact that Patrick, her cheating ex fiance is in town. But when the storm knocks the power out at the event Shell finds a dead body...a real dead body. Someone has killed the temperamental chef! Although Josh immediately takes charge, with her ex a prime suspect Shell and her former television partner Gary can't help but start their own investigation. With some shrewd deductions and feline help will they solve another murder?

I was thrilled to be back in Fox Hollow for one of my favorite series. I really love the characters of the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries. Though former television stars, both Shell and Gary are down to earth people I would love to have as friends. They are smart and work well together. They also prove that men and women can just be friends without any romance! I like their significant others as well and hope that Shell and Josh will be able to share some non murderous time together. Of course, my favorite characters are the cats! While Kahlua and the visiting Serendipity are lovely, it's Purraday and Princess Fuzzypants who truly are the stars of the show. I also have a soft spot for Dahlia!

The mystery itself was confounding with multiple possible motives. Limiting the number of suspects in this closed circle mystery didn't make solving the murder any easier. I enjoyed how Shell used the resources at hand to get to the bottom of things.

With smart humans and even smarter cats A SIDE DISH OF DEATH is a fast paced closed circle mystery that promotes cat rescue. A volatile chef, a hurricane, and murder make this one fundraiser that won't soon be forgotten!

In Fox Hollow, like many other places, the animal shelter is full. To raise money for it's expansion, a murder mystery evening with a dinner cooked a volatile celebrity chef is planned in this charming cozy. Turns out the chef has a suitcase of secrets. His own, and those he intends to parlay. The stars of a cancelled spy series both have relocated to Fox Hollow, put down roots and garnered a reputation for finding bodies and helping law enforcement solve the cases. There's always cats featured in the action enhancing the fun. Mystery is deviously plotted with plenty of suspects. Enjoyable quick read.

With a murder mystery fund raiser dinner in full swing, the last thing Shell and the Gand need is a hurricane and a real murder on their hands. But there you have it. Their celebrity guest chef is murdered and it’s obvious that the killer is still there as a storm rates outside, keeping everyone hostage at the event.

Can She’ll and the gang figure out who killed the unpleasant, yet famous chef? Can they do it quietly and in parallel to the murder mystery their guests are solving? More importantly, can they do it without the guest knowing and the killer striking again?

Another solid entry in this series! I love the cats, especially Shell’s cats! Each entry is filled with red herrings along with a well crafted whodunit. You’ll be guessing right along with the gang right up until the reveal.

Cozy murder mysteries are really nice palette cleansers after reading something emotional or heavy hitting, and this book is exactly what I needed after one of my previous reads.

Though this is considered part 5 in the Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries, I did not find I needed to read the other ones to know what was going on in this one. There were some vague references to previous "crimes" and mysteries which make me want to explore the other stories, but they did not detract from the story we were presented in this one.

I call this a cozy murder mystery because it feel fairly low stakes as the premise is a murder which happens at a charity murder mystery dinner. The theme fits the classic trope for a campy locked door with quirky characters who probably shouldn't be investigating but they are; however the story is fun, the cats are very helpful, and the mystery is pretty engaging.

It was a quick and easy read with heart and suspense. I will definitely be on the look out for more books by this author and probably in this series.

I absolutely love Gary’s character! He always cracks me up. Luckily he’s dating Shell’s bestie and only doing sleuthing with Shell now instead of how he originally hoped they could be together. Shell’s super happy with her detective boyfriend who’s come to appreciate her and Gary’s help even if it’s just being a runner for something. This was the summertime version of characters stranded in a place with a storm raging outside, technically a hurricane. Purrday and Princess Fuzzypants were their usual good kitty helpers and found clues and even got to help when it was needed most. The showdown was a crazy one and led to the following day being spent with food and friends while Shell, Josh and Gary filled in everyone on the excitement. Can’t wait for the next book! This is one of my fave series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Beyond the Page via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and T. C. LoTempio for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Side Dish of Death coming out February 25, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’ve read another book by this author, but this is the first book in this series that I’ve read. I’m obsessed with cozy mysteries! Fox Hollow definitely has the small town cozy vibes. I love that Shell owns a pet store. The murder mystery dinner theater was a really fun plot point. I loved the story. I would check out more books by this author!

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy mysteries!

Urban Tails Pet Shop owner Shell McMillan is raising funds for Adopt-A-Pet Month by hosting a murder mystery dinner. Things get complicated when her ex-fiance shows up with his agenda, and someone murders the celebrity chef she hires for the event.

Shell decides to investigate the chef’s past, looking for any enemies he made as he developed his reputation as a demanding and demeaning chef.

Purrday, Princess Fuzzypants, and Kahlua, her trio of felines, continue to lead Shell to clues.
The sixth title in the Urban Tails Pet Shops mysteries is a winner.